#4 - still laughing with joy

Milton, MA(Zone 6a)

coming from here.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1065184/#new

We're discussing the pros and cons of having one big thread instead of three little ones, weaving the three together, staying on topic, who can, who cares, like that.

This message was edited May 10, 2010 11:45 AM

Winston Salem, NC(Zone 7a)

I don't care. I will go with any flow. Right now I'd just like to feel joyful instead of glum.

Hugs all around,
Sheri

Milton, MA(Zone 6a)

Oh, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Sheri!

Winston Salem, NC(Zone 7a)

LOL Thank you Carrie. I guess I am glad to be alive and really have much to be thankful for, but this age thing is really getting me down.....it will pass though.

I have many lovely flowers blomming and grass growing faster than I can mow it (grrr).

Milton, MA(Zone 6a)

Ya, yesterday DH finally mowed our grass 1st time this year. Funny, he used to be SO impatient, I remember he'd mow down bushes and not give bulbs enough time for their leaves to ripen and be so strongly against crocuses and rape hyacinths in the lawn that I wrote a whole article about ways to hide bulbs from your lawn's mower! Now he likes bulbs in the lawn (and says I had a master plan all along) and is about three mows behind the rest of the street!

I'm glad you're alive, Sheri!

Lena, MS(Zone 7b)

Hello all, I guess that is one way of looking at the age problem Carrie. The alternative to having birthdays is death so I suppose old age is better than death. I know we all just hate to hear the numbers right after another birthday. However, I have so much memory problems I never can remember my age anyway. I have to move some more flowers from the old houseplace this afternoon before my FIL uses the dozer and cuts them down. He is a grump and is irritated that I have not gotten finished but he will have orange dayliliies forever there. He can dozer through them and spread them but I doubt he will get rid of them. Probably just make more of them.LOL. He will always think of me when he drives by and they are blooming but it may not be pleasant thoughts. He says he only grows what you can eat and cuts down anything his wife plants. Poor woman can't have a flower. he and I could not live together. I plan on surrounding myself with flowers because I think of them as smiles. My hubs road the golfcart over to his parents down the dirt road yesterday and came back with a few bitterweeds that he pulled and wanted to know if they were flowers or weeds. It was a Mothers day gift he said. I cut them off and stuck them in a flower arrangement I had on the backporch just so he would think he had done good. I think because I dig up wildflowers so much he thinks if it is a bloom it is a flower.lol. Have a good day I am going out to work outside. I cooked enough for his lunch and supper hopefully. Scraps

Ozone, AR(Zone 6a)

Sheri,I'm glad you are alive too. I wonder how many people you affect everytime you go to your church,with your smile,or just your presence.
Age is not an enemy,despite the American rumor that it is. The older we get the more little things we can get away with,as long as we do it with a smile. people open doors for us. Pick things up off the floor for us. More people we don't know talk to us in lines etc.
Bitterweeds huh? LOL
I've seen spring flowers and ditch lillys bulldozed. both come back with a vengence.
Lilacs and roses do not.
I've got a black iris blooming. Don't remember
having one.
Vickie

Lena, MS(Zone 7b)

hello everyone, I hope you are all well.

vickie, maybe that was a gift from someone that you did not know you got. I love surprises like that. I think Sheri is beautiful, have you seen her picture? I bet she gets alot of smiles in return and not just ladies.LOL. I would love to meet her too.

sheri, if vickie comes to see you after coming here I will have to come too. I will hitch a ride home while she tours America. I have a hubs that would fuss if I stayed gone too long. One day I would love to travel though. I would not worry about age alot of men seems to like older women so there must be something good going on with them. I feel more alive than ever I just creak more when I walk now.LOL Be sure you read what I wrote on the compasssion thread. I did not want to type it twice because I can barely type anyway and I forgot to cut and paste. I need to look up some flowers in plant files now. have a good night everyone, scraps

Ozone, AR(Zone 6a)

Steph, I have several friends that have given me things That i don't remember and i usually remember very well who gave me what. It seems like i have a little part of them here. Think i bought the iris tho. I did buy several from Schriners.
The cannas are growing good.(they are in a container) The Holly does not look good tho.
I bought a gallon of strawberrys from a farm today and froze half of them.
I've got to go back into town tomorrow. Hope to stay home Thursday.
Night all.

(Debra) Garland, TX

Vickie, what color are the cannas? Always thought they required a lot of TLC. Then, got my house in September, 2004 and found a few scraggly red ones growing in the 10-inch strip of dry, rocky soil between the house foundation and the driveway. Moved them to the side yard just to see what happened--and now they cover 25 square feet of space, grow five feet tall, and I have done absolutely nothing else to them. Lot of fun watching them thrive.

My boss gave me a container with half a dozen of these lilies last fall, got three of them through the winter in the original pot. Moved the survivors to this one in March until deciding where to put them. Think they will look beautiful planted with the Blackbird lilies and the yellow no-name lilies. Ordered the Blackbirds, but the yellow ones were on the 50 cent clearance at Lowes. About 20% of what's in the yard now came from Lowes clearance. If they don't grow, not much is lost. If they do? I get all smug and gloat about my financial savvy and environmentally responsible "green" ways. :-)

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Milton, MA(Zone 6a)

That is really pretty!

(Debra) Garland, TX

Something I didn't expect from having a garden was how just the sight of something so colorful and alive--that I planted and nurtured myself--could make such a difference in both my mood AND in each day's aches and pains and twinges and twitches. 'Mazing how well "flora" therapy works, isn't it? :-)

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(Debra) Garland, TX

Carrie, does gardening tend to make people think alike? Just read Vickie's reply on one of the other threads and I basically quoted her on flower therapy without realizing it. lol

SE/Gulf Coast Plains, AL(Zone 8b)

Thanks for the Pistachio Salad recipe, Steph. Jim made it today. I had some after I came in from the outside heat. It i s a perfect hot weather dessert. Of course, I will probably still be wanting it when cold weather comes too. That could be a problem....for my waistline anyway. LOL.
Debra, Indian Shot cannas are so tough I use them here to control erosion on a sandy bank. I think almost all the dark leaf types have Indian Shot among their ancestors. In my experience, the green leaf types are a little less hardy so if you get any of those you might want to pamper them a bit more. I'm always looking for plants that work with the Indian Shot cannas in the background.
Are your new cannas still alive, Carrie. Still looking confused? LOL.
The wild tree hollys just don't transplant well, Vickie. I think I will look for seed in fall/winter. I'm a seed-y knind of lady. It seems I always do better with seeds. Some plants I want just aren't available from seed though.
Sheri, I always have trouble with those birthdays that end in 9's and 0's. After I get through the transition years. I'm okay again. I will post a pic on your b'day thread of what that flower turns out to look like. It will be a surprise for me too. LOL.
Kay*

Ozone, AR(Zone 6a)

Debra, You'll have to ask me about the hardiness of cannas next year. Kay gave me these. Have tried them before but they always froze out in 3 years time. These are in a container and will go in a protected place.
Havent you noticed all of us on this forum pretty much think alike. You know like in Great minds think alike. LOL
I love the Lowes bargains too. If you go there regularly and look around inside you can find fantastic houseplants at a good price too. Ours will get a few in and hide them in back with the kitchen appliances. Wish i could get over there more often. I buy all my hardware from Lowes.
That lily was a beautiful shade of red. I have some red ones but i don't think they are quite that shade.

(Debra) Garland, TX

Another Lowes find that is on its third year. Hope the bright yellow sunshine is cheering to you. :-)

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SE/Gulf Coast Plains, AL(Zone 8b)

Vickie, you might want to consider putting the dark-leaf canna outside. (I just say dark-leaf because the leaves can be reddish, violet hued or bronze depending on the light condition they are grown in. ). Putting it outside would free up a container for more of your iris/daylily collection. They are one of the major plants in the west wall of your garden here so you have plenty of replacements if you end up staying wehre you are and it doesn't make it through a winter. That one is rated to Zone 6. Although, personally, I've come to think of hardiness zones as a very general guideline. You don't have to worry. It can hold its own against weeds. It tends to shade them out.
I'm in a warm colors period. Yellows, oranges and reds with just a little blue and violet to cool things down. That may just be because I can still see the sharp yellows and crisp blues. Cool colors vs. warm is a big debate between Jim and I. He prefers cool dark colors. Did you ever see that "Designing for the Sexes" show on HGTV? The one for couples who couldn't agree on how to decorate their house. I think there needs to be a garden show like that. LOL. Kay*

(Debra) Garland, TX

Kay, that would be fun! Think we should suggest it to the network? :-)
Debra

(Debra) Garland, TX

This is the warmest orange I've ever seen. Managed to keep it going a couple of years, but the snow this year kinda did it in...

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SE/Gulf Coast Plains, AL(Zone 8b)

LOL. Now THAT is a plant for a low vision garden! I am classified as functionally blind, and even I can see it. It is like California poppy orange. Is that what it is? I just sort of see blobs of color.
I have a computer program that increases contrast, as well as increasing size. When I turned off the high contrast feature I COULD STILL SEE IT! ROFL. Kay*

Ozone, AR(Zone 6a)

Kay, That was a geranium,and i've never seen that color geranium before. That would cheer up the grinch.
We are not going to have a forum for color design for the sexes for you and Jim. DG would not survive. LOL
What other cheerful colors are you hiding in Texas Debra.

(Debra) Garland, TX

Kay, I was hoping you could. This geranium came from another Lowes rack. Most of them were reds and pinks. That pot was the only orange on the rack. Tend to not like oranges as they are often harsh or garish. This one was just warm and glowing and alive. Snatched it up quickquick.

Vickie, my boss can be dictatorial--and stubborn. I kept resisting letting him pay my cell phone bill since I only used for work about 10% of the time, no big deal. Until one day he came back from lunch and had "hijacked" my cell number to an iPhone on his service account. I fussed and grumped and muttered. A technical illiterate who doesn't like change is going to have to use THIS? But the poor guy was so pleased with himself that I didn't have the heart to grumble too much. And it WAS a nice gesture. Then I discovered the handy-dandy camera. That the handy-dandy camera took pretty good pictures. And I didn't even have to PRINT THEM!! lol So, I check going and coming from work to see what new blossoms are ready that day and shoot a quick photo. Think the yellow lilies are next, they look about open. A friend sends me Wayside Gardens certificates for birthday and Christmas and I can use those to experiment with plants I wouldn't ordinarily try (or order from them since their quality and service have deteriorated). Like hollyhocks. Love them from childhood, but its pretty hot here for them. The ones planted last year are blooming now (rusty, but blooming), but it looks like all dark colors. Pretty, they just don't show well on camera. Howsomeever, there are some bright ones on the horizon. Will share as they pop out.

Debra

Ozone, AR(Zone 6a)

Am sad to hear about Wayside Gardens. I ordered from them some years ago.
I've about decided it's better to find a smaller well recommended place to buy anything you cannot see.The only problem is, when the word gets around,They get big too. LOL

My yellow lillys are opening up fast. My tiger lillys are across the road on my dog Bear,s grave. After they bloom I'm going to move some of them back over in front.

Winston Salem, NC(Zone 7a)

I think there are a bunc of lillys of some type coming up in pots on my back deck. I must have scattered seed last fall. Can't wait to see what kind they are.
I am so bad about seeds. People send them to me . But I never am sure of when or exactly where to scatter them so consequently I have gobs of seeds that I don't know what to do with. Ya think if I just scattered them now on an areaq of dirt that some might grow??
I

(Debra) Garland, TX

Vickie, I was, too. Used them extensively when they were selling on eBay and had only a few, reasonable, problems with service and product. Seems like the Park Seed merge kinda confused everything and it started going downhill from there. We'll see what this last Christmas gift batch looks like. Have two Agastache, a Baptisia, and a yellow daisy enroute. :-) Most of my mail order now comes from Bluestone Perennials.

I don't do well with seeds. lol. A scatter 'em and see approach sounds like a good plan to me!

Ozone, AR(Zone 6a)

Sheri There is no better way to get a surprise garden. The only drawback, a weed can sneak into the mix and you don't know it till it does nothing but get ugly.
I've ordered all my shrubs from Bluestone. They are a little pricey but they do send healthy plants. I keep saying i'm gonna order a Goatsbeard from them but have'nt yet.

(Debra) Garland, TX

One of the best reasons to have a garden--fresh flowers at work... :-D

debra

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Ozone, AR(Zone 6a)

When it rains for a week. It's nice to bring some inside in a vase.

(Debra) Garland, TX

Kay, a good bright color for you. When I was in the third grade, our school had a fund raising project that involved selling petunias. Got really really really tired of them and refused to even consider having them around until a couple of years ago. Now I pot some intense colors each spring and watch 'em go. Have a deep rich purple that you can almost lose yourself in it draws you in so well.

Vickie, there's some self hypnosis using color. LOL

Debra

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Milton, MA(Zone 6a)

I love both those colors! Red is great!

Lena, MS(Zone 7b)

hello everyone, I found a few minutes alone to jump on and say "hi" I am in a hurry but I wanted to check in so you guys would not send the sheriff out here. He might catch me being Lazy. It is to humid to breathe here and has rained for several days. I hate yucky humid days. I suffer pain wise. Why, I do not know but it makes me ill(%itchy) too. I have to cook supper but thought i would say Hi.

debra I enjoyed the flowers so much. It always makes me smile. I never have much time to get pics and post them. i am lousy at posting them anyway.

Love and Prayers, scraps

Milton, MA(Zone 6a)

hi steph!

(Debra) Garland, TX

Carrie and Scraps, will keep the photographs coming. Have new African "Eskimo White" marigolds about to open. Looking forward to that. Think I lost the Sunset Echinacea to an enormous fire ant mound, of all things, but the Magnus and Pixie Meadowbrites are opening. And the Oranges and Lemons gaillardia, too.

Debra

Ozone, AR(Zone 6a)

Loved the pics you've posted Steph. So no excuses get those pics online. This comes from the one who does'nt even own a camara.LOL
I can't breathe in humid hot air.hot Dry air is no problem.
Oh Debra, Those fireant hills. When we first moved up here(where there are no fireants) I would go around for months kicking ant hills to make sure ants did'nt come piling out as fireants do. These American ants just don't get overly perturbed about anything.
I've got one of those red petunias.along with pink ,purple and white. Yes one pot has all of them together.
I spent $3.00 for a hot pink elephant ear today. After the eye doctor I spent the day at Hobby Lobby ad Lowes. Go back to eye doctor the 17th for more blood work. Don't know why. Did'nt ask. probably just being prepared for lil ol lady.LOL Got crochet instructions for shopping bags.A summer silk flower stalk.and some glass bits for a flowerpot and the elephant ear from Lowes. I was a big spender. I had enough sense not to go into Hastings books.
I noticed while looking around that the only daylilly i ever see on sale at box stores is yellow Stella D oro. I wonder why. Shall we raise some red ones and make a fortune.LOL

The time they hypnotized me, Part of the time it was like looking thru lime jello. May be why they just let me do it myself. LOL I have no controll over my wild imagination.

(Debra) Garland, TX

Vickie, sounds like you had a good day. I like Hobby Lobby, just don't go in too much or I'd never have any money! We don't have too many Hastings here, and there are none close enough to me for shopping. But we do have Half Price Books and THAT one is dangerous. :-) Nice deal on the elephant ear. I have all kinds of bits and goodies saved to make flower pots and garden plaques and such. Just never get around to doing anything with them. At least I stopped stockpiling before I officially became a hoarder. LOL

Not sure why you only see the yellow ones up there. We have all kinds of colors available at Lowes and Home Depot. Maybe it's because Dallas area people are spoiled and get vocal and whiny when they don't have "a nice selection." Works out okay for those of us who quietly grumble to ourselves, though. Here is one you might like. Can't remember which of the two box stores I got it from. The picture was taken last year.

Debra

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SE/Gulf Coast Plains, AL(Zone 8b)

Debra, that's a dramatic red! Reds sometime have a tendency to recede to my eyes. Not that one. LOL.
Tried to work outside this morning, but had to give up after awhile. A solitary bee just would not leave me in peace. It didn't try to sting. It just followed me around the gardens buzzing my ears and resting in my hair. I would toss my head and it would fly off for a few minutes, but it kept coming back and doing the same thing. Someone should make bee repellent, the way they make mosquito repellent. Jim says this is what I get for using some of the rose water I made as a hair rinse instead of using it all to cook him Penn Dutch goodies. LOL. Kay*

Milton, MA(Zone 6a)

I *think* that the plants that self-seed or multiply easily in our gardens, that we always have extras of, the nurseries that sell to the BigBoxes have extras of too. The ones that the fire ants eat, are eaten by fire ants in their fields too. These nurseries are in business to make a lot of money, not to be the first one to breed a purple and red striped reblooming DL. They only grow them when it's economically worth it. If they thought they could market kudzu, they would. We ourselves have enough Stella D'oro to pave the driveway instead of asphalt!

(Debra) Garland, TX

Carrie, that makes sense. Volume sales are more cost-effective than small lot sales. Do you think commercial bulk users might contribute to driving the supply/selection? We have so much construction going on at all times that landscaping is year-round. Awhile back, it was Bradford Pears everywhere, then it was Stella d'Oro for everything, and lately it's been Knockouts. The selection at the box stores seemed to maintain a parallel inventory. Unless its the other way around and the landscapers incorporated what was cheap and available already? LOL

Kay, what a great use for rose water. Sorry you didn't get to stay out long. Sounds like a friendly bee. This afternoon, I was trimming a Spanish lavender when an odd, pretty substantial moth flew out from underneath and landed on my shin. Was trying to figure out exactly what it looked like: three inch wingspan, thick cylindrical body, mostly beige, pink flashes under its wings. It flew off in a minute or two, but didn't get four feet away before this mockingbird swooped over my shoulder and nabbed it midair. The bird is nesting in a nearby tree and I didn't think much of it except to be amused at the timing. Darned if that bird didn't come back in a little while and start chattering to me. Not squawking like it was mad, more like "hey, thanks for lunch." Every time I moved to another part of the yard, it followed and kept chattering. Flew off to chase cats, then would come back. Did that for half an hour until it went into the trees and stayed. Was very funny. :-)

Debra

Milton, MA(Zone 6a)

I'm looking for a 'Rainbow' knock-out - I never thought to look at HD or somewhere like that ... maybe they're not endemic up north yet.

(Debra) Garland, TX

Carrie, if you like mail order and it would be helpful, I found a few sites that still show available stock of the Rainbow.

http://www.starkbros.com/access?action=product&productID=10162&collection=0
http://henryfields.com/product.asp?pn=76195&quick&bhcd2=1274658310
http://springhillnursery.com/rainbow-knock-out%3Csup%3E%3C-sup%3E-rose/p/80958/

Debra

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