# Direct Gardening



## sotx23 (May 4, 2010)

Just placed a small order.... Want to see the quality of plants before I order the big ticket stuff. 

Anyone have any experience with them? Prices seemed very good!


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## Muddskipper (Dec 29, 2004)

Lots of compalints on line .... why not support a local nursery.... and see it before you buy it ...

If you go to a small nursery they will most likley have plants for our area/ zone ....

You could be gtting plants for north texas or the mid-west ... and those won't make it thru our summers


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## chuck leaman (Jul 15, 2004)

Never heard of them Jeff. What did you order?


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## sotx23 (May 4, 2010)

Mudd- I do support local nursuries. We bought a ton of sdtuff from Enchanted Garden on 359, Houston Garden Centers, and Houston Plant & Garden World. 

Just looking for some savings, and at roughly 75% cheaper, I figured I might give it a shot. 

Chuck- We ordered:

3637 Lobelia, Fan Scarlet 6 
6811 Periwinkle, (Reg. 50 for $13.96) 50 
7266 Houttuynia 8 
1099 Geranium, Mosquito Shoo 2 
6857 Hydrangea Tree 2 
4910 Monarda, Purple Rooster 1 
7324 Cardinal Flower, Red 4 
7036 Sedum, Improved Dragon's Blood Red 24 
7036 Sedum, Improved Dragon's Blood Red 12 
7420 Delphinium, Blue Butterfly 3 
6621 Candytuft 6 
5572 Wintercreeper 3


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## sotx23 (May 4, 2010)

We are doing a massive landscaping project at the house...... Lots of fun, but da mn I am sore!!!! 

Just looking to save a few hundred bucks if possible is the main purpose in using this online store. 

New back Patio going in next week.....


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## chuck leaman (Jul 15, 2004)

Yeah but its a good kinda sore when you get done and see how nice everything looks. Ive got alot of work to do at my house. I bought a tiller in August and its the best 300 bucks I ever spent. Saved me a ton of pain for sure. The mosquito geraniums are cool plants.


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## sotx23 (May 4, 2010)

Trying to figure out what all we are putting in the hummingbird garden. Thinking of putting a hummingbird trumpet vine on dog kennel also..... 

Going to enchanted garden Sat to buy hedges/shrubs. Getting 6x Hydrangea, 6x Red tips for back yard, and have room fir about 5 more shrubs in the front.


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## chuck leaman (Jul 15, 2004)

Turks Cap is good for the hummingbird garden and its a native. It also comes back every year. They like the red/orange lantanna as well and it will be back every year. 4 oclocks are great as well but they can be invasive since they spread through roots and seeds. I have a ton of em so if you want some just let me know. Also mix in some butterfly weed. The hummers like it and you will have lots of monarchs.


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## fangard (Apr 18, 2008)

http://www.hummingbirdworld.com/h/gardens.htm#southeast

Here is a list of some plants.


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## chuck leaman (Jul 15, 2004)

Jeff. Also check out the Texas Lilac trees. You get your plants in yet?


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## sotx23 (May 4, 2010)

Haven't gotten the ones from direct gardening yet- they said up to 4 weeks to get all the plants from the nursery that supplies them? We did buy a bunch from Enchanted Garden... We got azaleas, heliotrope, cape honey suckle, Virbium, roses, oxalis, bugleweed, polka dot plants, pincushion flower,verbena, butterfly bushes, Australian violet, red variegated Ginger, white iris, various salvia, and coleus planted! we still have a 8x20 bed to do.... Waiting on Hydrangeas to get to Enchanted.... Also laid about 40 pieces of grass last weekend took out 6 huge oleanders which are being replaced by red tips.


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## sotx23 (May 4, 2010)

I like that Lilac tree! Can you train it to where it doesn't get so tall? I have a good spot for I think. 

Also looking for a good vine that can handle frost/our winters. Going to grow it on dog kennel.


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## chuck leaman (Jul 15, 2004)

You cut the lilac tree back every year but they do get big. Im sure you could train it. The butterfly bushes are awesome and smell great. They come back every year. Mine never died off this year since we had no Winter. Cape honey suckles are nice as well. Also check out the mexican honey suckle when you get a chance.


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## sotx23 (May 4, 2010)

I have some Mexican Sage bushes for the hummer garden.... Also going to get a few shrimp plants that have been trained into 3-4' tall bushes....

Want to get a few more butterfly bushes- we only have 2 and are in separate beds. Thinking of adding 2 more to go next to the existing ones. 

Chuck, do you ever grow hydrangeas??


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## chuck leaman (Jul 15, 2004)

Jeff. Ive tried and tried to grow hydrangeas. They are one of the few things Ive had trouble with in Nada. It might be a soil issue. My shade gardens took a hard hit in the drought. The garden center in Katy between Mason and Fry had some nice butterfly bushes last year. They went to 50% in mid to late April. I have 8-10 of them in my beds. They have already come back strong. The Mexican bush sage is one of my favorites as well. They are looking good right now. Lots of blooms already. Not having much of a Winter helped them along. I also have several wild lantana that I have dug up on my trips around the prairie. The butterflies love em. Get you several butterfly weed plants. They come back every year and you will have tons of monarchs. The catapilars will eat them down to the stems but they will come back twice as full in a few weeks.


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## chuck leaman (Jul 15, 2004)

Mix in a few herbs to your hummingbird garden like pineapple sage and cinimon and other types of basils. Hummingbirds,bees, and butterflies love the flowers on those and fresh basil is hard to beat.


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## sotx23 (May 4, 2010)

Chuck- we do have a small herb section.... May add a few more. Can you put anything out for the caterpeilers ? 

I think we are going to give the hydrangeas a try.... I have a few good shade garden spots around the house.... Probably go back to the nursery Sunday to look around. 

You ever go to Caldwell Nursery in Rosenberg? They seem to have some cool hard to find plants.


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## chuck leaman (Jul 15, 2004)

For Monarch catapilars you will need to plant butterfly weed. Its their host plant and the only thing they will lay eggs on and the catapilars will feed on. There are a couple of species that use dill or fennel. TPWD has(or did) a list of butterfly species and their host plants. If they dont have it up google Southeast Texas butterfly species and you will find one. Where is Caldwell nursery? Ive never been there.


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## rodwade (Feb 13, 2007)

I have a TON of butterly weed seeds in Portland, Tx (north of Corpus) if anyone wants some. My plants doing great


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## chuck leaman (Jul 15, 2004)

I find a ton of new butterfly weed plants in the yard every year. The seeds float off and I end up with em all over. I dig em up and give em away or move em to the flower beds. There are lots of Monarchs back in Nada now.


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## sotx23 (May 4, 2010)

Chuck- any pics of your butterfly weed/plant in bloom?


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## chuck leaman (Jul 15, 2004)

Jeff. I will take a pic when I get home and text it to you. I have the yellow and red and orange flowered kinds.


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## sotx23 (May 4, 2010)

Thanks CHuck.........


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## rodwade (Feb 13, 2007)

More flowers on them now. But you can get the idea.


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## chuck leaman (Jul 15, 2004)

Thats it. I like how it comes back even thicker after the catapilars eat it darn near to the ground.


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