Christmas Cactus Blooming

Is it Thanksgiving Cactus or Christmas Cactus? 

I transplanted my cactus plant to new, rich soil and a larger part in late October. It was just coming out of the dormant period, to stimulate blooming. I was a little concerned that the roots would have to get somewhat re-established. 

It seems the blooms that came in late November were a little bit thwarted. Not quite as sharp as last year. None the less the picture above shows  relatively healthy bloom. Next year will be the real test. 

A larger question for me is this: Is this plant traditionally a Thanksgiving bloom or more  a Christmas bloom? Or does it depend entirely on when you place it in a cooler temperature and less light to trigger the bloom? 

The Art of the Deep, Red Rose

 

They say that Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What do you say? How beautiful is the Red Rose? What words do you use to describe its nature? Magnificent. Charming. Stunning. Poetic? 

This picture is of a miniature red rose that I bought at Giant Eagle for Valentines Day. It was in a small garden pot and I transplanted it into a larger pot, and enriched it with my magic soil. Within a few weeks the rose bush was responding well to the rich soil. Two small rose buds were on their way. The bloom you see here is the third bloom, with a fourth in the background.  

The astonishing thing is that this rose is on a shelf in my kitchen window; southern exposure. It enjoys about a half day of sun. That is all it needs to thrive and provide so much enjoyment. I water it conservatively. You can tell the leaves look very healthy and the bloom is bright with partial sun caressing the petals. 

The surprise I experienced when I got this plant home is that there were multiple stems in the pot. At the end of May, 2021 I plan to transplant the separate roses (4) into their own pot. I am eager to see how abundant the growth will be. My decision to buy this miniature rose was based upon the fact that a dozen of long stem roses cost $30.00 and they only last a few weeks in a vase. I spotted the small pot of live roses and decided it was a better and more permanent solution to my Valentine goals. 

My wife loved the rose, and now that it has bloomed numerous times she is very pleased I bought it rather than a dozen long stems. You may want to consider Miniature live Roses  for next Valentines Day. Perhaps you will be as pleased as my wife and I were with the result. The drama continues. Happy growing.   
 

First Red Geranium Blooms In Kitchen

This kitchen window sill has about five geraniums in pots; some bigger and some smaller. There is also a pure White geranium that is gorgeous. These flowers were kept dormant from Mid October to early January when I peeked into the Green Garbage bag and spotted buds starting. I knew it was time to plant them in my garden pots with magic soil. I also placed them under the grow lights and provided heat from heating pads.  Within one week, the buds were producing lovely green leaves. Its so much fun. I may have started a little early. My wife said, one or two flowers would have been great; but five? I have geranium cuttings in my office that I am trying to root. They are in water glasses. I also have four mother plants that I will use to generate more cuttings. So much fun. See you in the Garden. 

Popular Peony Bloom Begins May 28, 2019

One of the most popular old fashioned perennials is the Fragrant Peony. Stage 1 of the blom is when the tight bulb forms and the ants start crawling on the colorful tightly wound bud. The bud is almost a perfect globe. The sun is so bright today, the flowers are starting to open. I have a hot pink, white and two tone peony.

Caesars Brother Blooming in Garden of Deegan May 28. 2019

Caesars Brother is a prolific Siberian Iris bloomer, with an ever increasing audience of stems and thick, almost stump like base of roots. It is quick in its drama but worth the experience. Many of natures beauties are like this. You enjoy them for the moment and get a few great pictures. You almost need a Bob-cat to dig them out and thin them. It is time to thin this one. Not sure how I will accomplish this. A chain saw would be perfect.

This view shows the other tall stems, so you get an idea of how full the 

'bush' is. 

How to Re-cycle summer Geraniums and Save Dollars

Snow-White Geranium Bloom

Elegant simplicity is an accurate theme for this splendid new white geranium bloom. This is my first bloom on the white geranium flower, gracing my kitchen, on the southern windows. The white is so bright and the bud is so tender and fresh. It is hard to communicate the delight I experience with the first bloom.

Common Red Geranium 

The second picture is the first red bloom from a geranium cutting that I made this Spring. This is more of a traditional red, or ordinary red. Common red, may be a more accurate description. None the less, it is a long stem, reaching for the light and it almost gives the impression of being a Christmas flower.

How to Start our Own Geraniums from plants you dig up in the fall

If you think you would enjoy having early geranium blooms in your kitchen next Spring here are a few simple steps to make it happen. Plan ahead and make a note on your calendar. (bring in a few geranium plants)

1. Dig up a healthy geranium plant about one week before typical frost arrives ( third week of Oct in Ohio)
2. Shake the dirt off the roots gently and whatever falls off is fine. Its OK if some dirt remains.
3. Allow the plant to remain outside for a day or two. Shake the remaining dirt that may have dried in two days.
4.  Remove any spent blooms and stems that are yellowing.
5. Place the geranium plants upright in a big plastic garbage bag. (place as many as five or six plants)
6. Tie a knot at the top of the bag and punch about 20 air holes in the plastic using your pointing  finger.
7. Attach the bag on a nail that is pounded  into a rafter in the basement. There should be good air flow around the bag, and it should hang freely, with nothing pushed up against the bag.
8. Around January 1 take a peek in the bag (through an expanded air hole)   and see if buds are starting to protrude from the plant. If so, this is a good time to take those budding plants out of the bag and plant them in an appropriate sized (Plastic) flower pot. Save a five gallon container of good planting mix from the fall and keep in the basement, starting in late October
9. Before planting, remove any dried out stems that were on the plant in the fall and discard.
10. Mix up some good planting soil in the fall. Ideally you want 50% peat moss, 25% pearlite and 25% humus (rich black soil) Mix in a wheel barrow and then place in a five gallon bucket. (can get these at Home Depot)     
11. Planting your geraniums. Put some of the good planting mix  into the flower pot and stand up your plant, and then place soil around the entire plant to stabilize it. Place the pots on a stable shelf, table, at a southern window exposure. Place a drainage plate underneath and give the plant a good drink of water. Give the plant a drink about once per week.Make sure there are drainage holes in the bottom of your flower pots. Do not over water, if the soil does not seem to be drying out in a week.
12. You will see steady growth of the buds that have started, and soon new leaves will appear and before long, after a few months, (April, you will see your first flower buds and blooms to follow shortly thereafter. Enjoy your hand crafted, re-cycled  new geraniums.

Typically, geraniums cost about $4.00 per plant at the greenhouse. So if you like to watch your penny's, there is a nice little savings opportunity here as well. Obviously, it adds up if you eventually do about a dozen plants.

I generally avoid planting my hand crafted geraniums into my garden until after Memorial day; when the threat of frost is virtually gone. Happy planting. If you have any questions, you can subscribe to my Blog and make comments. I will post an answer. See you in the garden. 

First Red Geranium Bloom

My favorite color of geranium (pelargonium) is a deep red. (sometimes I think of it as a fire engine red or blood red. The first geranium bloom  is always special.

I re-plant several dormant geranium plants in mid January (when they start budding in the dark green garbage bags in the basement) It usually takes a few months for them to produce a bloom. The sun continues to get brighter and warmer as the plants grow more leaves. Eventually the first blooms begin but it takes longer than outside to produce a flower. The plants are placed in a southern exposure where the mid day sun gives them a splash of warmth for five or six hours.

I also have a snow white geranium blooming and a more traditional red geranium has just shed its petals. Soon, I will move these flowers to my greenhouse for a good shot of humidity which will stimulate faster growth and more blooms. Eventually, I will transplant some of these flowers into large pots for my deck and some will go directly into my front yard flower bed. I usually wait until memorial day to transplant to the garden. I am old fashioned and have learned from experience that there is not point in exposing these sensitive plants to a possible late frost. The frost will wipe them out. Even though the odds are small, I don't take the chance.

Happy geranium growing this season. See you in the Garden. 

Nancy's Daffodil Gallery

Nature is so willing to reward us bountifully if we put forth just a little effort; like planting a basket  or daffodil bulbs.

Spring has Sprung

One of the early arrivals of Spring are the Daffodils. They often peek out of the thawing ground while the snow remains. I often wonder how they will survive the freezing weather that keeps holding on.

Here is a picture of Nancy's Daffodil Gallery. She planted many more bulbs last fall and here is her lovely reward. 

Hollyhocks

I have always loved hollyhocks. I have the fondest memory of a hollyhock fragrance from my childhood in Lyons, Illinois. My grandmother grew hollyhocks and it is maddening that I have yet to find a hollyhock that smells like what I remember.

Below are pictures of bright red hollyhocks grown from seeds sent to me by a resort owner in Ontario Canada. We have fished there for years and it dawned on me to ask if I could get some seeds from them. She said, "when they go to seed I will save some for you". She did send me seeds and it took two years from germination to bloom. I hope you enjoy these  Hollyhocks originated from Canada. These Holly's are close to six feet tall, growing in very fertile soil.

Ten Simple Steps to Grow a Glorious Flower Garden

• If you want to create the flower garden of your dreams you need to start with the question what is my vision. 

• What are my favorite colors. Do I want to grow flowers for myself, others or both.          
• Do I want to take beautiful pictures of flowers to feed my photography passion.                            
• Is my aim to create a breathtaking flower garden because I simply love flowers

• Do I want my children to grow up surrounded by beauty.

     Let's start with a taste of popular flowers:

    Perennial:  Tall Bearded Iris - Batik 

 

Tall bearded Iris are some of the most popular varieties of Iris. There are thousands of varieties and the rhizomes spread (multiply and get thick) and have to be thinned periodically in order to have a maximum bloom. This is a great flower to share with friends and neighbors and trade. The great thing about Iris is they 'thrive on neglect' in a sense. Very hardy flower.

Annual:  Zinnia 

Zinnias are a hardy Annual that blooms and re-blooms all summer.You can grow giant zinnias , medium zinnias or miniature zinnias (lilliputians)

Some zinnia seed packets are a mixed bag of colors, with yellow, orange, red, purple, pink. They remain attractive in a vase for a long time 

Perennial:   Chrysanthemum

Chrysanthemum's come in many pastels and are easy to grow. Since they are a perennial they will come back year after year, but it is a good idea to cover them lightly with leaves in the fall (to protect them from a possible severe winter).  Mums are an ideal flower to make cuttings from in early spring, for a fall bloom. I have often used spring Mum cuttings that grew and bloomed in time for my autumn flower boxes.

Chrysanthemums grow well in 12' flower pots with a saucer underneath to hold water. In this way the soil stays moist on a fairly consistent basis. Without the saucer the soil will dry out to often and the bloom will be affected. The Mum plant grows great in the garden and will tend to spread. You will want to manage the size of the plant. You can transplant the part you want to remove to keep the plant from becoming a bush.

Iris are good survivors

It's pretty awesome the way iris shoot up in the spring of the year. I always worry the cold will zap them, but as you can see in this picture the hardiness of the iris is clearly evident. Three nights of below freeing weather and my iris seemed determined to tough it out. It will warm up tomorrow and I will be happy.

It's a New Year: A time of Inspiration and Concentration

Don't listen to the naysayers who talk sarcastically about all the people who make New Year's Resolutions only to fail miserably in achieving them. It is good to dream and good to try.

A new beginning is still a new beginning. Can you imagine if you did not have a new time to plant and cultivate in your garden in the spring time? We need the spring thaw. We need that soil to warm up. We need new seeds to plant. We need high expectations for what the new flowers are going to look like. We need the new. If we can see the fruit of our efforts to change in the garden we can also see the fruit of change in our lives.

The principles to succeed are surprisingly similar. We need seeds, we need new soil, we need to plant, we need to water, we need sunshine, we need to fertilize, we need to pull weeds, we need to prop up growing plants that need support, we need to harvest and we need to share the fruit of our lives. We need to care for the garden we grow just as we need to care for our own growth and development. If we have a plan and work our plan we can change our lives, just as we change our garden. See you in the garden.

Chrysanthemums Blooming

It seems my Mums  have taken so long to pop this year. The good news is the flower buds are plentiful and  are now starting to open. The color purple is so strong and a great variation from earlier blooms in the garden.

What is so enjoyable for me about my mums is that they are all an extension of the original mother plant that I made cuttings from. It is one of those wonders of nature how you can reproduce more plants by simply using the powers of Mother Nature at your finger tips.

What I have learned from growing Iris

I remember seeing and smelling Iris at my Grand Mothers house when I was about 8 years old. I loved their appearance and fragrance. It was not until the 1990's when I began appreciating Iris enough to grow them. Our church had a collection of several spectacular Iris and I got the bug. I started a serious Iris garden about 2001. I joined the Iris Society about 2008. Since that time I have learned many tricks of the trade and experienced the disappointment of losing many iris to the iris bore. Here are some fundamentals I have learned by growing, caring for and transplanting iris. 

·         Iris do not like wet feet.  You should plant iris on a mound or a slope. They like good drainage. Too much water will lead to slugs, snails and rotting of the leaves; once the rust appears on the leaf; cut it off immediately.

·         Iris rhizomes like the sunlight. When you plant make sure the tops of the rhizome are exposed; not buried completely.  I have a slide that will illustrate this.

·         Iris thrive in the sunlight; or at least 50% sunlight.  You need sun to get a full bloom.

·         You must thin your rhizomes when they begin to get overcrowded in your bed; you will notice a decline in stalks and blooms.  Best is to use a sharp spade to split them. Sometimes I will transplant them into pots so I can share more of them with friends.

·         When you order from the Hybridizers / Iris Suppliers they send them out after the bloom; so expect to get them in June or July. I was in shock when I was told to plant them in the middle of the summer. I did, watered regularly, without over watering, and they grew beautifully. It was great when I finally saw the new growth.

·         You can force Iris to bloom in the greenhouse; force doesn’t sound politically correct; so let’s say you can advance the bloom by keeping them in light and warm. I heat my greenhouse at night if it is going to get near freezing.  I will generally translate some Iris into pots about April 1.  They will bloom at least two –three weeks early.

·         The standard dwarf Iris will bloom before the traditional tall bearded Iris.

·         The beauty of having some Iris in pots is that you get to observe their blooming process close up; my greenhouse table means I don’t have to bend over to get close. In addition I get some great photos of my Iris in the greenhouse.  Plus I can move the Iris into different studio settings; i.e. different backgrounds; patio bricks, grass, woods, textures of arbor vitae for example.   

·         Photographing Iris is a wonderful way to extend the enjoyment of their beauty; I sometimes wonder how much beauty one person can take in; it is so enriching to be around the beautiful.    

·         You can buy very fragrant Iris

·         You can see a gorgeous bed  of Japanese Iris at Kingwood Gardens in Mansfield

·         The Tony and Dorothy Willott  Iris Garden is located at the Rockefeller Greenhouse off of Martin Luther King Drive; right off of Rte 94 by Lake Erie. (First exit to the left on MLK Drive after turning South off of 94) Follow Greenhouse signs. Wonderful display of Iris beginning in early April and going through early July.

·         The amateur can hybridize new Iris cultivars by cross pollinating two different Iris.

·         Check out the Facebook page IRIS LOVERS for an amazing display of Iris in all their variety, and glory.

·         Send questions to dennis.deegan@gmail.com or make comments on this site. 

From Dormant to Adorable

Hot pink on the Window Sill

This hot pink geranium (more properly called pelargonium) grew fabulously for me last season out in the garden and on my deck in big pots. I dug this one up before the freezing cold could ‘tip its wings’ and shook the dirt off the roots and let it dry a few days. Then I placed it (and several other geranium buddies) in my traditional winter hide aways (green garbage bags) and hid them in the rafters in my work room.

I knew I could capture Mother Nature’s magic in early January (if they had signs of budding) and guess what? They did. Buds seem to come early than I remember. I thought I always planting my mother plants in Mid-February. Whatever, when they are ready, I sneak a look. It is always exciting to see the buds and know it is time to put the once dorman plant into some fertile soil. I always think about how I have to invest a little electric to give them some light and heat. Seems I like a spend quite a bit to pull off this trick. I have heating pads and over head florescent light, down in my cool basement. You don’t really want a lot of light or heat; just enough to get those roots growing.  

Normally this plant along with others would have been thriving in my Hoop house since March, but my poly wore out and I decided not to replace it this year. So, no hoop house. Of course I miss it. I love being in a semi-humid greenhouse structure  watching my plants and seedlings getting a head start. Next year I think I will prepare a video about the process I go through to ‘bring them back to life’. I just love seeing some bright pink color in the Kitchen sun room in early spring. It is adorable. Can I say that about a flower?   

Gerbera Dasies Taking their Sweet Time

Nursery grown Gerbera

This a healthy and rich looking Gebera daisy that I bought from Green Circle Growers and transplanted into my Deegan magic soil. The leaves are lush and the petals are wide and plentiful. Geberas are about $4.00 a piece so it adds up.

It is a tradition of mine to buy three or four and plant them in the same large flower pot and place them on the front porch for my wife Nancy to enjoy. She loves the gerbera daisies because they have rich green foilage and bright and beautiful pastel blooms. While I purchased a few for potting up this year  I  thought I would like try growing my own. I learned  on line quickly that the seeds are hard to find. after extensive searching I finally found a source and bought 100 seeds.

Home Grown Gerbera Blooms

The seeds took forever to germinate and grew painfully slow. To the point that I had to put them into the basement under grow lights as the danger of frost came early this year. Iam  showing a few pictures of the Gerberas that I grew. They tend to have slim petals and not as full a bloom. They almost look more like traditional daisies than Gerberas. I have the seed company name somewhere and I am thinking of writing them a letter and pehaps including pictures.

This bloom to the left looks thicker than it is because this is a close up. 
 

Waking up my Geraniums

It is that time of the year when my dormant geraniums are coaxed out of their sleep to begin sprouting leaves and blooms. Actually, it has been over 45 days since I planted some of the geranium plants that I placed in a plastic garbage bag last Fall. Right before the frost hit last October I dried out at least two dozen strong specimens before putting them in my storeroom to go to sleep for a few months.

What you see on this page are a few plants that sprang back to life after being dormant for at least three months. The  geranium below is a variegated variety that is a beautiful pink color. The other plant you are looking at has rich dark green leaves and I believe this is my hot pink variety.

I started some ivy geranium cuttings in January but I believe my watering was not consistent  and the severe cold caused too much temperature variation. Only one of them germinated.

Last year I grew over 20 Ivy geraniums from cuttings. I hope you experiment with  your own cuttings. Let me know if you have any questions about the amazing results you can have by propagating geraniums from cuttings.

   

       
 

Putting the Garden to Bed

All of us serious gardeners have to put our gardens to bed for the winter. This year it just seems all that bending has taken the charm out of the process for me. Man, the ole back gets sore, quicker. Can't be permanent can it? I must have strained myself, didn't stretch right or lifted something wrong.

The point is, somebody has to do the work or you don't maximize the grandeur of the garden for next Spring. Cutting back the Iris, Echicinea (Cone flowers), Brown eyed Susan's, Mums, Hosta and all the other perennials. Plus, pulling some of the clumps of grass and weeds in the garden come naturally; especially when the ground is moist. I also hate it when the sod is creeping into the edge of the bed. Got to get it now, before it gets a head start in March and April.

I always try to groom the bed by raking up the soil and spreading it out more evenly. My flower bed is about 30 feet long and elevated, so I need to push the soil back up that slides down when it rains. I have been thinking it would be nice to put a brick retaining wall up around the bed; maybe two courses up with some packed gravel beneath. Then I would not have to constantly dig out the edges. My that is work. I think that project may have to go on my calendar for next year.

Now my veggie garden is my storage garden for all my potted plants, to winter them over and re pot them in the early spring and pop them into my hoop house for expedited root growth and expanded blooms later. I have rows of Mums, Brown-eyed Susan's, coreopsis, Iris, and other perennials temporarily in the ground in my veggie garden. I also get a lot of plants prepared for the Garden Club plant sale in the Spring.

We got some great rain a few days after I did most of my transplanting. The day I re-planted most of my potted plants I gave them a good drink of water, but knowing the rains were coming, I did not get carried away; just a drink. I hope the majority of the plants survive winter. The only thing I regret is that the ground did not dry out enough to allow me to rototill it and loosen it up for Spring. Since the soil is so fertile and humus like, I am not worried about it being difficult to turn over in the Spring. It is just that it feels like the right thing to do; to turn it over.  I would love to add more enriched soil and perhaps another  level of 8 x 8's to give more depth to the garden.  Always something to do. See you in the Garden. 

Growing Pearls for the Heart

Growing Flowers is Similar to Growing Wisdom

I have always loved to grow things. When I was a child we had a lovely rose garden and I used to chat with my neighbor across the alley about how to make my roses thrive.  I think his name was Ray and he and his wife were friendly souls.  He used bone meal and different types of fertilizer, including peat moss to make his roses reach their peak glory. I also used to love to grow petunias for my Mother and would plant them every summer near Mother's Day. She loved the fragrance and it gave me joy to observe this annual tradition. Flowers for Mom.

I also grew a collection of Wisdom quotations over the years as well. These quotes blossomed in my heart and soul and gave me the tools I needed to cope and deal with the challenges of life. Now, in my golden years I have decided I have enough life lessons to write my own words of wisdom, so the quote you see above is my first  ORIGINAL WISDOM QUOTE suitable for publication. I am totally inspired to write at least one quotation per week as a blossoming of my philosophy of life. It is gratifying to embrace ones' own thoughts as having merit and value, worthy to be shared with the world at large.  

I hope you grow in wisdom and understanding as you share my Pearls of Wisdom. We can't take it with us, but we can take time to celebrate the highlights of a contented life. In all thy getting get understanding. See you in the Garden.