A new house is so exciting, making improvements and decorating changes to make it personal to you. You'll love your porch when you get it. I've lived in houses with porches since I was twelve and can't imagine not having one. Be sure yours is at least eight feet deep inside the rails. Six feet isn't enough for furniture. Ceiling fans are great too. Decide if you want two before the ceiling in cover so it's easier to wire them.
mao
2nd Chance Swap - Pictorial
I found, can't remember where, a bench that I want for the proch-it is metal and comes in either white or black and the back is a giant butterfly-that will go on it. I want someplace I can sit & people watch-I don't get that on my back deck!!! I wouldn't truct DH to move the sprinklers-great w/ food, bad with house things-I will have to pay to have it moved. The nice thing is that our family will be doing the work for everything else, so it will probably be about 5-6K instead of 10K to do it....that's on the high end...
I love my front porch... its not wide enough for a swing... but i have 2 rocker chairs with a small table.
It's also where i will put my WS containers -- especially when we have super high winds. my porch is eastern exposure... so it's too hot in the summer morning ... but then i'm on my back patio.
but i love sitting out there when it's raining.. as long as the rain is not coming in sideways.
but... your home has great curb appeal.
Time after time I've seen the prize seat on a porch is the one that moves. No problem at our place, they all move. We have a porch swing, a wicker rocker, and an old metal glider. There's also lots of pillows and rugs on the floor, and wide porch rails to sit on. So there's plenty of seating .I also have an old armoire to hold garden supplies, a wicker coffee table and an old sewing machine base with tabletop. It's a great place to sit, which is why my front garden is my favorite. You have time to plan exactly what you want for your porch to make it personal to you.
My porch faces east too but my porch is wide and the eaves are wide too, by the time the sun gets hot the porch is in shade.
Mao, I think I could live on your porch (only in the summer though!) That looks very inviting! Where is Orville, I grew up in Pittsburgh PA are, which is not too far from Ohio. I was just in PA a few weeks ago.
East of Wooster, about an hour south of Cleveland
http://davesgarden.com/guides/bf/showimage/4626/
This photo was taken inside a butterfly tent, and the plants themselves are a dilsplay of potted plants (the rest are off to the side with price tags on them.) Nonetheless, this is what I'd like my garden to look like.
Part of my garden, anyway.
Suzy
I was in that butterfly tent this year at USF. They would even give you a q-tip, and you could feed them GatorAid. It was fun. I bought a few plants while I was there, also.
~Lucy
Yeah! Maybe you were the one telling us about it!
A friend of mine stopped (for me) at the Zoo in Melbourne, FL where they had one for 3 weeks. (Beckygardener told me about it). They said to take a custard cup and put one of those pot scrubbers inside it and fill it with gatoraid, and they would FLOCK to it, but it didn't work for me one little bit! (The pot scrubbers I'm talking about are plastic net made into a little sort of pad...they sell them 3/$1.00 give or take.)
Suzy
I think Melanie was the one that was telling all about it. She loves her BF's.
I might try that gatoraid pot scubber thing and see if it works here. I put out old fruit all the time, and they ignore it. So, that didn't work for me. They love the flowers tho.
I was thinking it needed to be elevated (here) and higher up off the ground. I don't really have a way to suspend a custard cup 42 inches from the ground, though.
Suzy
If I put one on a pole, the ants would be up there in 2 mins. lol They found my hummerbird feeder one time.
the butterfly tent photo is pretty. There is a butterfly house in the Adirondacks, NY that I've been too at a place called Paul Smiths; which was the first time ever in a butterfly fenced-in area ~ It was neat. I especially liked looking at the plants displayed too.
We have a hanging plate that I put fresh fruit on regularly (in season) and the butterflies and cowbirds love it. I put any 'black' or overripe bananas in the freezer and then pull them for baking or for this!
I'm loving all the pics!!
Fairy.. My wine and roses has never bloomed like that. I've head I can chop it down to the ground and it will resprout.. I'm thinking of trying it this season.
Mao.. where did you find the coral reef monarda.. I'd love to trade if you have any extra spreaders. Love it.
Suzy.. Love butterflies and info on how to attract them.. :)
Susan
SOUL-all I did this last year was prune it a little and this is what I got-I pruned in in April...
Suzy- what a wonderful inspirational pic. from the butterfly tent. We'll be waiting to see your interpretation of it.
Soul- I should have extra of the monarda. Remind me in May that you'd like to trade.
those colors are bright and beautiful!... although they are not low growing peach colored annuals that Fairy wants...they sure go great with the millenium dahlia that she wants to accompany other plantings with!
edited to say the photo is from dutchgardens.com
This message was edited Jan 14, 2008 10:08 AM
wind --- very purddy.
Yay-that is my new millenium dahila!!
WIND-can you post that on the swap thread-maybe it will jog a few memories to help me get my low growing peach colored annuals!!!
That's a great dahlia. It would look wonderful in any garden. I wish I had room for everything I like, but at least I can dream.
Oh Mao-it was a Xmas present:) Thanks for the compliment. I can't afford to actually buy things from Dutch Gradens, so I ask for them for Xmas & Bday presents!!
I got a catalog yesterday from Van Bourgdonian (not even close on the spelling, but you allknow who I mean, similar to Dutch Gardens!) The perennials in there were almost all 18.99 per plant!! PER PLANT! And you know darn well they aren't in gallon pots!
I don't THINK so!
yikes!!
i'm just gonna muddle thru Gurneys... with my $20 credit and 25 off 50 ... I should be able to get a few neat items.
I am going to purchase the Licorice Mint I have been looking for... along with some Canadian Sweet Rhubarb.
I got my Van Bourgdonien a couple of days ago. Never heard of the place, but they sent me a catolog. I barely thumbed through it.
a few of my babies last year getting a little fresh air :)
no swap baby pictures yet, but I can't wait
we are getting a few snow flurries now!
Thai last year I ordered from Van Bourgdonien, Spring Hill, MI Bulb, Brecks, Dutch gardens & Brent & Becky's. I was scemptical because of the Watchdog, but to be thruthful the one I was least happy w/ was Dutch Gardens-their stuff was more expensive for what I wanted & was the same size as the plants from the others!!! I asked for nothing but flowers for my Anv. & Bday......hehehehehehehe!! I was so excited-for a couple weeks there I had a pkg. on the front porch about 2X a week!!
Fairy,
You know what it is, with those Dutch. They always want more than you're prepared to give and then fail to deliver.....
It's a real pity you folks cannot order from English companies. They're awesome!
I think Dutch Gardens is an american company....What kind of english companies & why can't we order from them??? Do they not ship overseas??
Guess so, I hear a lot of USA-residents complain about that and even sometimes order for them and then send the seeds across the ocean.
I'm a great fan of Secret Seeds (www.secretseeds.com) and Thompson & Morgan (www.thompson-morgan.com).
I will have top check out secretseeds!! Thanks!!
I know a lot of people complain about this company, but I have had no problem. I know the order takes a long time, so I just expect it to take a month. If ordered in the fall then it arrives in plenty of time. A downfall-they don't have a lot of pics (that's what google is for, eh?) But they have stuff you will find nowhere! http://www.hardyplants.com/
Another company that I order from. Really fast service, she always gives extras,a pretty good selection and your ordering from a small company-that just feels good. http://www.dianeseeds.com/
And I've found a few goodies here: http://www.jungseed.com/
Secret seeds is a small company (like a husband and a wife small) and they (and all the Englsh companies are having trouble exporting to us. The seed orders are getting caught in customs and being destroyed. IN stead of getting your package of seeds, you get a note saying they were sorry, but the packaged failed to comply with the Federal law on imports. I have heard of this happening a LOT, and mostly from England.
In lieu of secret seeds, try http://www.hardyplants.com -- same thing, onlyin the US, lots of weird seeds, mostly perennial and a guy who is a true seed freak running it out of his home. (I think). The website is sort of "off", hardly any pics but the seeds are awesome. He has his own way of shipping your seeds which includes a 2-3 weeks del time because he's waiting for things on your order list he knows are coming in, and sending you extras to make up for it. All in all, it is a choice list with so-so delivery.
Oh, dang, I am so dumb! I saw Thuink's post above, but I was thinking the name was hardyperennials, so I thought I had a new one. When I clicked onmy own link, Irealized I had the name wrong and ahanged it, wwell we're bothsaying the same thing, I'll go ahead andpost this! LOL!
I think Dutch Gardens might be Dutch with offices and importers in this country. In the 1980s I used to buy a lot from them and when I called on the phone (before the internet) the persons answering and taking orders always had a unique Dutch accent.
Suzy
Hey Suzy -- speaking of confiscation .... do all of your "imports" come thru Indy or Chicago?
I was getting some MG's from Jo-Grow and they got confiscated ... all i got was that dreaded note.
but Beth was kind enough to send me the same variety.
I just didn;t know if you have troubles with customs or not.
There was another gal, in AL i think whos seeds also came thru Chicago, and she got "the note" too.
No, I heard the horror stories very early last year in the daffodil & lily worlds, so I didn't buy from England, or Canada or anywhere in the UK.
I buy mine from Aust & NZ, though, and those go through Miami. (if you have a globe handy, you can see that is very weird, LA would make more sense.)
I also have small lot license from the USDA (easy to get, but plan on 3-4 weeks to get it) That's why I could take seeds from Ana & Tuink. There are some weird rules, though, and one is that each seed packet can contain only 50 seeds.
My orders have to be placed online, then followed up by snail mail with a copy of my permit and also a delivery label to "USDA CUSTOMS", and send it with MORE postage to get it fro Miami to Indiana. I also include a nice note to the USDA customs people outlining what I am ordering and why I am ordering it from afar. The overseas people have to put it all in the box with the seeds, bulbs or plants before they ship. I actually get email from a real Federal employee person telling me the seeds (or bulbs or plants) are on their way, and have noticed they don't always use my extra postage.
It's a pain in the butt though, and the overseas people are telling me they are feeling the sting of fewer US orders.
Suzy
Suzy, My post above yours was about hardy plants aka specialty perennials, the same link you posted. I think it looks like I'm talking about the Dutch bulbs, but in my own airheaded way I was talking about something entirely new. I love the company they take more like a month than a few weeks, but as we both said they have stuff you can't find anywhere else. You have swap brain, so you have a good excuse! LOL!
Oh, my mistake totally, I must have scrolled too far when I looked up to see whose post it was....so sorry Flowerhead410.
My swap brain is obviously fried. LOL!
Suzy
This time I'll forgive you, next time, we'll see.
Oh, no there will never be a next time, I swear...I've learned my lesson! LOL!
Well, you were braver than I. And you (and your cohorts) are doing awesome!!!!!!!!!!
Just an FYi- I got the neatest catalog from High Country Gardens-has anyone ever ordered from them-they have some things that I've never seen B4 and at VERY reasonable prices!!
Check out this Salvia!!!
