To ALL my wonderful friends here at Daves Garden.

Hi All,
I am sorry to say that I have been told by my Dr that my cancer has returned.
My son is moving me back to Ipswich to be near him if things don't go real well.

What I need is advice on how to get my Cacti & Succulent plants back with me as my son has asked me to down size my beautiful collection to help with moving and not have so many plants to relocate.

Can I please have idea's on how I can take my plants with me to start again (hopefully) in Ipswich.
I have a couple of Coleus that I love but have to be able to move them without the pots.

Also, some of my succulents have grown lanky and I think maybe I should have been cutting them and making new plants so they didn't grow that way. Have I buggered them up or would they bounce back once cut into pieces and potted again?

ANY suggestions would be appreciated as I love my C & S plants. I have to downsize in furniture as well as I am not sure what lies ahead at this time. My head is spinning and I have so much to think about that I need my friends advice.

Thank you to all my wonderful friends here on Dave's Garden, you are all appreciated very much.

Debi
P.S. My wonderful Grand Daughter, this is the first time I saw her. :-)

Debi....I am so sad to hear that your cancer has returned.
I will say a prayer for you. Just remember if you went into remission once you can go into remission again.
What a thoughtful son to be thinking of his Mum.

Your baby grand-daughter is absolutely beautiful.

Now your plants.
The succullents are hardy. So give them a good trim and take them out of the pots...shake off excess soil and place them carefully into a foam box with holes in the bottom. Then you can stack your pots one on top of the other and place them into the boot of the car or whatever vehicle is moving you to Ipswich. When you get to Ipswich just hose the plants with water in the foam box's and place them in the shade. They should be OK for a week and that will give you time to replant them. It may be a case of just picking your favourites to take with you. Hope this is of some help to you.

Big Hug,
Marlene.

Debi, I'm so sorry to hear that your cancer has come back. Chin up, and lots of hugs from me. Now about your cactus and succulents. Just take them all out of their pots , shake the dirt off and pack them into a cardboard box. Pack newspaper around them if you think that they will shake around too much. They will be fine. Get them potted back into free draining soil when you get to your son's home. You will be able to take your time [ within reason]. My best wishes with your move and I hope that you stay strong and enjoy your plants again. Colleen

Morning Debbie --Beautiful little grand daughter .
We all dread the diagnosis the beastie is back I have been fighting it since 02 your strong you beat it once you will do it again remember its a rollercoaster ride relax put on your happy face and share your feelings dont bottle thing up you will be fine.

Its hard to down size and move at any time so many things hold memories every thing has a story
connected to it but once the first is moved out of sight it will be easyer .

Take care Hugs elaine.

Oh Deb so very sorry to hear your news.
They can do wonderful things these days so keep up the good fight.

I am sure once you get settled in we will all contribute some new cuttings seeds etc to make up for stuff you can't take with you.
Congratulations on the beautiful little grandaughter.

Look at this move as starting a fresh chapter in your life ...letting go of some things is very hard but it makes way for new adventures and new memories.
Hugs
chrissy

A hug to you too Elaine.

Debi,what a beautiful pic of you and your gorgeous little grand daughter.
I'm so sorry to hear your news but as others here have said - please stay positive.
Ditto on all the above advice for your C&S.
Sending warm positive thoughts your way.
((()))
Judy

ToALL my friends...................I Thank You!

I did beat it twice, so I can beat it this time as well.

I think I am more upset about losing my belovered plants, lol.

You are all amazing friends and I would not trade you for all the gold in China. Money doesn't make you happy.....................Great Friends Do!!!!

Love Debi & Gypsy (WOOF!) lol

Deb,
I am new today, (25/10/10), and was just looking around this site when I came upon your post/blog.
I can only echo the sentiments of the others. The photo of you with your granddaughter is delightful, she is a lucky girl.
God speed and my prayers are with you.
As for the gardening advice, I can only go along with what has already been said.
Sometimes we just have to move on despite our deepest wishes. Due to divorce, we lost our only grandchild after raising him for 9 yrs. and with that our home & beloved garden. I am not making comparisons for that would be contemptuous, just saying life's a bugger sometimes.
Keep in touch with your move, your health and how the plants travelled.
Much loving wishes to you and yours Deb.
Anna :-)

Anna ...well said ...I always like the old saying
It's not what you've got but what you do with what you've got that counts.

So sorry to hear you lost your grandson to divorce ...he or won't always be a child and one day there will be a knock on your door.
A child is powerless but they grow up.
No one can take away those 9 years ...they belong to you both forever.

Hi Deb, chin up chook! If your son thinks you have too many plants/pots, just take cuttings the day before you go, wrap in newspaper and box them up, and then pot them up later. Not so much to cart, and you can have as many plants as you like without the bulk! then you get the fun of choosing new pots, which you can purchase from the money you get when you have your fantastic 'everything must go' plant sale!
I get enjoyment out of watching the things grow, and once they are too big, its annoying having to cut back all the time, then try and find things to do with the cuttings. so why not start again?
Good luck with your treatment and the move. And keep in touch more! We haven't heard from you in yonks!
Hugs
Sue