bad idea to start planting now?

17 years ago

I tore down my old garden because it had poison ivy in it (that i did not know until i woke up covered in it for five days and now only have a mild case). I live in zone 7 and would like to know if it would be a good idea to start planting some annual flowers in a few weeks.

the Annuals I'm thinking of planting (Scientific Names):

Gaillardia pulchella

Calendula officinalis

Iberis amara, I. umbellata

Celosia argenta var. crista

Coleus x hybridus

Cosmos sulphureus

Arctotis hybrids

Viola cornuta, V. Tricolor

Tagetes erecta, T. patula

Viola x wittrockiana

Portulaca grandiflora

Helichrysum bracteatum

And if you know anything about these flowers and if they spread please tell me. I tried looking for information but i could not find any. I do not want the flowers to spread anywhere at all.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (5)

oilpainter
17 years ago
Do you intend to plant these right in the garden or start them and then set them out. Some of the ones that you named--like coleus take a long time to grow and are not good to direct sow.

You also have to keep a keen eye that the poison ivy doesn't grow back and dig it out if it does. It is hard to get rid of--the least little piece left and it will grow again. Where did it come from? Is it growing nearby and will it spread back? Those are questions I would find the answer to before I planted anything. To tell the truth if it were me I'd leave the bed bare for this year and see what happens. You can always set a few pots there with annuals.

Batchelor buttons, Calendula and marigolds are fast to sprout and grow. They will drop seeds though as will most annuals.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
17 years ago
when i battled PIvy .... i was told the roots .... remain actively toxic for a number of years.. while they rot ... back then.. i could NEVER get a straight answer how long that was ..

YOU MAY WANT TO STAY OUT OF THERE FOR THE REST OF THE SEASON ...

IF IT WERE ME .... i would add a nice blanket of mulch... and let it lay fallow for the rest of this season.. get the answer to the issue above.. and spray any pop up PI with round up ...

WHY RISK IT???

ken
Related Professionals
Hagerstown Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Dover Landscape Contractors · Jackson Landscape Contractors · Bennington Landscape Contractors · Burlington Landscape Contractors · Modesto Landscape Contractors · DeRidder Architects & Building Designers · Cumberland Architects & Building Designers · Charleston Architects & Building Designers · Burlington Architects & Building Designers · Plymouth Architects & Building Designers · Norfolk Architects & Building Designers · Hobbs Architects & Building Designers · Mesquite Architects & Building Designers · Yakima Architects & Building Designers
cluelesslygardening
Original Author
17 years ago
Thanks Oilpainter. I'm planning on buying the actual flowers from the store then putting them in the ground. I have no clue how to plant seeds and would rather not have to wait. (Usually when I do plant seeds, they die pretty quickly

I have been digging out the poison ivy. So it should go away pretty quickly.
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
17 years ago
Some of the plants you've listed are perennials. And some of them are considered cool season plants. Just so you know. I suspect, as well, that you will find the garden centers pretty low on fresh stock in a couple of weeks.

You can do a simple search on each and everyone of these plants by typing the Latin name into Google. There's plenty of good information out there!
oilpainter
17 years ago
I agree with Ken adrian--I wouldn't plant anything for this year. You may think you have all the poison ivy out of there but you may not. My son had poison ivy in the bush near his house. He has 2 small kids so he wanted it out of there. It took him 3 years to get rid of it all.

With plants in there it will make it harder to see if it does come back. That might put you right back in the pickle you are in now