Your All Things Plants weekly news: May 10, 2014

There were 8 new gardening ideas posted last week:

The May Shade Gardens and Tropical Bulbs Not-A-Raffle-Raffle!

By dave
May 10, 2014
The May Shade Gardens and Tropical Bulbs Not-A-Raffle-Raffle!

Here we go with another raffle, loaded with great prizes! You've got all weekend to buy tickets, so get your acorns out and have fun! (525 words - Read the full article)

(no comments)

Easy Transport of Seedlings

By blue23rose
May 9, 2014
Easy Transport of Seedlings

When I planted my first daylily seeds, I wanted to be able to put them outside easily for some sunshine, but also to bring them in at night. My wagon filled the bill. (105 words - Read the full article)

(6 comments)

Growing Fuchsias, the Basics

By midnight21
May 8, 2014
Growing Fuchsias, the Basics

Your fuchsias can be moved to their final positions, whether into containers, baskets, or open ground, as soon as they have developed a good root ball. Carefully remove the plant from the pot and check the roots. They should be white and should fill the pot evenly. (261 words - Read the full article)

(no comments)

Shady Nooks

By mcash70
May 7, 2014
Shady Nooks

“Oh for a book and a shady nook, either indoors or out, with the green leaves whispering overhead,” John Wilson (626 words - Read the full article)

(40 comments)

ATP Podcast #55: Shade Gardens and Watering Tips

By dave
May 7, 2014
ATP Podcast #55: Shade Gardens and Watering Tips

In today's episode we talk about some of our favorite shade plants. Trish shares some of her observations about irrigation, and we have another pinboard of bad ideas segment. (67 words - Read the full article)

(7 comments)

Mutating and Sporting in the Shade Garden

By profesora
May 6, 2014
Mutating and Sporting in the Shade Garden

Most variegated hostas are mutations or sports. Many beautiful ones never reach the open market. (478 words - Read the full article)

(7 comments)

Hardy Fuchsias in the Garden

By midnight21
May 5, 2014
Hardy Fuchsias in the Garden

Hardy fuchsias should be planted in the garden during June, if possible, so that they can get a good root system before the cold weather. If they are not planted until July, they should be growing in at least 5-inch pots before they are planted out. (352 words - Read the full article)

(5 comments)

Shade Sails

By Cocobid
May 4, 2014
Shade Sails

We rarely see shade sails here in the United States, in contrast to countries like Australia, where their use is quite common. We stumbled upon them totally by accident and necessity about 9 years ago. After a nasty storm that tore our large awning off the western side of the patio, we needed a new form of sun protection fast. We installed these only as a temporary solution, but found that they would always be a permanent installation at our home. (391 words - Read the full article)

(34 comments)

The most popular images last week from our plant database:

Photo of Iris (Iris 'Owyhee Desert') by Lestv:
Image from plant ID 73365

Photo of Goldenchain Tree (Laburnum x watereri) by jerseyridgearts:
Image from plant ID 77399

Photo of Hybrid Epiphyllum (Epiphyllum 'Moonlight Sonata') by Kelli:
Image from plant ID 147303

Photo of Bull Thistle (Cirsium horridulum) by wildflowers:
Image from plant ID 81048

Photo of Hybrid Epiphyllum (Epiphyllum 'Wild Thing') by Kelli:
Image from plant ID 156878

Photo of Daylily (Hemerocallis 'Dizzy Miss Lizzy') by chalyse:
Image from plant ID 4823

The most popular Multi-Plant Photos from last week:

Multi-plant photo by clintbrown:
Image by clintbrown

Multi-plant photo by Lestv:
Image by Lestv

Multi-plant photo by jmorth:
Image by jmorth

Multi-plant photo by jerseyridgearts:
Image by jerseyridgearts

Multi-plant photo by Toni:
Image by Toni

Multi-plant photo by kosk0025:
Image by kosk0025

Noteworthy acorn tips given this week:
9 people gave for the idea "Shade Sails" by Cocobid

7 people gave for the idea "Shady Nooks" by mcash70

5 people gave for the idea "Mutating and Sporting in the Shade Garden" by profesora

4 people gave for post #606814 in "Banner for May 6, 2014 by Natalie" by Natalie

3 people gave for post #605244 in "Banner for May 4, 2014 by Calif_Sue" by Calif_Sue

3 people gave for post #607312 in "Interplanting a long raised row of pumpkins and melons - suggestions?" by saltmarsh

3 people gave for post #610147 in "Banner for May 10, 2014 by bootandall" by bootandall

3 people gave for the idea "Growing Fuchsias, the Basics" by midnight21

2 people gave for a photo of Stonecrop (Hylotelephium erythrostictum 'Frosty Morn') by JRsbugs

2 people gave for the idea "Hardy Fuchsias in the Garden" by midnight21

The most active threads this week:
Subject OP Area Replies
OT - The Porch Swing daylily Daylilies forum 181
OK, so how many have you got ordered??? tveguy3 Irises forum 178
Some clumps shots? PollyK Irises forum 100
Odds & Ends Muddymitts Irises forum 40
It's Happening! tveguy3 Irises forum 33
GMO's and Roudup Ready Xenacrockett All Things Gardening forum 29
Looking for the Rain Bubbles Texas Gardening forum 28
Very nice tip! virginiarose Shade Sails 25
Iris Rescues Lestv Irises forum 23

Some new recommendations from our members:
Onewish1 recommended Mischel's Greenhouses Ltd. and wrote:

My first order from them: Look at the great size of the plants and the fantastic shipping!! The plants were not going anywhere. There was an insert that slipped out of the box and was clipped to the pots. I will be buying from them again!!!

stilldew recommended The Sempervivum Patch and wrote:

Best looking semps I've ever received. Very well separated into their own little package. I ordered the markers too and am glad I did. Look at these great roots!

woofie recommended Morningsun Herb Farm and wrote:

Perhaps this recommendation is premature, as I've only just received my first order from this company, but I was very impressed with their communication, their packaging, and the condition of the plants I received. Their prices were quite reasonable, and the shipping for just a couple of plants is also quite affordable, although they do charge a bit more for the eastern regions. Here's a photo of the two Brise d'Anjou plants I received. They were amazingly well packaged. Their website has a very nice photographic description of their packaging process here: http://morningsunherbfarm.com/ssp/faq

SongofJoy recommended Chocolate Flower Farm and wrote:

A place for the chocolate lover to buy all things chocolate - from plants to seeds to candles to soaps and other chocolate goodies. Fun!

stilldew recommended So Succulent Gardens and SucculentJungle on Etsy.com Shops and wrote:

The semps I ordered from SucculentJungle on Etsy.com arrived very well packed and healthy looking. The owner was very good about communicating as needed about the order. All the plants were well rooted in their own little pots. Many of the hens included some chicks. http://www.SoSucculent.com is the website of the Etsy shop owner.

Some numbers from last week: