Michelle,

Give em a try, what the heck. I try all the seeds that I get from a hip.

Gerry

I stuck 'em in some peat and refrigerated them.

I'm going to put half of them out in the cold frame to stratify and see if the variable cold - warm temperatures improves germination. :-)

Glad to see you have a cold frame, too. We will have to keep each other posted on the good, the bad, and the ugly of how the cold frame projects work out. How did you construct yours? Got pictures?

Cheers,
Michelle

I'll show you mine if you'll show me yours!

It is not the best, I am definiatly not a carpenter, and I still need to add one more layer of plastic on the inside on the long sides, and some foam insulation, but I think it isn't so bad...wish I had measured to fit the windows, but I wasn't going to use them at first :-(

The thumbnails are clickable, and will open in another window.

I also have a table that I use in the summer for misting and potting up things, I enclosed it in plastic, and the slats on top I figured would be good for venting, but I might just undo it, and put the plants in the frame, since it is more enclosed, and the heat will not flow out the top so fast.

Hmmm...go figure the pics are in reverse order, and show that I still need to clean up for fall, guess it will be spring before I finish that...sigh.

How long have you been using a cold frame? Seem to help out even if it is unheated?

Gerry

Your coldframe looks quite usable. I also really like your raised beds and the FLAMINGOS! :-) It's fun to look at other people's yards.

My coldframe is new - just started building it in Oct. and am still finishing things up (hinges on the windows, etc.). I put in x-mas lights for heat.

{{gwi:302349}}

I just got some black sewer pipe tubes to fill with water. They will stand up along the back wall - hopefully they can be the primary heat source and the lights will be the backup.

It is stuffed full of roses.
{{gwi:1245510}}

It raises the low temperature about 20 deg. I really don't know anything about using it yet.

Guess now I am going to have to build a misting frame. Double sigh!

Cheers,
Michelle

ps. Since the snow falls off of my roof and onto the coldframe, it may be completely demolished over the winter. I am waiting to see how that works out, exactly.
:-)

Michelle,

Glad you like the flamingos, I HAD to have them, but I was told they had to hide in the hibiscus, heck, at least I can see them in the winter!

Your cold frame looks GREAT, mine was just thrown together with odds and ends. I am guessing yours is facing south like it should? The open side on mine faces the North/West, maybe I should move it before the really cold weather comes, but the only place so it would face South would be in the back of the yard. I am getting only a few degrees extra heat in the day so far.

I am thinking of putting in a few lights for nights when it gets into the teens...or even worse, with water jugs for just regular cold nights.

Almost make me feel like Dr. Frankenstein, experimenting, just hope I get better results.

Gerry

We have a funky chicken (ceramic) that resides in the butterfly bushes for the same reason.

Is the whole south side of your coldframe (CF hereafter) blocked? If so, it might be worth moving. That side would give you a lot of heat gain. The north shouldn't be too big of a deal if you insulate it well. Mine is too hot during the day - up in the 70's. If I ever forget to open the vents, everything will fry. The roses are leafing out, albeit slowly. In December. In Colorado. It's trippy. :-)

I checked my water tubes last night around 11:00, and they seemed to discharge the heat too fast to keep it warm through the wee hours of night.

Have you seen this link about CF's? A space blanket + lights might work really well for your CF. I may build a frame like figure 7 out in the yard next year, seems like it would be a good way to plant seedlings directly in the ground. Plus it just looks cool.

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/PUBS/garden/07851.html

Cheers,
Michelle
ps. I found more spidermites on my indoor roses last night (Distant Drums was being devoured). ARRRGH. I submerged the smaller plants completely in slightly soapy water, and that seemed to knock the bleepity-bleeping mites off.

Well, I just came on here to post about that whole N, S, E, W thing. I went out and moved it to in front of the swing you can see in the one picture, the temp. rose 10.8 degrees in 20 minutes, although the humidity fell 4%. It's UGLY and I can see it from the window more than I could before, but it is only 4 1/2 months before I can have the plants on their own!

The way it was facing, the whole back was blocked, and that is the S.E., now I have it so the front faces the S.W., I am just wondering what will happen in the dead of winter when it is sunny, guess I will vent it as best I can if the outside temps are going to be above 32F. Have you run across a 'general' rule on that.

I did see the site you made referance to, so I may end up with lights and a moving blanket, not as good as a space blanket, but it will help, of course I haven't tried the water yet.

Still need to add some lathe strips along all the sides to seal off the air flow, and add some insulation...if I could just get over this danged cold so I could really get outside and work.

Spider mites are evil, and will be around when the cockroaches are gone, I am certain of this. Now that I feel confident about the temps with the frame, or at least that I can keep things from freezing at night, I am going to take everyone outside and put them in there, top off during the day. How is DD rooting for you, I had poor luck with that one?

Gerry

The CF gets opened daily when I feed my livestock in the am and closed after the pm feeding (dark-thirty). It has not gotten cold enough to think of leaving it closed up during the day.

Hah, I have the cold, too. We have synchronicity: colds, coldframes, foul faux fowl, roses... There's a cold remedy thread in the main forum (in the conversations) about it. :-) Some fine remedies were offered.

Distant Drums rooted just fine, but is not too happy. Insects think she's delicious. To deal with the mites and gnats, I put the roses outside for an hour while it was just above freezing, then used my Vac 'n Blo (horse vacuum!) outside to blow their frozen little butts off the roses. Let me know if you have any luck 86-ing them.

Cheers,
Michelle

Foul faux fowl, I like that one!

I got the cold two nights ago, took me almost 2 weeks to get it from Rich. I made some homemade chicken soup, and took some of the liquid tylenol and finally got to sleep around 9pm. I glanced at the conversation forum, I will have to go back and look, I have not read them in ages.

I work 6pm to 6am usually, laid off right now, so I can vent it when I get home and then close it before I leave, that should work. If all goes well, I will make a better one for next year, maybe with one of those venting arms on it.

Maybe I should try some of the DD over winter, sure can't hurt.

I have the Westerlands callusing, so I can stick them and hope they grow for you.

Gerry

Sorry you're laid off. :-( Yeah, I have to get an auto-vent for mine. DH will *never* remember to open it if I'm out of town. I'd like to set up auto watering during summer, too. Not sure if I could just staple a plastic liner in it and overhead mist?

You still haven't let me know what you'd like to have in trade for Westerland. Take a look at my trade list some time and pick out a couple of things.

Hope the cold goes away fast. Mine is almost gone, except for barking like a seal (coughing).

Cheers,
Michelle

The lay off is usually nice, but this year it just sucks, been falling behind and this makes it worse, but no sense complaining I guess.

I know what you mean about DH not opening it, Rich would never remember either, I tried that last year and he fried a few in one of those covered shelf units I have.

I don't think you would need to put a liner in it to water with the misters, that might collect to much water, but I am not sure.

I did look at your list, will have to go thru it a few more times, I really like the looks of that antique pink one, but I am so 'pinked' out with all the pink roses...must be a guy thing, I am partial to the yellow, white, orange range of colors, but danged if I don't always find yet one more pink...Gr r r

The cold has seemed to subside a bit, but still not 100%, maybe I can get the CF finished tomorrow!

Gerry

Michelle,

Check my have list here on GW and let me know if there is anything else you would like me to try to root for you as hardwood cuttings, might as well, what can it hurt.

Gerry

Thanks - I will look it over. Do you still want a Hansa? I can try rooting one for you.

Cheers,
Michelle

Hansa, sure do. Have/had that on the order list for spring, but I think that list is now gone kaflooy, has to be pared to the bare minimum or even worse :-(

I put all the plants in the CF yesterday, and have very little space left...I didn't know I had THAT many plants. I took the ones from under the table too and put in there.

It is 29 outside now and just 31 in the CF, I am hoping that the mass of soil and black pots attract and hold some more heat as time goes on, not sure how that works either. It got to 92 in there the other day when I had it all sealed and in the sun, so I know that works! I guess it is time to head to Wal*Mart and get some lights for it, just in case. BTW...the ones mentioned on the web site you gave link to are the C7 lights, those are the bigger, nightlight sized ones, and I am noticing that you have the smaller 'twinkle lights' in yours, that could make a differance too. I am going to get the C7's.

LOL...looks like we turned this post into the CF post, I hope you are OK with that.

Gerry

This thread is an evolving conversation. It's all good. :-)

I agree that yours is lacking heat-storing mass at this point. Do you have anything to the North of it? After you insulate, it should stay warmer during the night. You could pile bagged leaves or straw around it on the non-south sides to block wind/conserve heat. Bagged shredded paper might work (and would be free).

Do you want an FJ Grootendorst? I see you have pink Grootendorst, not sure if it's the same thing. Strange rose, but I like it. :-)

Cheers,
Michelle

True, I do not have anything around it, so that might help as it is plastic covered and not wood. The windows on top were frozen this morning, frost outside and the condensation inside was ice.

I was for a long time saving shreaded paper and using it under mulch, not sure I have any bags of it left. I did find 2 bales of straw a few weeks ago, curbside for recycling, but when I went to pick them up, they weighed a ton, were soaking wet. I wonder also if it might be losing heat so fast because the windows are single pane glass? So many options. As long as I can keep it above 25 or so in there, I should be good, there is nothing super tender and nothing that needs to be activly growing at present.

F.J. Grootendorst, I would love one, I posted some time ago to see if anyone had cuttings to share and never got respones, I have the pink, it was supposed to be a 'Robusta', I got it as a body bag from Wal*Mart a few years back. I think there are actually four of them, F.J., Grootendorst Supreme, pink and white. I should actually move mine, because it is in an area of microclimate, to the point that I think I might be able to push things to zone 7 there. I have 3 Teas planted near it, waiting to see how they fair this winter...Duchesse de Brabant, Mme. Franziska Kreuger and Blumenschnidt

Evolving conversation...yes it is, I come on line just to check this thread sometimes, see how things are going and what progress we have...it is good!

Gerry

I'll stick an FJ for you. Or do you want to trade some hardwood cuttings now?

Definitely, any mass or insulation you can come up with will help your coldframe. For your north wall, water jugs or cinder blocks (painted black and stuffed with soil) or anything that can hold heat and then release it overnight will help.

Cheers,
Michelle

Michelle,

We could do a small hardwood trade if you like, I have the roses I listed as well as some regular shrubs, if you are interested, we can swap lists?

Gerry

Hmmm, reconsidering - I really don't have much room left in my coldframe! It seemed like a good idea until I looked. I will take a FJ cutting and tuck it in, however.

In the Spring, I am planning to donate everything I don't trade or use. That will help alot. :-) There are some roses taking up space that I rooted just to see if I could - that I don't particularly want to grow.

BTW, how are your seedlings? Did you get the spider mites under control?

Here's Double Delight. Her first bloom is unfurling in the greenhouse. Very exciting, to be happening at Christmas.

{{gwi:1245512}}

Cheers,
Michelle

That is pretty, and you are right, wonderful time of year for it.

Seedlings are doing well, have lost only a few, and all 'carefree beauty' seedlings, must not be a good seed parent. The mites are at bay for now, but we shall see what happens shortly. Not sure if it is me, or this is really happening, but the seedlings seem to be smaller, or slower than, last year.

I also have a few cuttings that I stuck indoors, they were callosed when I stuck them, and they are leafing out, so I am holding hope that they are rooting, of course I know how the leafing out 'thing' goes. One of them I have been trying to root on and off for some time, it is a 'Frau Karl Drushki' (99% of the ID), it was my grandmothers. I would like to have another of it, to try it in a different spot because I do not want to move the original. I just had a QE come 'back from the dead' this year that was her's, Dr. Huey had taken it over and I was just letting him grow, I like him, along the fence, but this year a large basal came out, and lo and behold it was QE, after at least 5 years, I didn't even know what was there as DH was growing when I moved here.

Let me know what you managed to root that you don't want, perhaps I may be interested.

Gerry

Michelle,

Forget digging yourself out...lol...where are you????

:-) Luckily, I am in a corner of the state where the snow is not soooo fierce. Thanks for asking!

As an aside, the gnats and spider mites are at bay on my plants, also. Did you put your seedling outside, or how did you get the mites to go away? I am overhead sprinkling my indoor roses in the sink, and added some 'Mosquito Dunk' bits to the water - I guess there is some biological control in there that kills fungus gnat larvae. The new growth looks *much* better.

Please keep us updated on changes you make to your coldframe. It's fun to see things evolve. :-)

Cheers,
Michelle

Glad to see your OK. I need to dash, but will get back to this soon.

Gerry

Michelle,

I put most of the plants outside so I do think that helped, I am now giving them a good misting everyday, when I remember, or can drag my sorry butt down the cellar after work, called back this past week!!!

The cuttings I mentioned of Karl Drushki are kapoot, I saw one was turning black, so I pulled it out, gave the others a small tug and they came out easily, they had turned black also :-( Some how, some day I WILL get that rose to root.

I need to get some pictures of the seedlings and will post them on the other thread shortly, seems some just took off in the last few days, and one carefree beauty is getting much bigger than the others, so all the other carefree losses might be worth it for this one!? Nothing looking close to blooming yet. I think I am going to give them a bit of miracle grow this weekend.

Gerry