Your All Things Plants weekly news

for June 27, 2015

This Week's Gardening Ideas:

Growing Fuchsias as Standards

By midnight21
June 27, 2015
Growing Fuchsias as Standards

Start with a cutting that still has its growing tip. Put in a small cane to support it as it grows. Keep potting on so that it does not get pot-bound. (242 words - Read the full article)

Hostas Celebration Week Wrap Up

By dave
June 26, 2015
Hostas Celebration Week Wrap Up

Hostas week is at an end and we had a lot of fun. Let's take a look at some of the highlights of the event. (202 words - Read the full article)

Hosta Information and Growing Tips

By Trish
June 25, 2015
Hosta Information and Growing Tips

Fun, interesting, and helpful tidbits about Hostas. (362 words - Read the full article)

More Than Just a Sea of Green

By Paul2032
June 24, 2015
More Than Just a Sea of Green

There was a time when the Hostas available to the average gardener were predominantly shades of green with an occasional one that was gold or bluish. That is not true today, as the work of some dedicated hybridizers and mutations from Mother Nature have given us a wider palette of hosta colors to choose from. Careful selection of some of the lovely cultivars available today can make the Hosta Garden something more than a sea of green. (200 words - Read the full article)

Add a Splash of Color to Your Hosta Garden

By Paul2032
June 23, 2015
Add a Splash of Color to Your Hosta Garden

It goes without saying that tastes vary. Hosta purists might recoil at the addition of a strong primary color to the cool blues, greens, and golds in their garden. To others, including me, the judicious addition of a splash of strong color to a mature planting can add excitement and visual interest. (287 words - Read the full article)

Companion Plants for the Hosta Garden

By Paul2032
June 22, 2015
Companion Plants for the Hosta Garden

Hostas come in a great variety of colors, sizes, forms, and textures. A shady bed featuring only a number of well-chosen Hosta cultivars can provide great visual interest, but the addition of some companion plants can add to the overall beauty and diversity. (267 words - Read the full article)

Hostas Are Wonderful in Containers

By Paul2032
June 21, 2015
Hostas Are Wonderful in Containers

Planting some Hostas in containers can bring wonderful variety to the garden. It also allows plants to be enjoyed on a patio or other shaded area where they can't go directly into the ground. A potted plant can also bring interest to a bed of Hostas. Give it a try. (220 words - Read the full article)

The most popular images last week from our plant database:

By lovemyhouse:
Image from plant ID 87056
By Char:
Image from plant ID 157778
By turini:
Image from plant ID 698122
By Cookies4kids:
Image from plant ID 88178
By Sheridragonfly:
Image from plant ID 180757
By ViolaAnn:
Image from plant ID 538192
By eclayne:
Image from plant ID 88103
By Frillylily:
Image from plant ID 29620
By eclayne:
Image from plant ID 91080

The most popular Multi-Plant Photos from last week:

Photo by Fleur569:
Image by Fleur569
Photo by glengarry23:
Image by glengarry23
Photo by Paul2032:
Image by Paul2032
Photo by foraygardengirl:
Image by foraygardengirl
Photo by Fleur569:
Image by Fleur569
Photo by skylark:
Image by skylark
Photo by eclayne:
Image by eclayne
Photo by Daylilybaby:
Image by Daylilybaby
Photo by bamira:
Image by bamira

Noteworthy acorn tips given this week:

9 people gave for post #884456 in "Thanks for the system message....but..." by Marilyn

6 people gave for the idea "Companion Plants for the Hosta Garden" by Paul2032

6 people gave for post #884365 in "Thanks for the system message....but..." by evermorelawnless

6 people gave for the idea "Add a Splash of Color to Your Hosta Garden" by Paul2032

5 people gave for the idea "Hostas Are Wonderful in Containers" by Paul2032

5 people gave for a photo of Daylily (Hemerocallis 'Lowcountry Gem') by kidfishing

5 people gave for post #883902 in "Thanks for the system message....but..." by poisondartfrog

4 people gave for post #889481 in "Banner for June 27, 2015 by clintbrown" by clintbrown

4 people gave for post #884272 in "Thanks for the system message....but..." by MikeD

4 people gave for post #883827 in "Adios, Dave's Garden" by jvdubb

The most active threads this week:

Subject OP Area Replies
Weather in your garden ~ Summer 2015CharDaylilies forum127
What's going on in our Summer and Fall Vegetable Gardens?NewyorkritaVegetables and Fruit forum100
My first Seedlingstveguy3Irises forum91
Hostas - 2015 - Photos and ChatCookies4kidsHostas forum82
Daylilies arriving during heat wave, advice pleaseGDJCBDaylilies forum32
Beautiful (to me) weed, what is it?kylaluazPlant ID forum27
ConeflowersFrillylilyPerennials forum26
are Spider orchids/Brassias an easy or hard genus to grow?PlantsmyloveOrchids forum24
Leo crosses the Rainbow bridge, my flower garden boySheridragonflyAll Things Gardening forum23

Some new reviews from the ATP Green Pages:

texaskitty111 recommended The Whitinger Seed Company and wrote:

I got some tomato seeds for Tigerella and Kellogg's Breakfast. They germinated well, but most of all, they have the BEST tomato taste. Tigerella matured early and produced the most tomatoes for me. Kellogg's Breakfast has been bred for size,, taste, meatiness, and a beautiful orange color. Also, they are the only tomatoes that didn't develop cracks. I recommend this company.

kylaluaz recommended Bluestone Perennials and wrote:

I ordered four plants from Bluestone's end of season sale this year, a hellebore, an astilbe, and two daylilies. I watched the tracking information -- having chosen the US postal service as the cheapest option. On the day I expected delivery I saw to my dismay that the post office had noted my plants as delivered, but they had not arrived! I admit I panicked a bit, even though the time of delivery noted was not as much as a half hour before I looked on the porch. I called Bluestone, not expecting they could do anything really, but they were both very patient and kind and also offered to reship if my order did not arrive by the following Monday (as it was a Friday when this occurred.) The person I spoke with even insisted I call first thing Monday and not wait til the end of the day. Well, I was a little embarrassed when I got off the phone and discovered my plants had actually arrived during that phone call. I guess the mail carrier marked them off as delivered just before bringing them to my door. I did not think I needed to call Bluestone and tell them, but maybe I should have, because on Monday afternoon I got a "Your package has shipped" email! I thought it must be a mistake, and there was no functioning tracking link. But in fact another order of the same plants did arrive in two more days! The first shipment was in great shape, but this second shipment the plants looked even better. I'm like the cat that got into the goldfish bowl here. And all those plants are happily growing in my garden. Not only that, one of the daylilies had a bloomscape when it arrived, and has since bloomed, which is pretty fast for a first year transplanted daylily:

needrain recommended Harmon Hill Farm and wrote:

Good service from Harmon Hill Farm. One plant I ordered and received did not measure up to their standards so the package arrived with the plant and a refund for that plant. That plant did look pretty sad, but it's doing very well for me. I would certainly order from them again.

We keep growing, because ATP is where all the excitement is these days! Check out these numbers from last week: