New to this whole gardening thing...

[Mom2Em]

I am 33 yrs old and I had never planted a thing until today... No, it is true!
I started out nice and easy with some petunias, vinca and mont blanc in a couple of pots... a climbing rose bush... 6 tomato plants...
My question is, is there anything I need to watch out for with these different plants? Also, are there any good websites to help me learn about pruning, debugging and/or fertilizing?
I hope I don't kill them...

 

[Tulirose]

Hey Jan - Let me temporarily step into Snowwark's shoes and welcome ya here to the flower board!!

There's tons of stuff on the net. You can just do a search of what you are particularly interested in and you will find much information, I'm sure. In addition, people here do post the greatest links. There is one link in particular you should check out:

GardenWeb Check out their forum pages. They have a forum for almost any type of plant and they have forums for different regional areas too (at least I know they have one for the NY area).

You realize petunias are annuals and will not return next year, right? Vinca - I get confused with this one but if it is what I am thinking of - green leaves with little purple or white flowers - that will come back every year.

I don't do roses and I don't do tomatos. But give your question 24 hours and you are certain to get a lot more responses from people who do or people who will encourage you in your new venture.

Don't worry, however, you will probably end up being a better gardener than spagetti sauce cooker!!
Nice to see you here!

 

[olena]

Welcome to the Buds!


Roses- Beware of Japanese beetles! I also call them June bugs, since they show up in June and eat rosebuds and petals. I don't know if they lurk in Illinois though. If you see them or tiny little green bugs (aphids), try using some Sevin dust. If you buy the concentrate Sevin liquid and mix a batch in a sprayer or bottle, be sure to spray the undersides of the leaves, too. The underside is very tender and even more edible for bugs.

To promote growth, prune off the blooms after they have bloomed out. Roses bloom on new growth. It's also best to water roses in the morning. That way, they absorb the moisture and the excess dries up. Watering them in the evening doesn't give them a chance to dry out, and that can lead to black spot fungus on the leaves.

Roses love food! You can give them Miracle-Gro rose food a few times a month. Bayer Rose Food is long-lasting and has other benefits, too. Take your pick.

Best of luck and post pics, if you can. I really love garden pictures and I'm not alone....

 

[Mom2Em]

Thanks for the info! I am really excited!

Tuli-
I am so glad that it is easier than spaghetti...

 

[Snowwark]

It's never too late to start gardening Mom2Em, and now that you have, you'll quickly get hooked!!

Here's another site with lots of info to browse through when you have time. All About Gardening

I'm curious, is the Vinca that you planted, the vine or the flower? How are your plants coming along?

Oh, and I love spaghetti sauce!!

 

[Mom2Em]

Snowwark,
That site looks very interesting... I must say I LOVED the feel of digging and potting the flowers... The vinca is a small pink flower... DD picked it out... She also gets credit for me even planting anything... She has wanted to for so long... It is in her blood... DH's family is full of excellent gardeners as far back as the first one to immigrate from Scotland... He landscaped the Capitol building grounds at that time...

I love spaghetti, too!! Especially if I can stay off the DIS long enough to not burn it... right, Tuli?

 

[Tulirose]

Originally posted by Mom2Em
.....I love spaghetti, too!! Especially if I can stay off the DIS long enough to not burn it... right, Tuli?

You betcha.

Snowwark - The DIS has caused mom2Em and me to both burn spagetti sauce the same night! LOL! The DIS has also caused me to set my barbecue chicken ablaze!!! (We ended up having Pizza that night because DH had to use the fire extinguisher, the flames were so out of control!!)

But we are both better now! Just don't come to either of our houses for dinner while we are surfing the DIS! Fair warning.

 

[Mom2Em]

Very nice of you Tuli to offer them fair warning...

She is not fibbing...

 

[Snowwark]

Two Hot Buds!!! LOL....

The darn DIS!!!!!

....you both have smoke detectors in your homes, I hope!!