We came from here: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1233857/
Happy Groundhogs Day 2012!
Thought we could use a thread up date to talk about the weather in our gardens heading towards Spring or whatever else is on our minds or plates,
Hope we all will continue to check in here if only to say "Hi"
PS Don't forget to Watch this thread now and Unwatch the previous!
This message was edited Feb 2, 2012 3:00 AM
While I was bumping up the thread, Holly (another nite owl) posted this on the old thread
HollyAnnS wrote:
PLANT SWAP
Ric and I are hosting a plant swap in May we are looking at dates and would like some input. The dates we are considering are May 12th, 19th or 20th. I think I am leaning towards the 19th and would like to see how any of those dates fit into your schedules.
Thanks for moving it over fro me.
19th sounds good. Saturday works better for me. Looking forward to this.
I'd prefer the 12th or 19th as well.
May 19th or 20th work for me. Gita
I am good for any of the days.
I start my weekend Garden Stint at HD on April 14th. You all know--the table and the clinics....
I will also change my availability so I can do this on Saturday--rather than Sunday.
Sundays just are not all that busy in garden. Saturdays is when most people shop--
and Sundays are when the Projects get worked on by hubby and others. The "Honey Do" thing...
I realize I am cutting my own throat by working on Saturdays--as most things "social" occur
on Saturdays--not Sundays. But--this will only be till end of June.
All this means i will have to go through the hassle of switching days when something comes up
--which CAN be a hassle....
Either of the 3 dates is OK for me, Holy....just need at least 3 weeks notice.
Gita
Thanks for the input.
Mothers Day is Sun the 13 of May. Busy sales and ad times for garden Centers and plants and HD and Lowes between Easter and Mothers Day . So, best time would be May 19 or 20th.
As far as Sat or Sun, if held on Sat we would all have Sun to get our new goodies settled before the work days intervene.
Just some thoughts... Judy
You are thinking just like I am Judy
Judy--I am confused what you posted.
IF Mother's Day is on May 13th--and we all know that is a busy time for Garden centers--Why are you choosing
May 19th or 20th as the best date? Thinking Garden business wise here....I know we all will be busy!
Even though Mother's day will be gone- the frost free date here in the Mid Atlantic will already be gone as well!
It is May 10th. Of course--many of us cheat--and have our plants already out and planted before that.
Depending on the weather forecasts...
I would think that the heaviest plant-purchasing dates would be before the official Frost-free date and before
Mother's day. Like--Beginning of May--depending on the temps.
Of course--there are always the "uninformed" who buy all the colorful Annuals offered WAYYYY
before their planting time. AND--believe me--they will be offering them! You just have to use your judgement!
As a sales associate--all I can tell these customers that it is way too early--but they will do what they want to do.
Many of them are just, ignorantly, hungry for color in their gardens. Oh, Welll.....
Gita
Gita, since I know that both you and Holly, our Plant Swap hostess, work for HD and Lowes respectively in Garden Sales during the Spring peak season, and since "Mothers Day Plant Sales" at both retail giants are planned to generate maximum store-wide sales for market share of Mothers Day retail business, I thought it would be easier for either of you to arrange your work schedules post "peak" of Mothers Day.
Of course , Spring plant sales are influenced by many factors. A cold wet Spring will see many forgo planting spring annuals like pansy ans snapdragons, in favor of just putting in marigolds, geraniums or impatiens for their summer displays. If that cold wet Spring has an early Easter however, many people will go for some sort of spring flowers just to mark the resurrection of life. If Spring is balmy, more will try spring flowers and then will be "reluctant" to replace them since they look so good before heat of summers here ushers in their demise.
As you so well express it above Gita , big business plant sales and supply is more about impulse buying than gardening! Blest are those who are bitten by the gardening bug while playing with plants! Can't wait to play at any of our upcoming swaps.
19th sounds good, 12th works but then we might want to do something for Marks mom that day. We never go 'out' on Mothers Day, don't want to fight the crowd.
Yes to a Saturday swap, for the Sunday 'green hangover" lol (''What have I done? What are all these plants doing here??''')
Yay Catbird, gotcha penciled in to the van LOL.
(Jan anytime you're in the neighborhood...)
OK guys Ric and I have set the date for May 19th. It is posted on the activities list and we will put up a swap thread later probably in March. So save the date.
On the calendar.
Hi, everyone! I see there will be another great swap in May. I would love to make it to your swap, Holly and Ric. The last one looked to be so fun.
Right now, it seems the garden is sleeping--with it's eyes open. I don't know if anything went into full dormancy yet. It's been like spring since December, and already some potted daffodils have bloomed. I had red roses blooming in December!! and re-blooming irises in November-Deember!! I have forgone pruning anything this winter (roses usually need it in Jan) for fear of frost injury to new growth. Tulips are already about 3 inches up....Meanwhile, I've been collecting eggshells for the vegetable garden enrichment. Already have two crocks of them.
OK! Coleup----I cannot wait any longer.................
What the heck does Pronostications mean???????
Never heard of that word! Please educate me--I know you are a smart, educated lady......
Gita
Gita, prognostications are predictions or what the groundhog does on Groundhogs Day , he predicts when spring will come er, winter will end! It is the same root word as "prognosis" .
I'm with you, Foxnfirefly, signs of spring but caution that winter hasn't left yet. So very little frost let alone freeze this winter here.
Wonder what the rest of this calendar winter will bring? Guess we'll all have to prognosticate this one!
As I looked out my window this AM--the ground is covered in frost.
May have has a dusting of snow as well during the night.
They are calling for highs around 50* today. Not bad! It is the nights that remind us that
winter is, very much, still here....
Gita
I am happy to see the frosty . I kind of like the variety of the seasons. I also hope it knocks down a few of the bugs that I'll be fighting in summer. I've cultivated a little around my asparagus, hoping to turn up the dormant bugs , and I have read you should do this to kill cuke beetles too.
Foxnfirefly- it sure sounds like spring in VA.
Great news. As of today we here at Dave's Garden can now add up to 5
Yes, 5, five, FIVE photos to a single post!
Makes me want to get my camera phone fixed!
Gee, that's good to know! I bet it will cut the time it takes to load photos, but it will take more posting to explain them if needed. I'm still behind in my photoshop work. Many pics on the camera waiting to be loaded and organized.......
I prognosticate that the tulips will be shorter this year, but the flowers will still be lovely due to the mild temps. Forsythias will either be full or sparse, depending on variety. I have a "Northern Gold" that's been sparse since I planted it 6 years ago, but it's slowly getting fuller. I hear "Spring Glory's" are the best. I haven't seen forsythia blooms in February since ??? Must have been in the '90's.
I hadn't had time the past couple of weeks to read this thread but am glad I did this morning. I now know the date to plan for a trip north. Yippies Holly.....I so look forward to visiting your paradise again. I was really impressed with the work that you and Ric have done there. Can't wait to see the greenhouse.
Yes, it really has been like spring for some time now....except for the day I had plans to attend the swap the predictions made me think twice and decide not to chance it. I have been walking around our back yard a bit over the past weeks and also see things popping out of the ground. I had an Evening Primrose in full bloom the past few weeks and that was such a thrill to walk out and spy that hiding in a bed where everything else was brown and dead. I haven't yet been to the front yard to see what might be peeping through. Today is probably going to be too chilly to do that, so will have to make a note and stick it where I will see it often to visit front yard next warmish day.
Thankfully being more involved with my houseplants this year has kept me in the gardening spirit. As for why I believe the Peace Lily needs to be divided is that it for one thing is getting dried out very quickly in between waterings and becoming droopy. It is at least three time taller than the pot is wide, and I just want to try my hand at dividing it. I might just pot up in size and let it be. I have one that is in a pot that is much for large for it, and that may be the one I try playing around a bit with and starting smaller pots of it.
The Peace Lily that needs the larger pot was a gift at Jill's swap from our very own Ric and Holly. Thanks, it is doing very well and I appreciate you offering it to me.
Coleup, it seems as though hearing about our place, it would be a perfect place for kitties, but I fear they would live a life of fear if trying to live among my two very territorial dogs. If any stray animal happens upon our lot, my dogs cannot get outdoor quick enough to tell the animals to scoot along.
Anyway, great thread, thanks for starting part two for us Coleup. Hope that everyone will have a very enjoyable week ahead. Take care all.
Ruby
Hey everyone check out the DG articles for today witten by two of our Mid-Atlantics finest
Sallyg http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/3581/
and Critter http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/2202/
We have so much talent here.
Coleup that is great now I can post more pictures. That is so much better than just posting one picture to a post. Now I just need a bit of time to sit down and decide what pictures to post.
Ruby & Jan, I can't wait to see everyone. Ric and I had such a good time hosting our last swap and it was just so much fun.
Yes, Holly, multi pictures will come in handy for showing us all the garden projects you and Ric take on and complete so marvelously!
I am going to bring a friend along.
Why how nice of you coleup (blush)
If you only knew how much mental sweat went into some of these creations. Its a minimum wage job by the time this amateur gets it done!
I love Sally's Articles. She has a great style.
Friends are very welcome at the swap, the more the merrier. I will put up swap threads the first week of April just wanted to get a Save The Date notice out there.
Happy Valentines Day all!
Crocuses blooming here.
That is really pretty and interesting. What is it a picture of?
Yes, My early crocus are up, too.
Holly,
It's a watermelon!!!
How cool that is, I love those food carvings they are just so inventive.
Here are my crocus.
Holly, very cheerful flowers. I planted 600 crocus bulbs last year and didn't get a single flower this spring. Squirrels ate all the bulbs :-(.
I tried sevearl times to upload more than one picture, but always failed. Finally I figured out that the pitures I used might be too big in size. Compressed the pictures. Let me try again...
Lovely!
I have just some crocus tomassinianus in bloom, not yet my regular dutch types. Hm just remembered buying two cheapo packs last fall and augmenting those...
LOL. Twill be a nice surprise for you. Do you remember where you planted them? I am soooo guilty of that.
Coleup--being my usual anal self----I just realized that your L-O-N-G word of "Pronunciations"
was missing the "g".....I would have known what "prognostications" meant......
.OK! end of my "prognostications" as to what you meant by "Pronostications "........
AHHH! The importance of skipping over ONE letter....
Donner--LOVE your garden photos....Please post more....
Gita
Yes, Jan, lol indeedy- Actually I just stabbed the trowel , hopefully in between and not right IN, the crocus I had already...Therefore guaranteeing I won't know if they lived or not LOL, but it was a fun few moments in the garden nonetheless
: ^)
Those letters get us every time, Gita.
Heehee, Sally
