Florida Chit Chat #156

A fresh thread.....

You beat me to it.

Nice looking gate!

Darla

Thanks Dale. I agree, very nice gate.

Wren, we were working on it at the same time.

I was looking for a picture that I could not find.

What's beyond the gate?

A lady or a tiger.

Hey guys, how's Florida? I miss it already.

Be well

d(=^=)b

I love the gate! I"m trying to come up with something for the driveway entry that is creative, yet strong enough to keep the dog and cats from running out in the road and to keep "uninvited guests" from entering. I wonder if some company makes plastic twigs and branches that would hold up to constant use? LOL

Jeremy

The branches on the above gate are CA Coastal Live Oak, they last for many years.

Dale you take great pix!

Sandy great pix too! If I'd have seen that in person it might have followed me home!

Darla

Darla you would have to have a lot of help. It was big. It is on the trail at Fort Caroline.

Darn! The picture doesn't do size justice! lol

Darla

I was standing on the boardwalk and if I remember right it was still as tall as I am.
Sandy

Still it would have looked good in my yard!

Photo of the home of one of the Timber Barons. There was a lot of money in the virgin forests of Northern California. The found gold up in the mountains near by too.

This is not my beautiful house.

I love the gate also! A scaled-down version would look great between rooms in a garden. Thanks, Dale.

Darn! Dale I thought you might be giving the nickle tour one day! lol

Darla

I love that gate!!! Very unique!!! That house is not too shabby either! LOL!

Flyboy, where you be?

Hap

I have decided to buy something new to add to my gardens. This will be my birthday present to me! LOL! It will be painted to the likeness of my horse "Renegade" that I raised from birth. He was an incredible creature and this piece will be dedicated to him

Nice! What color will the horse be?

Darla

A solid black....similar to this pic

He's purty!

Instead of paint, you might want to consider using water-based woodstain; I think it's available in black. It soaks into the material rather than sits on the surface and looks more natural, rather like it's part of the object. You could first test a spot in an unobtrusive place to be sure it's absorbed. If not, no harm done; it can be wiped off if it doesn't absorb.

I stained things in my garden (a pot and a birdbath) with water-based woodstain four years ago, and these pieces have maintained their color. One piece is done in terra cotta, and the other is cobalt blue.

The other alternative would be to leave it as is and let it weather naturally. I realize it's a memorial to a beloved black horse, but it would still be a memorial to him. Just think of all the beautiful statues you've ever seen; none of them have been painted. (Of course, there's the artist--whose name I forget--who does the plaster casts of people and paints them realistically, but that's a whole different genre.) You have a lovely fountain, and I just think you might be disappointed in the colored result. It could seem more like a carousel horse rather than the dignified and beautiful monument you have in mind.

I realize this is my uninvited opinion; and, of course, you should have it the way you want it. It's how your eyes behold it that's important. Enjoy this wonderful gift to yourself in good health!

Biv--I appreciate your great ideas! I am having someone paint it who is also a member of DG, You can check out her work here--- http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1024916/ They have some incredible things at their location and despite wanting all of them I am settling for this one piece. I want a variety of colors and effects, that Lori can achieve. She is extremely talented. I will of course post pictures once it is finished.

Linda

She'll do a nice job.

Hap~

Still up here in the frozen tundra of NJ.

It is strange having to put on a sweater when one ventures forth into the outsides.

But, we'll be back in less than a month, and then getting re-used to air-conditioning.

Anyhow, the sweet corn up here is still great -- as we remembered it -- and the woods and meadows are bright green (what with all the rain).

Be well -- keep cool

(o_O)

Good to here from you, flyboy!

We really had a gully washer deluge of rain here last night for an hour or two, and from the weather maps, it looked like the rain may have covered much of the state of Florida. It was very welcome here because we had not had a good rain in several weeks. I happened to be holed up in Wal-Mart during the heaviest part of the rain and decided to just browse around until the rain slacked up -- a dangerous budgetary choice as I ended up with a lot more doo-dads and trivia in my shopping cart than I would have if I had just gone quickly for the one or two items I actually needed. LOL

Jeremy

Gee Jeremy--I cannot imagine you doing such a thing!!!!! hahahaha!!! How many doo-dad plants did you get?? hehe!

To borrow the words of our gallant war hero, "I shall return."

Be well

(o_O)

Flyboy--hope you can return before snowfall!!! And sub-zero temps! I remember those days but not fondly.

I am watching the migratory birds.

The hummers have already left. The last week was one of frenzy as they pigged out on the goodies, preparatory to their long trek.

Now I am waiting for the loud HONK, HONK, HONK of the circling geese, arranging their southward formations. That is definitely the GO signal for me.

Be well

(o_O)

Well after you get the go ahead from the geese...Safe travels for you and yours.

Darla

There are loads of geese coming to our pond in the park now and their HONKS are telling me they are happy to be in warmer weather.

Bu the way where is the predicted rain?? I don't feel like dragging hoses today!

I can't recall if I got anything plant/garden-related from my Wal-Mart rain sequestered shopping spree. I did grab quite a few things off their clearance aisle though. I've been going through serious bargain plant withdrawal symptoms lately because the airport Lowe's that I habituate hasn't changed out the selection of bargain plants in a few weeks. I suppose it is just as well because maybe I can make a small dent today in the dozens of plants nabbed off the clearance rack that have been sitting in pots and waiting for me to take the time to stick them in the dirt. I've had a collection of coleus cuttings (mostly from Linda but also some from Sidney and maybe a few I got as bargain plants) that rooted months ago that I never got into the ground. It seems odd to plant them now when winter freezes will kill them in a couple of months, so maybe I will keep them in the greenhouse until next year. Only half of my Wal-Mart bargain bulb Calladiums (50 cents for 6 bulbs and I bought about 20 packages!) ever got planted. The rest are still doing quite well in a tray with about a 1 inch lip and a meager amount of soil. I finally had to take them out of the mesh bags a few months ago because the bulbs got wet outside and were desperately trying to escape by sending leaves up through the openings in the bags! It's just been a season when I couldn't spend the days and days at a time that I enjoy in the garden and that my half-acre requires to prevent it from becoming a total jungle. The overgrowth of passion vines and morning glories and unpruned plants certainly will attest to my lack of time spent outside this year! But I can't complain too much about being suffocated under a strata of Passiflora 'incense'. The Gulf Fritillary and Zebra Longwings caterpillars have found it delicious and increased in number dramatically, and I seem to have a lot more butterflies of other species with all the nectar sources.

I just this afternoon noticed what seemed like egg-laying behavior of a black swallowtail butterfly (I couldn't get close enough to get a good look, but it was probably the Eastern Black Swallowtail with the blue stripe near the base of the tail http://www.rachelsgallery.com/swallowtail.JPG ). The swallowtail seemed to be laying eggs on my camphor tree seedlings (Cinnamomum camphora == and there are plenty of seedlings in my yard!). Was it maybe confused by the aroma of the camphor trees into thinking it was a host plant -- fennel? I have two large bronze fennel plants that the caterpillars haven't ever eaten. Maybe the mama Eastern Black Swallowtails can't tell the difference between camphor and fennel? Maybe a question better suited to the Butterfly Forum, but I know we have several butterfly gardeners here.

Jeremy

Wow! Linda, you didn't get rain last night?! It POURED here for about two hours!

I just did a brief search and may have answered my own butterfly question -- Camphor Trees are a host plant for the Spicebush Swallowtail butterflies, so maybe that is the species I saw? http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/wildflower/completeButterflyData.asp?id=5

Geesh! I thought I wanted to eradicate every invasive alien Camphor Tree in my yard, but now I may have to leave some.

Jeremy

This message was edited Sep 13, 2009 3:43 PM

Jeremy-same thing with the lowes down here, haven't changed out anything in several weeks--
so I went to the next town over to home depot, and guess what???

We are definitely addicts, aren't we?! LOL It's like the drunks that once had to travel to Jax Beach on Sunday to get some alcohol because no liquor sales were allowed in municipal Jacksonville, or travel to another county or Georgia for booze on Sunday. At least we feed our addiction with the rot-gut bargain plants instead of going for them when they are the premium full-priced brands. LOL

Jeremy

although I will (if its a last resort) buy a top dollar plant-BUT-only if I can get at least 5 or 6 cuttings off of it---LOL

I posted some photos or our new very lovable kitty that came as a result of Sandy's rescue from a drainpipe. You can see the photos here: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1037362/#new

Jeremy