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	<title>sb158's Valley Garden &#187; geraniums</title>
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	<description>Gardening in the Rio Grande Valley</description>
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		<title>Got An Answer! Thanks, Jim.</title>
		<link>http://www.squirtbug.com/Garden/wordpress/flowers/got-an-answer-thanks-jim/</link>
		<comments>http://www.squirtbug.com/Garden/wordpress/flowers/got-an-answer-thanks-jim/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 27 Apr 2009 19:40:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>sb158</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Experimental]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Seeds/Seed-starting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[flowers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[containers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[geraniums]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[herbs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Monster Mud]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[seeds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[shrubs]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.squirtbug.com/Garden/wordpress/?p=340</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A very kind blog visitor identified my Mystery Shrub as Ruttya fruticosa. Found some cultural information here and here.
Apparently it&#8217;s easy to propagate by seeds or cuttings, so I may try that down the road some time. Got too much other stuff going on right now to deal with it. 
Yesterday we went to brunch [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>A very kind blog visitor identified my Mystery Shrub as <b><i>Ruttya fruticosa</i></b>. Found some cultural information <a target="_blank" href="http://www.plantbook.org/plantdata/acanthaceae/ruttya_fruticosa.html">here</a> and <a target="_blank" href="http://www.toptropicals.com/cgi-bin/garden_catalog/cat.cgi?uid=ruttya_orange">here</a>.</p>
<p>Apparently it&#8217;s easy to propagate by seeds or cuttings, so I may try that down the road some time. Got too much other stuff going on right now to deal with it. </p>
<p>Yesterday we went to brunch with my brother-in-law, sister-in-law, and his son and wife. <span id="more-340"></span>We don&#8217;t get to see them as often as we&#8217;d like, so it was a nice visit. After we ate, we went to the BIL&#8217;s house for a &#8220;plant consult.&#8221; I answered my SIL&#8217;s questions, and took some cuttings from some of her plants. </p>
<p>Years ago, when they first built the house, my BIL planted some ordinary red geraniums in  a little garden spot next to the shed, in memory of his grandmother who used to grow them. More than 10 yrs. later, the geraniums have grown into a huge geranium bush, as we have had no hard freezes to kill them. Unfortunately, they&#8217;ve also grown long woody stems that flop over and look very untidy. It does have new growth coming up from the roots, so I told her to just cut the woody stems down to the ground, and let the new growth have a chance. </p>
<p>Weird thing is, most of the geranium is red, but there is one stem that produced a mutation and grows pink geraniums. Anyway, I took cuttings from both stems, which I hope will grow. Any geranium that will survive 10 yrs. with minimal care is one tough plant! </p>
<p>I also took cuttings from two shrubs she has. One has pretty dark blue flowers that butterflies and bees just love; I just saw one at Home Depot the other day. Name starts with a &#8220;D&#8221; but I can&#8217;t remember the rest of it. Hers gets huge, and they have to cut it back every year to keep it from eating the house and garden. I&#8217;m going to keep mine in a container, assuming the cuttings take.</p>
<p>The other one only blooms in spring, with tight bunches of tiny white flowers that have the most heavenly spicy scent. Have no idea what it is, and she doesn&#8217;t remember, but I will find out eventually. Just have to do some googling. I took softwood tip cuttings and some from more mature wood, so we&#8217;ll see if they take. </p>
<p>Other than watering baby basils and peppers, and checking on flower seeds, that&#8217;s all I did in the garden yesterday. I did play with <a target="_blank" href="http://www.squirtbug.com/Garden/wordpress/2009/04/02/monster-mud/">Monster Mud</a> yesterday; the rosemary pot is finished, I think, with the exception of leveling the bottom so it stands up straight, and touching up the rim to make it look smooth. After it dries about 24 hrs, I&#8217;ll waterproof again. When that dries, I guess I have to decide what color to paint it, or maybe just leave it as is. </p>
<p>I also put another layer of <a target="_blank" href="http://www.squirtbug.com/Garden/wordpress/2009/04/14/this-that-and-monster-mud-ii/">Monster Mud</a> on the styrofoam thingy, as it was still too light. Wind&#8217;s blowing today at 20 + mph, as it has been for the past day or so and will be for the next couple of days. If I put a beer cooler outside in this wind, they&#8217;d find it in the next county very shortly! I think it may be heavy enough now, especially after I fill it with soil and a shrub&#8230;</p>
<p>That&#8217;s it for now. Got laundry to do, a house to clean, and dinner to think about. No clue what to cook yet. Anybody got any ideas?  </p>
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