[Mabelline]

Sorry, but I disagree. When I looked up the tree you named, it's leaves are pointed.

Look up Albizia julibrissin. Rounded end leaves. I have grubbed tons of Mimosa, silk tree, whatever you want to call it. It is a weed tree.

[mitchellwarren]

ranitidine, on Jul 3 2005, 02:57 PM, said:

I go with the ailanthus description for the tree in the first picture. This is evidently the tree that Beans describes as growing on a neighbor's property. I have never heard of anyone planting one of these intentionally. Their main function (and their only good one) is to sprout, seemingly overnight, and shoot up in desolate urban locations. I used to see one, fully grown, beneath a subway grating on Raymond Boulevard in Newark!

I agree, ailanthus it is.

[GG Mora]

I'm going to offer a dissenting opinion: Black Locust. Look at the the close up of the leaf/branch pattern.

Considered an invasive outside its natural range.

[memesuze]

today in the garden....I watered and watered, it having been 32 days since our last rain and it's been over 100 degrees for the last four days and we're not expecting any relief for too long a spell

[ranitidine]

Mabelline, on Jul 3 2005, 11:49 AM, said:

Sorry, but I disagree. When I looked up the tree you named, it's leaves are pointed.

Look up Albizia julibrissin. Rounded end leaves. I have grubbed tons of Mimosa, silk tree, whatever you want to call it. It is a weed tree.

Don't be sorry. Lord knows, I'm no expert in botanical matters.

[Melonious Thunk]

This is purple and blue week in my perennial gardens. Purple astible are like clouds, backed by the remains of the white astilbe, purple irises are on their last legs, but make a nice showing, the lace cap hydrangea we planted last year have taken hold beautifully and form a lovely green leaved back wall to one of the gardens, topped by delicate blue flowers. The Stokes Asters (corn flowers) worm their way through and pop up with blue blossoms where least expected. These colors are punctuated by a host of late blooming yellow daylillies.

Had I not, four years ago, installed a seven foot high deer fence completely around our property and down to waters' edge (in the woods so it can"t be seen) with a gate across the drive, this would all be deer food.

We discovered that a bed of purple Japanese Irisis I planted in the marsh garden seven years ago, which hadn't been seen since, made a miraculous appearance this summer, with lovely fat blossoms and healthy sword leaves. Amazing things, plants. Also a mallow plant that has blossoms the size of dinner plants made a reappearance after going awol for five years. Small pink buds promise flowers, but we'll see. The marsh garden may yet develop.

The twenty foot high native rhododendron are showing the last of their wihite blossoms, but the petals make the fron lawn look like a summer snow fell under their branches. The purple and pink Rhodos finished weeks ago. I'm not sure what we'll have in late July, since the gardener put a whole bunch of plants in without telling me, so I hope I'm in for a pleasant surprise.

A trio of Japanese painted ferns (Athyrium naponicum) have spread beautifully under a quartet of hybrid rhododendrons we planted three years ago. The rhodos are not yet blooming, but the ferns look glorious.

I am looking for some advanced bougeanvilla plants to hang from the pergola in back, along with sone madevillas. Their blossoms keep coming all summer as long as they are watered and fed. I may have to give in an line the green wire plant shelves on the back deck with geraniums. The colors are so nice and they are pretty hearty in the summer heat we get.

Roses have never liked us much, alas, but I may break down and put some in large planter urns just to have the sweet smelling blossoms. Next weekend I will shop for some at the local nurseries.

[GG Mora]

Success and failure.

Success:

Roasted and teamed up with some other goodies in tonight's dinner.

Failure:

The cauliflower, which is succumbing to the wilts. Tomorrow I'll yank it and throw it on the burn pile, and I'll use that precious space to plant 3rd crops of beets and filet beans.

[Ron Johnson]

Thanks to Dennis we are finally getting rain here. Much needed rain. Because we get our water from the Ohio River, the availability of water is never a problem, but not everything can be irrigated and lots of mature trees were at risk. They are predicting rain for the rest of the week.

Oh yeah, the farmers are mighty happy too.

[yumyum]

Favorite perrenials?

Now that I spent some quality time cleaning up the mid-summer growth, I can tell I need to fill in a few blank spots in my flower beds and I'm wondering what folks' favorite perrenials are? I have a crush on fritelaria (sp?) but am looking for ideas for tall blue/purple partly shade loving specimins. I'm in the Boston area.

Ideas?

[GG Mora]

Maybe Baptisia or Monkshood?

[yumyum]

Mmm... monkshood is very pretty. Is it hardy?

[Ron Johnson]

slow, steady, drizzling rain for 5 days in a row (thanks Dennis) has totally rejuvenated all plants here. Will continue through the weekend and then sun.

[GG Mora]

The tomato plants are all showing lots of lovely green fruit. I just pruned out some of the foliage to let more sun in for ripening. One single cherry tomato is starting to show some color. I'm guessing another week or two before I have anything edible.

When I yanked the caulifower, I discovered that some tiny white larvae were eating the roots. If I'd know earlier, I'd have treated the soil with some Neem oil. As it is, it's about the right time to direct-sow cauliflower for late fall harvest, so I might start some in flats for transplanting into the beds the garlic will be leaving behind shortly.

[flyfish]

Finally got a look at the garden thread after being in festival mode for days. Sorry about your cauliflower, GG but those beets look divine.

Also got a look at our neglected garden on the weekend (we have been out of town the past two weekends and attending a Blues festival all this week and weekend). Something has been noshing on the acorn squash. Found a lovely large cuke we are looking forward to eating. The tomatillos are taller than the tomatoes and shading them (bad planning, but we didn't realize how tall they get). Chard is on the menu this week too. Need to plant more lettuce. Missed the garlic scapes...

And the weekend, my God, the weeds...

Fly

[Mabelline]

flyfish, what kind of chard do you grow? One of the "colored" ones, or the conventional green? I grew some all-yellow once that pleased me very much.I mean, all yellow stalks, like the rainbow variety, which I've found to be inconsistent in it's tastes sometimes.

I think weeds possibly sleep less than rust