Help - Now

I know if I EVER moved (again) , I would have to bring every single plant with me. I guess I'll never move. :)

There are many times I want to move out of this neighborhood.......but I think I'm dealing with the past. We moved 7 times in 9 years between 1988 and 1996 and this is the longest we have ever been in one place.

Wanda - the purdy ones really do have names (:-))

The idea of a test was mine and for a good reason. We've given away thousands and thousands of plants and when I hear a certain plant isn't doing well I have to wonder why the person planted a daylily in dead shade, or why they put a shade plant in total hot sun. I don't care if they don't know a yellow Hollyhock's real name but I do care if they know enough to look for rust which will cause the leaves to self destruct.

I can give verbal instructions, write them out, dig the plants, pot them up, label them but if they don't give a hoot where the plants go or follow the watering and feeding instructions they never get another plant from me. I'm sick of hearing how a plant died and seeing it's leaves are fried. The ignorant I'm willing to teach but the stupid ones shouldn't be in the garden.

Sorry if I offended anyone but it's how I really feel.

really I am with you on this one - somebody taught us but we wanted to learn, if they dont want to try they are out.

Thanks so much, 75154 - Yes, I was first taught by Pauline Isabelle Reid Loeffler, which is why I'm pirl on here.

First day she taught me about "Yarrow. Achillea filipendula. Goldplate" and I asked her if I could go back home (across the flower garden lot between our homes) and get a pad and pencil. I knew Marigolds and not these long names! As you said, we all learned.

My friend of over 50 years, in Florida, drives me nuts. She has "trees" that aren't palm and when I ask what kind, she replies, "all kinds - how am I supposed to know their names". I could scream.
Stupid really is forever and I know some of you will think I'm disgusting for talking about her that way but she loves soap operas, all year, and I love gardening even when I can only read about it in winter.

LOL now that sounds like my wife, she has no idea what we have or what is growing.. hers is not the soaps but the court shows but she loves them and anything outside is ask my husband. I have told her if anything happens to me just post on here to come get it and leave the rest - dont even try. SHe loves the look but cannot/willnot keep it all up with out me here.

My ex couldn't tell an annual from a perennial and I wouldn't know what to bid in bridge. Anyone should be able to appreciate a flower but it must be difficult for them to imagine the hard work involved even if they see the person working on the garden every day.

She never can beleive I am out there"again" always asking what do you have to do now? Oh well at least she lets me spend a few and do what ever I want!

Like my neighbor next door whose wife summons his help and he says, "Can I put this tool away", "Are we done yet?", or the best,
"I'll help you so you can get done and come inside". She wants to be outside and he can't fathom it.

There you go that is us just the other way around! Oh well got to say she lets me have pretty free range out there though... no grass in five years that is my goal for the back yard!

Good goal! Keep striving and post some photos!

Over in the garden at forum I posted a bunch, we are at half grass right now I pulled the edges of the yard and added fingers into the middle... my goal is to make all the beds bigger every year untill they all just join up to be one big bed... she does not quite know it yet . . . she kinda likes the grass for now - I am waiting for her to fall in love with the gardens and maybe she might not notice.... LOL Will get some picks on here

75154--I don't even let my hubby mow--he thinks a foot into the beds to skip trimming is reasonable. I edge the front beds with rubber & cut the back edges--he's STILL a mowing terror. I think he does it on pupose! Oh well, 21 years is too late to take him back for a refund...

My favorite hubby story is:

One day a couple of springs ago, my DH was looking around the front flowerbeds. He pulled me over from my weeding to ask " What are those pretty pink things? I like them." I looked up and back down to my work. "Tulips", I answered. I grow over 350 daylilies, 270+ iris & over a 100 perennials & he doesn't know tulips???

On the other hand, he can explain the intricacies of reloading shells & shot patterns & velocites until my eyes glaze over and I'll never take up trapshooting.

Wanda - thanks for the early morning smile. We slept late today - being Saturday and only got up at 6:30. The weeding/moving/etc. can wait awhile.

Love your DH story. My DH has an accounting background and my eyes glaze over and I start nodding off when he does his price earnings to expenses ratios or gives me the germination percentage of seedlings that he got downstairs as opposed to outside and then the survival percentages. Gee, I just want to know I have 10 of one coming up and 5 of another! Wish he'd go into that when I'm having a hard time going off to sleep!

LOL great way to start the day... my favorite we are out and about and she sees something (bush tree flower) and says what is that, can we grow one of those in our yard? 90% of the time I say it is a ----- and yes we already have one. Then the rest of the drive I spend trying to make her believe me we have it only to get home and walk her over . . . then she believes me for a while until she sees the same plant again.

Where do you go when you feel like screaming?

The back compost pile! She never ever goes back there and I have tons of work to do back there anyway!

DH is back there at our 6 piles now! He turned two recently while it was 59 degrees out but how, on earth, can you do it in the heat? God bless you!

I'll try and forward a photo of the huge clematis vines we have on the 9'9" copper trellis DH made last year. It's at the end of one row of compost piles and hides them well.

If you look at the top of the vine and then a bit to your right you can see a tiny bit of the copper piping.

oh wow - to sharp! I just have three piles at the moment but they are bigguns. The heat does not get to me so much but I keep a few cold ones out there to get me through . .. .. yea to get me through the heat....

I'm too lazy to compost. And My DH doesn't know what it is...

On the other hand, he can get you down to 3 decimal points on the powder & shot needed for his favorite single, double or skeet re-load. He does the shooting, I do the growing. It's worked for 21 years----

If it aint broke dont fix it!