Nadine, don't have too much cut off, you have beautiful hair. I always wanted copper-red hair and green eyes. Have sorta green eyes, and sorta red highlights if in the sun. But... :-p
Practical Matters for Physically Challenged Gardeners #9
I was going to ask you what Prof Einstein center color was. I think mine are the real ones. Mine have the bright orange centers also. My pink ones are still white.
I have'nt heard of the Dick Wildens Please tell me all.LOL
Have a super time clothes shopping. You'll probably slip up on name titles for awhile. I did.
I am envious of your catalpa tree. I want one and it's my fault i don't have one. They are all around just not on my land. Maybe when i go to steal some Kudsu plants, I'll steal a catalba too.
Nadine had her hair cut chin length and isn't going to have it straighten any more. I remember her wearing it that way when she was a teenager. I thought it was beautiful. Straightening is so rough on hair and I wanted to growl at her whenever she did it. Women with my straight, fine hair would love to have that kind of bounce and curl. lol. Why is it we always want what we don't have?
My father always kept a few catalpa trees growing in front of our boat repair shop. Customers could take the catalpa worms for fishing bait. (Actually, a sort of caterpillar) My mother and father were always arguing about the trees proper name. My father called it catalpa and my mother claimed the proper name was catawba. I've heard the northern variety is larger leaved and prettier. I imagine it is the northern variety that grows in AR. I liked the huge "beans" that hung on it in fall. You could do your "sweet lil old lady" routine this fall and snag a pod. They are full of seeds.
Spent today potting up excess plants to be sold as fundraisers at the Rescue Mission store. Kay*
LOL Kay, I'm only too aware of catalba worms. mY DH once gathered up a bunch of catalba worms and froze them in my freezer for fishing later. We learned later that one needed to roll them in cornmeal to keep them from sticking together when frozen.Yuk
I think Kays mother is right. Its Catawba but i say catalba from habit.
Our catalba trees do have the large leaves and blooms. My true nature is showing, Id rather steal a catawba tree from along side the road.I'd use the sweet lil ole lady if i get caught.LOL
I have to say the forest service people are good to me.They know i take stuff from and give stuff back. And i owe them somemore dwarf wild iris now. I am growing some wild vine now too that a ranger asked me to leave as it was rare. He called it a strangle vine. I also have some rattlesnake mullen,I'm protecting.and some tiny,tiny ants.They don't bother anything.We also have some rare small grey bats. I don't bother bats anyway.Actually anything that comes up is pretty safe here.
The bats reminds me. There is a small epidemic of rabies in a county near here and i need to call the vet and see if all my animals shots are up to date. Any skunk i see wandering around in the daytime will soon be a dead one if i can get hold of a neighbor.
Warm weather due this weekend.
Debra. Zd arrived this morning in excellent shape. I will wait to plant it until after the pine is down tomorrow. It shouldn’t fall near the arch, but I’m not taking any chances. MK says felling a large tree when other large trees are nearby can be unpredictable. Limbs can catch on each other and cause the tree to fall in unexpected directions. That is why she insisted on a bonded and insured company for this job. If you don’t see anything on our journal list you like, how about a gift certificate from Bluestone or is there another on-line nursery with something you have your eye on?
Vickie, Kay still calls the Dick Wilden daffs “those big, yellow honkers.” They were PJ’s daffodil choice. But, she has decided they are acceptable since they didn’t need staking despite being over 2’ tall. They are so cheerful looking. I want to transfer a few of those to the Playground garden. Kay decided to let me develop that space as a play area and we will use the children's area out back for something practical. The pink eyed, bright green snake and the neon orange sitting platform (Jacob’s stage) will stay right where they are. A kid who tries to sing along with Enrico Caruso CD’s needs a stage! ~Nadine~
Nadine, didnt' see anything but it isn't necessary to trade anything. May sound trite or something, but it truly is a joy to "play wit-chews guys." Makes me feel like I have a long-distance part of Amargia.
Consider it a late b'day present from Amargia then. We've never sent you a b'day present from the garden because your b'day falls outside of growing season. Besides, we want to be part of your Amber's development too. Ornamental gardening is fun, but we can't do much purely ornamental gardening here. We have to get some of that vicariously. Amargia is a working garden and that has its own sort of beauty. But, sometimes, you just want to escape to a garden of nothing but pretty flowers. One day, we will have the Inspiration Garden in the upper NE corner. Beauty and comfort will be the only considerations there. Kay promises. That is a year or so down the road though.
For now, we have to think about which plant will work best for erosion control, will it be a bad forage plant for the bees. What will improve soil fertility? What are the best ways to increase productivity of the fruits and vegetables. Ways to keep the timber bamboo growing straight to give it maximum marketability.
Most importantly of all, I want to invest in a pretty place to escape to where I can set up my lounge chair, eat nachos and drowse in the Texas sun. :-) ~Nadine~
setting up a patio for just that purpose, nadine. :-) okay, bluestone, then. they usually have seasonal 50% off sales and i've been waiting patiently for that :-D
nadine, this is a shrub i've had my eye on for awhile. what do you think?
http://www.bluestoneperennials.com/b/bp/CASNP.html
Didn't feel like getting up and out today. Did take time to snap this Red Miniature. Just Joey and Opening Night are right behind it, should be a few open tomorrow. Heritage, Julia Child, Graham Thomas, Fourth of July, and yellow miniature are still several days out. Think the yard will be looking GOR-geous in 10 days or so.
That caryopteris will give your garden a good color in late summer when golden yellow tends to dominate. The variegation will add some nice interest the remainder of the time. Bluestone has some interesting stuff.
We’ve all been a bit under the weather the last few days. I did manage to replace an azalea (bad honeybee forage) with an Endless Summer hydrangea, but that is the sum of my garden accomplishments for the last few days. ~Nadine~
nadine, i wasn't specific enough. what do you think of the name? :-)
How can it be both a 'Snow Fairy' and a bluebeard? Have I been misinformed? Do snow fairies have beards? (Jim)
I think that is a politically incorrect query.
kb
Okay, I withdraw the question. But, I think I'll call it blue mist spirea in future. .
If it is a MALE snow fairy, it does. LOL
ha ha ha. ok, here is my practical matter (actually I might need the empathy thread). I need an addition built on my house to accommodate my mini-gym! Volunteers?
Debra, MK has me making artsy plant labels. That one would be fun.
Carrie, does your community have regulations about what you can build? Some do and you have to get a building permit, if remodeling changes the footprint of a building. . MK once worked for a construction sub-contractor and says most regulations are reasonable and a formality. But, I’ve also heard her tell some remodeling horror stories that revolve around permits and home owners associations. You might want to check. That is one of the upsides of living in the sticks. We don’t have to deal much with that kind of bureaucracy.
Finished another container for the CanDo Container Garden. Planted it with spearmint. Sunflowers are coming up everywhere. Some are ‘Velvet Queen’ but the majority is from an old bag of bird seed Travis and Jacob planted. PJ didn’t think many would come up. It was just something to keep the boys occupied. It looks like most of them were viable. We will have lots and lots of sunflowers. One of the ‘Zebrina’ mallows has started blooming. First time I’ve seen one. I like them! ~N~
Nadine, Boston has regulations about where Carrie can park her car.Bet she'll have to get an act of congress to build a room. I'll volunteer. I hear you about how nice to live in the sticks.
I,ve been planting Lantanas,(blue jeans and a red one)pansys,Marigolds I found an unusual violet today. I have blue ones and purple ones and they are always cross breeding. They usually are all the same but this one is purple with light blue stripes from the center to the edge of the petals. I've marked it so i can see what it'll do next year. Also have volunteer oriental lillys and hostas coming up everywhere. Gonna be fun to see how they do.Spearmint and peppermint coming up. Had a deer munch on one daylilly. Found a couple painted fern. I have a couple of roses putting out leaves. They always get a fungus and lose their leaves and never bloom. I have too many good insects around to spray. Perennial sweet peas coming up.
Am a little worried the pain in my knees may be permanent now.I can only go a few steps without the pain returning. Can't seem to shake the depression now either.
nadine, had to look up zebrina mallows. pretty. :-)
vickie, sounds like spring is sprunging up all around you, 'cept for your knees. did you see the deer as it was munching? i know the bambi image is most prevalent, but they are pretty destructive, aren't they? don't live far enough out to have them around here. do get wild with a few coyotes, even in this suburbia, but i don't think they are herbivores. LOL
I hear you, Vickie. My doctor told me depression worsens with age. Gr-r-r. Is there something that improves? I've started taking an anti-depressant year 'round. Not just in winter. That means everyone in the house is on one now. Nadine and I are both on Lexapro and Jim is taking Cymbalta. It takes me about 30 minutes in the morning to talk myself into getting out of bed. When I first wake up, there is nothing hurting or achy, but I know all bets are off when my feet hit the floor. My knees are giveing me grief too. It is like a race to get Amargia totally accessible before my body gives out. Jim says he will design us a tandem w/c when that day comes. It seems he doesn't trust my driving. :-) I still have good days. This was one.
I got the sadly neglected NW corner about half cleaned. There were bad winds and torrential rains a few days ago that brought down tree limbs. Nadine tended the fire and actually fed the debris to the flames. I gathered the limbs, pinecones, etc. and carried them to the burn site. Will be doing more of the same tomorrow if the weather permits. Jim built and painted a new medicine cabinet today so we can keep all these new meds straight. :-) He will put the mirror doors on and hang it tomorrow. Kay*
Kay,I heard on MSNBC last night that a study of older women showed women are happiest in their 80.s For me that'll be in 2020.
Okay, so you ladies have something to look forward to but what about us old GUYS.
Carrie, I volunteer Kay and Nadine. :-) They've switched to a summer work schedule and are under the impression that if they are getting up before first light, I should be too. Growl. Grumble. Hiss. (Jim)
Kay, I tried both of those and side effects were too bad for me, happy they are working for youse guys. When Jim designs the tandem w/c, you can put fenders on his side if he thinks it's that bad. :-)
Vickie, did the study say if women got even happier as they got older than their 80s? The psychic I went to in 1979 said I would live to be 97. Want to know if I have something more to look forward to than just achieving nearly a century of being on the planet. [grin]
Jim, there is a theory in Sociology that says women were the leaders in the beginning of humanity. But that we were so aggressive in our pursuit of power and protection, we took no prisoners EVER and left only scorched earth behind for our enemies. No mercy, no quarter, just complete annihilation. Men secured control, so the theory goes, in order to save human kind. Maybe you are simply getting a teeny tiny bit of leftover ancestral feminine urge to command and control. If so, they can't help it, it's in the female genetic code. LOL
ROFLOL!!!!!
Jim, You'll have to be content with the reputation of Wisdom. How many time have you heard "Wise old men?" Which is why you have to get up early. The rest of your tribe need your wisdom.
My Rose fence is almost in full flower this morning. I am soooo happy. Lowes has big perennials on sale and I bought four creeping Phlox, a terra cotta color Calibrachoa, a gigantic Thrift, and two white Salvias. Plus got a Duchess of Albany Clematis, a Don Egolf Redbud (it's teeny, in a four inch pot),six Catananche Major plugs, three Catananche White plugs, three Chive plugs, three Rudbeckia Cherry Brandy plugs, three Anacyclus Garden Gnome plugs, three Linum Sapphire plugs, and three Scabiosa Fama plugs from a co-op type sale. Bought a 4 x 4 cedar raised planter last week and hope to have help putting it together this afternoon. Gotta pull some more of the hated grass. Am I the only one in Texas who thinks St. Augustine is the Devil's weed? LOL AND someone I know may start selling plants from her front porch. Now I can feel virtuous about buying all the clearance Dianthus and such last Fall because I can contribute to getting her started. (She was laid off in December--and I was the one who had to do it, soooo...)
I just placed an order with Johnnyseeds. Mostly for dirt blockers as I have to get better organized for seed starting but, of course, I had to include a few packets of seeds.
I have a doctor's appointment in San Diego on April 27 so I'm ordering things I can pick up then.
My foot is really sore; I will be so glad to see the doctor as it is seriously affecting my ability to do anything except lie in bed. Even sitting is iffy. Sure glad I have four dogs who think lying in bed is fine.
Made it down to the arroyo yesterday and discovered that a white bouganvilla that is part of our "non-fence" is putting out new growth. I thought it had not survived being transplanted. My two new tangerine trees are doing well.
I'm hoping to get enough energy to practice driving my new ATV.
hugs, katie
katie, i envy you the tangerine trees. :-)
Yeah, a little envy here too. My Owari orange is beginning to bloom, but that is the only edible citrus we have now. I don't count Kay's wicked 'Flying Dragon' bitter oranges. It is evident many people do love the contorted branches, large curved thorns and showy (not-edible-in-my-opinion) fruit since we've traded quite a few. Kay insist on keeping them for grafting experiments, but I assert my wise, world-saving, old man instincts and limit her to two pet Dragons.
Did you leave any plants for the other customers, Debra? lol.
Vickie, H2O on demand, yet? (Jim)
Photo: 'Flying Dragon' trifoliate orange
Oh, WOW. You are all braver souls than am I.
I think one of the tangerine seeds that I planted has sprouted!! The seeds are from some tangerines I found in Santa Rosalia after my trees were done producing. The fruit was large and sweet. I may be able to extend my tangerine season. Year round tangerines. Wouldn't that be a treat. If I could only grow raspberries. There's always something.
My foot has me almost blind with pain. I passed out for several hours this afternoon after doing a couple of errands. Came to about three hours later. A little over two weeks until I see the podiatrist.
Took my atv out for my first drive - and had engine problems. Tom had a crew doing concrete work at his house so I told left it with him and suggested he drive it when he got a chance. He just came over and told me there was something in the carburator and he will clean it. We are getting along OK. Guess he's figured that my "hippie" ways are not contagious.
I'm about ready to pass out again and must get the dogs fed.
hugs, katie
oh boy...oh dear...oh...narf. i am pooped. went out at 11:30, someone dropping by to pickup some things. dressed, but still in slide-on slippers. three and a half hours later...i finally came back in to shower--and launder the slippers. ankles hurt, back hurts, head hurts, hands swollen,got too hot, covered in mulch ('cause, by then, i was sitting on the ground tossing handfuls of it). but...look at this.
...and this. still playing with configuration of stepping stones and borders. had two russian sage, three asclepias, three achillea in holding pots. got them in the ground, along with the clematis texensis and creeping phlox. only things left still to plant for now are the calibrachoa, two red salvias, a sunflower, and an iris. have 12 hostas, 23 clematis coming (seven of the clematis are actually for others, but that leaves 16 all for meeeeeeee. LOL), and four hardy geranium in the next month. gonna have to find places for all of them...container city, here i come! :-D
Debra,I can already see you are going to have to start making a hanging garden. Then we'll have the famous Hanging Garden of Dallas.You're roses are beautiful.I can't decide if we gardeners are martyrs or just not too bright.LOL
Watched the Rangers yesterday. Guess I'll become a Rangers fan,since i can't watch the Braves anymore.
I've cleaned and disinfected all day,and washed clothes and dishes. Sure nice to have water.
Slight chance of storms tonight then back to normal temps. We almost got up to 90* today.
I surely feel for you Katie,I remember vividly the pain of a heel spur. Know you stay off of it as much as possible.I don't remember how long i had to use a walker after the surgery. I was lucky to find one at Good Will.
Right now I have a bladder infection and another kidney stone. Guess thats why I've felt so bad.
Behave on the ATV. Please don't do any wheelies on it.
LoL
We'll be thinking of you on the 27th.
Bet Amargia folks are working daylight till dark than collapsing.
Yep, Vickie, because I forgot the 12 Hostas coming. Putting them in the ground just feeds the slugs. :-)
Yes, I am still alive! DH and went OUTSIDE yesterday and cleaned up a little. It was so good to be outside breathing air instead of stuffiness.
I've been trying to recover from another blast of the same type of bronchitis I had in January - I feel fine, I just can't get it all coughed up. Maybe postural? Weak muscles? Weak lungs? I dunno. I finished one round of steroids and antibiotics. All the lying around has me composing like mad - wish I could play it for you somehow!
Jasmine is blooming. There are tiny peaches, plums and apples forming and little green blueberries. The fig is leafing out. We will have tons of dewberries if the numbers of flowers are any indication.
We finally get to go forward with the plan for the front yard now that the old pine is gone. I weeded and MK worked on the new retaining wall. PJ says the north side yard has become so pink he is going to call the new Inspiration Garden area his. He sees the potential there now that we've cleaned it up. He declares the color scheme is going to be red, white and blue and is looking for shade plants in those colors. I think he is serious. He was looking at an astilbe called 'Red Sentinel' and studying how to keep the hydrangea blue. We turned the one in the Cando Container Garden pink. :-) ~N~
Along with the Astilbes, he might think about Scilla and Scabiosas for blue; Indian Pink (spigelia marilandica), which is NOT pink, and Lobelia cardinalis for red; Salvia, Lily of the Valley, and Camellias or Gardenias. Red, white, and blue sounds like a neato garden (technical term, that).
Okee, Jim, take a look at these:
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/125998/
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/293519/
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/234041/
Got them today. Very generous "double fans" and a bonus gift actually separated out to three, four, and even five of each. Planted all this evening. As soon as they have taken hold and recover from shipping and such, will some to send you if you like any or all of the three. THEY ARE NOT PINK! LOL
This message was edited Apr 13, 2011 9:56 PM
Nadine, Your pic is of Mock Orange--Right? I've got some of those. I love them.
We've got tiny pears. Have'nt seen any blackberrys.
Have'nt been doing anything yet. Still feel pretty sick. May have to break down and go to the doctor.
Debra, Plant some onion or garlic bulbs among your hostas. Tho one woman i told that too said the slugs love the onions too. Those DL,s are bea-u-t-ful.
Have been looking at camaras.
I had a flea infestaton hit in the HOUSE! and i came unglued. SIL sprayed for me and have'nt seen any more but when i go to town i'll have to get sevin dust for the yard. The one downside of forest living is every wild critter has fleas.and are more than willing to share.I hate the nasty things.
I bought a red astilbe at Walmarts. Its not planted yet.