Hydey's Garden Corner - Your Problems Solved With A Smile

[finbar]

I've had a couple of those Peace Lillies in pots. We've got full-length windows in our sitting room overlooking the back verandah which faces north. The pot sits by the window so it gets a lot of light but no direct sun. They've thrived. In fact, I've divided them quite a few times. Overwatering's been the only real peril.

[Alexander's Horse]

You guys are taking completely the wrong approach to gardening.

What you should do is chuck a bunch of plants out there and see which survive, be it in the ground or pots. If they die they obviously weren't suited to local conditions. If they thrive, get more of them if you like them.

[SuperSneak]

The room we keep all of our plants in is Southern exposure, so it can get really warm...near hothouse warm. Everything does really well in this room, but the peace lily is a wimp...as long as I have the fan circulating, it appears to be fine. I'd have thought a lily would like the heat...and the tag says it is happy up to 85F...but it isn't. It's a nice looking plant, though...and a gift from my mother I think...so I don't have the heart to chuck it.
Here's a question...on the side of our house is a patch of soil that gets directly blasted by the sun each day, with no shade. The earth is very hard and "crumbly". We've planted some desert flowers, but nothing comes up...and suggestions on how to reclaim this soil so as to plant some tough flowers that will thrive? I think the water isn't penetrating due to the compact nature of the topsoil. Plus it is a slight downhill...

[finbar]

Originally posted by Alexander's Horse
You guys are taking completely the wrong approach to gardening.

What you should do is chuck a bunch of plants out there and see which survive, be it in the ground or pots. If they die they obviously weren't suited to local conditions. If they thrive, get more of them if you like them.

The Peter Cundall of the Molonglo River Valley!

[ravagon]

Originally posted by finbar
2. When I prune the azaleas out the front - how much? Taking off the deceased blooms? Or further back than that? And, if so, should I take it back to a Y-intersection?

*aside - Aha! That's what they were - azaleas. *

Now that somebody has mentioned azaleas - at the great risk of embarassing myself further - I have two (potted) rather dead azaleas.
Unlike the fern these did actually come with instructions (don't overwater, keep out of direct sunlight, etc) which were followed to the letter. Said plants thrived over summer only to promptly wither & die as autumn turned into winter.
As stated these are very dead, although I have kept up watering the dead sticks (and probably looking like a right wally in doing so ).
Any ideas as to what I did wrong? Or, to put it another way, should I give it another try?

(And before "somebody" makes the suggestion that I kept them out of direct sunlight by sticking them in the linen cupboard for 3 months - No I didn't finbar )

[finbar]

Originally posted by SuperSneak
The room we keep all of our plants in is Southern exposure, so it can get really warm...near hothouse warm. Everything does really well in this room, but the peace lily is a wimp...as long as I have the fan circulating, it appears to be fine. I'd have thought a lily would like the heat...and the tag says it is happy up to 85F...but it isn't. It's a nice looking plant, though...and a gift from my mother I think...so I don't have the heart to chuck it.

What effect is the fan having? Circulating the air? Or cooling? I wouldn't have thought either would have any effect on the plant. Mine survives that sort of temperature and more where it is. And, in winter, it does just as well with temps down to 6 or 7 C.

How old is it? Those things can often crowd themselves out of the pot. You can easily lift and divide them. I've done it a couple of times.

Here's a question...on the side of our house is a patch of soil that gets directly blasted by the sun each day, with no shade. The earth is very hard and "crumbly". We've planted some desert flowers, but nothing comes up...and suggestions on how to reclaim this soil so as to plant some tough flowers that will thrive? I think the water isn't penetrating due to the compact nature of the topsoil. Plus it is a slight downhill...

Any water you pour onto it is wasted. It's running straight across the surface and down the hill. Get onto the end of a pick and shovel. See what's underneath. Bring in some decent topsoil.

[finbar]

Originally posted by ravagon


*aside - Aha! That's what they were - azaleas. *

Now that somebody has mentioned azaleas - at the great risk of embarassing myself further - I have two (potted) rather dead azaleas.
Unlike the fern these did actually come with instructions (don't overwater, keep out of direct sunlight, etc) which were followed to the letter. Said plants thrived over summer only to promptly wither & die as autumn turned into winter.
As stated these are very dead, although I have kept up watering the dead sticks (and probably looking like a right wally in doing so ).
Any ideas as to what I did wrong? Or, to put it another way, should I give it another try?

(And before "somebody" makes the suggestion that I kept them out of direct sunlight by sticking them in the linen cupboard for 3 months - No I didn't finbar )

The question is - where did you keep them? They do need sunlight. Just not constant, blasting sunlight. Sounds like they mightn't have got enough.

[ravagon]

Originally posted by finbar

The question is - where did you keep them? They do need sunlight. Just not constant, blasting sunlight. Sounds like they mightn't have got enough.

They were in the living room. Lots of windows. Facing east. They were fine during summer. Maybe the less intense sunlight during winter did them in? It still seemed pretty bright to me though ...

I am not a plant of course, I hasten to add.

[finbar]

Originally posted by ravagon
They were in the living room.

Ah! There's your problem. They're not indoor plants. They'll survive for a while, but they belong outside.

[Hydey]

Look finbar, if you want this idea of yours to work , you will have to leave the answers to me.

[Hydey]

Originally posted by SuperSneak
Here's a question...on the side of our house is a patch of soil that gets directly blasted by the sun each day, with no shade. The earth is very hard and "crumbly". We've planted some desert flowers, but nothing comes up...and suggestions on how to reclaim this soil so as to plant some tough flowers that will thrive? I think the water isn't penetrating due to the compact nature of the topsoil. Plus it is a slight downhill...

Apply gypsom (clay breaker) to break up the soil , this will allow the water to penetrate. Most sun loving plants will love this, put sunflowers in . I like to eat the seeds.

when you do water try to give a deep watering once or twice a week rather than every day.

[Skanky Burns]

This thread is still going?
Excellent.

[Hydey]

Originally posted by Alexander's Horse
You guys are taking completely the wrong approach to gardening.

What you should do is chuck a bunch of plants out there and see which survive, be it in the ground or pots. If they die they obviously weren't suited to local conditions. If they thrive, get more of them if you like them.

Even better idea is too walk around the block and take note of what plants do well, and plant the ones you like the look of, you can even take cuttings from your neighbours, not the one with the big Rotty.

[Hydey]

Originally posted by ravagon


*aside - Aha! That's what they were - azaleas. *

Now that somebody has mentioned azaleas - at the great risk of embarassing myself further - I have two (potted) rather dead azaleas.
Unlike the fern these did actually come with instructions (don't overwater, keep out of direct sunlight, etc) which were followed to the letter. Said plants thrived over summer only to promptly wither & die as autumn turned into winter.
As stated these are very dead, although I have kept up watering the dead sticks (and probably looking like a right wally in doing so ).
Any ideas as to what I did wrong? Or, to put it another way, should I give it another try?

(And before "somebody" makes the suggestion that I kept them out of direct sunlight by sticking them in the linen cupboard for 3 months - No I didn't finbar )

Buy them when they are in flower and you can have them inside for a few weeks and then plant them outside in a semi shaded spot, I have mine facing east to get the morning sun and they are in flower most of the year, they are about 10 years old now and thriving on bugger all care.

[Hydey]

Originally posted by Skanky Burns


This thread is still going?
Excellent.

Everyday I hope to find it dead and buried but sadly it continues to annoy me.