We came from here http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/798654/
Just for you Jean, and Ian too!
General Chat II
Thank you Sue. I know we do get very chatty and really must learn to be good on the various threads. Jean.
I want to go out and do some stuff in the garden today, but my shovel needs fixing. I have to get the grinder out to grind the end off the thingee holding the handle on, cos it's not holding anymore, but is like a nail with a head at both ends, and i can't get it out with out grinding one end off. Then i gotta probably get pliers and wrestle the thing out. Then i have to find the right size screws, and get out the drill and the phillips head drill bit thing and screw the screws in. *sigh* .... it's all just too hard sometimes. I got two broken shovels, actually. With the other one, the handle just snapped right off, right where it goes into the shovelly bit of the shovel. I haven't fixed that, cos i got no idea how to get the snapped off bit of handle out of the shovelly bit, and i'll have to buy a new handle for it (sheesh, how's all the technical terms?!).
I think i'll just go out the back and read for a bit. Maybe shovel fixing motivation will hit me a bit later in the day.
Hubby drills the wood out of the shovelly bit Kerri, then uses a chisell to wiggle and hack the rest out. I think you have a good grasp of all the lingo. I understand you perfectly! LOL
Sue
Off to wash pots. YUK!
Hello Sue and kerri. I am off outside to find something to do too. Hubby is in a bit of a snit because I accused him of not being gentle enough around the plants when building. He, like most males, does tend to be a bit clumsy. I have some pots to wash so may get to that. happy day Jean.
Yeah Chrissy,
I have grown the JA's a couple of times. They are FUN aren't they. I'll have to do it again after I get some soil in this garden which is fit to dig in!
ARGH! I'm dying of heat here. Since the cyclone's been gone, temps have gone way up again. High 30's the last few days, and at least 40 today. I used to whinge about the cold, but since i've gotten a little older, and grown a bit more padding, it's the heat that kills me now. What i wouldn't do for an airconditioner!! Even the kitten has no energy.
How is everyone? Its been a bit quiet around the forum these last few days!
I have been busy with the living of life. My father-in-law had a major opperation last week and DH has been spending alot of time in Sydney by his bedside, so its a bit quiet at home, but there is alot to do by myself! Today I pulled back the sweet potato vine to see the tops of about 15, all vertical in the ground, in an area of about 1' x1'! I pulled out 23 all together, with most of them being a really good size! I used one already and was amazed at the difference in texture before and after it was cooked, compared to supermarket produce.
I am feeling the strain of the extra added work and the lack of my weekly massage, and am really sore and stiff! Also got another bug bite on my chin and it swelled and went numb for a couple of hours. I hate bug bites! (no idea what kind, but I hate them all!)
Mmmm what a harvest! they make great crisps just boil for 10 mins cool and then fry in some peanut oil ...drain on paper towels and add either salt or as the americans like some cinnamon and castor sugar while still warm.
sorry things haven't been good for your FIL hope he recovers and all is well for him. I have been getting the odd nasty bite ...the insects are out in force ...take care. I think everyone has been busy what with new jobs and Autumn chores ...so many things to attend to at this time of year :)
My only Buddah's hand this year due to lack of Sun ...and still green!
Hi Chrissy. I'm shagged! So much heavy lifting and carrying and stuff! Gonna have a hot bath and a telly night! Phew. Don't know if this nursery job is for me.
The boss is lovely, but his partner can be quite sarcastic and rude and makes nasty remarks, such as, when I was trying to pack some plants for shipping and they kept falling over, he told me to "stop decorating or else the job will never get done"
How rude! Also, he tossed my bottle of water out because it was on the shelf that houses the tools. I spent about 10 minutes of my lunch break trying to find it, and was backtracking everywhere I had been, as I was thirsty! I ended up just asking if anyone had spotted a stray bottle and he said he'd probly pushed it to the back of the shelf, (but I had searched the shelves. He excused himself from the table early, and wouldn't you know it, when i went back to work, my water bottle was back on the shelf!
I'm not used to nasty people and playing silly games! And I certainly won't be putting up with it continuing. Maybe I'm not cut out for working with a bunch a people anymore, on the other side of the coin, I don't really want to do the gardening anymore either.
Oh dear, life is such a puzzle!
Dad-in-law is doing ok, but has to learn to cover the hole in his neck when he coughs, not his mouth! Lol. Apparently a golly shot out and hit the far wall! EEEWwwwww! Mt DH thought it was halarious!
from what i've seen of what they do at the wholesale nursery where i'll be doing my course, i don't know if it could really be called 'gardening', could it? planting millions of seeds, potting millions of plants, then shipping them all out. kinda like production line stuff, hey? to me, gardening is about creating a space that contains life and beauty. i know the plants to do that have to come from somewhere, and that's where the wholesalers come in, but i imagine working at one full time would become rather tedious. can't really get creative with it, can you? a good place to learn about propogation and germination methods though.
Grrr I lost another long answer golly that is annoying:()
Sue yes the work in a place like that is hard yakka ...my daughter in law lost three stone since working at her place but loves the boss ..and co workers and reckons it would cost her a fortune to get that fit at a gym. Sorry to hear you feel like that ...running a Nursery or even working in one is no easy thing and these days I think they are under so much pressure due to drought/flood/unusual weather etc that it is not much fun at all, I have seen three Nurseries close in the last few months just in my area. Think of it as a paid learning experience,life is not a dress rehearsal so they say and if you are not happy ...think of it as a learning adventure ...a paid learning adventure. Re father in law ...mine too, so I understand what you mean.He lost his voicebox (cancer) but lived (bless his heart) to 93.
kerri yes you are so right ...good luck in your course! if I had my life to live again I would have done that course too, but we never stop learning do we? one way or the other anyhow ...I have learned so much here at daves garden and almost on every subject. So don't forget to explore around the place. Hi ya to anyone else :)
chrissy
Hi Chrissy and Kerri.
Yeah, the place I work is just a big plant factory, and theres no time to stop and stroke the bromeliads! (so-to-speak) Although today they were nice to me and rewarded me with a bikkie at morning tea, and some gardening around the brom gardens, (which was like a treasure hunt!) Then an hour or so of watering after lunch, which gave me a chance to check out the Spathiphyllums, (will be in Big W in 10" pots for $29.95) BIG, healthy plants! And Cordyline australis"Red Sensation" (which I think are overdone in gardens these days!) And Kalanchoe pumila, pictured, (Which will be ready in winter, in pink hanging baskets and will look great!)
Yesterday was a hard day, but then you get an easy, early one like today, and it seems worth while. I did get alot of pots ready with soil in for next week, but they were small pots, so not heavy at all.
I don't really need to lose any weight, (well, I don't think so anyway) and I thought I was considerably fit until this last 2 weeks, but hey! I've not had a massage in TWO weeks! My shoulders feel like tightly wound springs!
Any way ladies, I'm going outside on this glorious day and do some whipper snippering, seeing as the retired people over the road,(who have allllllll day to mow) have decided to mow the front lawn straight accross the road from me, and it's noisey! So if you can't beat 'em, Join 'em! I'm going to post a pic of a rose bud, taken this morning, later.
Sue
Yum Yum Sue, one of my favorite vegetables. it's not good here for growing sweet potatoes but I always buy them. I use them anywhere you would use a normal potato. hubby likes them mashed with carrot and lots of mixed pepper seasoning.
It has been a productive and busy day here. Even though the day started out cold and damp ( yes there was a weeny shower ) it soon became quite warm. The shadehouse is up and running as it is in a shady area and we were able to work on it all day. I still need to get more shadecloth but the epis are all spread out in there now and it looks graet. I'll post a pic when I get the rest of the epis moved in. we are starting on the next bit now and it will be joined on to this long one but still a separate house just for the ferns. The last one will use up all the avalable space on the concrete area . Hubby said this is the end. Ha Ha. I'm thinking there is a space over to the side of the other zygo house. Ssshhhhhh.
It is all hubby's idea to make life easier for me when I get to old to manage to do all the garden , he says.
I am going to put in some reticulation hose around the roof with sprays to make watering easier and it will be handy to just pop on for a little while on really hot days. With a tap timer it's so easy. i have all the garden done but don't turn it on a great deal. The plants are learning the hard way to live on a lot less water. Okay, so they don't look fantastic in the summer but by spring the garden is magic.
I think I lost a few pounds today with all the walking around until we cut the new doorway into the shadehouse.
I am not overweight just a little plump around the edges. I can still fit into a size 16. I have been skipping in the mornings before breakfast when I go and let Henry and the girls out. Alright , so I can only do about 30 skips at the moment, I will improve and stop all that laughing you lot. I am trying. I have not used a skipping rope since I was about 13 and that was a loooong time ago.
Must go and get that tea on that I was thinking about before.
Happy gardening everyone, Jean.
rose bud this morning
Rose bud this afternoon
Hi Jean, I can't wait to see your new epi house. I think of you every time i walk past the Zygos at work. I must take a picture!
I can't wait to get my shade house finished. the ground is alot drier so hopefully we'll get the man with the Bobcat in soon. While doing the whipper snippering, I noticed that the little boat trailer DH bought, (what for? I not know!), would make an excellent plant table/trailer! I'm going to prop the tow ball end on a besser block and put some mesh over it. I'll be able to move plants with ease from one area to another! I wonder what DH will think?
Here it is Sue, the new extension taken this morning. As you can see we just have a few battens to put on the bench then the wire. I will move the rest of the epis in today. There will be another 20' added to this in a few months just for the ferns. . Hubby is out there now so I'd better get out and help. It is great to have so much more room and not have the poor things all squashed in together.
Hubby wants to know where I squirrel away all the plants because as soon as a shade house goes up , I have it full. Ha Ha , he doesn't know how we can spread plants out to fill any available space.
Have a happy day, Jean.
WHAT did you say Chrissy? WHAT? 100' greenhouse frame? What are you waiting for? You could become Western Sydneys newest Brugmansia nursery!
Well done Jean. I'm so envious. DH decided to go vintage motorcross racing today, so I went to the plant fair and spent an awful lot of money on an awful lot of Broms! That'll teach him to leave me on my own so much!LOL
Now I'm off out to plant them! Back tonight with pics!
Sue
Tibouchina and Allamanda
You had better tie that 100' greenhouse frame down chrissy. i may have to sneak up and relocate it.
I wish. !
What are you waiting for , how marvellous, think of what you can put in something that size.
I'm green I'd better not mention it around here or I may get buried in the garden. Hubby said, no more , but who knows. If I clear a space and look as if I am trying to build ,something may start to happen. He's a sucker for the helpless woman, ha ha .
Sue, I noticed you are a whipper sniper user. Have you considered working for yourself with a mower, snipper and trailer or ute. Try putting an add in the local paper and see if you get any takers. Do a bit of checking re charging prices. Once it gets going word of mouth would spread your skills. I know it took me a while to find the correct type of person to help me out.
Commercial nursery work is hard yakka (been there) and you don't need a smart a** boss to boot. That is harrasement you don't need.
Liz
Hi Liz I think Sue has been doing that already ...she weeds other peoples gardens and that is why she is weed woman ...I think she thought this may be easier :)
Jean and Sue my frame is 100ft ...it was used to get the veg seedlings in early before we came here. This was a Market garden once. 16 years ago I was caring for my mother and my grandchildren so I did not have time to explore the greenhouse thing ...later came caring for a sick relative and during the big black Christmas day fires the greenhouse had it's covers burned away ...leaving just the steel frame and waist high racks.It is an acre away from my garden so I am only dreaming :).Nah don't want to sell anything just great swaps! ...I am only eyeing it off because of the Winter thing.
I hope everyone enjoyed their day
chrissy
Oh sue, Hang in there You might not be at the right nursery. Nursery work it watering potting and moving plants. I think that is all I do . Move here to make room for that. Mowing is easier. Get a routine and go. I don't think there is allot of money in the nursery business, I make most of my money planting my plants in other peoples gardens. Funny how we live on the other side of the world but have very similar paths. The lady that helps me here is great. She loves my fur babies and we have a good time. My first rule of being self employed is no jerks. There are enough nice people out there that you don't need to put up with smart a----. It is good to try what you are doing and you will find your path. Heidi and Dragonfly farms
Weed Woman, that is one HELL of a dream photograph of a lavendar rose!
Excuse me as I lose the ability to breathe for a few (wonderful) moments!
Hi all, Thanks LA for the compliment. It's not the photographer but the subject that is responsible!
Hi Liz, yes I have been gardening for over 3 years now, but it's also wearing thin, and I find it hard to get up and go in the mornings! It's definitely more relaxed than the nursery though. (and the cuppas and morning teas are a perk!)
Chrissy, how much for the frame?
Hi Heidi, yes we do alot of the same things eh? I still like the nursery, but maybe a retail nursery might be more to my speed/energy. I'll see how this goes for awhile and hopefully if I can get 3 days a week, I could give up the gardening and have a day at Tafe and a day at home through the week. I really don't get much time to get house work done or much of anything else.
These are some of my purchases from yesterdays plant fair. I also went to the markets this morning and bought a whole lot of potted, common type bromeliads for $2 each. They are good as fillers around the more spectacular plants and help to make them "pop" out. I have also been buying ones that can be attached to trees so I can start gardening vertically.
Hi everyone ...another fine day coming up here at last ...yes summer has finally arrived in this neck of the woods ...in Autumn of course! ...I suppose all the Easter eggs will be dripping this year :)
OK 77 how many eppies you you think you have? Sue ...how many broms? everyone else? what are your favourite floral darlings?
Shelley did you see todays article on groundcovers? ...you need lots of groundcovers ...some of the carpeting type grevillias would be good on your hot banks.
77 now be honest how many iris? Lol.
Have a happy Autumn day everyone ...I am off to play repotting the Angel babies (gosh they grow so fast!) ...what are you up to today?
chrissy
Good morning chisy and everyone else here. I have just been out talking to the epis. The morning is lovely and cool. The forecast is for lots more heat. Don't know about easter eggs melting but I will if this keeps up.
We had no Summer to speak of when it was Summer now here we are nearly coming up to Winter and look what we get. . I wonder if next Spring will arrive at all or will we get Autumn ?
I counted my epis as I spread them out in the new house. There are only 496, so still room for more.
I have 132 named Iris so far. I am hoping to make a new dahlia bed today before the heat arrives . There will be room for about 25 and I already have about 20. I am slowly converting the whole garden to more easily managed plants that won't mind going without water . Hubby says I should be thinking of what I will be able to manage when I get old. I don't quite know what age that would be though. I am now 64 so hopefully have a way to go yet.
Shadehouses are definitely easier to manage and I'm looking forward to getting the fern house done. I have lots of poor ferns in pots that are growing all over each other and crying out for more room.
My favorite floral things would have to be Ummmmm, thinking, thinking.
EVERYTHING
I really love roses. Probably one of my best loves. A pity mine look so poor in the heat and dry. They will come back so beautifully with the rain though. (I have only room for a few , about 150 )
I would like a huge rose garden but they do take a little bit of work when pruning time is here.
Thats me for now. I look forward to seeing all your loves.
one of the few flowers out here now , plumbago
hey all, I am at tfe doing research. i need to know about plaited ficus. Has anyone tried one?
I'll have a go at counting my Broms later.
Just looked back at post, sorry Chrissy, I must have been away with the fairies when I wrote your name.
Hello Sue. I have always wanted to try plaiting and such but never got around to it. I have seen it done and a while back there was a show with lots of weird and wonderful shapes formed by training trees together.
Plaits, hearts, geometrical shapes, and even animals. Let us see what you end up doing..
Happy day .
I used to be green with envy watching all of those gardening programs where the gardeners grew living "woven " fences out of willows until I realized that willows are far more well behaved in England then they are here. The way things grow around here I don't think I would ever dare try to plait or weave any living things (outside I mean)...let alone figs, although they might be ok as pot plants so how did it go Sue?
77 did you see todays article ...iris! that will put a smile on your dial
and everyone out there have a great day in the garden ...ahhhh Autumn!
chrissy
Good morning everyone. Chrissy , I did read the article 'Tale of two Pretties' and now I know what my orchids are saying about me.
I knew they hated me, but unlike Mr. Arrogant, I was very good to them . They are just ungrateful spoilt brats. Th ey are banished to live in exile down behind the lovely new epi house and I hope they realise how much better their life would have been if they had given me at least one flower.
I like to read the articles and usually get a laugh or two.
This morning is cool but we are in for the heat again. I did manage to get a bit of work done yesterday before the heat set in. . Today I will get to and spread out a mound of old sheep manure, compost and old potting mix. This has been sitting out there trying to look like a vegie bed,. Didn't work so now it will be leveled out , edged with the old sleepers that used to contain it, and become a beautiful dahlia bed.
It must be Autumn even if it is hot,as this morning I found one of my zygos getting lots of buds. None of the others are yet , but there are signs of what I hope will be lots of buds. I have some which were orphans and have not flowered yet so it will be interesting to see if they are different or just more of the common pink.
The breeze is dropping and sun looking warmer so I'd better get out and do something productive.
A lovely unknown rose..
have a great day, Jean.
Just finished potting up a few things ...including 36 American crossed Angels ...boy can they eat up the pot space ...in my place it's like growing almost instant trees! add water and stand back sort of thing ...lol yes it's Autumn alright just picked 2 large boxes of Persimmons ...not my bag (hubby adores them) although I love the trees very very beautiful! ...the colours as soon as it is a little cooler are just so pretty.In fact a lot like the different colours in that rose mmmm :)Jean.
Well off to the shower ...whew!
happy day everyone
chrissy
Hey chrissy, what are you going to do with all those Brugs?
Hi Jean. Your rose is stunning! Don't they look nice when they are fresh!
I didn't find any info on plaited Ficus, because the Tafe computers wouldn't allow me access to alot of sites. And they were SLOW! I came home and did the assignment last night using my puter, and I did Tissue culture on succulents and bromeliads, photoperiodism to force Chrysanthemums to bloom, and growing ferns for commercial foliage plants! It was quite interesting, googling and looking at various websites. I didn't get to bed till after 11pm!
I am at the nursery tomorrow and gardening on friday. I have a couple of hours off around lunchtime, so as I will be in town on friday, I might actually get to pick up some things, post some stuff and get some banking done!
My plant sale is this weekend, so I must be off to make leaflets and labels!
Happy gardening for thursday you two!
Sue
Good morning everyone. It has been a foggy morning here with just a light dew. The plants all put their heads up to see what the wet was. I suppose a bit of dew is better than nothing. Yesterday was awful. It got to around 40C at one stage and we had a terrible wind. Luckily there were only a few small fires and quickly put out. Hubby, being Comms Officer for the CFA Group in this S W Vic area has been issued with all the weather forecast equipment as he also coordinates a weather schedule with others here and in SA . This means I can read all the weather off the little screen and know how hot I am. Ha ha
As if I needed to know.
Today should be slightly cooler but back to the very hot tomorrow. I will be out and about today to get a few jobs done as in the heat, I stay inside. The magpies are very grateful for the extra swimming pools I put out for them . I know nature has adapted the creatures to withstand the weather but this excessive heat must be awful for them all. The birds here all know where the swimming pools are and are always waiting for me to refresh them.
I would not like to know what the roses are saying to each other in this weather. They go to all the trouble to put out a magnificent flower when ,whoosh , a sudden gust of hot wind or a bit too much sun, and the flower is lost. There must be quite a few naughty words in flower language spoken out there.
There is still a bit of haze around and it certainly keeps it more comfortable.
For some strange reason, a lot of the rain and cool changes seem to bypass this bit of Vic. You can see on the weather maps , a lovely low or rain patches heading our way at times , then as if they had run into a wall, they veer off and go elsewhere.
Does this part of our state have BO ?
Even when something does reach here, our little hill seems exempt . It can be pouring rain downin the town about a mile away and not here. The nice thing is , the frosts usually stay in town too. It is rare to get a frost in my garden.
Oh well , out to do a bit now that I have gone on about the weather.
I did wash the car earlier. Only with a bucket though. It was getting very dirty and starting to look brown instead of silver grey.
Have a great day everyone , Jean
Hi 77 yes the pattern sounds familiar ...usually we watch over the mountains as the storms move towards us and then they go around us too (in the past few droughts that is) but this last Summer they would roar in and then sceech to a halt and pour down on us ...from a distance coming down the mountain you could see the blackness and rain sheets just sitting over my area. Can't figure out what is going on ...but then Nature is always playing games with us.
After tossing and turning in the muggy heat last night I am so very grateful that Summer has been gentle this year ...though I think Autumn is looking like a very warm one ...makes you wonder what will happen in Winter. (it smells pretty too!
Here is the first Camelia sasanqua sorry can't zoom ...so it is really Autumn
