Here we are II

Continuing the thread, http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/553246/
Bernie

Thanks Bernie!

~julie~

Well, gee, I have wisteria and trumpet vine on our pergola together! The trumpet vine has been there awhile longer and just this summer went nuts. I imagine next summer, the wisteria will be the one to take off, since it started growing quite a bit at the end of this summer. In this picture, taken last year, the trumpet vine is vining up the middle post. The wisteria is vining up a post at the far right, to the right of the clematis. Yeah, I know, it isn't vining. LOL. But it is NOW! It's all the way up the post and starting to go across the top. Also, we now have windows on the side where the door is, and french doors where the second window is on the other wall.

This message was edited Oct 30, 2005 6:32 PM

Oh, nice patio. Nice pergola. Nice wisteria. Nice everything.

Kylee - that's beautiful. Does anyone know the name of the squash/gourd that looks like an egg? I want to plant that, maybe with some blue and pink morning glories, also want to try regular small squash with purple clematis, maybe wisteria, and orange trumpet vine. I guess I don't have room for pumpkins, but did anyone see BH October issue with the MIL who was recent widow and her DIL planted a squash/pumpkin garden on her son's farm? I was sooo jealous, LOL. Because of course I don't have a farm, or a MIL, or a mom. Sigh.

Next year I am planting white pumpkins. I'm just going to let them sprawl all over the lawn. I've never done this before but figured no time like the present to experiment and no sense getting hung up on not having the perfect space to plant them. If they make it, they make it. Are you able to let pumpkins spill out into your yard or do you have neighbors who would complain about some ordinance violation?

Kylee,

Looks Awesome

Kelly

I have been busy this weekend and wasn't able to read all the posts, so I apologize if I repeat anything.

Someone asked about having a RU. I would love to have one. I tried to get a small one together (I had never organized one), and several people said they were interested. Unfortunately, no one was able to make it after all (the shelter was already rented.) I would be willing to help get one together for Spring. If someone does decide to organize something I would suggest getting definite commitment that people will come before paying rental for a shelter.

Jody

How far are you from Des Moines, Iowa. Super Round-up there on May 5 & 6.
Bernie

I'm a little late on the introduction , waving to all you Upper Midwest Gardeners! And waving to a few I already know from Roundup ..... Bernie,Moby,Alene,Stoni,Wanda and a few others!

Ok, here goes!
I'm 49, Married ((2nd time --- I got a good one this time! LOL!)) with 2 grown Children (empty nest) Jeni & Joel, I have one Grandson (Batman!) Jalen, I'm AKA Jill, hubby is Tim but does'nt play on the PC much, I love to check out posts on DG and I also belong to an evening Garden Club here in Des Moines that meets each 3rd Wednesday of the Month. I have a plethera of sun perrenials and I'm trying hard to populate my shade areas ( I have a boatload of shade --- with Hosta but trying to add more than Hosta). My hubby enjoys everything that I do to the yard, he's home 24/7, disabled (long sad start to our new marriage) so he is very supportive of my gardening 'needs'. Oh yeah.... I almost forgot a very important member of our family.....Buster. He is our sweet Cocker --- he keeps DH company and keeps him safe! I'll post his pic later. I'm not 'new' to gardening but I always have an open 'ear' to hear what works,what does'nt and I always love "how to's". I've done a few on-line trades, I'm always saving my seed. I would like to learn more about Heirlooms. Besides Gardening ...... I love to craft and quilt but I'm setting those aside for the time being to get ready for my Daughters Wedding in June, I'm doing the flowers and the food ...... wish me luck!



This message was edited Oct 31, 2005 6:33 AM

Ok , here's our boy Bubby ...... Bubby is the name Jalen gave Buster when he was learning to talk and it stuck. If it were'nt for Buster I think DH would go nuts!

Hi Jill! That is one beautiful cocker. Batman looks like he takes his job very seriously. :)

Batman is a riot! Look at his eyes! Look at his stance! Too cute!

Great pics Jill. Aren't the grandkids wonderful. Must be God's gift for getting the kids raised!

Jill,

Nice 2 meet ya. Very cute pics of the little ones (all 3) LOL, man, you have a huge undertaking with food and flowers for the wedding,,,,Good Luck, Ah, you'll do fine.

Kelly

Hey Jill, nice to meetya! I have a four-year old son, Matt, AKA The Incredible Hulk, no pic yet of costume, but isn't that a fun age? My girlfriend did the flowers for her daughter's wedding, I don't know if she catered also, that sounds like an ambitious undertaking. Good Luck! When's the big day?
Equilibrium - I can plant pumpkins, no ordinance that I know of. But did you mean on the fence/trellis? The little white ones, the pepos, would be so cute!

Grandkids ... Gods Gift.... Absolutley! Jalen's looking serious because he's mad at Grandma for asking him to stand still, he'd rather go run and play! And he know's Grandma's not that quick! Buster, yes he's a beauty and a God-send for Tim, the Wedding, it June 3rd, yes, its quite an undertaking .... but we'll "git-er-done!" as Larry the Cable-Guy say's, yes, I'll be one super busy and probably "crazy" Mom & Grandmom come May --- Oh mylanta!

Thanks for the comments all & I hope you all come to the Iowa Round-up so I can meet the rest of you!

Hi PGZ5, No... I literally meant normal sized pumpkins but they are white. They spread outward on the ground just like regular pumpkins. I've been working on a moon garden and I forgot who suggested that I grow white pumpkins but it was a really wild idea that I really liked. At night time, they will look surrealistic glowing in the moonlight. I realy want to go for it this coming year. It will be kind of neat to sit out on the patio after dark when the fireflies are out and about because we will be able to see little circles of light in the dark lawn. Cool, eh?

Yes, that does sound kewl.

So are you going to try it too?

My immediate goal is to finish doing the front yard garden, under the big picture window. I got carried away this past summer. After removing some overgrown yews and a damaged arborvitae, I planted perennials with no thought to replacing the necessary evergreens, big mistake, have finally decided they will be inkberries (Ilex glabra). I tried replacing the arb first with a red chokeberry, ended up moving it, and then with a trio of large grasses, including my 'Rubrum' fountain grass that I kept potted up, with plans to overwinter it. I believe that I will end up moving the grasses as well, and just replacing the arborvitae. I have some feather-reed grasses and tall sedums that would set it off nicely. I'll keep the Russian sage and purple coneflowers, but plant them in front of the inkberries. My husband has been collecting rocks for the edging, and he recently widened the bed, which flows around to the side of the house. I also have a pink-flowering dwarf butterfly bush that I like now for its blue-gray leaves, and a little bluestem grass that changed to the most amazing pinkish tones now, so those have to be worked in somewhere, somehow, LOL. I'm thinking of adding some window boxes, saw a great idea in BHG newsletter, they used the small white pumpkins, black mondo grass and bunches of bittersweet vines in black wooden window boxes, great look for Halloween! So then I was thinkig of the trellis idea for the privacy fence I stare at from my dining room/office (where my desk is anyway, LOL), and the idea just sort of evolved, to grow little pumpkins with, say, purple clematis. But that sounds totally wild using the white pumpkins in your moonlight garden. May I suggest another plant you might like? It's nicotiana, or flowering tobacco, it grows very tall and is very fragrant, but only at night! Of course use white ones.

A very geneorus person is already sending me some nicotiana. Great minds think alike and both of you hit that one on the head. Those will add some much needed height.

Reading what you typed gets me dizzy. It was deja vue for me in that I have notes written out that read like your post. I have often gone in so many directions that I find myself just like you, with immediate goals and secondary goals that sometimes end up turning into tirtiary goals and so forth and so on. I like gardening because if you don't meet a goal... there's always next year or the year after or the year after that. I start out with a grouping of plants and end up with something totally different which is fine by me. I like your Ilex glabra choice as well as your little bluestem. I too collect rocks. Nasty habit I picked up. Your window box idea sounds fun and I have always loved trellises.

Hi to all
Meridell, good to see you. mom2d was going to Des Moines this week and planned to call but with the weather forcast, believe the garden will need attention. This may be the last chance to finish the Fall clean up.

Love the river to the lake - beautiful job. Bernie, glad the glads were worth getting.

Iowa Round-Up is definitely worth the drive. Last year Wanda's Flowers and I drove to Kentucky - 11 hours? It was still worth it and I am not a car trip person.

It is good to keep the same date every year. When Brugie and i planned the first Iowa round-up, little did we guess it would grow the way it did. We had some great people take it over from us and every year it gets better. One day is not enough so some of us came in on Friday afternoon and spent time together at the hotel, happy hour, dinner, Karaoke, Sat morning Farmers' Market, round up all day and then dinner Sat night as well as breakfast Sun morning before taking off for home. Bernie and his DW caravaned with me as we stopped at nurseries along the way, stopped in at my house and then continued on to MN.

In a nutshell, don't discount our IA round-up because of distance!

Hi Arlene! Remember, next time we can get together I need to take you to our Des Moines "Italian market", oh mylanta .... the smell of the spices alone when you walk into the door will intice you to buy almost everything they sell, they have authentic Italian meats and bulk italian pasta's among a wealth of other goods, and anyone else who wants to come along....the more the merrier!. Good to hear from ya, anxious for round up again! I saw your post on the Ames perrenials trip, I'm staying pretty grounded to save my $ for DD wedding in June ( I-yi-yi! I shoud have been a wedding planner!)
Yes , the roundup is quite a deal, fun - food - fellow gardeners and an increasing number of people coming each year. Jill

Equilibrium - What other plants do you plan to start out with in the moonlight garden? I say to start with because of, well you already know, LOL.
BTW, is Mid West a real town name? Just curious, I've always loved unusual names.
I do have many small pocket gardens in the backyard, I guess I manage better that way. Here is the hosta garden, tucked into one corner of the fence.

Mid West may be the name of an actual town, I wanted to add that so that people would have a general idea where I was and what growing conditions I had to deal with.

I've got quite a few white blooming perennials here already that are either natives or well behaved exotics. I'm just trying to get the moon garden going and make it a reality. It's something I have been wanting to do for a while given the contrast is awesone under moonlight and I like to walk around outside after dark. It's totally different out there after the sun goes down. Your senses kick in full throttle and it's really sort of hard to describe.

Your pocket garden of hostas isn't so small. I like hostas very much.

Here's where I left off on the moon garden-
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/544142/

The person who recommended the white pumpkins was naien and breezy came in and said it was a great idea so I'm going for it.

Oh wow, you're into milkweeds and other natives big time! So am I!
Also, the thread you pointed me to had the name of the egg-shaped gourd I flipped for at a local nursery, solanum origerum, they were selling for $1.00 each, THIS is what I want to grow on my fence! Thanks DG for delivering me this wonderful new kindred spirit! :-)
I'm home right now because I MISSED OUT on going to the Chicago Botanic Garden field trip today, I needed to be at school by 8:30 am, and I totally forgot, needless to say, was very unhappy when I went to drop Matt off at daycare center and they asked, what happened? I confess I broke down and cried in the car on the way home, it's not just that Joliet is an hour away, already paid for daycare, class, gas,etc. I really wanted to go, and it was a perfect day for it. I guess just not meant to be.

Edited to say, after looking at plant files, I guess this won't be growing on my fence, since it doesn't vine. But still want to grow this, so I'll find room for it in my south-facing full sun bed. Squash gourds would look good on the fence, also with purple flowering plant.
Hmmm.

This message was edited Nov 1, 2005 3:22 PM

Aww poor little you! I've been having a lot of days such as what you described myself.

The Chicago Botanic Garden is awesome but you know something... it isn't going anywhere. It will be there for you the next time you are in a position to go. It's an ever evolving labor of love over there tended by horticulturists, ecologists, botanists, master gardeners, and a volunteer force that is second to none. I promise that the next time you can go there will be something new going on that you would have missed if you had gone today. Don't despair.

Wanna see some exotic invasive weeds... come on over by my house (I gots lots of those baby) and you'll go home feeling like you'd want to kiss your land. And you don't need a baby sitter either. This house is up for grabs all the time anyway so what's another kid or two or three? You want native plants, guess what... I share. I've got some local genotype whorled milkweed right here right now. Say the word and I'll set it aside for you for your "road trip".

Ahhhhhhh.........Chicago Botanic Gardens.......I want to go baaaaaaaaaack!!!

Hey, I know you're right, just sooo disappointed in myself. Guess what, my GF, who is taking classes MW, instead of TR, so I don't get to see her much, didn't go either, so I don't feel AS bad. I have been there before, last semester, I wanted to check out fall foliage, bummer.
Kylee, that bench really caught my eye last time too, I believe they've painted it blue. Now class, can anyone tell us what those vines are? LOL Equilibrium - Do you live near the gardens? Maybe we could hook up, kids in tow if need be, my daughter and step-daughter are grown, Matthew is our caboose.

I can't remember when that pic was taken. I'm thinking late last summer? Anyway, I got so many neat pictures there!!

I'm about an hour north of ChiBo! Have any of you been to Morton Arboretum? That place kicks! Yes, we can hook up!

Nice looking caboose you have there!

thanks, yes we go to Morton every semester too. Haven't seen the new kid's garden (being built) last time, we were checking out all the hedges, things you wouldn't normally think of to make hedges out of, mainly trees, LOL. Kylee, last visit to CBG was in April or May, they had just painted it (I mean just, wet paint sign, LOL) periwinkle blue, looked great in the shade of the arbor, very eye-catching, that's why I remembered it. Also looked up that style, it's Chinese Chippendale, if anyone else didn't already know, LOL. Verry pricey. Equilibrium, I'll let you know when we're going back to Morton, or whatever. I would like to take Matt downtown to see Xmas windows, if you're into that we could hook up, I want to check out containers on Michigan Avenue, and Millenium Park. I live about an hour south, taking Metra, I don't do city driving.

Meant to say, kylee, that there is a bench like that somewhere, of course there could be two, LOL.

This message was edited Nov 2, 2005 10:01 AM

I just went to Millennium Park in September!

Cloud Gate a.k.a. The Bean

Well, I guess I should stick my nose in here, at least, though I should be out cleaning the windows. We're in Iowa City, on I-80 in (duh) eastern Iowa. I grow mostly shade perennials (it didn't start out that way, but the trees kept growing). Here's a picture of me and my honey on a bench in the garden.
Don

Here's what's blooming now in the garden:

Don - Nice clogs! Glad you could join us.
Kylee - Isn't that bean kewl?? My niece and nephew (the twins) graduated from Jones Prep. this past June, ceremony at the edge of the park, some newly built ampitheater, so much construction going on in the city it changes everyday! My daughter really digs going downtown, we're checking out DePaul's Lincoln Park campus on Nov. 6th, oy vey!

Pretty blooms Don!

PrairieGirl, we had so much fun that day. Rode the Lake Shore bike trail (all 18 miles of it!) and did 25+ geocaches along the way. I loved The Bean! Here's another pic I took, standing directly under it, looking up.