Mid South Gardeners' Forum (Page 2)

This is a continuation of the original sticky thread started by Ret_Sgt_Yates on 6/11/2010 here:

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1106974/
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1106974/
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1106974/

We have had 241 posts on the original thread, and I believe that Sgt Yates is AWOL. I have taken the liberty to start a new thread as the original was getting pretty long.

Welcome to the Mid-South Gardening Forum Member List. Please check in for a head count. :)

Thanks!

~Amanda


This message was edited Jun 13, 2011 9:44 PM

Amanda

where is your picture to start off the new thread...LOL

Jan

Hmmm. Good question! What do you suggest we post to represent the new thread?! :D

why very colorful plants, shrubs, just any garden pictures... I'zzzz live for pics...

Jan

Thanks Amanda

Thanks Amanda we did need a new thread!

Well I tried to edit the initial post and there is no way to upload a picture after the initial post/thread is made so we'll have to post pictures throughout of our own mid-south flower gardens. :D

Hello all, I'm Colibri Gardener and I just love to garden for Hummingbirds and Butterflies in Baker, LA.

Zone 8b

Welcome Colibri Gardener Beautiful backyard. I hope you are getting more rain than we are. Everything looks pretty parched here even under the sprinkler.

Thanks Riverland.... no we are not. We are having a mini drought right now. We're not as bad as Texas but we're not getting our usual share of rain. Chances are improving this week hopefully!

Hi Colibi!

I guess our strange weather is becoming the norm now - never know what to expect. We will have a week of rain followed by 2-3 weeks of drought. At least the reservoirs are full from spring.

I am behind on all my garden chores thanks to a hand injury at work a few weeks ago. Hate watching that crab grass creep across my beds, but I am just biding my time. :)

Have a good night!

A.

Hello Colibi!!! Welcome to Mid South!!! Glad to have you aboard!!!! We're almost neighbors!!!

Hi Amanda and everyone else! Thanks for the kind words about our crazy landscaping escapade. I'll work on some pics for you guys, but I have to get some good ones that show the difference with what we did. (I'm also a little embarrassed at the amateur attempts here, as most of you will see all the things I did poorly. LOL)

Here's a copy of where I started. These shrubs along the foundation were the "builder's special", and completely inappropriate for the setting. Also discovered, as we pulled them up, that they were never placed properly: completely rootbound, never scored, and just dropped right into the hole and covered up with pine straw--no attempt to fill in with soil. Thankfully, it made my job easier, and I was able to single-handedly pull all the shrubs straight out of the ground. LOL

The yellow pansies were planted by my awesome MIL the weekend we moved in... in early winter. I almost passed out from shock that she was planting something in December! Her reply? "Oh, honey, welcome to the South!" ROTFL

And here's a closer shot of the front walkway. Pitiful, I know.

Looking to one side of the front steps.

(The yellow areas on the grass are most likely burn areas from our dog's bathroom excursions. Working on having her relieve herself elsewhere. Ugh.)

Here's a front shot, though hard to see anything since the plants are so young.

And here's one front walkway.

Another shot of one front side.

From left, in rear:
sky pencil holly, Chinese loropetalum, emerald green arborvitae

From left, in front:
kaleidoscope abelia, interspersed with coleus

Also have morning glories planted at the front of the steps, though they're not showing up here yet.

Big improvement!!! It really looks nice! Very good job! I like your house too!

Those are all good choices, Amy and should fill in very nicely. :)

Are you still planting, or have you finished your project(s)?

Hard to see the front section, but I'll try to describe what's going on.

Along the sidewalk is the wintergreen boxwood. I flanked that with white vinca, which is doing GREAT there. Also planted some ivy along the front stones to trail over it eventually. Heading toward the steps, I have three irises in the center backed by hidcote lavender. Ringing the irises in a semicircle, I have mixed salvia, then salmon petunias, and then scattered prism sunshine petunias. The petunias haven't been doing all that well, so a couple of weeks ago I chopped them all back and tried it again. I think the full sun is a bit TOO full for them. Many of them seem to be coming back, although I would plant them more thickly next year. (I'll post a more recent picture when I take some.)

Thank you, friends!

No, I'm still working. This was as much as I could get done with the weekend of help from my in-laws, and I head out at night when DH travels and I've put the girls to bed. Some of the things are in transition, such as the wisteria in the blue pots at the bottom of the stairs. I want to plant them somewhere permanent at some point and put something tall (like morning glories or ivy growing up an obelisk) there instead.

Here's the side of the house that slopes down toward the ravine. This is what we had at first--shrubs that were 8" above-ground and obviously dying.

And this is what I did there.

I now have four red double knockout rose bushes there and have planted ivy along the flagstone border to fill in. I also planted a few morning glory seeds back there to help cover that tall brick wall, but they're growing much more slowly than the ones on the front mailbox. Ah, well. I also stuck some extra petunias down at the bottom just to hold onto soil.

The side again.

Hello all! Just trying to catch up on this thread....

Hello Amy and Jan and Colibri! Welcome to the mid south forum - it is nice to "meet" you...... You will love the mid south forum - such great people and helpful advice. I count some of my Daves' Gardens friends among my very best friends even though there are many miles in between us ......

Amy your house is lovely, and it looks like you have a great design eye! IF you get tired of working there, you can always come visit in South Arkansas. I am currently trying to do foundation planting for my home.... we built it 7 yrs ago, and I FINALLY have a few things done, but it is far from complete. Now the objective is to try to manage to keep what I have alive thru this blazing heat and lack of rain!!

Carol, did you catch this new thread??

Hope ya'll join us on some of the other mid south threads too!
Genna

Hi Jeri11....Yes we are neighbors...almost.

Colibri

beautiful gardens everyone.... and to be so green, I have nothing but left over runners from what use to be grass in the yard.

Jan
come on rainy season, lets get with it for those afternoon rain showers....

I think our rainy season has arrived for Summer. We were having 105 degree days and since the 21st we started getting rain for the 1st time in almost 2 months and the temp has cooled down to a chilly 87 here. LOL!!! Boy is that weather guy confused!!!

Well, it is cooler here - but still no rain...and they are calling for it to be back to 100 next week so our chances of getting any rain are really slim.

It is amazing how cool the 80s can feel after being a 100 everyday!!!

Yes - it's gorgeous at 81 degrees in the morning, but once the humidity comes up I have to hide in the house. :)

I just started some magic beans! (scarlet runner beans) and they are 5" high in less than a week. Good God! Never seen such a thing!!!

Has anyone else grown them? I am growing them for the hummers.

Albemarle NC

Hi SharonJean!

I lost track of this thread - I guess I got caught up in the garden season. Now I'm busy bringing in the last of my tropicals and wondering what the heck I am going to do stuck inside all winter. Seed trading sounds like a good idea. :)

Hope everyone in the mid south enjoyed their summer and what was left of fall. Might have some frost and even white stuff here before long . . ..

A.

Is North AL included in mid south gardening area? Thanks Luciee {;^)

LOL!!! Luciee you are south of Tennessee and a few other states above that!!! Of course, it counts!!! WELCOME!!!!

Ha ha - I guess I'd better brush up on my geography.

Are the rest of you enjoying this near 70 degree day?! The wind has picked up as I guess we are supposed to get some rain here tomorrow, but I am enjoying just one day at a time.

I've stopped commenting on the crazy weather. Can't help but enjoy it. Winter will be here soon enough. I am so looking forward to spring and will soon start my wintersowing in my milk jug garden. Ha ha.

Have a great day, and yes Welcome Luciee!!!

A.

jeri and
Amanda, I guess that does sound like a stupid question, but I wanted to be sure as there were no other options for where I live. I'm just an old lady who needs help now and then. Thanks for the help. Luciee {;^)

We're not having any contest for how old we are b/c I'd be afraid of winning!!!! LOL!!! Never mind, Sandra is older than me!!!!

Gotcha both beat by a longshot!!! LOL

LOL!!! I'm getting so old Charlotte that I forget that. ROF!!!

I'm 65, nearly 66. I remember when a basket of groceries cost about 20 dollars with meat in the basket. Gasoline was 25 cents a gallon. And people made about 1 dollar an hour. Luciee {;^) PS I like this forum.

This message was edited Dec 18, 2011 4:01 PM