Need Help Identifying

[Adrienne]

I have a neighbour with a beautiful garden. This guy's green thumb is amazing. Lucky for me is that my front patio is inset so that to my left is my garage wall and to the right is his garage wall. And he's planted that wall with a lovely assortment of flowers. Purple columbines, euonymus, hostas, black-eyed susans and an especially darline white flower that I have NO idea what it is. Today I went covertly snapping pictures to try to id it. Google wasn't much help when I searched: white flower, yellow center. Do you know what this dainty white confection is?

Here's a link to the photo. It's in my public Picasa file: https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo...

ps. Forgot to mention. I can't ask my neighbour himself. While he grows anything and everything very well, he is terrible with names. When I've spoken with him about this or that plant, he just shrugs his shoulders and tells me that he simply sticks stuff in the ground. He didn't even know what the black-eyed susans were called. Yeap. Amazing man.

[Miriam]

Perhaps a snowdrop anemone?

http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/22955-...

Anemone sylvestris
This Old World species bears masses of glistening white, fragrant blooms in May with repeat bloom during the cool days of early fall. The simple flowers are carried on 18in stems and look lovely in bright woodlands or the sunny wild gardens where this plant belongs. Try it as an underplanting for Asiatic Lilies; it will extend the Lilies' season of bloom and shade their feet from the hot sun. A. sylvestris is a vigorous spreader, but that's no vice with looks like these. As with other 'near-wild' plants, it is not fussy about soil and is pest-free. The only thing it can't endure is desert heat.

[Adrienne]

Yes, oh my goodness, that's it exactly! Thank you thank you. I need to do some research on it, but am currently outside. More later :)

[Bloomin’Chick (Jo) aka The Eclectic Spoonie]

Adrienne, so glad to see you :-) What a gorgeous flower you have there!!! So pretty!

[Adrienne]

I've been to a couple garden centers looking for these to no avail, but I shall continue. There are many to visit! hehe

[Bloomin’Chick (Jo) aka The Eclectic Spoonie]

Hm, try seed/gardening catalogs as well if the visits don't pay off.

[Ann]

I have a problem. I have two raised gardens and one of my vegetable gardens have a lot of little bugs in the soil. Do you think soap and water will help kill them? Because of the bugs I am hesitant about eating the vegetables.

[Miriam]

Ann, many bugs are beneficial to plants, so don't automatically think about killing them. Just be sure to wash off any fruits or vegetables, store bought or homegrown.

[Bloomin’Chick (Jo) aka The Eclectic Spoonie]

I agree w/Miriam, bugs in the soil isn't always a bad thing and washing any veggies you harvest before eating them makes them fit to eat. Are your veggies healthy looking? Do they seem to be growing well?

[Ann]

Miriam wrote: "Ann, many bugs are beneficial to plants, so don't automatically think about killing them. Just be sure to wash off any fruits or vegetables, store bought or homegrown."

Thank you Miriam

[Ann]

Jo wrote: "I agree w/Miriam, bugs in the soil isn't always a bad thing and washing any veggies you harvest before eating them makes them fit to eat. Are your veggies healthy looking? Do they seem to be growin..."

Thanks Jo, they appear to be healthy and are growing really well except for a few leafy vegetables that seem to have something eating away at them. I simply cut off that portion of the leaf. I don't know if that is wise or not.

[Bloomin’Chick (Jo) aka The Eclectic Spoonie]

Then it sounds like the bugs in your soil aren't harming the veggies - yay! Re snipping pieces off- Depends on the veggie. It may react well, as if being pruned, or not well. You could get a spray bottle in the gardening supplies section of the hardware store or garden section, put a half teaspoon of dish soap in it and then fill it w/water (gently so you don't get too much suds) and spray the under side of the veggies foliage that looks like it's being eaten, roughly once a week until it stops looking like it's being eaten.

[Terri]

I have green bean leaves that are being eaten by something--so far though, it's not out of hand so I'm leaving it alone. I'm hoping the good bugs will take care of it for me. :)

[Bloomin’Chick (Jo) aka The Eclectic Spoonie]

If not the soap & water works wonders! (I still can't believe it lol!)

Oh and for powdery mildew, add a tsp of baking soda to the water & dishsoap (amounts noted in prev comment) and spray affected area's once a day for 10 days. Make sure not to spray foliage until after direct sun passes so you don't scorch the foliage.

[Maggie]

Adrienne wrote: "I've been to a couple garden centers looking for these to no avail, but I shall continue. There are many to visit! hehe"

Adrienne - most folks buy these as tubers (they look like little hard rocks) in the fall when the garden centers are selling daffodils and tulips and plant them then. In some places you might find them in late winter when lillies and dahlias are sold. As tubers, they're pretty inexpensive. Most "big box" stores sell them in packs with multiple colors although in smaller nurseries I find you can get them by color. Just ask someone knowledgeable at the garden center when they sell anemone tubers and mark your calendar.

[Ann]

Jo wrote: "Then it sounds like the bugs in your soil aren't harming the veggies - yay! Re snipping pieces off- Depends on the veggie. It may react well, as if being pruned, or not well. You could get a spray..."

Thanks for the advice.

[Bloomin’Chick (Jo) aka The Eclectic Spoonie]

You're welcome! :o)