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Old 07-26-2008, 05:57 PM
 
Location: in my mind
2,743 posts, read 14,295,855 times
Reputation: 1627

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Well I was driving around today looking for something else, got lost, and ended up "finding" Rainbow Gardens.

Wow. I think I'm in love.

Even the staff!! Awesome. I could blow way too much money there... and that's an understatement.

I was really good considering and walked out with only having spent $12! They had all Crepemyrtles 20 percent off. And yeah, I know, I was whining about the overabundance of said flowering plant a few weeks ago... but I bought two, in WHITE. I'm all excited. They had purple lantana too so I'll be back when I have more money for sure.

My question is this: can I plant them in my yard directly, in what is pretty typical SA soil, or should I fill the hole with a different soil.. and if so, what kind? Everything I've planted so far in the yard, I've filled the hole with generic potting mix, but I am out right now and didn't know if it was necessary so I didn't buy any today.

I thought I remembered reading (probably here on CD) that the soil determines bloom color, and I want them to stay WHITE.. the whole point was to not replicate the rest of the street..there must be at least 200 hot pink CM's on my street alone!

Oh, and lastly, how do I get them to grow tree-like vs bush-like?
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Old 07-26-2008, 06:12 PM
 
Location: Mid South Central TX
3,216 posts, read 8,556,576 times
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Soil will determine bloom color of hydrangeas, not crepe myrtles, WYSIWYG!! And, actually,this is a great time of year to buy then, because you can see the color!!

Some will tell you to add some organic material to the hole, and some will tell you not to..we did to the first two that we ever planted, and never did after that!! You will discover that they will soak up rains, and will put on growth spurts then...make sure that you bought the correct size, rather than trying to prune them back to nothing every year...for the most part, we only prune the old seed pods, and the smaller, pencil size growth, especially from the groud up to about 2-3 feet. This will give them a more tree like shape.

Enjoy!
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Old 07-26-2008, 06:27 PM
 
4,796 posts, read 15,367,677 times
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200 hot pink CM's . Wow....I want to see!!!!! But I love crepe M's. You made a good choice.

I wish I could garden right now, but the timing isn't right. I don't know where you live, but you might ask the nursery about planting directly in the ground without some kind of mix. Some areas have that thick clay caliche (sp?) soil and
a mix for new growth would probably help the new babies get started. Once they are firmly grounded, CM's should do well in almost any soil around here. If you have 200 down your street, you're probably good!

Good luck! I envy you!
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Old 07-26-2008, 07:03 PM
 
Location: in my mind
2,743 posts, read 14,295,855 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wCat View Post
200 hot pink CM's . Wow....I want to see!!!!! But I love crepe M's. You made a good choice.

I wish I could garden right now, but the timing isn't right. I don't know where you live, but you might ask the nursery about planting directly in the ground without some kind of mix. Some areas have that thick clay caliche (sp?) soil and
a mix for new growth would probably help the new babies get started. Once they are firmly grounded, CM's should do well in almost any soil around here. If you have 200 down your street, you're probably good!

Good luck! I envy you!
Don't get too excited. It's a bit of an exaggeration.. but only a bit! And that includes CM's planted in the front, back, side, and along the little bit of land between the sidewalk and street (where I'm going to put mine)... one person down the street has about six in that spot! The other neighbor on the corner house just planted baby ones, same patch of grass but of course they have double to work with, so probably 4 each side.

I just got tired of the hot pink. I have two HUGE hot pink CM trees on one side of my house that are 2 stories high! They are gorgeous. I especially love the bark... but my cats, dogs, the cat water bowl, and all my other plants are covered in hot pink CM blossoms. It was funny, because my GF (who has no clue about plants, period, but will help me dig holes) thought that something had "bloomed" that had recently been planted when in fact it was fallen CM blossoms that had landed on the plant.

Anyway, I appreciate all the responses here. I am going to plant them on that strip between sidewalk and street then mulch the rest and kill the grass out there, maybe some lantana as well. I am tired of mowing that part. I might go back next payday and buy 2 more but I imagine the sale will be over then. Still, $6.99 reg. price for a 1 gallon (and they are tall!) is good, huh?

I was confused about the pruning instructions though... and buying the right size? What I bought were two 1 gallon plants that were each very tall and skinny, no blooms. I just looked for those that were green and healthy looking.... they're probably 5 ft tall. Is this okay?

Oh and one more question, I asked on another thread here on CD about tree roots and clay pipes. Are CM's going to be any kind of threat to my pipes? I mean, they're shrubs... right? Or trees? Confused. My two old ones are def. TREES, but do they have the same long roots as other trees that cause pipe problems? I ask because the shutoff for the water is out on this little strip of grass and my neighbor was telling me I should NOT plant any tree near it for this reason.
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Old 07-26-2008, 11:31 PM
 
Location: NW San Antonio
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Fierce, if you are a coffee drinker then always dump the grounds in the garden area. Really great for them.
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Old 07-27-2008, 01:23 AM
 
Location: in my mind
2,743 posts, read 14,295,855 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sinsativ View Post
Fierce, if you are a coffee drinker then always dump the grounds in the garden area. Really great for them.
Does espresso count?
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Old 07-27-2008, 08:19 AM
 
Location: San Antonio
394 posts, read 1,506,469 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sinsativ View Post
Fierce, if you are a coffee drinker then always dump the grounds in the garden area. Really great for them.
No kidding? I guess it's adding the organic matter that counts.
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Old 07-27-2008, 08:23 AM
 
14,637 posts, read 35,032,679 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KY Filly View Post
No kidding? I guess it's adding the organic matter that counts.
I think it's the acid content.
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Old 07-27-2008, 08:26 AM
 
Location: San Antonio
394 posts, read 1,506,469 times
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Default digging holes

So, we're new to the TX too and recently moved into our new home. So, we've been working to create some landscape area in the back yard etc.....and, we've been "trying" to dig holes. Holy Cow!! (no pun intended!) - I mean you need a jack-hammer to dig a hole!! Would love to dig a hole twice as deep as the pot, but it's all we can do to get a hole as large as the pot! LOL....we hit rock, rock, rock, rock and, did I say rock? Then there's a little clay-like sandy stuff. Very back-breaking and frustrating. We have also been trying to cultivate the soil with a bagged manure mixture + bagged soil, but it's been tough....any suggestions?
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Old 07-27-2008, 08:45 AM
 
14,637 posts, read 35,032,679 times
Reputation: 6683
Quote:
Originally Posted by KY Filly View Post
So, we're new to the TX too and recently moved into our new home. So, we've been working to create some landscape area in the back yard etc.....and, we've been "trying" to dig holes. Holy Cow!! (no pun intended!) - I mean you need a jack-hammer to dig a hole!! Would love to dig a hole twice as deep as the pot, but it's all we can do to get a hole as large as the pot! LOL....we hit rock, rock, rock, rock and, did I say rock? Then there's a little clay-like sandy stuff. Very back-breaking and frustrating. We have also been trying to cultivate the soil with a bagged manure mixture + bagged soil, but it's been tough....any suggestions?
Potted plants. My back yard is full of them.

Plus, on the rare occasion that it freezes, you can just bring them on in, rather than having to blanket them.
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