Gardening for Beginners

Only one? There may be smaller palms you can choose from, or if you plant in smaller pot, then it would be a bonsai-).

They do grow here, although I do not have the plant and cannot say how to take care of them!

Beans are sprouting right up! We started these from seeds.

"Rhododendron", I'm told.

nice, PW! i grew up hearing some plants' names but not remembered many. but mostly rhododendrons i know were foliage plants? or we or neighbors just happen to have some not flowering like this?

Looks like the neighbors' is just not flowering. Ours did not flower last year. My mom says these plants are difficult to grow in our area (Central Indiana). I understand they do better in warmer climates. Ours is right up against the house and sheltered by the porch--so I think these things and the weather are the only reason ours is blooming this year.

The plant in post 104 is an Azalea.
We had a azealia for nearly 10 years, it flowered every year.
I had to take it out this year though as something had been nibbling at it.

Both azaleas and rhodadendrums (see my previous post)
need acidic soil or use ericascious compost and acidic feed for them.

Some gardens tend to be more acidic anyway, mine is.


Ericaceous Compost Info – How To Make Compost Acidic

I'm wondering if it's like Potato/Potatoe...

"What is the difference between a rhododendron and an azalea? Most people will look at the size of the leaf to make the call. A small leaved shrub will be called an azalea, while the larger, broad-leafed plant will be identified as a rhododendron. This is not a way to tell these two types of plants apart. First of all, all azaleas are actually rhododendrons, falling in the subgenus Pentanthera or the subgenus Tsutsusi. Many are evergreen, while others are deciduous. Some identifying characteristics of evergreen azaleas are:
1. Azalea flowers tend to have 5 stamens and 5 lobes, while rhododendrons will usually have 10 or more stamens.
2. Azaleas usually have adpressed hairs that grow parallel to the midrib on the undersurface of the leaf. These hairs will never be found on rhododendrons.
3. Many azaleas are deciduous, while rhododendrons are evergreen.
4. The color yellow is never found in evergreen azalea flowers. "

We had a week of sun (during which I cut the grass and put down
lawn, feed weed and moss killer) followed by 2 weeks of rain.

The grass is looking long and lush and the weeds now look like cabbages, so
don't know what happened to the weed part. But it ain't working.

Somewhere i posted something on jicama or singkamas as we call it here. We often buy them in smaller bunches tied like this when in season

But after harvest time and there are less roots to buy and they are drying out, u can get them by the pc or weighed by kg at the mkt. We happen to have a few left from the bunches and i thot to plant some small drying roots near the haus where they can trail up some grills... instead of throwing them away. Now they are some feet tall, but not robust as i learned they do need lots of sunlight. I just find the leaves very interesting, as we often got the long dried stems and leaves intertwined when buying so i never really saw the leaves live/ 'in person.' I have to pause but will post a vine soon.

jicama leaves

You're in England? England is known for its lovely moss. You're killing moss?

Yes, it has inedible beans i learned. No, not like chicken. It is very mildly sweet and juicy, the tuberous root, but the crunch is unforgettable. But i took them for granted as a child. I learned incorrectly that many veggies were mostly water and not very nutritious like jicama, cucumber, even eggplant wc brother said only had food value when cooked w/ egg as in torta. Maybe they just disliked them too, and so brainwashed me w/o intending to-).
If u have a minute:
Jicama Is Probably the Most Exciting Vegetable You're Not Eating — The Vegetable Butcher | The Kitchn

Moss is a weed if growing in the wrong place. Lol

Does anyone know what this is?



It appeared in my garden about 3 years ago, it's amazing.

I think it is some sort of ornamental nettle without the sting?

It grows in large clumps and flowers it's head off all summer long, it's just
starting now. Both purple and shocking pink flowers appear on it at the same time
which is really odd. It gets completely covered. They don't start off purple then turn
pink etc, they actually appear on the stems and open up as two different colours.
The bees love them.

I have to keep an eye on it, as it self seeds very easily and would spread if I let it
without any human intervention. It completely disappears over winter each year i
thought it had died off the first time, but then as soon as it gets to late April, it shoots
back up very quickly from nothing.

Ive tried putting some of it in sunnier spots but it only seems to like shade/semi shade.

Not know, sorry, miri.
I pick some dry flowers/seeds or cuttings, even a pretty weed along the way when i am out, which has become a habit. Sometimes however, after burying seed in some soil, i do not label then forget what/which that plant was. As the seedling grows, i really wonder what is this?! Occasionally i leave the seeds or cuttings in my pocket or bag pocket, then discover them before washing clothes or when i unzip the bag. Sometimes 3 dried flowers have seeds which have all been mixed and i cannot distinguish which is which-(.
But once i did plant a date seed after having some dried dates at home. I did not give it a thought for i did not think it would grow, and i know there is no place to plant a real date palm. Long after (not know how long) i noticed a palm with leaves abt 8-10 in. long growing and said, now where did this plant come from? I've all but forgotten abt it. Now dilemma is where to replant it.

Today i saw a big green caterpillar crawling on a plant near the jicama and bitter gourds, but it cannot climb the dainty vines of the\ latter...