Saturday Gardening Thread, December Starts [KT]

From Le Garde Vieux in Alabama:

Last fancy rose of the season from my neighbor's garden. The red Knockout roses are still producing like crazy. Even in this unseasonable cold weather.

Knockout roses are landscape roses that are usually grown on their own roots. The original was semi-double.

There is now a double red, too. Plus other colors.

We'll miss those roses for a while.

Hardscaping

You may recall that The Invisible Hand and his wife in San Clemente had turf installed for a "golf zone" in their back yard. We highlighted the construction phase earlier. (I have closed the comments on that post so someone doesn't accidentally ban themselves).

Today, note how the new work fits in with the pre-existing hardscaping and other surroundings.

I especially like this view. Don't know if the patio is new. Some of the surrounding and underlying hardscaping seems new to me.

Kaz the dog seems to like his surroundings.

Critters

Hank Curmudgeon sent in a story about why stink bugs are taking over the Eastern USA. Flying around light fixtures in the house during winter. Eeew.

They're not any old native stink bugs, they're brown marmorated stink bugs. Marmorated means "marbled or streaked". They came as illegal immigrants, probably in shipments of machinery, probably in the late 1990s. So they have multiplied fast. In addition to being a pest in homes in winter, they eat many crops. And threaten some native plants.

Anybody recognize it?

The fifth instar nymph is distinctive. Remind you of anything?

From By-Tor, a photo of a raccoon that was living at his house for a couple of months. A somewhat bigger pest than the bug above. Kinda cute in a slightly menacing way.

Seed Catalogs

Remember that seeds and/or garden supplies make fine gifts. Especially if you would like some surplus garden produce.

Got a catalog from Twilley Seeds, which was bought by one of the Park Seed family. Classic baby-with-watermelon on the cover. AAS winners on the inside back cover.

Still no online ordering. This is a catalog aimed at farm and market growers. They want to develop a relationship with their customers. Fast shipping.

I will vouch for their Savannah Hybrid Mustard (also available elsewhere) if you are a fan of milder cooked mustard greens. But I get this catalog specifically for their turnips 'Just Right' (gets big in late fall, hairless greens) and 'White Lady' (almost as sweet as Hakeuri or Oasis. Fast growing. Hairless greens).

If you are interested in REALLY cheap seeds, Willhite in Texas is available online and has a print catalog for next year, too. They were online only for a while. Their centennial next year. They specialize in watermelons, but I don't see a kid with watermelon on the cover. Unusual. They used to carry edible gourds and such from the Indian subcontinent, but I don't see those now. A good place to order Emerald Green (Velvet) Okra if you are in the South. Don't know if this one is adapted to day lengths in the North.

If you want to give a few REALLY cheap seeds to a child, for example, Crosman Seeds (established 1838) is a good choice. Rochester, NY. Download an order form or have them mail you one. I recommend Romanette Bush Green Beans. They have some nice, basic flowers, too.

Have you got any recommendations for The Horde?

Travel

One of my nieces went to Mexico for Thanksgiving with her husband, both sets of parents and a few other relatives. So here's a Mexcan Thanksgiving Beach Cactus.

Gardens of The Horde

The famous Pat* in Idaho will be posting in the comments on Sunday. Busy woman. Remember to check back tomorrow.

Dr_No sent in another view of his daughter's last mailbox Clematis blossom of the year, in Tennessee. Guess it's time to do some Christmas stuff.

If you would like to send information and/or photos for the Saturday Gardening Thread, the address is:

ktinthegarden
at g mail dot com

posted by Open Blogger at 12:52 PM

| Access Comments