Your All Things Plants weekly news: April 13, 2013

There were 7 new gardening ideas posted last week:

Irises Come in All the Colors of the Rainbow

By Paul2032
April 13, 2013
Irises Come in All the Colors of the Rainbow

When you see the exciting irises that are being introduced today, it is hard to believe that their ancestors were shades of white, blue or violet. Hiding in the genes and chromosomes of those ancestral irises was the possibility of a vast spectrum of colors and patterns. These diverse beauties are now being produced by talented iris breeders who are giving us astonishing blooms in all of the colors of the rainbow. (178 words - Read the full article)

(one comment)

Make Your Own Hummingbird Nectar

By wildflowers
April 12, 2013
Make Your Own Hummingbird Nectar

Hummingbirds love the nectar made with this easy recipe. (327 words - Read the full article)

(12 comments)

Keep Squirrels out of Feeders

By flaflwrgrl
April 11, 2013
Keep Squirrels out of Feeders

To keep squirrels out of your bird feeders you can hang the feeder using strong mono-filament line from a limb which is 6 feet off the ground. You must be sure to keep the feeder 6 feet from the trunk of the tree as well as 6 feet from any other branches. The squirrels can not hold onto the fishing line to get to the feeder & they (almost always) can't jump the distance to the feeder.

(10 comments)

ATP Podcast #13: Easy Peasy Culinary Herbs for Everyone

By dave
April 10, 2013
ATP Podcast #13: Easy Peasy Culinary Herbs for Everyone

In this week's episode, Trish and Dave share their favorite culinary herbs, how to grow them, and what uses they have in the kitchen. Even experienced gardeners will enjoy the interesting anecdotes about the old favorites.

(21 comments)

Outside Clock

By Boopaints
April 9, 2013
Outside Clock

A large wall clock in the garden helps you keep track of the time you’re spending outdoors and reminds you to put on more sunscreen.

(6 comments)

More Spigots Equal Easier Watering

By RickCorey
April 8, 2013
More Spigots Equal Easier Watering

Tired of dragging hoses around? Add a spigot every 50 feet! Once you've run 1/2" tubing around your house, you can add as many spigots as you want for $3 each. (331 words - Read the full article)

(6 comments)

Cheap and Plentiful Plant Markers

By Tom
April 7, 2013
Cheap and Plentiful Plant Markers

I needed plant markers to keep track of all the new seedlings I started this year. I was tired of my old method using popsicle sticks. They tend to mold, and when they get moist the words run together and blur. So, I had the idea of using an old rinsed out milk jug. I cut it up into small strips, and now my words will stay clear and no more moldy popsicle sticks!

(8 comments)

The most popular images last week from our plant database:

Photo of Daylily (Hemerocallis 'Green Spill') by fiwit:
Image from plant ID 4784

Photo of Butterfly Bush (Buddleja x weyeriana 'Honeycomb') by fiwit:
Image from plant ID 75623

Photo of Daylily (Hemerocallis 'Festive Gingerbreads') by floota:
Image from plant ID 36516

Photo of English Primrose (Primula vulgaris 'Blue Sapphire') by zuzu:
Image from plant ID 186120

Photo of Dwarf Shasta Daisy (Leucanthemum x superbum 'Darling') by Paul2032:
Image from plant ID 144911

Photo of Daylily (Hemerocallis middendorffii) by robertduval14:
Image from plant ID 214059

The most active threads this week:
Subject OP Area Replies
OT - The Porch Swing • Spring 2013 daylily Daylilies forum 218
Log Planter is READY! clintbrown Sempervivum and Jovibarba forum 184
Kate's pics Eviesmummy Sempervivum and Jovibarba forum 75
Empty planter... SharLynn Sempervivum and Jovibarba forum 74
ATP Series: The Daylilies of Patrick and Grace Stamile Char Daylilies forum 53
Backyard Birds - April 2013 plantladylin Gardening for Butterflies, Birds and Bees forum 38
My Perennial Tulips Blooming Newyorkrita Perennials forum 32
Winters coming back to the Rockies CDsSister Sempervivum and Jovibarba forum 29
delphiniums ... need help please RainRabbit All Things Gardening forum 29

Some new recommendations from our members:
chelle recommended Santa Rosa Gardens and wrote:

I finally had the opportunity to order from Santa Rosa Gardens, and I'm happy that I did.

(+)
Packaging was superb
Good value for price paid - healthy plants
Moisture content perfect for shipping - no soggy mess or dry, overly stressed plants!
Delivered when requested
Plants well marked with easy-to-read tags
Filler material compostable/reusable and not messy!! No peanuts or finely shredded paper to chase down! Yay!

(-)
A bit short on selections of plant types that I'm usually looking for.

----------------------------My order --------------------------------------------
Hosta Francee
Juncus pallidus Javelin
Ajuga tenorii Chocolate Chip
Delosperma floribundum Starburst
Helleborus Helen Ballard Strain
Veronica Whitewater


AND...I saved $25.00 by catching a sale! Sweet!

virginiarose recommended Floyd Cove Nursery and wrote:

Floyd Cove is wonderful to deal with. Beautiful introductions and all kinds of daylilies at all kinds of prices, so everyone should get something very pretty in their price range. I was amazed by the huge fans and the wonderful bonus plants, which even included a new introduction! I was just stunned by how perfect they were. I was very, very happy with the whole order and I will always recommend them to everyone! Now some pictures!!

Thumb of 2013-04-10/virginiarose/3545ef
Thumb of 2013-04-10/virginiarose/13a5ec
Thumb of 2013-04-10/virginiarose/6acb7a

LindaTX8 recommended Horizon Herbs and wrote:

I've ordered from this company several times and received everything I ordered promptly. They have species I've never seen elsewhere. Very satisfied!

Some numbers from last week: