We had a good day Sunday almost perfect spring day. Not so much today Monday. Wind and it is only 43F. and feels like 39F.

image from fastgrowingtrees.com

     It is a lovely morning. WHOOPS…I started this yesterday but didn’t get to post it.   What a change!  46F(7C)  but we have an east wind blowing which makes it feel like 39F.  Cloudy skies, and rain coming this evening and rain all night long.  They are predicting we would get around 2.5”
I must tell you those 2 days of wind, it was very hard and stressful. I couldn’t stay ahead of the watering and the plants were telling me that.  I moved the tall racks into the greenhouse and gave them a good soaking.  Not as bad as I thought but I do have some cleaning up of the plants that didn’t make it.  The plants are surely harden off when they went thru that wind. How did your gardens do?  Now it sounds like some good soaking rains for Monday thru Wed morning.  That will be good.  Stay warm, stay safe
 
Australia friends and family for their May 20 Tuesday WOW I just checked and their low during the night was 35F(2C) They have a frost alert out.  It is 2:00 AM there now as I am writing this.   Same to you guys stay warm, stay safe
 
I have been asked this, so put together this list.  I will add more as I come on the new plants.
What new do you have this year Becky?
1.         Collards 
a.         a.cabbagelike leaves, no head. On upright plants
2.         Mini me cucumber
a.         Produces high yields of early maturing dark green cylindrical fruit 3-4” in 45 days
3.         Sweet talk red cuphea procumbens another name would be hummingbird plant
a.         Profuse vibrant flowers attract pollinators, containers or at garden’s edge.  Full sun grows 14” tall.  Also hummingbirds are attracted to it.
4.         Hardy garden mums in several colors, these are the ones to plant now for the fall color and they do come back and long lived.
5.         Manihi Island sweet potato plants new black and green colored leaves
a.         Sweet potato edible foliage trailing habit
b.        This award-winning Sweet Potato Vine is a new introduction from the breeding program at Louisiana State University and the results are sensational. ‘Manihi’ has beautiful, deep purple ornamental sweet potato vine foliage as well as edible sweet potato tubers at the end of the season. Sweet Potato Vine has been used in summer container plantings for its attractive, cascading foliage. Now, when you clean up the vines, you’ll be rewarded with delicious, sweet potatoes to enjoy. Ipomoea ‘Manihi’ is a Green Thumb award winner that you will want to try in your garden this summer.
6.         Rhubarb Victoria Red stems
7.         Caliburst yellow petchoa cross between Million bells  and petunia, bright yellow  vibrant flowers spreads 20” 
8.         Cucumber striped Armenian matures in 63 days produces very long striped snake shaped fruit with a mild flavor
a.         65 days. Cucumis melo. Open Pollinated. Armenian Striped Cucumber. The plant produces good yields of 18 to 36" long pale green striped cucumbers. Cucumbers are very delicious, mild, bitter free, and crisp. A great slicer, and perfect for salads and gourmet dishes. Best when harvested when 8 to 12" long. Grow on a trellis for straight cucumbers. Also known as Painted Serpente Cucumbers. A great selling item at farmers' markets. Excellent choice for home gardens and market growers. An heirloom from Armenia.
9.         Snapdragons candy showers red and candy showers yellow
10.      Cosmos Mandarin
a.vibrant flowers on bushy plants make a stunning display.   Attracts hummingbirds
11.      Tomato Sun Dipper
a.         Delicious slender 2.5” fruit, shaped perfectly for dipping. 
12.      Pycnanthemum, Mountain Mint
a.         North American native with broad leaves, compact hibit and a tanlizing aroma, Also can be cultivated in the herb garden as a good backdrop for other plants.  Well suited for a meadow garden or moist open weeks.  Stunning when planted in large groups.  Prefers sun.  Tolerant of many soil types, drought tolerant
      13.apple tree, fruit snacks golden treat and fruit snacks tangy green
                  a. Fruit Snacks®, Real fruit you can reach and eat. Skinny apple trees that need minimal pruning. It all started with an apple, but that certainly isn’t where the Fruit Snacks® line ends. Everyone is trying to eat healthy. These perfectly upright, dwarf & skinny apple trees make it easier for consumers to pick delicious homegrown snacks right from their backyard.   You must plant two different apple trees to get fruits. The bees will do the rest.  Fruit Snacks are perfect for small spaces;  they make lovely hedges and will grow perfectly in pots. Everyone can grow some Fruit Snacks. No harsh chemicals are required because the Fruit Snacks line was bred by the best apple breeders in Europe to be scab-resistant and virus-free.  This new line of super tasty apples came from commercial apple breeders who breed for the highest yield, healthiest plants, and tastiest fruits. The apples we added to the Fruit Snacks line happened to be shorter and skinnier than most of their seedlings, so they did not meet the demand of high-yielding commercial apple orchards. Lucky for us, they did not discard these plants and we were able to make a series of dwarf, columnar apple trees that are perfect for smaller spaces and modern gardens. These trees produce ample fruit for any family to enjoy all season.  Did you know apple trees have beautiful flowers? Beautiful flowers to feed the bees in the spring and delicious fruits in the fall. Everyone can grow Fruit Snacks. Everyone should!
Till next time this is Becky Kerndt Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa 50433  [email protected]  641-794-3337  cell 641-903-9365 Facebook Becky Kerndt Litterer or Becky’s Greenhouse