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Homeowner Forum / Lawn and Garden / July 2008Poppy issue
Bought some poppies in Bunnings. Planted facing westerly sun, carp fertiliser (smelly brown stuff mixed with water). Trouble is, either the flowers are very small, or they only half open, or the stems snap, and the stems are very short. Any ideas to improve the situation? > Bought some poppies in Bunnings. > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > Any ideas to improve the situation? Don't buy from Bunnings. They source the cheapest stock they can find at the sacrifice of quality. > >> Bought some poppies in Bunnings. [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > Don't buy from Bunnings. They source the cheapest stock they can find at the sacrifice of quality. Oh, I do beg your pardon, but I have to differ there! Just recently, I determined to replace all my old, decrapit gardening tools to prepare for my budding veggie garden. I thought to support local business by buying from a local nursery, but their goods (same brands and all) were *multiples* of Bunnings' prices. When I searched about, I found the same was true for most of the garden supply places excepting the supermarkets. Honestly, I couldn't afford to buy the stuff I needed from the nurseries! The price of a shovel alone would've bankrupted me! Instead, I toddled over to Bunnings and got everything I needed in quite decent quality (you do get what you pay for, of course). As well, I got four Bunnings employees, all keen veggie gardeners, brainstorming with me over the best way to plot my garden beds. They were so helpful and clearly *not* trying to sell me stuff - I came away feeling quite chuffed and determined to buy all my gear from there in the future. Just as an example: a garden fork costing $39 at Bunnings was $72 at the nursery! Same brand, same size, same everything. Vastly different price! A simple steel hook for hanging a planter that cost $1.79 at Bunnings was $8.00 at the nursery! I've got no affiliation with Bunnings (well... I s'pose I do now, since I feel so pleased with my purchases from there), but I don't think it's fair to dismiss them out of hand. We all have to shop around to find what suits us and it might be at Bunnings or it might be elsewhere. It probably depends on your own local circumstances. Maybe I'm just lucky to live near a good Bunnings?  SignatureTrish {|:-} Newcastle, NSW, Australia On Fri, 11 Jul 2008 09:50:48 +1000,when reading "aus.gardens", I'm certain I caught a glimpse of "Trish Brown <pmcbrown@internode.on.net>" saying: >> >>> Bought some poppies in Bunnings. [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] >> >> Don't buy from Bunnings. They source the cheapest stock they can find at the sacrifice of quality. >Oh, I do beg your pardon, but I have to differ there! Just recently, I >determined to replace all my old, decrapit gardening tools to prepare [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] >probably depends on your own local circumstances. Maybe I'm just lucky >to live near a good Bunnings? I previously supported a local nursery and pet supplier situated close together about 5 kms away but after I tried Bunnings who were closer, I had similar findings to the above so I'll probably prefer Bunnings in future. SignatureErik. Just > as an example: a garden fork costing $39 at Bunnings was $72 at the > nursery! Same brand, same size, same everything. Vastly different price! that really only means the fork is worth $72 but you got it cheaper. by this point everyone knows that bunnings (and so forth) do that. bringing down the public's expectations of what things are actually "worth" is part of the problem. if i want cheap tools, i buy second-hand anyway. my forks were a few dollars each :-) (probably that's all they're "worth", too <g>) kylie > Just >> as an example: a garden fork costing $39 at Bunnings was $72 at the [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > each :-) (probably that's all they're "worth", too <g>) > kylie ROTFLMAO! Let me tell you, I had no problem at all paying $39 instead of $72! Yes, I understand the supermarket mentality as well as anyone, however I'm not silly enough to stand on ceremony and fork out (Hee! I did a pun!) almost double the amount of money for an item. It has been my experience that things are 'worth' what the market will bear. For example, I started working in the computer industry 'way back when it was a pretty rarified atmosphere and needed consultants such as my good self to ease people into their first computer purchase. We used to make 32% in retail sales. When I left the industry in the mid-1990s, all we could make was a bare 8% and struggled to earn extra with value-added services. Today, I shudder to think what small businesses make compared to the huge buying power of the chain stores. But we, the consumer, want cheaper prices and ease of access and one-stop shopping. We certainly do get what we pay for, I find. SignatureTrish {|:-} Newcastle, NSW, Australia >> Just >>> as an example: a garden fork costing $39 at Bunnings was $72 at the [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > It has been my experience that things are 'worth' what the market will > bear. no. that's just one way (of several) of setting a sale price; generally used in conjunction with other factors. it's no reflection of "worth". bunnings advertising insinuates they're actually performing some sort of public service. For example, I started working in the computer industry 'way back > when it was a pretty rarified atmosphere and needed consultants such as my > good self to ease people into their first computer purchase. We used to [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > the huge buying power of the chain stores. But we, the consumer, want > cheaper prices and ease of access and one-stop shopping. well i'm a citizen & human being, not a "consumer", so apparently i don't :-) > We certainly do get what we pay for, I find. yes and no. further to my second-hand fork experience, i have two second-hand ones (several dollars each) and a new one dh bought. the first thing i did to my new fork was bent one of the tines on a hidden rock. i suppose now it's only worth as much as its two fellow forks, isn't it? seeing as i have no preference for any of them over the others, they are all "worth" the same anyway, notwithstanding bent tines or not. in 5 years' time, i'll have used the old ones as much as the newer one with the same result (forked ground, one hopes, not bent tines!), therefore there can be no drop in "worth" in any of them unless they become unusable. so i would say, if you don't think a fork is "worth" wholesale cost plus ordinary retail markup (i.e. $72), by all means don't pay it - get a second hand one for $5. that's more clever than giving $39 to a company whose policy is to drive out all competition (up to and including coffee & cakes, for heaven's sake), thus enabling themselves to sell $39 forks to people who are currently unemployed because their workplace folded under the pressure of bunnings existence. :-) kylie >>> Just >>>> as an example: a garden fork costing $39 at Bunnings was $72 at the [quoted text clipped - 54 lines] > of bunnings existence. :-) > kylie Geez, Otterbot, did you have a punnet of Bunnings seedlings die on you or something? You sure don't like 'em! ;-D By all means, go ahead and choke Bunnings out of the marketplace by purchasing your forks for $5! Until you succeed, however, I'll be a happy customer and purchase mine for $39. The one I've got seems to be quite stout and it'll be a while till I need to replace it. Just for my info, where *does* one get a good second-hand garden fork? I've never seen one! The only ones I've seen second-hand have had bent tines or needed their handles replacing (these can be had from Bunnings for a few dollars...) I don't quite get your point in this discussion. You seem to be offended by my shopping at a chain store. If I'm satisfied by my purchases, then - erm - what are you trying to get across? SignatureTrish {|:-} Newcastle, NSW, Australia > Geez, Otterbot, did you have a punnet of Bunnings seedlings die on > you or something? You sure don't like 'em! ;-D Back on Topic! ;-) My poppies have flowered! At least one, anyway. Beautiful deep rich red. I think all they needed was a good drink. Which reminds me - I am getting a hard earned thirst! > Geez, Otterbot, did you have a punnet of Bunnings seedlings die on you or > something? You sure don't like 'em! ;-D ha! that must have sounded rantier than i intended, because i do go into bunnings from time to time! but having said that, no, i don't like them, & you'll find many people don't, so i'm not some sort of freak or anything <g>. if they stuck to selling hardware & tools & big garden things, and without a neurotic commitment to "underselling" everything on earth to rout their less-funded competition & persuade people who aren't very bright into leaving with bags of stuff they never even wanted, i wouldn't have a problem (in fact, i still recall my first trip to the first big hardware i ever went into - which was home hardware btw - what a wonderland! i had to be dragged out bodily!!) but i dislike any organisation which is only all about product creep (WHY exactly do they have coffee shops, craft aisles and so forth?), flogging crap you didn't come for (bunnings are big indulgers in "would you like fries with that?", and, as alluded to, people who become unemployed because they lost their business to undercutters have only the satisfaction of buying garden forks for less-than-wholesale at bunnings to ease their pain. > By all means, go ahead and choke Bunnings out of the marketplace by > purchasing your forks for $5! Until you succeed, however, I'll be a happy [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > tines or needed their handles replacing (these can be had from Bunnings > for a few dollars...) many places. most people probably start out in the second-hand-way-of-life <g> via garage sales, land clearance sales, trash & treasure markets, op shops, finding stuff on the street (still my favourite method, i must admit - the price is absolutely right ;-) but once you start looking you discover the second-hand builders' supplies yards & warehouses and general household warehouses. we get this sort of thing in canberra so i can't comment about newcastle, however since canberra has at least 3 huge general household/building ones, at least two for building supplies only, etc etc, you must have something there & if you find a good one you won't be sorry. we know many people now who will offer us stuff, (which is probably taking the whole thing a bit far - sometimes i wonder if i am perceived as a second-hand industry all on my own!!!) there is the trading post, local newspapers, and these days things like freecycle and e-bay. an increasing number of municipal tips will either allow you a discreet bit of foraging or (more commonly now) they sell all the good stuff seperately nearby - sometimes only the really good things, antiques & whatnot, but oftimes anything that's perfectly good but was taken to the tip by someone lacking care & imagination. there is a whole massive second-hand economy that you just tap into & it's all there somewhere. > I don't quite get your point in this discussion. You seem to be offended > by my shopping at a chain store. If I'm satisfied by my purchases, then - > erm - what are you trying to get across? well, as i said - that implication that bunnings is performing some sort of public service more holy than st vincent's, and that every other outlet is, by implication, robbing innocent customers and rubbing their hands with glee whilst at it. it simply is not this way at all. first world people (or "consumers" as you called us) have a MASSIVE multi-faceted and increasing problem that stems from overconsumption. bunnings (amonst others, obviously!) actively participates in and facilitates peoples' overconsumption in a particular way, and that is ethically wrong. so i said so. really, it's 2008 & this is all a common public debate now. i'm kind of surprised you are even asking me. the same ethical questions lurk around woolies, coles, mcdonalds, and so forth. it's not a question of "chain stores" - i'm on the record as loving spotlight, for example. but i think one thing (of many) that home gardening (esp food) does for you is to throw a light on ethical production and gets a person thinking about wider related issues. it's related to, for example (back on-topic) "ownership" of f1 hybrid seeds or g.m. terminator technology, and so forth; and how some people allow themselves to become disempowered to the point where corporations & the state literally run their lives for them. it's a very big topic & this post is long enough as it is!!! (sorry about that). i didn't mean to appear to be having a go, what i was doing is asking the question. you have to answer the question for yourself like everyone does. (now that the question is hopefully clearer! :-) i'm glad you're enjoying starting up your veggie garden which i think is marvellous - like i said i'd be surprised if it does not lead to bigger and better things & a slightly different way of thinking - it does in most people. veggie gardening has the power to change everyone's life for the better. (really!!) kylie >> Geez, Otterbot, did you have a punnet of Bunnings seedlings die on you or >> something? You sure don't like 'em! ;-D [quoted text clipped - 83 lines] > better. (really!!) > kylie A hearty ROTFLMAO from me, Otterbot! I hope you won't be offended if I say you're preaching to the converted? I was converted about thirty years ago when I studied Landscape/Amtosphere systems and learned about energy transfer. Like you, I tend to get pretty ranty about it and like you I am the Queen of the Second-Hand Shops and Council Pickup Day. Sadly, I have never ever seen a decent garden fork for sale in such a place, but there's always a first time. You'll hear me cheering when I find one! Yes, I do take your point about Bunnings, but (and I say this in all sincerity) they are just small fry compared to the biggies like Coles Myers and Woolworths. I mean, people only spend a percentage of their incomes at places like Bunnings or Home Hardware or even Spotlight, but everyone has to eat and everyone, like it or not, has to spend their grocery dollar at supermarkets because that's all there is. Now, before you start telling me about local growers' markets and independent butchers etc: I KNOW. I also know about excessive consumerism and overservicing and energy wastage. I have extremely strong feelings about the bastardisation of our economy by petro-dollars and competition from US growers who've been heavily subsidised by a powerful government. Those opinions don't belong here, though. Someone complained about Bunnings and I simply replied that I was satisfied with my purchases and their service. I dunno about your local Bunnings, but ours is just a big hardware warehouse with a nursery section. I don't know what you mean about craft aisles and coffee shops. Again, if you want to complain about overservicing and undercutting, then look at the supermarkets before you have a shot at Bunnings! Don't get me wrong. I'm not defending the overconsumption/overmarketing stance, just saying that Bunnings is simply filling a niche in the marketplace (like everybody) and that it's much 'cleaner' than the supermarkets to whom we look for our daily bread (which is white and overprocessed and square usually far too sweet - because the supermarket Said So). Getting back toward the topic, though, can you tell me when it's time to plant celery? I made a massive batch of celery soup last week and I'm thinking I can't wait until I can make it from my own home-grown celery! SignatureTrish {|:-} Newcastle, NSW, Australia > A hearty ROTFLMAO from me, Otterbot! I hope you won't be offended if I say > you're preaching to the converted? I was converted about thirty years ago [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > never ever seen a decent garden fork for sale in such a place, but there's > always a first time. You'll hear me cheering when I find one! :-) well, keep your ear to the ground concerning advances in 2nd-hand supplies in your area & you'll be set! > Yes, I do take your point about Bunnings, but (and I say this in all > sincerity) they are just small fry compared to the biggies like Coles > Myers and Woolworths. I mean, people only spend a percentage of their > incomes at places like Bunnings or Home Hardware or even Spotlight, but > everyone has to eat and everyone, like it or not, has to spend their > grocery dollar at supermarkets because that's all there is. well, not really - only if you live somewhere really useless... but that might be a discussion for another day. bunnings does actually use the exact methodology that supermarkets use, though - have you noticed that? I dunno about your local > Bunnings, but ours is just a big hardware warehouse with a nursery > section. I don't know what you mean about craft aisles and coffee shops. christ, you're lucky. pray the store doesn't get an "upgrade". the one i (unfortunately) go into from time to time even has a playground. they're trying to turn it into a stand-alone suburb!!! the > supermarkets to whom we look for our daily bread (which is white and > overprocessed and square usually far too sweet - because the supermarket > Said So). not to be defending woollies - but i've not been in a supermarket for a long time which doesn't sell some sort of decent bread! of course, we get ours from the local baker <runs away tittering ;-) > > Getting back toward the topic, though, can you tell me when it's time to > plant celery? I made a massive batch of celery soup last week and I'm > thinking I can't wait until I can make it from my own home-grown celery! now here is a timely question! the short answer is: spring or autumn into punnets, plant out when big enough. longer answer: my celery's been dreary for 2 years running - winter celery because it's meant to be frost-hardy. but dammit, i am having to accept it's not. i have seed "stringless" from digger's. the weird stalks just MUST be frost-damaged because i did everything else right, it's time i accepted it :-) other cultivars may well be hardier. consulting my planting chart, the answer is aug-dec for my area (cold) with the band moving forward a few months each for "warm" and "hot" (jan-june) zones. not sure if newcastle is warm or hot via digger's method. so i'm going to plant some punnets in august or september & see how that goes instead - you might want to wait until mid-spring in your area, and maybe another lot in summer to be ready for late autumn/winter if you are feeling adventurous (you can only learn by trying). if it's not too hot (they love water & will go all funny texture-wise without enough of it; also dryness will make them bolt) and there's no frost either, you should be set - they grow regardless of cold, unlike some things. also, avoid wallabies <g> - when i was plagued with them, i found the plants found it very hard to recover from having their growing points eaten out - everything survived, but it's all growing flat :-) what about celeriac too? planting etc is exactly the same apparently, i've never tried it though. as my gardening gets more adventurous so does my eating, but apparently i need to do it in that exact order. <g> kylie <snip> > consulting my planting chart, the answer is aug-dec for my area (cold) with > the band moving forward a few months each for "warm" and "hot" (jan-june) [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > eating, but apparently i need to do it in that exact order. <g> > kylie Thanks for that! Yeah, I'd like to try celeriac too! I've seen seeds advertised on ebay, but I'm a bit leery of starting things from seed just yet. I've never had any success at it and so I'm intending to do seedlings until I get my eye in. For now, my rainbow silverbeet is hurtling along and soon I'll be able to make a Spinach and Feta Pie from it! Hooray!!! ;-D We don't get wallabies, thankfully, but our dog is a bull terrier (get that? 'Terrier'?) She likes to dig wherever she finds freshly turned earth and has already had a shot at the potting mix in my styrofoam tubs. Blasted dog! I've been squirting her with a spray bottle (set on 'jet') every time she does it and she's finally starting to leave off. She is a strange dog and really enjoys eating things like tomatoes and capsicums. I'll have to be vigilant once my garden really takes off! SignatureTrish {|:-} Newcastle, NSW, Australia > <snip> > [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > yet. I've never had any success at it and so I'm intending to do seedlings > until I get my eye in. hmm! sometimes it can be difficult (parsley in punnets = waste of time, for e.g.). the main problem is moisture - they dry out very quickly & need watering 2-3 times a day mostly. it's a good idea to keep them covered so the moisture stays in, until germination or until they've got some size to them, e.g. in a mini-greenhouse or other clear plastic box, or just with plastic or glass over the top until they germinate. OR, use soil in a big foam box - that won't dry out so fast. but i don't have any spare soil worth digging up, so i use potting mix (ideally, mixed with a bit of dried horse poo, i reckon that is the best i've found so far). one excellent product (bunnings might have them! <g!> at any rate digger's does, & nurseries do) is a little watering head you screw onto an empty plastic drink bottle - it waters them very gently & is easy to give them all a squirt a few times a day that way without knocking them out. planting direct into the garden - they still need care 2x daily if it's hot (much easier in winter - less care) but there are some things you can't grow in punnets. recently i saw carrots in punnets for sale. this is criminal! anyway, good luck. For now, my rainbow silverbeet is > hurtling along and soon I'll be able to make a Spinach and Feta Pie from > it! Hooray!!! ;-D [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > strange dog and really enjoys eating things like tomatoes and capsicums. > I'll have to be vigilant once my garden really takes off! dogs like veggies! fortunately, staying out of the garden is one of the few things my dog does fairly well. weirdly, he will eat veg out of his bowl that he won't touch when he sees it in the garden(?!) kylie >> <snip> >> [quoted text clipped - 58 lines] > bowl that he won't touch when he sees it in the garden(?!) > kylie If you put it in the bowl from a plate or saucepan then it is people food. Dogs LOVE people food. Or at leat our heeler & heinz do. -- Posted on news://freenews.netfront.net - Complaints to news@netfront.net -- >> dogs like veggies! fortunately, staying out of the garden is one of the >> few things my dog does fairly well. weirdly, he will eat veg out of his [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > If you put it in the bowl from a plate or saucepan then it is people food. > Dogs LOVE people food. Or at leat our heeler & heinz do. no, it's probably right to say dogs love people food! that must be the secret :-) kylie "0tterbot" <spl@t.com> wrote in message an increasing > number of municipal tips will either allow you a discreet bit of foraging > or (more commonly now) they sell all the good stuff seperately nearby - Our local tip has lots of signs saying "No Scavenging" but we still do it as do lots of others. And, if you can't find what you want, you put in an order with the tip attendant and he usually produces it next time you go there. My husband gave his bike pump away to some dopy Dutch tourist who had a flat at our front gate (miles from the nearest garage and with no puch bike pump on her bike). It took 2 weeks for the tip attendant to produce a pump, just after my husband had bought a new one. > "0tterbot" <spl@t.com> wrote in message > [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > Our local tip has lots of signs saying "No Scavenging" but we still do it > as do lots of others. (ahem) me too. apparently the signs are for legal reasons - once you've read that you're not allowed to forage, then you can go ahead & do so when nobody's looking <g> And, if you can't find what you want, you put in an > order with the tip attendant and he usually produces it next time you go > there. it's quite a service! i rather thought the tip should combine with that "men & sheds" thing someone is trying to get up - one of their projects could be restoring/making things out of all the good stuff! kylie > My husband gave his bike pump away to some dopy Dutch tourist who had a > flat at our front gate (miles from the nearest garage and with no puch > bike pump on her bike). It took 2 weeks for the tip attendant to produce > a pump, just after my husband had bought a new one. > it's quite a service! > i rather thought the tip should combine with that "men & sheds" thing > someone is trying to get up - one of their projects could be > restoring/making things out of all the good stuff! Agree with your idea about men's shed. Unortunately, around the city, they definitely do not allow scavenging and it costs to enter. <bummer/. Another growing problem is that so much metal stuff is being thrown out that a few people are making a living driving the street and picking up any metal, so by the time it gets to the tip, it really is trash. >> it's quite a service! >> i rather thought the tip should combine with that "men & sheds" thing >> someone is trying to get up - one of their projects could be >> restoring/making things out of all the good stuff! > > Agree with your idea about men's shed. it's all right, isn't it? one of the tip ladies recently wrote to the paper to express her shock that good items were still ending up at the tip (where they don't belong) & that the community wants to do something about this asap. if the shed thing gets going it would be nice if i could find a way to express the idea to them. (seeing as how i am not a man). > Unortunately, around the city, they definitely do not allow scavenging and > it costs to enter. <bummer/. but it costs either way, whether through rates or directly (or both). but one excellent thing about cities is that they do clean-up days so lots of good stuff can be taken away by interested parties before it even reaches the tip! in my town, people are very shy to take away any free stuff left out on the nature strip - so that method of passing things along doesn't really work here very well. whereas the same pile left where i used to live in sydney wouldn't last 10 minutes. :-) Another growing problem is that so much > metal stuff is being thrown out that a few people are making a > living driving the street and picking up any metal, so by the time > it gets to the tip, it really is trash. well, again, that's really all that should be there, isn't it? (and even less of it would be good). kylie >it's all right, isn't it? one of the tip ladies recently wrote to the paper >to express her shock that good items were still ending up at the tip (where >they don't belong) & that the community wants to do something about this >asap. if the shed thing gets going it would be nice if i could find a way to >express the idea to them. (seeing as how i am not a man). I have only recently discovered the world of Freecycling, and it is wonderful. http://www.freecycle.org.au/ However the best way to find the one covering you, is http://www.freecycle.org/ so I am not sure the top one is the same as the bottom one. Go the bottom one first. The aim is to keep good stuff out of the tip. So my beloved cannot understand why there are so many cats and dogs advertised on there. He reckons that isn't keeping them out of the tip. The idea is that NO money changes hands. I am covered by two groups, and they don't seem garden-oriented, but I did get rid of a few tree onions to people looking for them. And a marmalade lot of unwanted citrus. Cheers Linda > I have only recently discovered the world of Freecycling, and it is > wonderful. > http://www.freecycle.org.au/ There is also a group called RecycleIt, which split from Freecyle here after some rumpus over "rules". And I should warn people thatyou need to keep in mind that your purpose for being on the list is to find a better home than the tip for stuff you no longer want, aka don't get discouraged by the begging, or is it just my SW Sydney list? >>There is also a group called RecycleIt, which split from Freecyle here >after some rumpus over "rules". [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >you no longer want, aka don't get discouraged by the begging, or is it >just my SW Sydney list? I find lists vary - the two I am on cover the same regional area. One has a list-admin more controlling than the other - eg don't ask for anything for yourself before you have posted two items you are giving away. Both are moderated to control begging, and one admin is slower than the other. So on one an item has been offered and gone, and nominated as such before it is offered on the other list. That is more of a problem. But yes - sometime is may seem more for people who want things rather than wanting to find homes for things. But I have moved on a few difficult but useful items without sending them to the tip. I remember one recently, where someone was looking for a clothes-dryer for student son - and, was it a dishwasher too??? But we are considering one for our small town that has a high-proportion of people strongly committed to recycling, and think it will work well. And - I still think it is a better way to move on iris divisions, for example. At the minute I stick them in a pile on the nature strip and leave a note in the window in the post office. People sometimes choose to leave a few coins in the bottle for the community house. Better than composting them. Linda > Bought some poppies in Bunnings. > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > Any ideas to improve the situation? It sounds like they are windblown. Is the location very exposed? David > > Any ideas to improve the situation? > > It sounds like they are windblown. Is the location very exposed? Gets the westerly winds (I should have mentioned I am in Sydney) but these are not an everyday occurrence. I remember my mother growing these - beautiful robust plants with big poppies on long stems. I am really disappointed - maybe the pants from Bunnings were in some way stunted? >> > Any ideas to improve the situation? >> [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] >I am really disappointed - maybe the pants from Bunnings were in some >way stunted? Probably someone has sucked all the opium out...... <g> > >I am really disappointed - maybe the pants from Bunnings were in some > >way stunted? > > Probably someone has sucked all the opium out...... <g> Don't you just hate that! >>> I am really disappointed - maybe the pants from Bunnings were in some >>> way stunted? >> Probably someone has sucked all the opium out...... <g> > > Don't you just hate that! Dam' stoned birds all over the place! SignatureTrish {|:-} Newcastle, NSW, Australia > Bought some poppies in Bunnings. > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > Any ideas to improve the situation? as well as suspecting bunnings' products in general, i'd also wonder about the season, the type, and the fertiliser!! :-) most poppies don't flower in winter. not sure what kind you've got or where you are, but i'm kind of amazed they're flowering at all (that could just be my ignorance though). i'd not expect them to flower well this time of year (actually i'd not expect flowering _at all_, but again we don't know the type). fertiliser: many "wildflowers" dislike fertiliser, manures, or rich soil & are happier without. this might be part of the problem. having said that, some poppies would be thrilled (but again it would depend what type they are). but it's a possibility - too much nutrition. i also gather they were transplants from a punnet. again being very general, poppies tend to dislike transplanting (although i've done it) - so they may not do especially well until the next generation when they are self-seeding, whereupon the self-sown plants do much better than the originals. last possibility i can think of is perhaps not enough sun through the day, then they get blasted in the afternoon; but you haven't indicated this as part of the problem. kylie > most poppies don't flower in winter. I'm sure Bunnings follows the old adage that flowering plants sell better than non-flowering plants. > last possibility i can think of is perhaps not enough sun through the > day, then they get blasted in the afternoon; but you haven't indicated > this as part of the problem. The wind is Sydney has been off snow for days. If stuff isn't protected it will be wind blown and almost snap frozen. > I'm sure Bunnings follows the old adage that flowering plants sell > better than non-flowering plants. Err... sure sucked me in! >> I'm sure Bunnings follows the old adage that flowering plants sell >> better than non-flowering plants. > > Err... sure sucked me in! As a matter of fact, I picked up six heartsease plants for 50c each at Bunnings. They had all finished flowering and had been put in the chuck-out trolley for mugs like me. Well! I know have a beeootiful display of lovely pink and purple heartsease spilling out of my hanging baskets ($6 at GoLo)! My leeks are nearly eight inches tall and my silver beet are enormous. Can't wait to harvest something - anything! - from my garden! As an aside, while digging the other day, I uncovered three shovel-headed planarian worms. These are flatworms that live off the 'soup' in the soil substrate and they're *so* interesting. If you cut one in half, both halves will regenerate and grow. If you cut a chunk out of the side of one, it will grow an entire new head-end and become y-shaped. We studied these creatures a million years ago when I was doing Biology at Uni and in all these years, it's the first time I've seen them 'in the wild' as it were. I returned them carefully to the soil and will hope to meet them again some time. SignatureTrish {|:-} Newcastle, NSW, Australia >>> I'm sure Bunnings follows the old adage that flowering plants sell >>> better than non-flowering plants. [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > nearly eight inches tall and my silver beet are enormous. Can't wait to > harvest something - anything! - from my garden! Harvested my first cut of silverbeet from Bunnings. Grown in lovely black clay (Darling Downs) with blood & bone, chook excreta & trace elements. Will be adding the sheep droppings in spring to other areas to aid bulking up. > As an aside, while digging the other day, I uncovered three shovel-headed > planarian worms. These are flatworms that live off the 'soup' in the soil [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > were. I returned them carefully to the soil and will hope to meet them > again some time. -- Posted on news://freenews.netfront.net - Complaints to news@netfront.net -- > Harvested my first cut of silverbeet from Bunnings. Grown in lovely black > clay (Darling Downs) with blood & bone, chook excreta & trace elements. Will > be adding the sheep droppings in spring to other areas to aid bulking up. Make sure you let thefaster growing plants go to see and harvest the seed heads. Then you just ned to spread the seed next year. >> Harvested my first cut of silverbeet from Bunnings. Grown in lovely black >> clay (Darling Downs) with blood & bone, chook excreta & trace elements. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > Make sure you let thefaster growing plants go to see and harvest the seed > heads. Then you just ned to spread the seed next year. At the moment nothing is growing fast, too damn cool. Used seedlings to actually get a garden as we only moved in during April. Have 1/2 fenced off from the ferals (heeler & heinz). Will be using the rest when & if it warms up. We have about 15m x 2m that is usable at moment but it does have a great big gum near one end. -- Posted on news://freenews.netfront.net - Complaints to news@netfront.net -- >Bought some poppies in Bunnings. > >Planted facing westerly sun, carp fertiliser (smelly brown stuff mixed >with water). >Trouble is, either the flowers are very small, or they only half open, >or the stems snap, and the stems are very short. I believe they need full *morning* sun. My Mum has been growing poppies for decades. The last two years have been disappointing--the "Iceland Poppy" seedlings sold to her by her local nursery turned out as you describe. They grew into nothing like Iceland poppies. The plants were tiny, stunted, half of them died, and the few buds that did open were all tiny and all orange-coloured! >Any ideas to improve the situation? Perhaps buy seeds and raise your own seedlings. Plant late autumn. They don't get frosted. If you can get some seeds of the Flanders Poppy, those plants grow vigorously and can be divided so you'll have them ever after. Just be aware the Flanders Poppy flowers are uniformly blood-red. SignatureJohn Savage (my news address is not valid for email) > My Mum has been growing poppies for decades. The last two years > have been disappointing--the "Iceland Poppy" seedlings sold to > her by her local nursery turned out as you describe. They grew > into nothing like Iceland poppies. The plants were tiny, stunted, > half of them died, and the few buds that did open were all tiny > and all orange-coloured! <suspicious> Were they mislabelled Californian poppies? SignatureChookie -- Sydney, Australia (Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply) http://chookiesbackyard.blogspot.com/ "Chookie" <ehrebeniuk@fowlspambegone.com.au> wrote in message >> My Mum has been growing poppies for decades. The last two years >> have been disappointing--the "Iceland Poppy" seedlings sold to [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Were they mislabelled Californian poppies? Have you come across the Californian Tree Poppy in your travels? This is a gorgeous plant for dryish spots. English mags say it can be invasive but I've never had such luck. It's drop dead gorgeous with huge poppy like flower for an extended time unlike poppies which do their stuff so quickly. > >> The plants were tiny, stunted, > >> half of them died, and the few buds that did open were all tiny [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > Have you come across the Californian Tree Poppy in your travels? No, but it sounds lovely! SignatureChookie -- Sydney, Australia (Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply) http://chookiesbackyard.blogspot.com/ "Chookie" <ehrebeniuk@fowlspambegone.com.au> wrote in message > "FarmI" <ask@itshall be given> wrote: >> Have you come across the Californian Tree Poppy in your travels? > > No, but it sounds lovely! It is. It's name is Romneya coulteri. Here's some cites and although some of them say it deciduous, mine never has been and nor is it as invasive for me as suggested. I wouldn't mind though if it was. http://www.wildscaping.com/plants/plantprofiles/Romneya_coulteri.htm http://www.laspilitas.com/plants/587.htm > I believe they need full *morning* sun. Gave them a good drink (and it promptly started raining) also Yates said they need fertilising, so gave them some fish liquid smelly stuff - cats came from miles around. Now some good buds ready to flower, but unfortunately only in afternoon sun, little there is of it in Sydney at present. >> I believe they need full *morning* sun. > > Gave them a good drink (and it promptly started raining) also Yates > said they need fertilising, they only say that so you'll buy yates fertiliser ;-). bit of blood & bone or manure or whatnot is fine. if they've now had two(!) doses of strong fertiliser in rapid succession, you risk killing them. so gave them some fish liquid smelly stuff - > cats came from miles around. > > Now some good buds ready to flower, but unfortunately only in afternoon > sun, little there is of it in Sydney at present. really, hold onto your hat until spring. it's all fine! kylie > Perhaps buy seeds and raise your own seedlings. Plant late autumn. > They don't get frosted. > > If you can get some seeds of the Flanders Poppy, those plants grow > vigorously and can be divided so you'll have them ever after. flanders poppies are self-seeding annuals. so yes, they will be there ever after, but you don't divide them. the old ones just die. Just > be aware the Flanders Poppy flowers are uniformly blood-red. they are lovely!! kylie |
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