Plant Quiz..Name That Plant!

[Pharmerphil]

This is a little thing we have alot of fun with on my forum.
And we all need a lil fun..Right? :)
So we will start off easy, and either the person to correctly "Name That Plant"
can post a new pic, for us to have a go at! :rolleyes:
Me First!! :)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v202/Phlaura/Phunny%20Pharm%20Pix/PlantQuiz007.jpg

[Pharmerphil]

Hmmm. C'mon folks, They're gonna get tougher after this one! :D

[lovetogarden]

purple Thistle?????

[mrschiefmac]

Sorry PharmerPhil I don't have a clue about the plant in the picture, but I would like to pose a question to someone who seems to know a WHOLE lot about gardening. (You should know up front I am a beginner with only 2 yrs under my belt) I started Big Boy Tomato seeds indoors in a ceramic pot. 2 of the seeds took right next to each other and they are both growing well and strong. The question is do I have to cut one off or will they continue to grow next to each other? or can I separate them and pot them in different pots? (kinda feels like separating siamese twins :) Thanks for any advice. I am soooo proud of my first seedlings and I hate to cut one off.

[flowerpower]

My guess is Cynara cardunculus (Cardoon, Artichoke Thistle)

[Pharmerphil]

You can do either, they will grow fine,provided the pot is big enough, or seperate them, I had a great experience that I will tell here:
When I was a teen, I was at this greenhouse, there was this Young 'hippy' chick there, repotting tomatoes, I stared in Awe...she thought..at her; But NO, me being a Gardener, I was in awe at the way she handled those little babies, she would take these large wodden flats, and just dump them out, and roughly pot them up in 6 packs, and all along I had handled each seedling ever so gently!!
So yes, seperate is probably trhe best route!
Please don't kill the little one :eek:

[mrschiefmac]

You're phunny pharmerphil. :D I will try to separate them. Surgery is scheduled for this weekend. I'll let you know how it turns out. Being tomatoes, I will separate and then plant the stems deeper in soil to strengthen them roots :cool:

p.s. Thanks for help w/my spearmint's powdery mildew too :o

[Pharmerphil]

You are Very Welcome!! :)
Oh, and please do let me know how it went! I still obsess some when I handle them, but my only rule is now, I pick them up by their lil leaves, and not the stem...after all, I wouldn't want picked up by the neck :rolleyes:
The wife says I'm Phunny too...You'll have to ask her for HER definition of Phunny tho :confused:

[mrschiefmac]

Well, I did the separation surgery today. Both tomato plants are a little droopy tonight, but that's to be expected. I'll give it about a week and see if they are back to their perky selves. My greenhouse should arrive by the end of the week and the tomatoes, along with all the herbs, will find their new winter home in there. I read that tomatoes and basil are good companion planters. Do they have to be in the ground together or are they good potted next to each other? Thanks for all your help Phunny PharmerPhil.

Mrschiefmac

[flowerpower]

Was I right?

[Pharmerphil]

Flowerpower.....Close, but incorrect! ;)

[FourDeuce]

The "experts" often say you should cut one seedling and just let the other grow, but I usually try to save them both, enjoying the challenge of separating them.

[BlackbearryGardens]

Ok.....how about Bull thistle?

[brassi]

that pic is of thistle. we have oodles of them along the roadside of the farm. As a child I though they were beautiful, as a teen--i fell in them with barefeet and summer clothes after a bottle of Boones Farm. As an adult I use them in dried arrangements. It is a wonderful looking plant.

[Pharmerphil]

Well since you are both near correct, yes, it is thistle, not common thistle, nor bull thistle, it is Milk Thistle, Silybum marianum
A very useful and powerful medicinal herb.
And, if anyone is interested...I have a Bazillion seeds!
Now I will have to add another, unless one of the thistle guesser's would like too, This is a fun thing to do while waiting for planting time!

[Steph]

Man! I caught this thread a day late! I knew exactly what that was. They grow everywhere around here!

[Pharmerphil]

Steph, take a shot at Plant Quiz II :D