Hope Spring is here to stay now!! LOL.
Happy April Fool's Day everyone!! It's a lovely day out today and I need to go check on my roses to see if they need any pruning this year. Hope everyone is out enjoying the sunshine!!
I look forwards to seeing this kind of lushness again!! We're sloooowly getting there though. lol
Hey, pepper I looked for the Bannister Peony Farm and came up with peony.net in Raymore, MO?
Then if you want a small day trip there is Hollingworth Nusery up north of me. They have more than 1100 different peonies and approximately 35,000 plants growing in the collection at this time. When I went there I picked a $350.00 peony, must say I have good taste with no money....rofl. Needless to say I didn't get it, but did find some reasonable price ones.
Will going to sisters next week, will dig rose and bring to you. I will dmail you exactly what day later this weekend, so you can give me directions.
We are going to have a great weekend.
Okay happ, sounds great.
Yes, 70s this weekend, boy, I can't wait! It's like on nice days, buds will swell up and little leaves might come out, then on cold days nothing happens! lol
I think you're close, I searched it is www.peonies.net, it is in Raymore though, I think they have a garden center on Bannister Rd., never been there myself. Wow 15 Peonies, that would be pretty if there was room for them all and they bloomed nicely. There is one here in the shade and it kinda languishes. Haha! Join the club, "taste with no money" is me too I think!
That is a really nice pic of a waterpond there, Pepper. I could only dream to have one like that!
Oh, I'm nowhere near a competitive player of Chess. When I play at Yahoo Games for instance, I lose prolly 9 out of 10 games
or worse. That nephew of your's would very likely make short work of me in a game of Chess!
Oh, I know billyp, I sometimes wonder really, "how did I get this much money"? Well, actually, its pretty easy I guess, saving every penny! For
example, I got gasoline for the first time, yesterday, since Dec. 12th of last year!
So, you're the gang leader eh, Sally?!
Yeah, we've skunked each other alot at Chess at times. It's easy to get discouraged early in Chess if you make bad moves alot like I do.
I test drove another car today. This isn't a bad car. I am pleasantly surprised at it's good condition for it's age and miles. But, him and the car have several
strikes against them. First of all, he's a dealer posing as an owner on Craigslist, I figured out. Second, he says he is going to replace a fuel filter, "thats all
this stutter is. If that doesn't fix it when I test drive it again, the deal is off, it has a bigger problem. And another bad thing is, he didn't tell me the odometer
had been replaced because it's broke. He is desperate, he has been calling me back after trying to get me the first time at $500 higher. He can't sell it prolly
because he is trying to get a dealer's price for it as an "owner", which he isn't..lol But, it really is an exceptional car, if he does all the things
he says he is, I might have a new car. I need an economical car before gas hits $5 a gallon!
Here is a Honeybee on the Weeping Cherry 'Snow Fountain'. I forgot to hit macro on the camera first, the bee didn't come in so well and everything else
in the background did!
I can't believe the temps they say are coming up, I'm in shock!
Will
Look guys stopped at a garage sale and got a great antique bird bird. It didn't come apart and DH had to drive the tractor down and pick it up with the loader. I am so dang excited.....I haven't had time to clean it up but had to show it to you all. It is so cool, and I got it for 20.00! Things like this NEVER happen to me.
I LOVE that birdbath!!
Will got the peony place right. My friend has a catalog but no prices so I sent her the link. My favorite was 150 bucks. LOL. Prairie Charm. lol
The temps are perfect for my Boston Fern finally!! I took it outside and gave it a major haircut just a bit ago. LOL. It went from full and half dead to almost bald but with little ones coming up. lol.
Went to hockey game last night and we made Wichita look like wimps. LOL. Won 5-0 and when there was about 4 min and 35 secs left 3 guys on each team got into a fight which during play offs is a no no. LOL. They were bound a determined to fight though and we encouraged them. lol. Good game all in all and I was laughing my butt off at the end. It was great!! lol
Well I hope it's spring with all the work I've been doing in the garden today!
First up, onion seedlings planted out. To the right is my garlic planted last year.
Next, my lettuce and spinach plants, and where I seeded more. Also shallot seedlings.
An overview of all the early spring plantings, the peas are along the bottom of the retaining wall.
Some early spring pretties now... Narcissus
Hellebores
And more hellebores.
My hellebore haven't even snapped out of their partial hibernation yet. Do they usually bloom this early or later in the season?
New thread!
Thanks Pepper! Beautiful waterfall! That's exactly what I would want in my yard!
Happ, ROTFL! I love that. ''Good taste with no money.'' That's me too!
There are so many more peony colors now than the three old one's I have. It is hard to find room for them. Mine will fill in a 4' square area and I think a really huge one in the back yard has grown a bit more! Eeek! I have to prop it up as it is. I do believe I need to widen the bed a teensy bit :o)
Will, the weather sounds great!!
Laughing, I've been saying ''a penny saved is a penny earned'' since I was a kid. That's exactly how it happens! It's so nice to see it add up.
I think since there's two of us it's safe to say I'm the leader :o)
Well, next time you get to drive it, run right to a mechanic. Then you'll know, but hold tight to your price if you can. It would be great to get a decent car!
I'm glad to see the bee and the bloom :o)
Happ, what a treasure!! It's a perfect robin bath! I keep looking for wide and deep and not so light it blows over! And $20.00? Amazing!!
Pepper, ROTFL! I could not go to any event with ice at this time! But I'm glad you had fun!!
Cybrczch, neat gardens, and don't those little plants look perfect! It's so nice to see what others have blooming. I have nothing yet and the crocus are starting to go limp. They'll be gone soon.
I put down my Iris Borer Control and Preen last night, finishing all the bags I had. Now they are back on the grocery list because I won't be without! I sat outside till 7:30 pm because it was so nice. Every neighbor but the one behind me, was gone. I love being the only one home. It's so quiet!
There's a chance for severe storms this afternoon and could have been raining at 6:30 am. It wasn't, but I sure did want to get all the poisons down!
Thanks billyp, it's really not that much! I'll be lucky to find a decent car with it. I never heard back from that dealer guy. I didn't really act that interested in that car, it had so many question marks.
I think he may have just thought he should try to sell it to someone else.
An antique birdbath?! You are an american Picker! Just kidding, beautiful birdbath happ, I'd be excited too.
Nice flowers cyb, you've been hard at work in the garden.
I'm trying to make a screen-like top for the rainbarrel, so it don't get so full of everything but water!
Thanks billy and short, of course this morning I go outside and find the furry tail rats have managed to dig up nearly a quarter of the onions - didn't eat them, just dug them up and left them laying on the ground. Also dug up the area I planted the lettuce seed.
I think it was the squirrel's way of saying "we know they're gone". About 6 weeks ago Geri, one of the 2 cats here, finally died from old age (he looked like he could go at any time during the past 2 years). Last night Tregul, the little grey furred girl kitty, climbed up on the couch and went in her sleep. When they would go out and enjoy the sun in the backyard, the cats would discourage the squirrels from bothering the plants. Now the back yard is the squirrel's new playground, and they know it.
Wind advisories and 90% chance of storms tonight. Good chance they will be severe too. Winds right now are steadily blowing 40 mph. But it sure is nice out!!
Went out and weeded my garden bed a bit today too. Have clover, dandilions and those ruffled leaves with purple flowers plants trying to take over. lol. Got some out and left the others. Still hoping to make it a full fledged raised bed this year.
Oh! Daffodils are starting to bloom and some of my tulips are blooming finally. Just a few right now but it's a start!!
Will, the guy wasn't on the up and up. If you had taken it to a mechanic you would have found out what you needed to fix immediatly before you could even drive it.
If you can find a small roll of window screen, that might work for the rain barrel.
Cybr, that happened to me one year and I found it was the grackles pulling up the onions with a green stem poking thru the dirt. They thought they were worms I think, LOL! My neighbor had something pulling up her newly plante tomatoes! Planting garden is fun, but only the first time around!
Pepper, this rain is what we needed to just get things to continue growing. We had a little ground moisture, but they all needed a kick in the pants! I have things a few inches out of the ground and stagnating :o(
I worked on weeding all afternoon and evening. It was cloudy and breezy and we opened windows! I had to wait till after 7:00pm for any rain. What a light show tho! Thick bolts down and sideways. The electrical were really curly rather than fingers. It was something! There was a chance for ping pong and golf ball sized hail, but not here. I heard hail, but couldn't even see it, LOL! I don't think we got much rain, but at least we got some. Enough to wet the stuff I put down Saturday. I am still going to water the astilbe. I thought maybe a couple died out last Fall when it got dry. This rain will tell what is still living :o)
HI thought I would pop in for a bit and warm up! Trying to get things set up for spring and the weather just won't cooperate. Will need to protect plants tonight it sounds like.
Read that someone was interested in peonies. I have 3 colors, pink, red and white. They are in one gallon pots. Send me a dmail for more details.
Well, going to get something warm to drink, rest and back at it!
Sunday DH and I went to Menards and got 144 concrete blocks to make raised beds. Actually got one done yesterday.
Now I have to figure out what I am going to fill them with. Soil wise.
Love the gardens Cyb. I had lost all my outside dogs and it didn't take long for me to learn it was either an outside dog or deer...I don't have any squirrels, my house is built in the middle of a field and all the squirrels stay in the creek area, thank goodness.
Looks nice outside today, haven't been out since early early morn, someone said below freezing tonight.....it was plenty warm Sunday afternoon, we left St. Jo and it was cool got home and it was warm, knew we would have bad storms.
Yes, bad storms last nite alright! I'm glad the hail was small, both our vehicles were uncovered. Yesterday, during the day, it was so warm that some plants sprouted and now they'll just sit there until it warms up again! Furry tailed rats haha! I too know about squirrels getting into stuff. I am trying to cover many of my pots with ½" hardware cloth that I have that I'm not using. Deer can be a problem too, some people refer to them as hooved rats!
He likely isn't on the up and up, billyp. He called again a while ago, he says he fixed all that stuff. The deal might be on again. I'm taking it for a test drive in a bit. If he really has fixed all that stuff, I might have a new car, I really would like one soon. Oh yeah, window screen is what I ended up using, I really wanted to do it right.
It's made of landscape edging and window screen, we'll see how well it works, plus it's got to keep the mosquitos out. I got a photo of my rain-barrel, I put it up on blocks, I hope that was a good decision. Does anyone know, is that high enuff to get water to come out of a garden hose thats hooked up to it?
Will
Those are gravity fed and trust me I just had 70 gals dump into the garden room and it wasn't up off the ground, but I think my spigot was higher up course that means you can't get to the water below the spigot, course if you are close and you have the hose in the air to water hanging pots you are in trouble...rofl.......Sunday evening wasn't so good because of the dumping water and the storms, oh well all does pass in time.....
JustGrowin, it was me who mentioned peonies on here. A friend is landscaping for a friend and he wants a bunch of peonies for his yard.
That storm was something last night!! I also knew it was gonna be bad because of the heat and humidity. In the spring that means storms!! LOL!!
Greenhouse was going up at work today when I left. Plants and seeds come in on Weds. Whoo hoo!!! I have a coworker wanting to help me out there at least one day a week. I told her to go beg. LOL. Chances of boss man approving are slim to none but gotta try! lol
This rain we got is nice but at the same time it could have waited. My garden was just getting dry enough to start working it!! Grrrrrr
Justgrowin, those are the colors I have, LOL!
Happ, the raised bed sounds wonderful!!
You are so right. For me it's cat or squirrel. We all have our pests, but I'm so glad to not have deer!
Will, North of me, Sunday, they had the huge hail. I was glad we didn't! It was HUGE!
It would sure be nice to get a new car! See what your mechanic says. Crossing my fingers for you!
The screen looks fine, literally. I would think the mosquitos couldn't get in or out. I do think it's up enough to drain. Now hopefully the rains will keep it full. It's amazing how much rain pours off a roof.
Pepper, help would be nice and the company too. I hope the boss agrees.
Will knows I've been complaining on Facebook about our internet speed, so I'll paste the newest development.
We took their 3MB package in November, and at first, were pretty zippy. It slowly started going bad and DH made many calls in February. Now, yesterday, it was under 1MB. He called and actually found a person who had some answers and gave us a number for a tier 2 person. So, at 9:30pm we called them.
They had us we unhook all but one phone and unplug the modem for a few minutes. We plugged the modem back in and they were ''tweaking'' as we were doing speed tests. Lo and behold, they got us back up to over 1.5MB.
They also told us Nichols needed 175 people to sign up before they can offer 3MB here. Yes, the package we bought basically paid for unlimited minutes, caller ID and call waiting. I don't ned the last two.
Before calling, DH went over to a neighbor who has been complaining about speed. He had called a while back and his speed was higher than ours. Now we match his. We think they have been slowly backing off on the power provided and if you don't watch videos or play games, you might not notice. But we have made enough calls and kept complaining.
Did, the squeaky wheel gets the grease? I think so.
billy, unplugging and replugging the modem is "normal" protical for all the internet providers. We have probably 14 data lines in this company and before we ever call we just reset everything. Course if we still have trouble they make us do it again and then bump us to the next level of support (so it is no different if you have 1 line or 14...). Typical they "never" find a problem but it will speed up or heal thy self after talking to them. Course we are always threatened with if we send someone out and there isn't a problem you will get charged....course if you have a whole division down, that is the least of my worries, but like you after talking to them, it will heal thy self...rofl.
Cold last night, the wind was strong out of the north which was good, no frost at least when I left the house. I picked some daffs to bring in for me to enjoy. Too cold to stay out and lay blocks last night....dang, but suppose to be nicer today so I hopefully should get somethng done.
Not too bad today. Just still too windy. LOL. Tomorrow my plants come in and the greenhouse isn't finished. The frame is up but the plastic isn't on and they didn't set the timbers and blocks around. No big deal though. I want to be there when setting the timbers out to make sure we have plenty of walking room.
Well, basement is now flooded. Cleaning it up. About 2 loads of laundry. Grrr...
The squeaky wheel does indeed get the grease! Sally, that really stinks about not getting the Internet that you're paying for. I can relate, I think they do it on purpose when people sign up before the14 day money back time (for ex. mine), its all blazes, then after that expires, here comes the big slow down!
Thanks, so far that screen top is doing the job, it even stayed on thru all the strong winds! I really got lucky that it fits so well! It really is amazing how much rain comes off a roof. The roof for my rainbarrel is just a shed, I put about an 8 ft. length of gutter on one side and thats all it takes fortunately! Thanks, I hope it's up high enuff to have some of that gravity, it would be sweet to be able to use a hose from it.
I planted up my "White Hot" Habanero seeds! Maybe Hot (I hope), we'll just see! I went to Lowes tonite to get some more leaf bags, and well, I couldn't resist a couple $3 plants and 2 cheap seed packets of green Bell Peppers. Bell Peppers at the store are like $1.25 apiece now! I also had to have a little purple Sweet Potato vine and a little Asparagas Fern. I plan to make a warm weather planter with Coleus and maybe some ornamental Fountain Grass and this Sweet Potato vine. I always wanted an Asparagas Fern in a hanging planter.
In the photo is my onions, Strawberry plants in the middle and my Habanero seeds are over to the left. I plan on putting those Green Pepper seeds in there somewhere. That 4x4' raised bed is turning into a sort of "hodge-podged try to grow everything" garden! It's kinda like a "catch-all drawer"! Did I mention there is pumpkin plants in there somewhere from last year! lol
That new car might be on hold. I am 6 minutes from being over on my cell phone. That was the only way that car dealer had to get ahold of me. I've turned my phone off, the billing cycle starts back up in 5 days, thats when I can use it without the dollar a minute penalty for being over..lol I haven't decided what I want to do, if I want to let him stew in his greedy dealer juices, and not get back with him, or call him back after 9p when it's unlimited and go ahead with the deal. He knows I have the money, I showed him to let him know I will pay, and as a measure of good faith.
I like the car, I'm just so unhappy about him being a dealer. For one thing, I have to pay the whopper sales tax and he can't have any flexibility on an advantageous "date of sale". I have 30 days to pay the sales tax, get it titled, licensed and insured or pay a $25 a month penalty. Him deceiving me by disguising as an "owner" has really not been a good thing!
Ewwww! A flooded basement does sound like no fun! I think you're doing a good thing Pepper by getting on it early before stuff stains and all dries up nasty!
Daffs or Hyacinths are really fragrant, I walked near them and I got some fragrant flower smells, not sure which one it was, but it was nice. There aren't really even that many of them, but something sure smelled nice! I'd cut them and bring them in too!
This message was edited Apr 6, 2011 6:23 PM
It's drying out now. Rugs are outside hanging on the railing dripping. lol. Not the first time it has happened and it won't be the last. We've had pipes burst, the barrel overflow, not had the hose in the barrel (we run our wash water thru a barrel instead of the septic tank when above freezing) and a few other incidents. This time it was the hose's fault. Came off the barrel and we didn't know it til the basement was flooded.
I have a couple hyancinths blooming, daffs and some tulips. My deutzias have blooms on them.
Hey Will, if you want a bright bush for shade the deutzias are perfect. The one I have has lime green foilage and fragrant white blooms. Smallish in size so good for against house or in front of a bigger bush. Should get about 3x3. Mine survived winter real good and looks like it's a bit bigger too. Bluestone has it.
That is a nice shrub, I looked it up at Bluestone perennials. I'd love to have that shrub. I wonder though, how much the shipping would be? I'm all about cheap, I'm kinda like George Costanza on Seinfeld! lol Maybe your's will propagate by a cutting!
Happ, how true that is! It took a lot of calls to get to a ''tier two'' tho. Today the speed is holding, but by evening it will have lost a lot. Typical. All companies are out to get rich. Why else would the satellite provider keep showing ''don't tell mom the babysitter is dead,'' or ''karate kid'' every other day.
It looks like the cold strong winds were all over. We didn't have them. It was breezy, but very tolerable.
Pepper, you are smart to set up walking room. The workers wouldn't care.
Will, I love the prices that catch your eye and you're on the way home with something new!
One year I had green peppers with a bit of heat. I think they crossed with the Jalapenos. It only happened one year.
Will, since I don't trust people, I don't know which way you should turn, LOL!
I like your boxed in bed! The onions look great!
Pepper, I'm glad you got the water out. Dinner must have tasted good after you worked up an appetite, LOL!
Will, the shipping is why I don't ship many plants out to people and am learning to grow my own.
Taking cuttings from shrubs are tricky. There are softwood cuttings and hardwood cuttings. Even with rooting hormone it took forever for me to get my neighbor's eunonymus shrub to root. I finally did tho!
I got my new Bell Pepper seeds planted up! Now, I just need to hurry and get some Tomato seeds planted! Thats the green Bell Peppers on the right in the photo. Its funny, a couple Forsythias came up over on the front left of the photo from the roots I guess. Last year I stuck a Forsythia branch in that bed. I have already dug up 2 Forsythia plants and potted them up. All indications are they are tenacious buggers! Anybody want a Forsythia plant? The parent plant is in a nice yellow bloom right now, it's a pretty plant to signal Spring has sprung!
Thanks Sally, that bed is made of an old waterbed! Those onions get about 3 feet tall!
I must admit I sometimes buy plants on an impulse! I need a couple little Coleus plants now! I tried to overwinter my 3 Coleus plants in an unheated garage, that was a mistake! I think it got too cold for them down there. Needless to say, it doesn't look promising for them to come back. Anybody have some Coleus cuttings they can spare? I'm glad it's small plant impulses for now.
If I come home with a thousand dollar Lily or Hosta, slap me!
I still haven't got back with the dealer man. He should be sweating real good! I might call him tonite after 9pm when its unlimited. I think I'll tell him I'll buy it if I can do a private party purchase.
I was just thinking, I need plants in a chartreuse color!
Will
This message was edited Apr 6, 2011 6:22 PM
Will, here's the page at Bluestone where they mention how much shipping costs usually.
http://www.bluestoneperennials.com/b/bp/shipest.html
Thanks, not terrible on shipping, Ive seen worse! Pepper, do you have Deutzia 'Chardonnay Pearls' or Deutzia 'Nikko'? Lime is chartreuse isn't it? Chardonnay Pearls is a nice color.
Chardonnay Pearls. It holds that color real well. I thought one of mine had died last year but I decided to give it a chance and see for sure this spring and sure enough it was alive. I was suprised and very happy!!
Thanks, I shoulda figgered that out, only one of them has lime green foliage. : ) It says zones 5-8, so should be okay.
http://www.bluestoneperennials.com/b/bp/DECPP.html I might get that if I can swing another order! I have a Purple Prince Lily tree coming yet from Brecks. I'm waiting for another MichiganBulb catalog, so I can order some stuff that I want for the tropical area that I'm working on. I must have they're Banana 'Basjoo' to anchor it, and I want some of they're Black Elephant Ears.
I have Black Hollyhocks but I'm not sure if they'll come up this year, because of the confusion on Seedrack's cold stratification dilemma. If I must wait another year on them, then they'll still be there!
Is your's big enuff to flower yet?
My hollyhocks or deutzia? Hollyhocks, no, deutzia, yes. It's only a foot around if that on both of them but they have buds and will bloom here within a couple weeks if not sooner.
Oops sorry, the Deutzia. I'm seeing the Deutzia as a side shrub for the waterpond's edge maybe.
Thanks Pepper
Will, I have never direct sowed tomatoes or peppers. I'll be interested to see how your's do. They sure look delicious in the packet picture, LOL!
Cool on the water bed frame!
Keeping the coleous in the house and taking cuttings would have worked, but they get leggy all winter.
Laughing, I think you'll have plenty of restraint on that thousand dollar plant!
There you go! Take control of the car situation.
I ordered Meadow Rue/Thalictrum from Brecks and it came the other day. You should see your Lily soon. I also just got a Michigan Bulb book :o)
I had the Nigra Hollyhocks and they grew another year for me. I lost one to the foaming rot, but the others lived a few years before I lost them. I wasn't very good at growing flowers back then. Or did you mean you threw down seed this year or last Fall?
Yesterday we had a bit of an annoying breeze and took a jeep ride. I should have been digging dandelions. At least I got the borer granules down on the iris. That's the most important thing.
billy what do you use on the iris for bores?
Comanche acres guy sent out an email with his suggestions.
Tip # 1 for this newsletter: Now is the time to remove all dead leaves, refuse, or anything that has accumulated on your irises this winter if you live in the Midwest. If you are still having temps in the 20’s or lower, wait a little longer. If you remove the litter and a snow comes along, as long as the temps don’t go to the teens, your irises will be fine. If you have some dead ends on the leaves, it is fine to cut them off, just don’t cut any new green leaves.
Tip#2: Now is also the time to fertilize your irises. We recommend and sell a blend of 6-24-24 fertilizer for your irises. We try to apply our fertilizer around 45 to 60 days before bloom. Please note the first number of the blend is small. This is the nitrogen in the blend. Bearded irises do not want or need large amounts of nitrogen. A couple of other good blends might be 5-10-10 or 6-12-12. If you are doing individual plants, a tablespoon or so around the plant is fine. If you are fertilizing clumps, just sow it lightly over the top like sowing grass seed. Do not apply fertilizer blends like 50-10-10 or any blend that has a large first number in the blend.
Tip#3: If you have had borer problems in the past and you did not treat your irises, you probably still have them. When the temps reach 60 degrees in the spring, borer eggs begin to hatch. Many people spray one time and quit. Borers hatch in several waves. It is best to spray once a week for 3 weeks. The new product that replaced Cygon is Ferti-Lome Systemic Insect Spray. We recommend that you mix it either in a sprinkler can or your sprayer at a rate of 4 tablespoons to the gallon. If you think you have borers, give me a call and I will try to walk you through a diagnosis if it is needed.
