My Order Arrived

Baptisia australis "Purple Smoke"

I was so excited, always am when I get my first order of flowers for the year.   Carrel opened the box and we started to take the flower pots out.  I was shocked they were blooming, I had never received an order that the flowers were already blooming.  I have ordered from Parks Seed for years.  They are reliable and if your plant dies they send you a new one.  I sat them on the floor and took the picture.  I counted to make sure I had all they charged me for, four Lavender "Munstead," three Stokesia Laevis "Blue Danube,(Stokes Aster) six Baptisia "Purple Smoke."  They were all there.  I noticed they looked limp and were very light.  Usually when flowers are sent they water them well before sending.  The proper way to water a plant is from the bottom, so I placed them in a pan of water, went and dressed and ate, then started to take my plants out of the water, still felt light.  I poured water on the top, ran right on through.  Oh No.   Oh Yes.   Badly root bound, now before I took the Master Gardener's Class I would never buy roots of a root bound plant.  One time I slipped up and bought a Penta that was really root bound and being dumb even though I had gardened for about fifty years I planted that Penta just as it was.  It set there in the ground for weeks never did anything I dug it up and it was just like it was when I planted, even worse.  I thought you never messed with the roots of a plant.  You planted it with out disturbing the roots.  You understand I always had good luck because I bought plants that were not root bound.  This is one thing I learned in the Master Gardener's Class you cut, tear, pull, get those root out and loose.  The lady teaching us this would pull and tear and hold the plant up to her ear and make out like the plant was saying  Awhhh.  She was so funny you would not forget this lesson.  You see this plant is really root bound. The larger roots are growing up into the bottom of the plant putting on smaller roots and growing out the top of the soil.

I cut the bottom off then tore all the roots off the sides ant put my fingers up in the bottom of the plant and pulled the root out.

I cut the bottom off completely. You can see were the holes were the roots have form a knot of roots. this is why the plant could not that up any water.

 You can see I have cut the bottom off and  I have just about got the sides cut off. You can see at the right hand side at the top those roots were pulled out of the bottom.  They had put roots out of the top.

Even though these are the small roots if you will look close they covered the bottom and are growing up the sides of this plants.  This one is not near as bad as the other one, you still cut off the bottom pull the roots off the sides and plant your flowers.

After I plant I water and if needed I put more dirt around the plant and water again and pat the dirt down.  I have looked at my plants everyday they did not even wilt.  You know to order your perennials in the fall and this is not likely to happen.   We did not have the beds ready at that time.  I do not think I should have been charged full price for these plants, they should have been on sale.  I will tell Parks how root bound these plants where when I order again.   We do not have a large nursery closer than a hundred miles, so it is cheaper for me to order off Internet. 

the year Charlotte gave me this knelling bench for Christmas we planted six hundred Tulip plants.  She gave me my present early and said her entertainment for me that year before Christmas was to let me help her plant the tulips.  Great entertainment.

Right behind the bench is where I planted these plants, all but the Lavender and that is beside the bench.  Won't that smell good when we sit out on the bench.  The kneeling bench was a gift from my daughter Charlotte.  I can not write a blog with out showing you what is blooming in my yard today.  All the daffodils that have bloomed and turned away from the timbers of the raised beds accept the on above.  I told Carrel we planted backwards and would have to dig it up and replant, he looked at me like I was crazy had to say "Just Kidding."

This Camellia has just opened,  this bush is no taller than my knee, it will be a long time before it is five foot.  None of mine are very tall I have to buy small and let them grow.  Hope you have enjoyed reading this blog  page and thank you for watching my garden grow and bloom, hope you will grow one of your own.  Happy gardening to you from me, Juanita

These  were laying on the ground so I picked them.  The bush will not miss them, it is loaded.  Carrel likes this bush best of all, says he is going to buy one for his yard.