What I am doing in my garden now!

Okay. . .so I'm weak. Just ordered them from Dutch Bulbs. Told DH to be happy ~ I could be addicted to shoes!

LOL - that's great, Outta!!!

Outta you are so funny and so is my spelling. It is more my typing actually and my ability to type in a dyslexic manner. Oh well. I'm 70, I can do anything I want.

Patricia - sounds like Disneyland in your front yard this morning.

Rain has let up here (it's been pouring since midnight) and I'm contemplating going outside - but I keep thinging that the moment I get out there it will start up again. Eeek!!

Nice plants, all. Thank you for posting. I get a surge of energy looking up all the things you got!!

I was just over snooping on the Perennials Forum under Helleborus preparing to bloom. The whole thing is on Helleborus, mostly Europeans talking. Amazing pictures. It raining, go take a peek. ;>)

Wow. What a neat thread. There's also a lot of information about hybridization in general.

I LOVE the picture of Kingston Cardinal toward the end. It really captures the beauty of the plant well. It might actually be worth the splurge . . .

Rain has ceased, albeit momentarily.
[quote]but I keep thinging that the moment I get out there it will start up again. Eeek!![quote] : amen.

Sheri: I wish i had known that you were craving a Gloriosa: they sell them at Lowe's & Fred Meyer...Next time I'll let you know.
and for the record: shoes ARE my vice. Tell Tim not to sweat the plant acquisition thing - it's much cheaper. Too bad that we can't wear our flowers - think about that next time you're in a rush getting dressed for work!
WW - the white Cistus is very cool, and performs well.
Another plant you might want to try locating that is similar is Halimiocistus. They are typically yellow with a darker blotch in the center, but there is a nice white variety, and one called 'Merrist Wood Cream' (or something like that) and usually found at Nurseries. They do just fine here, by the way.



This message was edited Mar 23, 2008 8:17 PM

Willow ~ Wonderful link. Thanks. It gives me something to look forward to since I just got my 6 in the ground yesterday ~ 3 Kingston Cardinal and 3 Goldfinch.

Kathy ~ I'm sure Heidi still has some Kingstons left. Did you get any from her?

Katye ~ I didn't know I was craving that particular Gloriosa until I saw it. The colors are spectacular! https://www.dutchbulbs.com/store/specialtybulbs/60227/image
And the Habanaria. . .I've never seen anything like it! https://www.dutchbulbs.com/store/specialtybulbs/60020/image
And then they have that Trycyrtis mix. . .
And did you see the Tacca chantrieri? (gotta move to zone 10 just so I can have one of those!)
And the Ismene Festalis
Oh, the colors. . .so many colors!

Kate - I do do a lot of "thinging" as well as some thinking. LOL. That dodecatheon is something I absolutely MUST have - gotta figure out how to swing it.

Hey, Sheri - I may have a ribes sangineum for you. I bought several last year at a native plant sale and though that none of them survived (how?). But I do think I see a stick with buds this year. I'll baby it - put it in some good organic soil and we'll see how it does.

Patricia - You'll have a lot of nice conifers in your garden, which will sure help brighten up the winter. I didn't know there was an evergreen berberis. And you're smart . . . deer resistant.

We had three deer walk by yesterday. They were in the woods about 40 feet from the fenced-in back. Sahara was barking and pogoing up a storm, and, while cautious, they were on to the fact that she was behind the fence and they were not. :-) Very used to us, they are.

Yes, Sheri - I got some Kingston cardinal. Thank you. It sounds like you have a little of the zone-pushing illness that has affected so many. But look at Dan Hinkley - it's part of what made him famous and has made so many others follow. Zone, shmone - if you want to make it work, you will.

Kathy ~ I would LOVE the ribes if it lives, even though I have no idea where it would go. That will all fall into place after the planning party, I hope. Being so new to this gardening thingy (not to be confused with thinging, thomething I only do is the thower { =?O ) I had never heard of Dan Hinckley until reading a thread recently. Now that you've mentioned him I googled. . .wow. Did you see "The First Flower" series on Nova? It aired last year in April. I just watched the opening trailer and wish I could see the whole show! Wow. And he's a LOCAL! Isn't there an open house at Heronswood soon, mentioned on another thread?

Man. . .it's pouring out there, and DH just took me for a little "walk" to look "at something." The property next to us is bordered by a very small creek but there is a great deal of boggy area surrounding it. The skunk cabbage is in full bloom and looks really cool! I didn't know they got so danged big! Another first for me ~ *sigh* ~ Life IS good. = )

Just know that I left the rain down pour in Seattle and arrived to Big Snow Flakes here in Juneau. I wish I was home my DW was out in the garden all day. (Vacuuming up rocks) She actually was sweeping them with a broom and I gently suggested the vacuum. Today I shall wait until Michigan State gets to beat Memphis in the next game. I suppose you WSUers are looking forward to NC. LOL

Katye thanks for the cistus tip and a different type.
These are all for St Andrews not me (sob). My garden is so full.
I have tried 'out of zone' plants and the third time my Australian Mint died with the last late frost I gave up. That was a really nice shrub.
I just went out and checked my new Hellebores for seed pods. YES they both are setting seed. I will keep each and every one and pot them up. I'm finally getting blooms on some I planted about 5 years ago.
I am glad you all thing thometimes too.

abtholutely!

Sof - what a husband. Gently suggesting something and then suggesting a tool that makes it easier. You rock! Hahahahahahahahahah. What . . . is there college basketball in March? LOL

Sheri - I don't know if you knew that Steve (Soferidg) grew up with Dan Hinkley and knows him well. Dan sold Heronswood to Burpee (a subject of much controversy in the PNW still) and now lives with his partner at Windcliff. Check out danhinkley.com - he's going to be speaking around here in the next month. Funny fact is that he's good friends with Martha Stewart and has done some pieces on her show.

Firevicar, Jim Eichner of Green Elephant fame, has a property that slopes down in back to a lovely bog. Lots of rays of sun, but just the right amount of standing water with paths in between. It really makes you appreciate a good bog and the beautiful things that can grow there. Having a creek like that is awesome - I envy you!!

WW - I'm loving this "thinging" thinig. It's making me giggle. I have killed Australian Bushmint twice now. I love the plant, but haven't quite figured out what it likes. So sad those plants aren't yours. But, IMO, you made good choices. thanks for reminding me about the Hellebore seeds. I'm going to be good about collecting, too. I'm going to try to leave 20% to see if they'll seed on their own and keep the other 80% for next year.

I haven't seen any Mason bees. Guess it's too cold. Anybody else have Mason bees out yet?

U peeple are tho thilly!

Not at my place, but the native bees are out & about. Seems they're a bit more fierce in regards to their territory right now - kingdom building? Or having to share?
I was checking out the photos I took last year at this time - everything is right on schedule. Except that the pictures had more sun in them, LOL.

that's motht kind of you to thay...

I thaw my firtht bee today! He was flying around outside a window, justht minding hith own bithness, but it was very exthiting! Not a mathon bee, a honey bee, but a bee jutht the thame!

Soferdig-I hope that WSU can make a game of it.North Carolina has averaged over 100 points in their 2 games & that might be too much for WSU defense to contain.

This thread is getting long-takes a few extra seconds to download with my dialup internet,but I keep checking in.Fun reading.

and a classic PNW thread at that: stream of consciousness.
We don't start new ones, we like recycling the old.
Probably because we forget what the original topic was, and no one seems to notice or care. You should see us at a work party - It's amazing that anything gets done...
By the way Sheri - we may be there for several days!

I should care about WSU because they back the Master Gardener's, but I only watch Husky or Seahawk games. And golf when Tiger plays. Used to be Tervino.

Thu are all tho silly. Nighty nite.

You guys are making me giggle. I can't imagine how thilly we'll be with thome wine and garden-planning. Thcary thought.

Tho . . . .

I am bumping us to here so we can be thilly and talk about the beeth without having to wait for the thread to come up.

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/826711/

Busy Busy busy! I am out of pocket for a few days and when i come back the conversation includes two new Brits (Welcome!! Hang out here lots! We're really nice folks around here.) , again with the horses, and snow!! in England? Sorry to hear it. It was a cold and very windy and wet Easter here. I left the greenhouse wide open, hoping to begin hardening the babies off to the cooler temps. My electric bill will decrease markedly. I'm looking forward to it.
Mark, the blues of those delphiniums were soothing balm! What glorious color! since you so graciously asked and I've visions of summer in my head, I'll post a few photos from recent years. But first, this is what is blooming in the greenhouse just now. It's a dandy.

I'm rather into foliage effects of late. So here is a heuchera with Geranium phaem 'samobor' behind it picking up on the same color. Then a hardy asplenium and some lilies coming along. This is from last summer.

Here's the front area from last year. It's looking very different this year. Photos later. I have to figure out the new camera first.

Daylilies and shrub roses. Who can resist so much pink?

Brilliant garden phlox 'blue paradise' with Crocosmia 'Lucifer'. I love them , too!

Early spring rhododendrons, alliums, and kowaltzias. We had to move this rhody and I hope it makes it okay. It had probably been in that spot for 40 years. Rachel's mantruck was engaged for the process, without which it would still be growing rather incongruously in my dry border.

all for now. Happy spring to all! Soon our gardens will be bursting at the seams.

Pixy, those are glorious wonderful photos!!!!!

Don't miss the new thread http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/826711/

Oh, happy happy. Gardening. And today it is sunning out there - out I go.

Fab photos, as always pix - onto the new thread.

This message was edited Mar 24, 2008 8:03 AM