I want to join this thread too. As you can see by my board name, I used to live in Belgium which is when I joined Dave's Garden. I also have lived and gardened in VA, OH, CA- both southern and great valley, NM, FL, VA again but this time in shade, and now Northern Alabama hopefully forever, My favorite gardening place was Belgium which was the same climate zone as I have here with the winter, however, the summers there were somewhat milder. Fortunately, here I live in a elevated setting in the woods and that helps a lot with the heat. We moved here last summer and waited until this spring to start doing anything to the landscaping. Good thing I did that because I found we have lots of trilliums. It is a big yard and it will take me years to get all the 20 garden areas I have divided this large place into just the way I want it. This year, we are focusing on a few garden areas only. We redesigned and planted two shade beds. We redesigned and are planting a part of a large part sunny area. We got rid of a large dead hickory that died over the winter (which is why I now have a part sunny area) and also an almost dead redbud. The last owners must have gotten some bad planting advice or used a bad landscaper because a lot of what they had planted was incorrectly placed or totally out of place/ LIke we had some type of ground cover juniper lining a brick stairway to our mailbox. One side was this juniper along with a hill of liriope interspersed with a Japanese Maple and a Chinese Fringe Flower bush. Well the liriope is aggressive and the juniper doesn't like our shady yard. So it became scraggly and I am pulling it out and planting lilies to line the walk instead. Or the front border by the house- they planted four types of holly each having many bushes, an invasive mahonia, three nandina, three arborvitaes, two gardenias, two golden eonymus, and lots of azaleas. This was all for one side of the house border and it is not that large of a house. Way too many large plants crowded into a not that big of an area and the plants were showing it. The arborvitae had been almost completely destroyed by . So far, we are working on one part of this area and we will redo the rest of the holly/azalea mess in the fall.
Mid-South Gardners Member List II
Hi, Chris, and welcome! Both to DG and to Huntsville! I am a native of this area (Guntersville)...still here and just outside Huntsville now on a 'farmette'. My DD lives in Huntsville and our other kids in Birmingham. Glad to know you will be here a while and it's good to have some Alabama company on this forum!
Welcome Chris! Sounds like you have your work cut out for you - and a great plan in mind! Be sure to share pictures with us as you progress..... and catch us on the other Mid south threads!
Genna
Welcome to our newbies! (waving!)
Jeri - I THINK I might have rooted a sea-grape for you! Finally. Will have to get together soon with you and Mary...
(hugs) all
Mary
Thanks Mary!!! I would love for you to come out and see my garden. We'll get into something. Maybe you can help me figure out where to put all these plants I still have sitting around since March. I carry them all around the yard and bring them back to the carport. Pick up another one and start over.
OMG Jeri ! did you go to a swap in March? I'm getting (almost) to the point where I really have to figure out where to plant.... Digging up some dwarf ruella to place some iris from last week's swap....
Would LOVE to see your gardens... hubs would too...
Have to work this weekend and next weekend... headed to Disney soon.... but it does look as though the sea grape is rooting... so let's figure out something soon ((HUGS)))
Mary
Just let me know. I am limping around anyway. Lucky and Jimmy's American Bull dog were playing and knocked me down in the sonroom. I landed on both of my knees and hurt my left knee really bad. That wasn't bad enough, then they ran over me. The swelling has gone down and I'm hoping to be up and going soon. Mary and I are alternating knee braces. LOL!!!!
OMG! Well if you come visit me.. I will definitely have to leash Belle... she is getting SOME manners but not many and not too fast....
hope you knee/etc heals fast....
It's doing better this week. I have to get better and quick too!!! The MG Plant Sale is May 12 which is next weekend. I will be insane next week for sure helping to get everything ready. We'll move those plant at least a thousand times before this is over. LOL!!!!
Hey Jeri -
Is that the Burden Plant sale I have in my calendar? I wanted to go but have to work WAFB's "Best of the CLass" event... 9a - 2p....
Maybe I can go early.... but what if I buy plants? Oh this stupid job gets SO SO SO in the way of my gardening.....
Hi Chris...welcome! This is a great group of folks here. Sounds like you have some projects ahead of you. I look forward to seeing some pics of the work you are doing.
Hello every one! Newby to Mid-South Gardening Forum, looks like some good information here. Glad to see a forum for the mid south.
Welcome Virginiarose !! Feel free to join in on any of our threads! We have a great group of friends here!
Genna
It's official, got my TN license this week and changed my DG location - I am a Mid-Southerner!
Just read the many posts since my original post nearly a year ago. Glad to see so many military families here. My husband was in the USMC but missed deployment for the first Gulf War. He deployed to Afghanistan with the National Guard a few years ago. DG and my garden were a huge source of comfort while he was gone.
Take care, everyone, and Happy Gardening!
Jeri - come get your Sea Grape plants !
We do need to get together. Check this out!!!
Saturday and Sunday September 29 and 30 (in 8 days, 11 hours, 31 minutes)
Fall Garden Festival
10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. each day
New Orleans Botanical Garden
Plant Sales - Vendor Sales - Arts and Crafts - Urban Farm Exhibits - Scarecrows - Food and Drink - Children's Activities - Educational Programs - Music, Music, Music
Purchase tickets online now!
$8, $4 Child (5-12), Friends of City Park- Free
More Information (504) 483-9386 garden@nocp.org
Want to go????
Thank you Genna!
You are very welcome! Hope you enjoy hanging out with us!
Jeri, I know somewhere else you could be THIS weekend!! ^_^ Don't you want to make a little side trip to Mississippi???
Genna
I would love to have made that trip but good thing I didn't take off this morning b/c if it could go wrong here it has, today. I'm so tired right now, I need to just rest but unfortunately, it's not in the cards for me. I went out to feed my fish this morning and the bottom pond was drained of all but about 6" of water my biggest fish was 1/2 out of the water. Good thing I made it out there before the sun made it around to the back side of the house. I put the hose into the top pond and ran to Watson to get 3 bottles of the stuff that takes clorine out of the water. Then I had to the high school 3 times for different things for Ashley. Rush back get Brooklyn off the bus and then water the yard. The best thing about today was I found the most gorgeous black crepe myrtle. I have to share a picture that does not do it justice.
I'm so glad that you have been able to join us Virginiarose!!
kmom please tell your husband thank you for his service. I appreciate all he has done!!!
Thank you Jeri!
Tell us about yourself!!! What do you like to garden? It's nearly time to cut everything back here and I love to share.
OMG Jeri ! That is the weekend we are supposed to head to Lafayette.. youngest just started college there and it is ULL Family Day on Saturday..... UGH! Couldn't go with yall last year either !
What do you cut back this time of year? I'd still LOVE to see your gardens one day...
We had a nice show of hibiscus today.... Hubs said that September is the most beautiful month for gardens here.....
what happened to your pond? I panic when our water gets low in our little one.... yours is much bigger.....
Hugs
Mary
Welcome Virginia !
Mary, we're never gonna get back together. Your schedule is as bad as mine.
I have to cut back most everything that I put in the g/h so it will all fit. I also cut back my angel trumpets, ti plants and fire spikes so they fit better under the frost cloth. I also have tons of different EE that I could probably fill up your car. Let me know what you need? LOL!!!
Oh Jeri - I would hate to cut anything back ! I still am naive enough to think I can save everything (and last winter was NOT a good teacher)
Everything is gorgeous rightnow... I could not stand to cut anything back.... even knowing I should....
we don't have a GH... so I suppose I'll just deal with the loss... if necessary......but PLEASE if you can make it by... let me give you the Sea Grape cutting that I owe you.....I certainly am not one to have plants survive over the winter....
sweated it out last year with plants in the house... ! Don't like potted plants at all !
(HUGS)
Mary
I finally finished my perennial bed, I started it in the spring but have not had much time to work on it, plus the heat and humidity has been pretty bad this summer. I had put a lot of my sun tolerant Hostas out front (morning sun only) but they fried anyway. I just dug them up last week and planted Daylilies in their place. So now I am working on a new Hosta bed. Might not be able to finish that till next spring. But I have them in a nice place under the trees. Ahhhh the life!
The only thing that has gotten cut back is the Black Eyed Susan's (goldstrum) last year it was a nice clump from a single plant the year before but this spring I noticed about twenty shoots all around the clump and by the end of the summer it had taken over the whole bed. So I cut it back and dug it up, only keep a small clump and planted it in a very dry part of the yard so it wont be quite so happy.
The next thing that will get cut back is my Cup Plant, it got bent over because of a storm and I did not know they were so delicate.
My Hibiscus are still blooming, so is my rose of Sharon 'Diana', plus I have buds all over my fall blooming Camilla, I still have blooms on my Knock-out Roses, Morning Glory Tree, Miscanthus, and Crape Myrtle.
susan
Your Rose of Sharon is gorgeous ! I've never seen that color.... I have the double white flower and the poor plant barely hangs in there... Hubs wants to get rid of it... but I just don't get rid of a living plant... I have a mystery one in the front yard.,hope it is red one like yours... or at least purple....
Sorry Mary, the red one is Hardy Hibiscus, 'Lord Baltimore'. My rose of Sharon is white also but does well near the foundation where it is moist. I have not given it any fertilizer, probably should. Also I recently trimmed it into a tree form so it doesn't take up so much room. Works out good. :)
So funny... was given a "Lord Baltimore" in a swap.... I totally babied that sucker and watched over it like a hawk.
It finally bloomed a few weeks ago.... NOT a Lord Baltimore.... it was a Red Texas Star (which we have already)
Gotta love the swaps.... get a few surprises.... (HUGS)
Mary
I got two Red Texas Star and they both died, I did not know they were bog plants. I thought they were drought tolerant, and so they showed me. I had just found the perfect spot for them and when I went to dig it up it was dead, my husband accidentally mowed the other one down. He is dangerous. I got two Lord Baltimore's off eBay for 12.00 and they said it was the sterile kind, no seeds. This plant puts all its energy into putting out flowers and I just love it. There is such a thing as Lady Baltimore and they are Pink, I never ran across any of those but I did get two of the Jazz Berry Jam's and they are a very nice, HOT PINK. :)
beautiful hibiscus Virginia....... what is the yellow flower in the first picture above ? a sunflower?
I hope to add some more hardy hibiscus in the spring. I have really enjoyed my Peppermint Schnapps this year. been blooming since May....and still has a few buds on it.
Well, I am ready to see you again! Guess I will just have to make a trip to South Louisiana! After all, I have PLENTY of experience running errands with kids!! :) Sure did miss you, but I totally understand. This is the first time that I have ever got to attend the fall roundup because I am usually tied up with football....... our HS team was playing the #1 ranked team in our classification friday night and I was torn because I SURE wanted to be there! My husband texted me the whole trip about the game, and Trish read them to me. Our team was a MAJOR underdog in the game and beat them 39-35!!! It was great!
That Crepe Myrtle looks really beautiful! Never heard of a black CM - where did you find it??
Hugs to you !!! Hope you get to take a much needed rest soon........
genna
Thank you genna, the first picture is 'Cup Plant' it is actually better than a sunflower plant because it is drought tolerant and it has seeds and pollen plus the leaves fuse together to form a cup which holds water when it rains. Great plant for birds and attracting insects. Most of the time there is an insect on every flower. :)
Virginia, think I still have some seeds in pods on my red texas star....
I could go look tomorrow and mail you some if you would like... maybe we can swap seeds for the Lord Baltimore ?
I'm really bad with seeds though but would promise to try hard !
Thanks Mary, but I was told the Lord Baltimore is sterile and does not produce seed. I sure have never seen any. I got a real good price on mine at eBay.
If you find any seeds just hold on to them and I will see what I do have. :)
Okay Virginia - will do :) Also have the pink mallow hibbies...
What kind of pink? I ordered some Lavatera trimestris “Silver Cup”, they are just an annual but soooo beautiful. :)
Have you seen this one? I would rather have a plant, if I get it in the ground now I will probably have a good plant next spring.
http://www.onalee.com/catalog.php/onaleeisrael/pd1741763
Hey Virginia;
Here is my pink mallow hibby..... I'm no good at mailing plants though... I'm a nervous wreck.... LOL....
Very pretty! Silver Cup is just an annual, but have you seen the one with the burgundy leaves? Some say from a distance they look like a Red Maple. Hibiscus 'Summer Storm' is a perennial. :)
I am running out of room, but.... I would make room for that one, no luck so far.
All the hibiscus pics are so pretty!
I have ordered from Onalee before - haven't seen that one in particular.
hope everyone has enjoyed the pretty October weather. I hear we're going to get rain soon!
Enjoy what's left of the leaves and flowers. I guess Fall/November is coming in with a bang!
A.
Hey Amanda !
My Hibbies have enjoyed October tremendously !
Too funny the "Lord Baltimore" that I got from the swap and babied and babied.......
It bloomed. It's a Texas Star.
LOL
Now I have 2 Texas Stars. Don't mind though... love those....
Jeri - have Sea Grapes for you still... LOL!