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Garden Gate:  Miss Wilma!!  |
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Homespun Livin
True Blue Farmgirl
409 Posts
Brenda
Louisiana
USA
409 Posts |
 Posted - Jul 29 2008 : 8:26:39 PM
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I really loved the picture of your giant butterfly bush. It is gorgeous! Do you prune it any at all? If so, when? I have a light purple butterfly bush and I was out this evening dead heading it. I noticed that there are some old dead canes on it so I would like to take those off. I don't want to do it at the wrong time though. Thanks for your help.
"Love one another." |
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Tina Michelle
True Blue Farmgirl
6948 Posts
Tina
sunshine state
FL
USA
6948 Posts |
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KYgurlsrbest
True Blue Farmgirl
4853 Posts
Jonni
Elsmere
Kentucky
USA
4853 Posts |
Posted - Jul 30 2008 : 05:32:37 AM
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Brenda, I took a photo of Miss Wilma's butterfly bush because I couldn't believe how large it was. I asked both she and her husband, Sterl, and they said they've only cut it back a couple of times. Other than that, they let it "go"....
Farmgirl Sister #80, thanks to a very special farmgirl from the Bluegrass..."She was built like a watch, a study in balance ... with a neck and head so refined, like a drawing by DaVinci"...
NY Newsday sportswriter Bill Nack describing filly, Ruffian.
http://www.buyhandmade.org/ |
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Homespun Livin
True Blue Farmgirl
409 Posts
Brenda
Louisiana
USA
409 Posts |
Posted - Jul 30 2008 : 06:28:24 AM
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Thanks for that important info Tina! I want to encourage more blooms, so I don't really want to cut. These canes are very brittle and don't have any leaves at all on them and didn't last year either. Maybe I should just wait until next spring and see if it produces any leaves. Maybe it is just heat stressed? It has some blooms, but not many. I have had this plant for years, but it don't look anywhere near as gorgeous as Miss Wilma's does.
Jonnie,
That sure was a nice picture that you took. Oh! If only I could get my to look like that!! Miss Wilma and Sterl must have great soil because everything looked so lushcious!! She just lets it go huh? Some people come by a green thumb naturally and some of us have to work really hard at getting stuff to grow even a little bit. I did happen to notice that it has babies sprouting all around it at the base so that is encouraging. Thanks girls for the help.
"Love one another." |
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KYgurlsrbest
True Blue Farmgirl
4853 Posts
Jonni
Elsmere
Kentucky
USA
4853 Posts |
Posted - Jul 30 2008 : 06:51:40 AM
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Thanks, Brenda...I could have sat all day at the butterfly bush and watched. In about 2 minutes, I counted 8 different butterflies and bees I'd never seen before in my life. Absolutely fascinating! I think their soil is quite wonderful in her part of Kentucky--we have a lot of hard clay, which doesn't allow for proper watering. They have red clay, which seems to be more "powder like" and doesn't bind up as much. She said she just puts stuff in the ground and lets it happen...
Mine is in a spot that I don't want it to get too large, so I cut mine to the ground in the early spring. But, after seeing Miss Wilma's, I'm going to get a few more and place them out in the yard where they can grow to their hearts content!!!
The first bush I had sounds like yours..it eventually just stopped growing, so I took it out--after about 2 years, I think. I bought another, I think called "Black Knight" and it's been around for 5 now at least, and in good health. Good luck with yours!!
Farmgirl Sister #80, thanks to a very special farmgirl from the Bluegrass..."She was built like a watch, a study in balance ... with a neck and head so refined, like a drawing by DaVinci"...
NY Newsday sportswriter Bill Nack describing filly, Ruffian.
http://www.buyhandmade.org/ |
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miss wilma
True Blue Farmgirl
3410 Posts
Wilma
Knob Lick
Ky
USA
3410 Posts |
Posted - Jul 30 2008 : 3:18:52 PM
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Girls that thing gets so big I have to cut it back everynow and then, I think the main thing is to start plants off with some cow manure mixture, I also have a pink one that I bought in the sick bin and it is doing great,It could be you have to much sand if you had some good humas that would help. I am not kidding I just stick the stuff in the ground and everynow and then put miracle grow on them, Sterl makes fun of me but I dont care,We do have good soil here the depth of the top soil is goodas long as we get enough rain we can grow anything including lots of weeds Also try putting a good dose of miracle grow and water good
Farm Girl #96
http://www.picturetrail.com/misswilmasplace
http://misswilma.blogspot.com/ |
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Homespun Livin
True Blue Farmgirl
409 Posts
Brenda
Louisiana
USA
409 Posts |
Posted - Jul 30 2008 : 5:15:56 PM
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I will have to get some miracle grow. The only thing I have on hand is cotton seed meal, liquid kelp and fish emulsion. I have been making compost too. Miss Wilma, it surely is in a sandy spot, but not too much sand though. The back of my property is a mixture of red clay and that stuff the we call "gumbo clay." It is grayish black and gooey! Hardly anything but weeds grow in all that clay. My veggie gardens have never done any good out back. So I started growing stuff in the front where there is more sand than clay. Yep! My property is mess up alright!
"Love one another." |
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miss wilma
True Blue Farmgirl
3410 Posts
Wilma
Knob Lick
Ky
USA
3410 Posts |
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Garden Gate: Miss Wilma!! |
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Miss Wilma!!
