How could someone ever rip out a Magnolia?!?! All that work you put in there; yeah, pirl, I'd never go down that block, ever, never, never, ever!
What's Your favorite Perennial?
I can see, just by your name, how you'd feel!
I can't imagine that -- really. When we sold my mom's house (she was about 75 at the time), I asked the new owners if we could take some of the garden plants before the closing, because we hadn't said anything about it before the sale. They said no. So of course, we did anyway - mostly perennials that could be divided -- but we carefully left plenty for them. Mom had a bunch of roses in the front of her house that we left untouched. Luckily for me I didn't love them -- I don't like tea roses much -- because the buyers ripped out everything in the front. I don't know what they did with the back yard. Why in the world would then have told me not to take plants? Bizarre.
Actually, before the sale they sent crews of architects and engineers through to figure out what they would do with the house. I was appalled, because all we had agreed to was one house inspection, but my mom was a pushover. They swarmed over every inch of that house. So pardon me if I laughed privately when they started the renovations and I heard that my mom's old clawfoot bathtub fell through the floor into the dining room below!
They were not very nice people, at least not to us, but that is another story.
When my grandmother died, and the family was at the church, someone came over and took her favorite rose. Creeps!
Oh my God. That is the worst worst worst story I ever heard.
Hi - couldn't resist adding a couple of my favorites after a few years of blooms -
First, Surprise Lilys give me such a thrill, coming out of nowhere after the foliage in the spring - to the blooms in late July/August - here they are in August of last year -
And this one is wonderful! It's Leadwort - Ceratostigma plumbaginoides - Plumbago - a creeping groundcover, noninvasive here in 5a. It grows to about 12" and begins to have the purest deep blue flowers in mid-July. It blooms constantly from then until frost - the picture below was taken on October 10. And as an added bonus, you can see here that the green foliage is changing to a deep bronze, which lasts until a continous freeze occurs. The foliage was viable through December of this year. ALWAYS causes comments from folks visiting my garden and is virtually care free - LOVE IT! - Dax
They're both wonderful and your photos make them both so tempting - a "good thing".
pirl, your grandmother's rose! how do people live with themselves? I'll bet it was someone from the neighborhood, too.
and anybody buying a house, if they aren't interested in the plants they should let you dig up what you want. that's just mean.
dax, thanks for 2 more to add to my list. lovely things that I don't already have and obviously need :-)
I'm thrilled for every plant I took with me!
Me too. I absolutely love all the plants friends/family have given me. It is like having a little bit of company in my garden. Makes me think of them every year.
How do you get your creeping phlox to bloom beyond spring? Is it a special variety?
I work at a large perpetual-care cemetery. So here is a word of advice. Never, ever, leave the house of a dead person abandoned at any time, especially during a funeral. Someone needs to move right in until the estate is settled. And beware of quick offers to buy the deceased's house just to hurry up and settle the estate. You may be getting robbed. At least check the realtor's guides and see what comparable houses in the neighborhood are selling for.
It's unfortunate that we need the advice of Woodspirit (thank you),but never underestimate the potential of a crook. My uncle recently past and the police told us the very same thing. It's a sad state of affairs that when in grief one must worry as well.
Sad, but true, that my grandmother died in 1946 and that's when someone stole the rose bush. Times change but some people have no idea of morality or ethics.
Sometimes the "crooks" are family members, one of my friends was in distress when her sisters"robbed" the house of her DM's jewelry, furniture and other prized possessions and her father is still living in the house! The neighbors caught it all on "video" while the father was out with some of his children making furneral arrangements for his DW.
Plumbago.. very nice interest..I will have to consider that for my front bed.
edited for silly spelling error!
This message was edited Feb 2, 2007 9:35 AM
Sounds like my sisters!
Pirl, you , as nice as you are, couldn't have sisters that would do this???!
My friend said the only way they could hope to recover the items (as well as the funds they stole from the bank accounts) would be prosecution..and of course the father doesn't want to press charges against his daughters. Many of her friends assured her that they will recieve retribution in other ways.. " live by the sword..die by the sword!" Either way, people who do such rationalize their wrong behaviors and that's sad!
Jewelry, bank accounts, household items, old treasures - you name it - poof! All gone.
Woodspirit,
>>How do you get your creeping phlox to bloom beyond spring?
I dont think it was a special variety -- I ordered them from Springhill, and maybe just got lucky.
I didn't fertilize either --
I've bought some more for my new home and I'm praying I'm that lucky again.
They'd lose their flowers and re-bloom at about 75%
I have never know "creeping Phlox" to bloom except in the spring. In the South, it is commonly called thrift.
It would be grand if it did but here, also, it's just a spring bloomer.
Same here as far as I've experienced - Dax
Me, too. I'd love to have one that bloomed longer, or a rebloomer.
I'm hoping the ones I have planted now do the same.... I just loved my phlox, and if I knew the gal was gonna tear them all out... I would have brought over every single one of them.
I'm sure there are many people who might think we're annoyed over "nothing" but it hurt you to see the plants ripped out and hurt me to know what went on with my former gardens. New plants are nice but there's something very personal about someone new just somehow not respecting the work that went into establishing something we enjoyed. Sure, it's their property but it still hurts.
when my spousal unit had the second heart attack, we had to sell our home and 12 acres to pay hospital bills and then moved into a much smaller tourist rental cabin we owned with 1/2 acre. I cannot go back over there. I miss my roses, my veggie garden, my other life.
OH, woodspirit, that is too bad, and I know exactly what you mean! There is so much more tied into our plants than only plants - our memories, hopes, joy, and sorrow - the reason I became a gardener in the first place was to remember my mom and dad - and I believe their spirits are with me everytime I'm working in my beds. We had a neighbor (Ellen) across the street with lovely gardens who lost her battle with cancer two years ago. Her DH moved eventually, and the new owners were going to tear everything out and plant grass. Luckily, the new owner saw me out in my garden and offered me all of the plants - just dig them up. They are now incorporated in my garden, and sometimes I feel as though Ellen has blessed those beds. I know, I know - I'm dingy - but it's a very peaceful place to be - wouldn't change my quirks for the world. I'm sure you'll make your new home into a beautiful place, too - Dax
woodspirit - I can understand the heartache.
dax - you're blessed twice. First, you had the pleasure of knowing Ellen and secondly, now you have her plants. The new people were very, very thoughtful to offer them to you.
Your stories Woodspirit & Dax are very moving. Gardening, after all, isn't always just gardening. It ties us to the past and is renewing for the future. I grow my late grandfathers iris and plants my grandmother only dreamed of having in her later life. I bought her favorite peony Bartzella last year , in her memory, only to be given a bonus (not at all expected) a peony I never knew existed, carrying her name. I could feel that she knew I bought this and I planted "her" right next to "Bartzella". It sounds crazy, but it brought tears to my eyes.
Thank you for sharing all of your gardening stories.
I'm so glad I'm not the only one that cries over things so emotional! Thanks for the support.
Yes, it's wonderful to have kindred spirits, pirl, magnolialover, and woodspirit1 - in fact, the spiritual nature and peace of gardening is probably the greatest reason for my love of it. My spirit is healed and refreshed every time I am working with the earth - Dax
It does my spirit good to know I am not alone in this feeling. Gardening is very spiritual for me too and reviving. Besides that , it makes me feel so good. ;)
You guys are great. Thanks.
It's the time when I do most of my conversations with the one above. I think there's a Chinese saying that goes, "Nature heals".
I think many gardeners feel as you do, pirl and woodspirit. It's a big part of why we garden. I understand exactly how you feel. when you leave your garden you leave a part of yourself.
one of my great-g'mothers died when I was about 6. we used to visit her twice a year and the most vivid memory I have of her house is the phlox growing in the back yard that was as tall as I was. I will always think of her when I see phlox.
Another tidbit I read somewhere says that no one is dead if there's someone who remembers them. That's a very comforting feeling because then I still have my brother, my parents, my sweet cousin and dear Mrs. Loeffler - the one real PIRL.
Thanks to all who shared there favorites a job well done!
Would anyone be interested in a PERENNIAL SERCET TRADE?
I host a Canna ST last year and what fun it was. See this thread on
what took place! http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/596585/
The results who got what!
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/655364/
Here's a few of my new favorties
some more favorites
I'm beginning to think I'm gonna be mighty fond of lithodora. It blooms later than creeping phlox, has a more intense blue color and blooms longer, typically all of May and June.
The fernleaf peony is my favorite. Wish is bloomed longer. Love the foliage.