What's blooming in your yard?

[saddlebag]

DD 7 yrs old plants seeds......anyway......we have tall sunflower plants.....with one PURPLE sunflower .....DD said it looks like a DEATH FLOWER?????im not sure????

[tobiwobi]

$2 Dollarama Dahlia finally in bloom. Very happy with the colour(s). I'm going to try to save this root for next spring. Haven't had any luck in the past replanting saved dahlia tubers though.

[Aztec]

My grapes just turned purple. Still a little tart but very close to being ready!

[marstec]

My grapes just turned purple. Still a little tart but very close to being ready!

Are you planning on making jelly? Or is it for fresh-eating? I made two batches of grape jelly last night. Mmmm...

tobi,

This is how I get my dahlias ready for winter: let the top foliage die back after the first frost, then carefully dig the whole thing up. Brush off all the soil and cut the stem to within one inch. Let it "cure" in the shade (or inside) for a day or so, then dust it with a powdered fungicide. You might want to label the tuber if you know the variety; some people use tags and others just write on it with a Sharpie pen. I store them in bags with vents for the winter. The most important thing is to have them in the coolest room possible without freezing, and in darkness too. You'll need to check them once or twice during the winter and get rid of the dried up or rotted ones.

[marstec]

Here are a few blooms from this week:
First is Gentian...I have this in partial shade and it is a long-lived plant. I'm a bit on the fence about whether I like it or not, it's a lovely blue, but it tends to spread and has a lot of foliage in relation to its tiny flowers. There are other more showy gentians around.
Next is a variagated sedum, in bud. This one wants to revert back to regular green foliage; you need to pull those out or it will take over the variegated part.
Then there's Sweet Peas...it was supposed to be a mix, but only red so far...nice though.
Last is a shot of my Rattlesnake beans...this plant is prolific!

[tobiwobi]

thanks marstec, I think in the past I just divided them by breaking off tubers, without any regard to 'eyes'. And some do go bad from moisture while others dry up.

Do you water them at any point in winter? Do you put them in an empty plastic vented bag, like the one that cherries and grapes come in at the grocery store?

[marstec]

I buy bulbs and tubers from Costco in the Spring and I have kept those bags to use. I don't water them at all during the winter, but perhaps they might need it...I've heard of people who pack the tubers in dampened peat moss or sand, but I haven't done it that way. I do lose some to rot and some shrivel up.

I have also have one of those white styrofoam crates from the grocery store - I asked the produce guy if I could have it.

I would dust the tubers with some garden sulphur before putting them in storage; this will help prevent decay. You might want to use gloves to do this, I found the smell unpleasant and it stayed on your hands a long time. I wouldn't try dividing them at all until the Spring because the exposed part could lead to rot in storage.

[RSAS]

one of my three sunflowers finally bloomed! Its so perdy. I have all kinds of tomato flowers too, but no tomatoes. My neighbours are loaded with tomatoes...it doesn't seem fair.

[Tweetybird999]

cucumbers & tomatos from the garden.

[marstec]

^Sure is nice to enjoy the fruits of your labour, heh, Tweety?

[Aztec]

I would love a recipe for Grape Jelly. I usually eat some and let the animals have the rest.
I also have tons of crap apples if you have a recipe for that too?

[marstec]

^I just use the recipe on the box. I had some liquid Certo and Bernardin pectin from last year (bought it on clearance but the expiry date was still good!). The liquid Certo didn't have any instructions for making grape jelly, which is why I used the Bernardin...it turned out well. Make sure you don't adjust the ingredients too much if you want a successful gel set.

You stem and pick over your grapes and measure out about four cups grapes. These need to be crushed with a potato masher or whatever else you have that will work. You can add 1/2 cup of water to the pot. Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes. Now you have this truly bizarre looking concoction. Cool it a bit and then you'll need to strain in into a jelly bag or several layers of cheesecloth. You will need 4 cups of grape juice to make your jelly. Follow the instructions on the pectin package. Once you've made jam a couple of times, you won't be intimidated by the process. If you have lots of grapes, I would make more than you need. You can always use any extra for drinking...add some club soda to it. Mmm.

Make sure you clean your jars with hot soapy water and then put in a hot oven (about 300F) for at least 30 minutes. Also have your lids, funnel, ladle, skimmer and tongs in a saucepan of gently simmering water for at least 20 minutes. There is a lot of prep to jam/jelly making, but once the cooking process starts, it goes very quickly. Make sure to use a damp paper towel to wipe the rims so the lids seal properly. If you use the snap lids, you will know whether you have the right seal or not. Any jars that don't seal can be stored in the fridge.

[Sunshyne1]

I would love a recipe for Grape Jelly. I usually eat some and let the animals have the rest.
I also have tons of crap apples if you have a recipe for that too?

ewww...I don't want any of that Jelly!

[muggos0101]

A little better ripened than last pic

[marstec]

^They are coming along nicely...are they very sweet? I have a Sungold tomato plant that is producing like gangbusters right now.