Houseplant update

The monstera I bought in May is loving its life (left). The begonia (middle) and the hibiscus are surviving. The hibiscus has aphids occasionally. I sprayed them off with water in the shower the first time, but a few come out of hiding every once in a while. Soon I will trim a few branches back so it can have some time to recover before it goes outside in May. 

This jar of basil in water has survived since I cut a few stems to use for cooking in the fall. The roots are looking good, so I took one healthier stem and put it in a separate pot, cutting back the flower. It's struggling, too, but I'm hoping the roots take and I can plant it outside in May. I'll still grow basil from seed, but maybe this will become an earlier basil harvest. Maybe. I find I have lots of hope in March, even as everything struggles as winter drags on (including my gardening self). The tiny little petunia seedlings I found in the fall are growing into plants, and the strawberry mint has an incredible root system, filling the tiny pot. I don't want to move it to a bigger pot until it's closer to the last frost. 

The basil is still flowering. I never suspected that the basil would survive this long indoors.

I cut some leaves from the begonia and put them in water. The leaves are showing some stress, so I'm not sure those cuttings will root. Then I took stem cuttings and placed them directly in soil. I'm more hopeful with this technique. Hope seems to be the theme of this post--hope that small, positive acts will make a difference.  

Bubblegum Petunias

Bubblegum petunias (Supervista Bubblegum) are amazing plants, covered with cheery pink flowers. They never stop growing, at least until a freeze. Supposedly they don't need deadheading, according to to gardening websites. However, they need attention. Let me show you with the photos I took throughout the growing season.

I planted them on May 13 in pots on the deck. The deck is protected from most strong winds, and it heats up quickly, facing east with some southern exposure. 

July 3 is the peak, I'd say, with the plants spilling out of the containers, and the flowers looking fresh and full.

On July 17 I trimmed the plants back, but not aggressively enough. It's hard to prune them when they're looking so good.

On August 3, they could have used another haircut. It was pretty hot, so I wasn't too motivated.

They look good on August 15. But observe the deck. The flowers drop and stick. If I'm not there to clean them up everyday, they dry on to the deck. At the end of the season, I gave the deck a good scrub, but I don't think I'll plant them where I have to clean up after them. They might be better in the ground.

On September 10, the plants are leggy. I should have sheared them back two weeks ago, but that's hard to do now when the weather gets cooler and the days get shorter. Part of the problem, I believe, is that the roots have completely filled the container. I used dry fertilizer, but I should have probably used liquid at this point. 

You can see the power of these plants on October 2, still blooming.

Here's what they look like on October 7, two days before our first freeze. The geraniums next to them seem to be neater, but they don't attract hummingbirds like the petunias. If I plant Bubblegum again, I will place them where the flowers can fall off and disintegrate into the soil. They're designer plants, so they're pricier. They need pruning and fertilizer, just like other annuals. I'm unlikely to go out of my way to buy them again. It depends on my budget. Are they pretty? Yes. Am I glad I planted them? Yes! I love learning about plants. 

Dang Dahlias

Are dahlias beautiful? Yes, they're gorgeous! Are they worth the effort? Not for me. I babied two tubers, keeping them warm in spring and watering religiously. Only one bloomed, and that wasn't until September. Too soon, we got cold weather, in the 40s, which they don't like. I cut all the flowers to bring inside (below).

The cut flowers are pretty, but the plant is not (below). The flowers face downward, and the branches are so delicate a squirrel and a stiff breeze knocked them over. Yes, I staked them, but that didn't seem to help much. I didn't like to color, either, which is called "blueberries and cream." After a few days, the color fades to cream, which can be elegant, but I crave bright colors in my garden. I get plenty of white in winter, so I want to embrace as much vivid color as I can in the summer. I'm glad I did this experiment with two tubers, a good learning experience. Breeders are introducing new dahlias with a compact form and lots of flowers, which are sold as plants, not tubers. I'll pass for now. However, I have a new appreciation for those gardeners who grow dahlias.