Got the new thread started. Time to come out of hibernation and I am so ready! Sharing a pic from last April.
April 2014 Returning to the great outdoors!
Nope - was 24 degrees in back yard earlier this morning. Accuweather predicted 33 last night, now says 30. I think they use a dart board. Trying to harden off seedlings - wind was too high yesterday. Will try again this afternoon. Already sprayed dormant oil and pruned fruit trees, pruned some roses. Need to get tubs and buckets ready for cool season plants now and later those plants I am trying to harden off. Minor bulbs and some dwarf daffodils are blooming though - pretty. Huge flower buds on fruit trees - apricot first.
I bolstered my idea from a picture in the Springhill catalog, it has a nice succulent planter pictured for sell, with String of Pearls looking real nice in it. I get great ideas also from nursery displays and just pictures in catalogs! lol
That is a nice, big Caladium planter, happ. I love that white Caladium like yours! I got the same one! Mine's called Caladium Candidum, white with green veins. I just looked at the bulb package, the leaves are just like yours. Now I'm worried that mine won't look so nice because I don't have enuff bulbs! I'm going to try to overwinter mine, anything to keep from possibly not buying them again. I've successfully pverwintered my Elephant Ear bulbs and my Canna bulbs, in the pots.
What works for me is entirely ignoring them in the Winter, not even watering them! I just keep them in the unheated garage which usually stays between 60 and 70 degrees.
Thanks GL. Oh, yesterday was probably the most productive day I've ever had there. I cleaned and bagged more than 250 units. I usually do about 180 units a day, like today, which is still enuff. Yesterday, I could tell they were backed up from my short absence and I wanted to show that I could get it unbacked up quick, which we and I did, there are 4 of us. They were impressed, the pay isn't so nice but boy is it nice not to have anybody on your back trying to tell you to work faster.
Hi Carolmo, (from the Missouri side of the metro, hi!), you've been busy already.
Thanks green for starting the thread.
Where'd that pepper and ju go?!
Will
Sorry that I forgot to provide link on March thread to the April. Well, it's done now.
It's been a long busy day, but I'm loving that April is finally here. Good night.
Will; we were still hanging out in last month .. not much going on . bulbs , poppy sprouts , out in the garden? about another week or two ..
GB , Happy April , was the fools joke ?, lol .. good one .. ^_^
Don't have much time before I leave for work. Speaking of Aprils Fool's joke, a guy called the boss yesterday and said his truck was stolen then came in a minute later! Haha
Yep, ju and I were hiding over there. lol. The storms were something this morning. I think we had at least 5 hail storms come thru at work. My dad said we didn't get any hail here at home. Go figure. lol
Storm rained here last night for hours , not bad today , misty ,hazy , sprinkles , Severe weather coming though , and peppers hail storm tonight or so .
Hello carolmo. Nice to see your post. Yes it is springing around here. Really sunny today. 60 now. Am celebrating! Tomorrow freezing rain, friday rain all day long. April showers bring may flowers....
I see. I see you guys were hanging out in last month. I'm out in the garden too, every now and then. Now it's more like last year and every year before that, try to rake all the leaves before stuff starts sprouting! It looks pathetic just like it did last year, crocuses sprouting thru piles of brown oak leaves! lol I just can't seem to get motivated enuff to rake the leaves when they fall..lol
It's not just a few leaves, it's around 40 bags.
I heard some places, (I think Sedalia) had big hail or the lake of the ozarks or somewhere around there.
I drive in the slow lane as I also have a slow car and that lane was about half rainwater on the way to work! It wasn't easy going in the fast lane where people drive when they want speeding tickets!
Hi all: Yesterday freeze in morning and windy, today (Wednesday) rain and 60 degrees. Tomorrow 70. Friday may be last freeze - maybe. No hail, no tornadoes, no floods. I do have a basement - just in case. I moved from KCMO north and think I have better weather here.
Peonies planted last year are coming up and viburnums have buds. Pruned limbs from apricot are blooming inside - so pretty - have some from peaches and plums too. More minor bulbs are blooming. And I did see a robin. This is my third year at this house. Nothing had been planted here before except 2 giant oaks that I had to get trimmed. I am keeping my fingers crossed that most plants survive. I have much more on order. I tend to order seeds and plants when I am holed up in the winter.
Will, you need a blower that vacumns and mulches at the same time. Save you alot of work. Plus you can then compost the shredded leaves because when shredded they tend to compost pretty quickly.
And since I mention leaf blowers I should give this advice. If you go to buy one that does all that above, make sure to check the blades. Most companies use plastic blades on them. There is one, maybe 2 that do use metal blades. The blades are on the bottom of the blower and it's easy to pop the lid off to get a closer look. I don't reccomend plastic blades for anything. Spend the extra 10-20 bucks on a metal blade.
I haven't bought anything yet for the season except potatoes and onions. lol. I got some of the taters planted but my garden needs tilled still so I can't plant them in the ground yet and I ran out of soil so couldn't use another container. I'll be buying some things this week though. Have good sales going on at work. lol
GL, Where I live, it's April showers bring May floods! LOL
I've booked my family's rooms in Sedalia for the night of Friday, May 30, so we are all set to attend the Saturday, May 31 Roundup at Bothwell Lodge! We'll be traveling in my oldest daughter's car and she promised to make room in the back for my plants. I hope to see some of you there.
Yes mam, pepper we got a mulch blower last year and I did make sure it have steel blades. Am so glad I did. It is so easy to use. I really liked it last year. Fill the bag and dump on garden. Was so easy.
lol green. I hope that does not hold true for you or around here.
Sounds like you will have fun gardening at you newer house carolmo. Sounds like fun.
You know Will, those bulbs and plants are pretty hardy. The strong will survive. Lol. It is lots of work raking.
Thanks pepper, I do need one of those, I'll look for the metal blade ones. I've heard about the sale on Miraclegro at HD, I think 3 bags for $10 or something? See ya there green, I too will be there.
Oh, raking is lots of work! That's why I only do 2 or 3 bags at a time ..lol Tonite I raked up 3 bags to uncover my precious variegated Liriope clump that was trying to peek out! -
Garden soil is 5 for 10. All veggies and herbs and strawberries are same price. Also earthgro mulch is 4 for 10 for 4 days starting today. I was loading mulch like crazy once the rain stopped. lol
Funny part is after work I went back there to get me some plants and my former DH was back there doing the same thing. Then he saw a woman needing help loading mulch so he went and helped her with that too. It's his day off.
Tomorrow I'm getting garden soil. I need it for my taters and whatever else I decide to plant!! I may get 10 bags since it's so cheap. 5 bags doesn't go very far once you start putting containers together and whatever doesn't get used can always go in the garden. Most likely though I will replace the soil of one of my blueberries. Have had it in same pot and soil for years.
Hi CarolMo, glad to meet you. Sounds like you are busy busy. I planted new fruit trees last summer I hope they all survive. I have different apples, peaches, pears, and something else but I cant remember...rofl. Bet it is fun to get to start new gardens. I am tearing up some old gardens and hopefully they will turn out better.
Guys I don't know if I will make it to the ru I am trying to make it, but that is my sons birthday. S o I am trying to get things worked out.....
Pepper that is a great tip on the leaf blower, thank you sooo much.
GB showing ST. Louis getting plummetted with rain. Hope everything is ok at your house.
Things are gonna get cold yuck tonight.
I am NOT buying a bunch of new plants this year, I am still trying to get things organized and the gardens redone.
Hope none of you got hailed on! We didnt get any thank goodness. News is showing a bunch of people who really got hit hard.
I was awakened @ 5:20 AM & just before my alarm went off with a tornado warning. I'm just across the Mississippi River from downtown St. Louis. A tornado had touched down and did damage in a St. Louis suburb. We fared much better without any damage or power outage. Just strong winds, lots of lightning and heavy rain. The storm passed over quickly. Another tornado warning around 8:30 PM. We all headed for the basement again. The 2 rabbits are in there cages in the laundry area & where my tomato, pepper, & eggplants are growing, so we got to visit with the rabbits & check on my plants. Again, we had no damage or power outage. A tornado did pass by on the edge of Madison & traveled east toward the Collinsville area. Anyway, the weather has quieted now, so I'm going to bed. Too much drama in one day. We had a tornado warning at work too & were instructed to go out into the hallway. After being out there a few minutes, there was an announcement that it was a false alarm. Got back to my desk & the alarm went off again. Again, an apology that it was a false alarm. What a crazy day!
Good night all & hope that your night is drama free. : )
This message was edited Apr 3, 2014 10:51 PM
Wow GB you have had a rough day! That is really stressful but so glad everything is ok. Sleep tight.
Anymore I have a pretty drama-free life. Does anyone else like this planter idea? I may do that, it looks like fun. -
I've seen something like that Will. I also saw a fb post of taking an old log and hollowing it out to use as a planter. It looked good for a border planting.
I showed my friend here that pic this morning and she really likes it. I may do it right away before she loses interest! lol While she was gasping in joy at it I snuck in, "would you be interested in buying the plants for it?" She said yes. I better hurry before that's taken back or forgotten! I'm just trying to be funny, I did say that but on second thought I may use an English Ivy here that grows great by cuttings every time and it is a beautiful variety. I just get some out of the yard, cut it up and stick it in the soil!
Green, I also got that pvc planter from Facebook, my Aunt's page.
I wish that had occurred to me before or I'd seen those logs in a pic. There were some perfect logs like that here that I dug up and disposed of years ago. Here I was digging them up back in the day,
(I take photos of everything, I always have..lol)
Will
I went and looked that up ,, neat planter idea ,
Yes , but Strawberries ,, ? taste better !!! ,, (than English Ivy ,
So does climbing Spinach ,,, But now I sound like I am being a smarty .. not intention ,,
I have been cutting cement blocks , rebar , for foundation repair ,,, This is a repair that takes some to do , My hand , and saw trigger finger are tired as can be ,,,
Really nice day for it though ,,
You all stay well , and I'll be back ... he he ...
plants are just now starting their spring green color !!! I love it !!!^_^
Will, looks like you are having a busy day. The planter looks nice are they hard to water? I once had one of those bage with some plants in it and it really hard to water and keep alive. Just wondering.
Wow green what a day huh? Tornados then no tornado and accident warnings? Crazy.
I knos I did get some mulch at home depot today it was scotts 5 for 10. I was bummed about the m g dirt tho. It was for ground use only. Was hoping it for pots. So did not get any.
You can use it in pots but it's better in the ground. I'm using it for my potatoes right now. And tomorrow I have to figure out where to put my 10 bags of garden soil and all my RU bushes. They're in the garden right now. lol
We sold the heck outta of the brown mulch today. Couldn't keep the piles full for long!!
Will, those logs would have worked.
I had a quarterly church meeting this morning (the bulbs that I buried in the church planter last year had come up!) & then came home to finish up the taxes when the internet went down for an hour or 2 due to repairs from Thursday's storms. That gave me a chance to take a walk around the yard & took a few pics of blooms. The weather here today was gorgeous! Anyway, I finished up the MO and IL taxes this evening, so I can now focus on GARDENING!!! I feel so liberated. : )
My family that's coming with me to the Roundup. Left to right: Nicole, Chloe, & Carla at the St. Louis Zoo on 8/4/13 (Chloe's 9th birthday).
In retrospect, those logs woulda been good somewhere in a sunny spot, where they were at was full shade. I remember, they weighed a ton. They had been there for probably around 40 years, they were heavy and rotted, (even though they didn't have creosote in them). In that 3rd photo up there, that was even the most sun they got, which wasn't much..lol Wow, if only they hadn't been in the sun and you'd said that before then..lol But, my detractors will be pleased to know that I took a tongue-lashing for digging those up and disposing of them then, they were, "erosion control and good landscaping". Uh.. no.. it was hideous and antiquated landscaping! The only thing that was missing was lava rocks and disco lights! lol
Oh, taxes, I don't even wanna talk about no steenking taxes! I forgot to have taxes taken out of my unemployment last year, now I owe them a few hundred dollars! And poor pepper's birthday is on tax day.
That's a nice brood you have there, green.
Thanks ju and gl. Cutting cement blocks is some work.
Hard to water GL? I was thinking you just water that pipe planter thru the opening in the top making it real easy.
Is brown mulch dyed or undyed? I know black mulch isn't popular with some because of the dye.
Here's an old-fashioned Lilac back which was glad to see! -
Will
This message was edited Apr 6, 2014 3:29 PM
Both brown and black are dyed. The brown is more popular because it looks more natural and it doesn't heat up the soil like the black does.
I see, cool, now I want brown mulch!
LOL. The dye lasts a year more or less then it's plain bark mulch.
I went to the Independence Home Depot Friday nite. I even managed to keep my purchases under $7 total, (with tax even..lol). I bought a 'Jade Rose' Hens and Chicks, it has LOTS of Chicks too!
It's a pretty reddish/green one, it said hardy to minus 40 Fahrenheit so that's good for neglect..lol again! I also bought a 'Donkey Tail', which I'm guessing is also known as a burro's tail. Anyway, they were each only $2.98, and I love me some succulents! pics 1 - 3.
Oh, and I wanted to show you guys my ridiculous bank. I think they must be mocking me by mulching the bank's sign and the gas meter! -
What's in our fireplace/chimney?! - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6U1oNMNcBI&feature=youtu.be Is it birds, bats, or something much more sinister?!
Maybe somebody is stuck and they're imitating birds because they're crazy! Cats? Opossums? Raccoons? Anyway, they can't get into the house because the fireplace insert is closed. You have to turn on your volume to hear the critters, the video-clip is only 35 seconds long.
Will
This message was edited Apr 6, 2014 3:28 PM
Yeap Pepper I went to HD and loaded up on mulch! I already of black so I got brown mulch llike everyone else. I also bought 3 barerooted roses. I planted them by the chicken house it will giive them some shade and keep varments from climbing the fence.
Yesterday I went to the garden center down south and had a great time. It was their open house I bought plants to plant in the planter downtown. It is fun to do them because those plants I get paid back for. I will have to show them to you later.
Will I love that long planter you had but the first thing I thought about was wow that will take a whole lot plants...rofl. It will be beautiful!
Maybe Pepper can keep us on top of the sales rofl.
gb we just got our taxes done Friday night, so glad that is over. It wasn't as awful as I thought it might be. Now that I am retired our tax bill should go down considerably I hope!
Oh Will I love those hens and chicks they are a beautiful color.
I bought string of pearls from Larrys yesterday and a crescent moon senecio haworthii. Crescent moon is whitish so it should show up great in the planter. I really love succulants.
I love those !!! Mine are a little sad looking today ,, This summer they will look better ,, Not rose jade , old , old variety , not sure which ,,
Some sad looking red sedum it trying though
Mulch waiting at the side of the house , other things this week
Yes I want to get some more succulants. I havee an old bird bath I put some in last year. They did really well.
Am so excited that it is nicer outside. Almost all the piles of snow are gone right around us. Yippie. So if I can use the garden soil in my pots I may go get some. What is the difference anyway? Soil prolly is heavier huh?
We are plannjng a trip to Chicago in May. Gojng to take the train. Will be so much fun. Going to the shedds aquarium, a museum, and a tour on a boat. Really lookkng forward to we need to get away for a couple days.
Thanks all, I hope I made a good choice in Hens and Chicks and they last a while. However, I have the receipt at the ready in case they croak within a year. MY guess on the difference between Miraclegro gardening soil and Miraclegro Potting Soil, for one, is price Miraclegro Potting soil is about double the price of garden soil. I think Miraclegro Potting soil is way more aerated and even has nutrients in it and a little bit of plant food to last awhile. I always thought Miraclegro Potting soil was more for houseplants and just potted plants and garden soil was more for outside stuff like gardens and holes and whatnot.
My friend and me did that same tourist thing visiting Chicago and those same places in 2000, GL. You oughta get the Chicago "Citypass", you save 50%. - http://www.citypass.com/chicago We did those attractions you mentioned and more, I went up the Willis tower (formerly the Sears tower) twice. Anyway, I'd get that Citypass in advance.
The Crescent Moon is also a String of Pearls isn't it happ, my SOP says Senecio.
I've been out working in the garden! Woohoo!!!! I also rode my bike a bit. Now I'm back inside to cook dinner & do a little laundry.
My hens & chicks survived outdoors on the front steps in the strawberry pot. They're pretty hardy plants. My mom gave the pot & plants to me a few years ago.
My periwinkle is flowering and has now spread all along the foundation on the West side of the house. I planted it about 10 years ago & for the first few years it appeared to have died out. I just noticed it flowering the year before last. It was worth the wait.
I hope you all are enjoying some nice weather for a change. Time to fry catfish. Yum! Yum!
Our greenhouse is filling up.
My son has been busy transplanting.
Spring is here!
64º today.
Lots of stuff to sell at the market CG, lotsa work too. Here's some of my recently purchased little plants in the sink getting a drink. -
Morning everyone. Little sore this morning then I remembered I threw lots of bags of mulch out of the truck into the fence row....
Pretty plants in the sink there Will. Need to make sure everything I bought Saturday is all watered and happy. I have them all over the house. This time of year is tough, too cold to go outside.
Wow that greenhouse is really really nice! Do you do commerical selling or?
Do you guys use your phone or a camera to take pics? I am so lazy I would post more pics but I use my phone and then I have to make them smaller in dpi before posting and I am sooo lazy!