Planting Flowers

[~Daisy~]

If you enjoy trees, check out the Arbor Day Foundation site. They have a tree store w/affordable trees and lots of advice for what types of trees are best for your area, soil, etc.

I haven't looked recently, but when I was in Maryland I joined and as a result of my $10 membership, I received 10 free trees, plus a discount on additional trees. I had a triple lot, so lots of room to plan them.

http://www.arborday.org/

Here's the membership section and although it's changed a little price-wise, it's still really inexpensive. I can tell you from experience that the trees were very small when we received them, but they did very well and we had a drought that summer:

http://www.arborday.org/shopping/memberships/memberships.cfm

Good stuff. We joined a couple of years ago. Don't have the trees, now, because they're at the old house, and the ones I had planted and were babying have been torn up by the owners. Grrr.

I cant wait until next spring when I can plant stuff at the new house.

[Dexter Morgan]

I hope my flowers and shrubs make it through the night.  Were having a severe thunderstorm. We had some hail and they said we could have winds as high as 70 mph. 

[Sandy Eggo]

Ohhhhh I wish I were there!

[Dexter Morgan]

Ohhhhh I wish I were there!

  Well, everything survived the storms. No damage what so ever. Tonight I looked at the garden ,and to my surprise my decorative Indian Corn, has sprouted already. Do you like storms MsMojo??? We got almost 2 inches of rain night before last. We needed it really bad. It has been so dry. I didn't have to water the garden the past couple of nights, so that was great. We planted so much this year, that it takes me at least a half an hour or forty five minutes to get everything watered every night. So it's a nice break in routine. I spend at least 2 hours a day feeding and taking care of my pets. So,its nice to not have so much to do. 

[kimmi]

I love storms too!!!! 

[Dexter Morgan]

I love storms too!!!! 

Storms are only fun until the tornadoes come. We had a touchdown in our back yard last summer. It was crazy because I was in the basement listening to the scanner, and I heard one of the spotters say" it's coming down out of the sky on 90th street.' So, I sat there a minute wondering where 90th street was. Then it hit me,I live on 90th street!!! All of a sudden the air got so calm I couldn't even breathe. Then all of a sudden it cut loose and hail was hitting the house so hard I was afraid the windows were going to break. I thought Pugsly was going to have a stroke. His eyes were kind of bugging out of his head more than usual. Luckily, it passed us by. Pugsly was so freaked out, he drooled a big puddle of slobbers on the floor. I was somewhat afraid he might be dehydrated. After the storm (this happened at about 10:00 pm) allot of vehicles drove past the house real slow,I didn't know why till the following day. The garbage man said to my husband "we were all surprised your house is still standing" my husband says "why is that??? Garbage man says "hell, we saw it come down out of the clouds in your back yard."  The bad thing is we live about 2 miles from town, and it hit 4 houses in town. We were very lucky . We were without power for 3 days. When it got still I knew it was not good. They usually sound like a train coming down the tracks,but it was hailing so hard, I didn't here the roar. When we lived in town,one hit a half a mile away and it did sound like a train, that one was close too.

[Dexter Morgan]

This morning I was surprised to see that one of my pumpkin plants, has sprouted up out of the ground. My sunflowers are 3 inches tall. All the storms and rain we have gotten over the past few days,  has greened things up quite nicely out in the yard. 

[kimmi]

Is it too late to plant sunflower seeds in zone 7 ir 8?

[Dexter Morgan]

Is it too late to plant sunflower seeds in zone 7 ir 8?

I'm not sure, but I'll check. 

[Dexter Morgan]

Is it too late to plant sunflower seeds in zone 7 ir 8?

To reach maturity it takes between 70 -90 days. I don't think it's too late. I just planted mine a couple weeks ago. They grow pretty fast. When does your  cold weather come??? If you plant them now, they should be ready sometime in late September of early October. That would be when you harvest them.  I lost my seed package or I could tell you what zones to plant and when. If your weather stays reasonably warm through October, I think it would be fine to plant them now. In another week or so it maybe too late. Did you know that some sunflowers can grow to 20 feet tall, and have the flower be as big around as a dinner plate??? 

[Sunny]

Our little garden has been great to watch grow. While we were on vacation something (deer?) ate most of our string beans...the tomatoes definitely are at the point that they need staked...and we have little peppers popping out!

[kimmi]

To reach maturity it takes between 70 -90 days. I don't think it's too late. I just planted mine a couple weeks ago. They grow pretty fast. When does your  cold weather come??? If you plant them now, they should be ready sometime in late September of early October. That would be when you harvest them.  I lost my seed package or I could tell you what zones to plant and when. If your weather stays reasonably warm through October, I think it would be fine to plant them now. In another week or so it maybe too late. Did you know that some sunflowers can grow to 20 feet tall, and have the flower be as big around as a dinner plate??? 

Oh I should be good then.  We don't get cold until November.

[Dexter Morgan]

Our little garden has been great to watch grow. While we were on vacation something (deer?) ate most of our string beans...the tomatoes definitely are at the point that they need staked...and we have little peppers popping out!

We've got some small tomatoes on the plants. The peppers are just starting to bud, and I noticed today they're are getting their little white flowers. My ornamental Indian corn is taking off pretty good. I've never planted it before. I planted the regular kind and the mini blue kind. The excitement is building, because I want to know what it looks like. One year I worked at an orchard in the fall. I spent one entire 8 hour shift doing nothing but bundling Indian corn. I really like harvest time. Fall is my favorite season of the year.

[Dexter Morgan]

Oh I should be good then.  We don't get cold until November.

It should be alright. I did mine direct sow. It didn't take long at all because they grow super fast.