Oct. 2012, here is Fall, another mild Winter?

We came from here. - http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1278561/
This is zone 10 now! Who needs the ocean when it's 60 degrees in January here! I'm just kidding, likely last Winter won't be happening too often but I don't know what will happen this year!
I took this photo of a pot of Mezoo that Pepper sent me, (it's one of four pots). They are cuttings, they seem to be taking so far. If you look at the very end leaves, they are full and standing up like a rooted plant. The other, bigger, leaves don't look so good, that's fine with me, if a big plant comes out of it eventually, I'll be singing praises of Pepper and Mezoos! Of course, I sing her praises anyway, she is a terrific person!

Oh, the joys of raking! There are 2 mature Pin Oak trees in this smallish front yard and LOTS of leaves in the Fall. When I'm all done raking there is 35 to 40 lawn refuse sacks full of leaves! To give you an idea of the size of one of them I'll post a photo of one when the branch fell the other day. I've already cut the fallen branch up with my trusty 14" McCulloch electric chainsaw, (that's the firewood from it in the photo, I put a "free" sign on it).

Here is the silver cart that I'm transforming into something to house my houseplants and other tender potted plants, which number about 30 altogether. I have 3 shoplites to hopefully supply the plants with an adequate amount of light this Winter. I can see why these carts are so popular, they are versatile! Altho, they are a pain in the thing to work on! I'll get it done pretty soon though. I can't stand the thought of waiting too long to do something for my plants and killing some of them with the cold! I'm not really one to go with forecasts that are kinda too far in the future to be certain but the cold has to be coming sometime. -
http://www.kshb.com/subindex/weather/forecast/7_day_forecast 32° is cold enuff for me and my plants! Ack! This thread will knock the Oct. 2011 thread off the front page I think, time marches on I suppose!
Will

This message was edited Oct 1, 2012 9:22 PM

I saw the forcast also. I started shivering just reading it!! 50 for a high on Sunday. Brrr!!!

Those carts are a pain to put together and take apart but as a whole piece they are worth the money!! Plus they allow air cirrculation which will be a big plus. I need to get my little table cleaned off and ready for the plants I'm bringing in. I'm bringing in 1 less plant this year. Last year I brought in my gerbea daisy but it withered to almost nothing til I put it back out this past spring. Then it came back big time but didn't bloom. So not keeping it. Just keeping my 2 dracentas, 2 tropical hibiscus and my desert rose. This all joins my pregnant plant that a coworker gave me cuttings of earlier this year. lol. I actually just whacked off the 2 stems of it that I have to make more cuttings. It's not filling out for me so I will do it for it. lol

I forgot to add "this thread is closed" on the Sept. thread so I did that a minute ago. Yes, that's a pretty cool forecast after Wed. looks like!
That cart is a pain alright! I don't think I've used my cheap Harbor Freight rubber mallet so much!

Well for today I moved about 100 rudbeckia lacianata, cutleaf coneflowers,wow was that ever!,moved about 8 purpleconeflowers and willow asters,I like the way the fall asters stand on the coneflower stalks.Nice white fall color.
Replanted a bunch of bulbs, and moved 2 three year old zebra grass plants,It might not sound like much only I got the meaning of "dig it" and then some.if that was not enough i lawn mowed Grandmas front yard and replanted a half a dozen blazing stars .
How's that for an evening of chores, isn't fall fun!!!
Day before yesterday a bunch of gallery lupines went in the garden 17 in fact.I'm really hoping they "root in" before the frost gets to be too much for them!!
I forgot about the two large clumps of daylilies that got moved in behind the coneflowers also. Couple of hours of Bzzzzz there!
Ain't we all a busy, industrious bunch of beavers to start this month!!!

Ahh yes, the good times of planting, replanting and relocating plants and bulbs and stuff. The crunch is on, frost is very near! Yes, we are a bunch of industrious beavers this month and I have a photo of a groundhog to prove it! They are kind of close to a beaver aren't they?!

Hey man, a Rat is a Rat! As long as they stay in the wild jungle outdoors ,in what we call cities ,it's all right by me!!!

Haha, yes it is! This one was staggering around the yard yesterday. We were just standing a few feet from it watching it. It was walking in circles too. I think it might be sick or something, I hope not shot by a bb gun by a neighborhood stooge. I think it might've also got in the neighbor's beer cans in the backyard and got a buzz on. I Googled it and it suggested maybe it had eaten fermented berries but there isn't any berries around here right now. I hope it's alright, I haven't seen it today. It was kinda sad seeing it staggering around going in circles, hopefully it was temporary or was normal. Oh well, life goes on I hear!

When it starts digging under the foundation of your house you may think differently of it. Most destructive rodent there is. Yes, rodent, like no good for anything.
They love tomatoes. People blame raccoon, but probably groundhogs. They are nocturnal so should be asleep in daytime.
Strange behavior may mean it has Rabies.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groundhog

Thanks Country, interesting reading there at Wikipedia about the Groundhog, Woodchuck or Whistle-pig. It says they don't stray far from their burrow, so now I wonder where the burrow is around here!
It would have to dig pretty far down to get under this foundation, this house has a basement. A big mouse..lol! There isn't any tomatoes or anything around here, they all dried up in July!
Something relieved me of all my peaches a long time ago, my blackberries dried up in July and unless people bought tomatoes they don't have any here! Now, if it goes up in my Persimmon tree it could get a few persimmons. There's not even enuff Persimmons to make a Persimmon pie, if I knew how to make it! I'm not sure now what relieved me of the peaches, the peach tree is still a smaller tree and something bent it some, probably up in it eating peaches and that Whistle-pig looks like it weighed at least 20 lbs. to bend the steenking tree!
I wasn't getting close enuff for it to bite me, I don't like it that much! lol I'll leave the handling to that guy in PA. that wears the top-hat! In any case, I don't want it to get to used to the yard for when plants do decide to be something, weather permitting! I like that Sears commercial of the lady for glasses, she says something like, "come snuggle with mama", she thought she was talking to her cat but she was letting in a raccoon! - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZOeWFBy75A I got my new horn rimmed glasses from Walmart about a week ago and they work good! I might look like George McFly on Back To The Future but I see ok! -
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.hipstercrite.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/george-mcfly-glasses.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.hipstercrite.com/2011/12/02/the-best-nerdy-glasses-for-your-boyfriend/george-mcfly-glasses/&h=287&w=400&sz=26&tbnid=c0ES6cs5RuDtcM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=125&zoom=1&usg=__IVtkw1A8z0mWOaRTAkYKlO5Atss=&docid=-ohBpNtmZ9EGmM&hl=en&sa=X&ei=nilrUO_vG-OVyAGJuIDQDw&ved=0CCMQ9QEwAA&dur=1802
Will


This message was edited Oct 2, 2012 3:14 PM

Oh, the time to bring plants in is creeping near, like 1 day near! According to the forecast it is still tolerable I'd think for houseplants outside for 2 more days but after Thurs. the temperature goes downhill! -
http://www.kshb.com/subindex/weather/forecast/7_day_forecast Tomorrow, even though it says 80° during the day it starts dropping tomorrow nite it looks like. I hope to have most of my plants on my new silver baker's rack! I worked on it some more today, I just have one more shoplite to put on it and I'll be done. I got another photo of my shining silver baker's rack/plant cart!

I cut off 6 or 7 cuttings of English Ivy and got them planted at the base of my new and glorious trellis to one day let the Ivy climb up the chimney and thereabouts. I used a pencil to jab a hole in the dirt for the cuttings, I hope they don't want much room to spread out! They are kinda just a test to see if they will take root that unpreferred way. I will dig a trench and put in some loose soil from a bag if these don't like rooting this primitive way. I planted them on the inside of the trellis so they don't get hit by anything like a mower or a weedwhacker.

I haven't caught the extended forcast yet so I didn't realize the temp was dropping that soon. I knew Sat was to be in mid 60s and Sunday to barely reach 50 if we get lucky. I really need to get my table cleaned off so I can get my plants on there. Maybe tomorrow I will have time when I get off work. lol

Hi everyone, I really haven't fallen from the face of Missouri...rofl.

I heard we could hit 32 by Sunday morning or Monday morning don't remember for sure. I have been bringing in tropicals for the last couple of weeks but better stop messing around and get with the program sounds like to me.

I didn't read everything but enough to know you all have been busy busy. Short, those are the same racks I use in my garden room but I don't make them tall. I split them I have a rack that sticks out in front and two racks in the back so it looks like a stair step. Kind of hard to describe...rofl.

Hi happ! Welcome back to the nasal cavity of Missouri! Yeah, the temperature she is dropping a bit I think. I've been helping to organize my friend's house lo' these many years and actually there is 3 of those carts here but only that one has been cleared off and dispatched to a better setting like the garage. They've been used for household storage for a while here. They do offer a lot of storage in the house but there just comes a time when you have to realize they are probably not best utilized in the living space. Now, to get the one out of the kitchen and one out of the dining room! I'm not knocking my friend for using them, they were a good solution for storage for a long time, they just belong, ummm, out of sight. I'm more than happy to help, I have been unintentionally the beneficiary of such spanking nice cart(s)!
Here is what that same cart used to do in the foyer nearly 4 years ago. - Oh cool, I like the stair-step effect you describe for the racks, maybe I'll do that someday.

I finally got my little table cleared off so I'm good to go with bringing my stuff in. I may have to give up a dracenta plant though. I now have a houseplant on that table and I may not have enough room. I'll worry about it when I bring it in. lol

Here is a story that I heard about today. Grain Valley, MO is looking to replace their Santa Claus with a different one due to politics. Here is the link:

http://fox4kc.com/2012/10/01/town-politics-strips-town-santa-of-holiday-gig/

Oh poor Santa, a victim of political in-fighting in Grain Valley, what a shame. I was bringing some plants in a minute ago, it is just so warm still! I'm gonna wait one more day on the last 10 or so. I put the BIG SpiderPlant in the living room window, it looks nice there. Trouble is, it'll be another month before there's a little decent sunlight there, when the leaves fall off the trees and let the little mostly indirect sun thru. That plant has came a long way in just a year and a half, here it is May before last as a being-potted-up-baby and here it is today in the window. - I have several babies still, potted and unpotted, if I can interest anybody in one or some, happ? Billyp, Crit, anybody, I'll mail you a baby for a stamp like I did juhur, I got the stamp!
Will

All right I am here. I did not remember,, did you really get the stamp?, would you like a couple? Or would you like me to send them when I send more seeds or cuttings in return? ,, that I had not forgotten and will do spring or summer coming.
I am not here to give any one a bad time, especially you for being generous and a good conversationalist ...

Oh no, you misunderstood. I got the stamp, it is on me, I got lots of stamps. You silly! It's just a stamp! I never wanted an ol' stamp! All I want is for you to go get a drink of water!
You don't give anyone a bad time! Thanks for the compliment. Has that SpiderPlant baby rooted? If the leaves are still full looking, I'd say it is.
Will

This message was edited Oct 3, 2012 11:13 PM

Yeah I;m a silly lol, yes the spider plant is doing well,, looks like it is still growing and had never stopped.I'm frustrated from looking for my new large eye-dropper I misplaced of all the silly things.
Willow water and some other things I want it for. I had sat"spider" on the porch a couple of times and brought it in at night .
Some other cutting are doing well and a few plants too,
I get to frustrated that way as sometimes when I have no time to play, when it is all I want to do !!I guess I need to grow up but I never will )lol

Glad to hear the SpiderPlant is doing so well. I know what you mean about not growed up. It seems like I was just riding a bike with a banana seat yesterday!
All I want now is a bike like I had when I was a kid, only now I want the tallest chrome sissy-bar I can get. I always wanted a bike with a tall chrome sissy-bar, I've given up on the Corvette!
I too, am silly!

Short that is a beautiful spider plant...wowzer, you should really be proud of that one.

Our weather has been so strange, a friend at work said her crab apple tree is blooming again and I was at home depot and a cherry tree was blooming, so funny.

Thanks happ, I am proud of it! It has became one of my favorite plants. My friend that gave it to me says
she's taking it back, I tell her, "oh, it's mine now!"! She works nearby, she visits quite a bit. She's just
kidding, she has SpiderPlants of her own that are good size. She has access to the parent of this SpiderPlant,
she says it's just a monster! She saw mine again today and she says, "your going to have to repot that into a bigger pot".
Actually, I am a bit suspicious about how much bigger it's going to get, I hope she is just messing with me.
It's already incredibly heavy, like 40 or 50 lbs., my face gets red just from lifting it up onto this chain in the
living room! I don't think I've ever seen a bigger hanging basket for sale. I've looked at the plant and the dirt
in this planter, it doesn't look crowded yet, I hope she's just messing with me. It's a good thing that I used a stud finder to screw
those hooks in the ceiling! I don't think just drywall would support it. I didn't really want to blow something out lifting a houseplant!
I don't want to put it in a cart or a wheelbarrow or anything to move it because stuff hangs down and I wouldn't want to smash it.
I'm not trying to discourage anybody from getting one! It's a beautiful plant, I can still get babies, anybody?!
My roommate friend here even says she likes it. She says, "now, I like that plant"! At the time one of her cats was chewing on it!
I don't think they actually are eating much of it because I looked at it afterward and it just had a bunch of tiny holes in the leaves.
She says, "if they make my cats sick, I'm kicking your ***"! I've had plants out before and they never got sick.

Oh yes, I don't know how people have nice blooms and fruit and stuff around here because of this heat and drought we just had.
I think they would've had to have sprinklers going and even bring plants in a shed or something, some of my plants I think
just died from the heat. Geez, I hope next Summer isn't like that!
Will

These days the idea of next summer ,scares me anymore. I do not even want to imagine ooooo, oooo.
I have heard spider plants will get as big as you let them ,when they are healthy they never stop growing just like trees.

i HEARD A STORY' About this guy from K.C. who disappeared, The detective investigating the case was fired because he was sure either the English ivy or Spider plant had done something with the guy.
Only nobody believed it!!

I do not know if they are poison to kitty, I guess you will find out,"beware of angry friends" lol

The older you get , the heavier things seems to get, Hmmm, wonder if things really are heavier?

Touche', juhur, touche'.. I see I've been challenged! Actually, your right! I don't know about the age thing but I DID weigh it on a scale, okay it seemed heavy but NOT because I'm an old fart!
And, I trust your older than me to make a quip like that! I wouldn't dare remark about a lady's age! Haha! I am in my mid 40's so unless your older, shame on you! Just teasing, that is funny! Age jokes don't bother me! But, well played! Now, to the actual weight of the BIG and MONSTROUS SpiderPlant, it weighs..ahem.. 17 lbs... Okay, it seemed heavier when your trying to hoist it up like a crane, (without damaging the foliage hanging over the sides). Well, I think I weaseled out of that, so I fear no rebuttal!

Haha, after the Ivy and the SpiderPlants get big I'll keep my distance and I'll dig them up if I hear them licking their chops!

The Aspca website says SpiderPlants are non-toxic to cats, alot are though, I am sure I have some of the toxic ones but they don't seem to bother the ones here. - http://www.aspca.org/Pet-care/poison-control/Plants?plant_toxicity=toxic-to-cats

I have pretty much put some big finishing touches on my Winter cart. - It's funny, this one fluorescent plant bulb that is 8.5 years old is roughly 1/3 as bright as the Ecolux bulb next to it which I bought 2 days ago. You can't really tell it in the photo because of the glare but you can tell a little bit. -

I have more photos of my glorious and esteemed Winter cart complete with plants and shoplites! -
Will

I concure with juhur7 an airplane plant or spider plant will get as big as you want it. It will shoot out more babies if it is pot bound because it is trying to reproduce. I had a greenhouse a long time ago and had a huge airplane plant, I took babies and planted them in the dirt around the patio and they all went crazy growing, I really like that.

Love the asparagus fern those will get huge also, but don't let it ever dry out or it will drop leaves (look like needles) all over the place.

I love looking at asparagus ferns but hate touching them. They aren't soft!! LOL.

Everyone ready for the hard freeze tonight? I've got everything I need to bring in, in. All the rest are annuals or perennials in pots which I need to plant now that I think about it. I found that sticking pots in the ground helps them survive better. I've been slacking!!

shortleaf; A couple of decades about the quip, that's all about that.; Really nice light and table for the plants ,wish I room for something like that.


pepper23 I am not ready for any kind of a freeze!!!! The pots in the ground is like my half full top soil bags, it works,lol

Never had any luck with asparagus ferns ,pretty light green color that I really enjoy,one of the more relaxing plants to watch or see.

Last year I stuck all my pots in my veggie garden. Gave it something to do that didn't require much effort over the winter. lol

Thanks happ, my Asparagas Fern started out small, it was like $1.98 or something. I took a photo of it a while ago, it spans the entire cart height! - Yeah, water has really grown it fast. I wonder if I should let it get so long. I always liked it mainly because it's on King Of The Hill in the kitchen window! Oh, I water kinda frequently..lol
I too love it's light green color. Airplane Plant eh? Interesting.

I wonder how long this Coleus will stay so red?! - Here's my other fairly good-sized SpiderPlant, I want to get it in a hanging basket eventually too. -
I hope this Mezoo makes it thru the Winter, it will make a beautiful trailing plant in a mixture of plants or even by itself (or with others) in a hanging planter. I'm into hanging planters, I hung 2 Boston Ferns outside by the front porch. They are so big, I wish I had room to try to overwinter them but I don't. Next year, I may hang my SpiderPlant or SpiderPlants out there, maybe some Mezoo or maybe even a striped Wondering Jew. I bought this other hanging basket at Walmart a couple of days ago, I think it was such a great deal at $7 but when I got home and compared it to my other one (that houses the big SpiderPlant), I was sorely disappointed! The new one isn't quite as big, the hook is smaller and not as thick and the chains aren't as long. -
That's the new one on the right and the old one on the left. That in the green hanger is a hangers-on Begonia that is still in it but barely.

Thanks juhur, I hope that is big enuff! Haha, I don't really have room for that, see all the clutter?! lol

A hard freeze tonite eh? I'm sure I'll find out I wasn't ready, I never am! lol I have everything in I think. I looked up the Mezoo, I was pleasantly suprised to see it's hardiness of 20°. The only one I could find was called Dorotheanthus bellidiformis 'Mezoo Trailing Red'
Ice Plant, common name Livingstone Daisy - http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/188738/ . They call it a "spiller", I also didn't know it was a succulent, maybe some also would be good for my succulent plantings. Glad you gave me some, all I see online is mostly it for sale at nurseries.

This message was edited Oct 6, 2012 8:37 PM

The two ice plants I have are Delosperma cooperii ARE Table mountain aka John proffit and firespinner ONE of them is suppose to be hardy down to -30 degrees that's one tough cactus succulent. You will see them after a while.
Someone sent me a couple of forsythia , how about the good folks here, huh?

I had to bring in my purple basil from the garden I almost lost it last night,too cold, too early, Not anymore ready for this than I was the summer!!

Hehe.. glad you like that Forsythia, juhur! If you want more, I have it! I hope they make some great big nice plants for you! Me? Not really that good of a folk! lol

Oh, and here is my striped Wondering Jew, (Judio Errante). -

Here is a Mother-In-Laws-Tongue! -

Wow, -30°, that is down there for a succulent planting. I also have maybe that one, the hardiness goes way down there.

Yeah, Basil isn't known for it's hardiness but it sure does taste good!




This message was edited Oct 6, 2012 10:33 PM

Grandma had a couple of Sensevaria like that ,those get big after a while also I saw the variegation on the ice plant , i like that!!
Wondering Jew is a nice one, took some time to get that way I imagine.
Not into partying with the neighbors huh? Are the blooms on your outside ice plant blue like the indoor or another color?
Mine are fluorescent blue-purple like your indoor and Gazania yellow .

I got the regular Sanseveria (SnakePlant) and this one, the Mother-In-Laws-Tongue. Thanks,this M.I.T. is still fairly small, I just bought it in January for around $1.50 from Walmart. I hope they're okay with the current 50° in the garage. Yes, isn't that Mezoo cool?!
No, my partying days are over I'm afraid! Now, I just sit around and drink sweet tea! My IcePlant outside hasn't bloomed any flowers yet. Now, I want to see the blooms, they sound pretty!
I've got it in 4 locations outside, it is a ready cutting plant.

Here is that M.I.T. back when I bought it. -

I'm still waiting for my Elephant Ears and the TropiCanna to lose their foliage which could be awhile it looks like, then I'll bring them in. Maybe I won't bring in the Canna, I might take a chance and plant it next to the foundation somewhere. I saw a friend's yard recently and she had Cannas overwinter next to her foundation. The TropiCanna is all the way over on the left in that light beige pot. -

There is my Persimmon tree starting to turn into it's nice Fall color! It even has a few persimmons for a single non-self-fruiting (dioecious) tree! - The color of that photo is a little funny but it showed the Persimmon clearer than the other four I took. I'll post the next best one so you'll see what I mean. -
Here is that Persimmon tree over 7 years ago, getting a hole dug! - That Dwarf Alberta Spruce in the old photo died this Summer in the heat and drought, (see it all brown back there,in the current photo, I haven't removed it yet).
Will

Will, save a canna or two to overwinter inside and plant the rest outside and see if it overwinters. That way if they dont' overwinter you still have a couple.

I never did get my ee's planted this year. Now that my big tree is gone I will plant a couple next to each other to provide shade for my plants next year.

I thought that was one great big bulb. You think there's more than one in there? The last time I saw it it was all stuck together. Thanks, that's a good idea if I can do it.
That's a good idea, maybe I'll put EE's by that Persimmon tree next year.

You start out with one and it creates a million others every season. Similar to irises except cannas are only marginally hardy here and grow much faster. Just break them off and make sure each piece has roots.

Okay I'll try that, thanks.

50°/62°/30°
Cloudy with occasional showers this afternoon. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 40%.

Sorry I've gotten so far behind. I've been spending two nights at my Daughter's and that eats a big chunk of my week. Then I sleep in, trying to get myself back on schedule. Last Wednesday we all woke up with cold, so I'm fighting that right now.

I think it's turning into a combo of sinus and a cold. I did finally lose the headache, just left with a runny nose and coughing when I first get up. But, I have been getting over this in leaps and bounds. I'm really suprised. I guess all those hot peppers I was eating the week before did get my defenses up. I still got sick, but my body fought back quicker.

Yesterday I didn't feel ''good enough'' to pick up walnuts and rake, *cough cough*, but I did pick tomatoes and Brussels sprouts. I dug up the plants and took down the cages and stakes, then turned the small patch where the Brussels were. That was enough.

Today, I sincerely hope we get rain. I'm not going to my Daughter's, or having the boys till we're all done being sick. The twins have this, but the boys haven't yet. I give them a week and both will be down.

Anyway :o)