JoNelle in the Garden
Well it is time to start a garden blog. There is so much local knowledge out there, but rarely do we all see it or get to interact with each other about the information. I know for me by the time my monthly garden meetings come around, I usually forget to ask the questions I had for friends 2 weeks before. I hope that you will join me talking about specific plants, plants in general, or whatever you would like information or feedback on.
I really want to make this more of a discussion about various issues ranging from plants that work well for you, down to specific cultivars you have had good success with, to how do I get my compost pile going (it just sits there), to how to design a garden (i.e. garden ideas), to how do I get rid of these pests (the deer!!!!), to how do I hybridize, to what are the trends in hybridizing, and what do you think of these trends. In short, the full range of garden discussions. Some of these discussions may be regional, but others will apply nationally.
For the novice gardener my goal is to provide a place where you can learn about different aspects of gardening. For the more experienced gardener a place to impart knowledge and information and have some of those discussions we all crave. Do you think we have started inbreeding our cultivars too much or what do you think about trying to hybridize rust free plants versus continually just spraying for rust? So, let me know what you think about these various topics, or what you want to talk about. If you have questions for me, just leave a comment. If I don’t know the answer, I’ll find someone who does. My goal is to get us together sharing knowledge and information. We may not always agree on some things, but that is the beauty of gardening – there are many ways to do things, and the one thing we have in common is that we all enjoy gardening. So let us start talking – oops I mean blogging to each other.
I read on the Daylily Robin that some gardeners recommended Milorganite as a deer deterrent. (I’ve live in my present home for about 12 years and never had a problem with deer until this winter. I hate to put up a fence if the deer leave once we get over our present drought.) I found Milorganite at Lowes, and so I spread some in the daylily bed yesterday. The smell is not the greatest, but if it helps to keep deer away from my daylilies, I won’t complain. I also bought some deer repellent scent disks to set in the garden. (I forget the name. But since there is a money back guarantee, well I will give them a try. I’ve not set those out yet, as I want to try one thing at a time.) I did apply Bobbex last month which seems to have worked for the most part, except for some plants which were nibbled down . .. strange unless I forgot to spray those. I will update as I see what “works.”
Meanwhile, I wait for the mesquite to bud. The saying is that winter is not over until the mesquite buds, and so I wait.
I have scapes on three daylilies, MERRY MOFFIT, BAS RELIEF AND COTTON CANDY. I using milorganite also. Most of my plants look really healthy which is a surprise since we have not had any rain for months. i have actually had ablooms almost all winter on some plants. I am fighting aphids.