picture of parking strip - any add in ideas?

ok, only 2 hours left to the sale, do I go or not go? $5 summer sky ?

heres the $95 coral bark

this place is beautiful, here is one of a gazillion greenhouses

I think I'm talking myself into it..... good for you attacked the wisteria, btw that is not a fun job in the rain - you were determined! Psych, you sound lucky and have some self-control, nice combo!

My vote is for that "very pretty now & always going to be a beauty" Coral bark!
And $5 for the Ech Summer Sky? Up here those go for about $15: $5 is a great price.

I'm know I'm late, but if it's been on your mind, then I say, "Go for it." You can't go wrong with Japanese Maples.

Pat, congrats on your license. What is LPC?

Pouring here, too. I'm devoting myself to laundry and misc cleaning this afternoon - in between longingly looking out the window and hoping it will stop (hahahahahahahah) . . .

Oh so you're hanging out at the window, too?
I check about every 10 minutes, just in case.
Laundry, cleaning & veg garden planning (2008), with intermittant head turns in the direction of the backyard.

My brother loaned me some landscape planning software that I haven't looked at yet. I need to get that out. Oh, right, supposed to be cleaning . . . LOL

Oh, I'm glad I didn't see these pictures until it's so late I can't get down there before they close- that second picture has some great stuff in it! Blooming, BIG ligularia-Britt-Marie Crawford even?, Is that that new two-toned Brunnera right in front, Heuchera, Pulmonaria Cevennssis, I think? (I never spell that right) And, wow, great grasses, too. That JM is beautiful.

It's dry here right now-probably until about 2 minutes after I put on the gardening gloves and go outside, but I'm going to give it a try anyhow. I think my weeds would prefer I indulged in "financial IR-responsibility.....too bad for them!"

Here's hoping you don't get what we are in the midst of: this is beyond ridiculous, at least imo!

Katye. when you said attacked the Wisteria, what did you mean? did it look like this? and how did you do it? I need to do something with mine but I don't know where to start with out hurting it. It has gone up a 60' Cypress tree that has been topped.

Heres the second half. Any ideas?

LPC... Licensed Professional Counselor. I finished my Master in Washington and then moved to Idaho were they did NOT accept my degree!! I ended up taking more classes, more intern hours and THEN had to pass a very difficult National Counselor Exam before I could be apply to the state examing board. I have finally jumped thru all the hoops and I can job hunt! Yahooooooo

PS.. I am not allowed to counsel Plantaholics. I am NOT in remission from my addiction. I'm concerned WORKING may put a little squeeze on some of my gardening time!

Tilly... did that thing bloom that whole distance??? It must have been AWESOME in bloom!! I'd probably check to see if a SEVERE pruning and a good support would keep it more managable. A really cool big, STRONG arbor would be good.

ConGrats Psy. good for you.

It was on a arbor but made a bad mistake I planted it in the wrong direction of the sun and so it went up the tree, and yes it is gorgeous in bloom you cant tell there is a tree there. We where going to fall the tree but didnt want to hurt it. Now DH dosent want the tree down.

yeah, I want to know if that entire thing was in bloom, if so magnificent !

Congrats psych - that is QUITE an accomplishment, no wonder your DH is so proud .

Okay, I made it home only spending $50 - I don't know if it was because it was the last hour but the echinacea summer sky were only $4 each, I got 3.... now I wish I grabbed a couple for the back yard. I also grabbed some sedum 'autumn Joy' & 'Carnea' , 3 - Nepeta 'walkers low' , 2 - eunonymus 'green spire' and a gorgeous penstemon 'ruby red' that still had beautiful flowers and buds on it. Not bad for $50, everything was $4 cept the two eunonymus were $7.

I do love that coral bark, but just didnt want to spend $100 as I dont even know where I would put it, lol - I'd really like it in the back so I can see it - need to create another space back there tho.

You all sounded so busy, unfortunately my laundry is all in the baskets waiting to be folded and put away - blech!

Tilly - This is not the ideal time of year to do any serious pruning on one, but I needed to take a major portion of it down because it had jumped onto my apple trees & looking to swallow them whole!
If you want to grow yours as a standard (tree form), then you can renovate your wisteria with an extreme pruning. Select the main "trunk" you want & whack the rest away. But you will need to support the trunk: I recommend a 10' 6x6, sunk into the ground about 3'. Remeber, it's really a tree, and has a vining habit. No delicate framework will take the weight. Help it to wrap around & get to the top, once there it can spread out & form a canopy. They can be grown into a tree, too, but will take over the tree eventually.
Mine was like this shot below, earlier this year. However - it grew another 6' or so. Obviously likes its space, and other's, too! It is growing on the fence & up into an arbor-type structure.

Kayte, that is incredible !! Very beautiful, love the bed as well.

OKAY... Serious planing in progress but I was wrong the tree is not a cypress its a cedar. I love yours but I dont think mine will do that the cedar is to close and I cant dig it up, but maybe! have to work on that. When is the best time to try to bring it in check. Maybe a little at a time over a period of a year? I think it went up the tree for more sun. Will think about over the winter.

We purchased about 3 wisteria for my folks' carport until one finally took hold. My mom was so frustrated because there are tons of old houses in the Willamette valley that have neglected wisteria growing around them happy as clams. Tilly, it sounds like the wisteria is established, so I would think it could take the shock of pruning. Maybe you can design an arbor for it this winter to decide how long you want it to be and then do the pruning in the spring to get it where you want it. Dunno. Clearly Katye is the expert. Katye, your wisteria is awesome.

Nice goal met, Psych. Must feel pretty darn good.

TootsiePop (I just love typing that :-)), good for you!! A little restraint and then lots of things for $50. Sounds like a good compromise for your conscience.

Pat, maybe you can develop a whole new practice like the horse therapy, but with plants instead. Then it wouldn't be an issue. ;)

I got about an hour in outside all told, counting the few minutes while it was only drizzling. Not too bad, considering.

Our clouds have been serious today. It gets pretty dark before it starts to get officially dark. Brrrr. Grrrrr.

Ohhhhhhhhh plant therapy!! I'm liking that idea! I could even count the expense as a business expense...... Mmmmm has potential!!

All kidding aside, I have thought of having a place in my garden for therapy someday. The problem is that I could not guarantee someone would not overhear us. When I was single and designing a life for JUST me, I designed how I would convert a house into a home/office combination. The back yard would be the parking with a GENEROUS flower bed that surrounded it, no grass. The garage is where I expected to convert for business while having a detached gargage built behind the house.

I've remarried, life is different now and I need to consider my husband's career too!

Tootsie, My hubby wasn't happy when I showed him the pictures you posted. He knows where my mind is headed! He may need that counselor, haha! Cathy

Tilly - wisteria pruning in the early spring will cost you the blossoms. So, you could whack it after it flowers. Let it bloom, and then have a go at it. Most vining plants respond well to extreme pruning, and my understanding is that you can take a Wisteria down to about 3' from the ground.
My Wisteria bloomed the first year I planted it - I have never done a thing for it except radical haircuts - no fertilizer, no supplemental water. I think it will outlive me. Neglect is the key, and this one blooms like crazy every year. It is absolutely covered in flowers & Bees & the fragrance is - well, you just can't inhale enough!
But it's intent is to take over any available space, so it's dealt with severely. Next spring, I will probably prune it harder than ever before, as I'd like to redirect the framework. A friend did this with hers - results were great!

DANG!! THAT's what I doing wrong... You have enlightened me!! NEGLECT is the key!!! Thanks! LOL

Sorry Cathy ! Hate to upset those husbands - lol Mine thinks I'm nutty whenever he comes home and sees large portions of grass piled up in the street. Then again, so does probably everyone in my neighborhood. Oh well, it's just too pleasureful to stop, isn't it ?

Pat, that would be neat, to be able to offer sessions in a garden. Maybe a water feature, some wind chimes, and some kind of white nois-y ish music playing would be enough to distort voices so that confidentiality is retained?

Katye-wow, that wisteria is gorgeous. Tilly, yours must be amazing! My MIL hacked hers backed massively about 10 years ago to retrain it on an arbor that goes around the edge of her whole deck (and not grow on the garage roof). It's just fabulous now- shades about half her deck and blooms twice a summer.

Yes, Pat, the garden would be a great place to do work, for those so inclined. I have to think that it's a pretty healing place.

You guys are talking me into a wisteria now. But where? LOL

I know the water feature would help, but I would have to be CAREFUL to struture in it such a way I could hear!!! I frequently will chose a smaller therapy room just so it is easier for me to hear. And white noise? Man, we used to have those at the clinic I did my first internship, I refused to have them IN the room with me.

I had a beautiful wisteria at my old house. Finding a place here to have one would be a challenge... but oh I want one!!!

Hey psychw2, i'm addicted to my support group chat room (health) and anything to do with gardening, what do I do?? Should I get a wisteria?? lol, I really do have a problem with gardening, I forget to eat! My patio full of plants is starting to take over, had to take the table off. I bought another composter! Help me!!

Sorry Cathy, like I said, I'm not allowed to work with plantaholics. I would first have to kick my own addiction!!! And since I'm not ready yet to tackle that one for me... I can't help you!

In all seriousness, anything done to excess could be considered an addiction. As long as you are not spending money you can't afford, I think a plant addiction is a pretty good thing to have.

Then I'm cured! I have a budget for plants and mostly stick to it! haha, I feel so much better now! I'll let my husband know we are digging up the front yard next, hahaha!

EXACTLY!!! That is the power of Brief Solution Focused Therapy.

Pat, don't forget to send the bill! Will you take plants in payment? ;)

If I am "forced" to work with plantaholics, I ALWAYS collect in plants! Let's see, seeds, I'm looking for: Joe Pyre Weed, any butterfly bush, Black eyed Susan, and some of that lovely Blanket flower, Penstemon, Salvia's & sages, and don't have a Russian Sage yet... yep, any of those will do! I'm sure I could come up with a longer list!!

I just cleared a space 12 x 14 feet. I reclaimed it from the white rock and black plastic a previous owner had down. I'm thinking of working the soil up with amendments and planting Iris and drought resistant flowers. Unfortunately our Pickup truck is not working (and my husband does not have time right now to take care of it) so I can't get top soil. I don't dare plant without fill dirt, it is the lowest area and would become a SWAMP.

Let's see- swamp......um, shade or sun? If sun, can you grow the Louisiana Irises? They like wet feet.

Hey Psych
Sense you cant work on Plantoholics can you work on us who neglect our plants and who have created big monsters? That is what happen to the wisteria..Neglect
OOOO What a ikeee word.(spelling)

I think this spring I will take a little at a time and try to reroute it, New tread next year "The re taming of the wild Wisteria" by tillysrat >>>> oh what fun ####

Now NEGLECT is another matter!!

Okay HELP >>>>>>
How many plants will that cost me.

Well Tilly, I work on a sliding scale grace based fee system. It will cost you 1% of your plants, or nothing if you can't afford it. Yep, that's the way it works!

I love my work! I'm winding down at the center I work at, as my clients improve and move on without me, I will hopefully be without clients there before too much longer! Tomorrow I start the process of job hunting, wish me luck. While I love my work, it will be nice to be PAID for it when I get a job, not just an unpaid internship.

Today I put another skimpy layer of grass clippings, steer manure and straw on my lasagna bed. I hope to get a little more newspaper down in a couple of areas and spread grass clippings, manure and straw on it. That is probably the last of the grass clippings I can count for the year.

I wonder, do you think I can add grass clippings, manure and straw to about the first 5 feet of the 12 x 14, THEN just top soil with very little manure in the remaining 7 feet. Do you think I could get away with iris, and other drought loving plants like lavender in that 7 feet with, while I plant more demanding all sun plants in the first 5 feet?