Coleus Chatters thru July 13th...

Good Morning!!! We came from here http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/870533/

Allan & I worked so hard last week when he was on vacation that he bolted from the house this morning way before normal. LOL I'm thinking that he was scared I'd try to talk him into staying home one more day. Ha... no way that was happening, I'm way too tired to have to work like that again.

So I need some energy now! Let's sing & let's dance...

Everybodys doin a brand new dance now.
Come on baby, do the loco-motion.
I know youll get to like it if you give it a chance now.
Come on baby, do the loco-motion.
My little baby sister can do it with ease,
Its easier than learnin your abcs.
So, come on, come on, and do the loco-motion with me.

Youve got to swing your hips now,
Oooo ...
Come on,
Oooo ...
Come on.
Jump up,
Oooo ...
Jump up.
Jump back,
Oooo ...
Jump back.
Oh, well, I think youve got the knack.
Oooo ...

Woah ... woah.
Now that you can do it, well, lets make a chain now.
Come on baby, do the loco-motion.
A chuga-chuga motion like a railroad train, now.
Come on baby, do the loco-motion.
Do it nice and easy now, and dont lose control,
A little bit of rhythm and a lot of soul,
So, come on, come on, and do the loco-motion with me.

Woah ... woah.
Move around the floor in a loco-motion.
Come on baby, do the loco-motion.
Do it holdin hands ifn you get the notion.
Come on baby, do the loco-motion.
Theres never been a dance thats so easy to do,
It even makes you happy when youre feelin blue.
So, come on, come on, and do the loco-motion with me.
Come on baby, do the loco-motion.
So, come on, come on, and do the loco-motion with me.
Come on baby, do the loco-motion.
So, come on, come on, and do the loco-motion with me.

Come on baby, do the loco-motion.
Come on baby, do the loco-motion.
Come on baby, do the loco-motion.


Coleus Fusion & Royal Glissade

Brinda....I'm doing the dance with my coffee! Happy day to you (and all!)
:)

So very sorry Ted. Sounds like she had a good, long life though and a son that loved her and took care of her. Not much more a woman could ask for late in life.

Be well,
Juanita

Brinda! Don't you just hate it when they bolt that way...lol!
Seriously, I usually have to plan projects that I need done on holiday weekends.
I hate asking any of the men in the family because they work so hard! I wish I could just clone one of them sometimes!

This weekend's "dirty job" as performed by my sweet DH!

shellabella! My husband would dunk my head if I made him go in my pond,lol! He's to the point with my yard that if I got myself into it, I'm going to have to get myself out of it!
We laugh and tell him if we every blindfolded him and put him in the back yard, it would be such an unfamiliar place to him that it would take him 3 days to find his way home!
:D

LOL!

Well the pond was his baby to begin with and therefore he felt that he should do the dirty work.
I have done almost all the other work out there regarding this project, and he appreciates that I am not hauling him out into the heat to move heavy rocks etc...!

I had many suggestions of different ways to fish out the Mermaid fountain that had been sleeping down there on the bottom for a couple of years as well as a few concrete blocks and ...all those leaves. He decided on his own to go for a dip, much to my suprise.....said it would be much faster and it was soooo hot outside anyway....

I hosed him down good afterwards and then he said I could throw out the old clothes he was wearing too....so glad he said that.....lol!

Now we can get busy constructing the new waterfall......finally!

This was all my idea...I needed to move/ change the waterfall to make room for more plants of course....!

What a guy! Beautiful pond too, I'd love to see pictures of it when it's all settled back in. You had to make more room for many more coleus, right? LOL

Oh yeah ....I am going tp have to enlarge several of my beds before next spring...and with joy too!

Can I borrow him? or just have him take my husband for a conversive drive?
:D

Hello everyone. Hope everyone had a great holiday. I wanted to show you some pic of our new haul. Sugarweed we found the green trailer. It was the only coleus they had that I did not already have. Pickins are slim down here.

I also wanted to show you how the persian shield is doing this year. We planted them in the same place but they are so much larger and prettier this year.

We have such fun on this corner with out plants. My son has started cutting the grass for me and he is quick to tell us "there is room for another plant on that deck". Every time one of the gang comes to visit they come with new plant in hand. yeah.... here is the shield.. shirleyt

Shirley, that Persian Shield is gorgeous! Wonder what it would look like in a pot on my balcony.

Have my first Brug bloom that opened last night. Still open this morning, so I got a pic. This is Frosti Pink. I am addicted to brugs now thanks to our dear Brinda who is a great enabler when it comes to plants. She got me started on this last year and these are the only plants my husband shows any interest in. He was the first one out there last night with the flashlight. :0) I guess some varieties must blooms earlier because there are about 10 more blooms on the two of these that I have. The huge one from last year that I overwintered doesn't seem to be inclined to do anything yet. Oh well. Sorry to be off topic here with the brug talk.

Have a great day. I have to go to a clients now and pull a bunch of poison ivy. Can't wait. :(.

Juanita

revclaus ...I think shield would do fine in a large pot. You would need to plant it in a partial sun/shade area of your deck. They do not like our summer hot hot sun, they droop if it gets around 90 no matter how wet they are. I mixed it in one of my pot several years ago. I will see if I can find a pic for you. As I remember I just stuck a cutting in and away it went. Sometimes they root easily sometimes no...shirleyt

Hey Brinda...Are you ok now... sounds like you are a dynamo. PP is doing ok.... Hap hello .....how goes it in Florida. Sandy is going to Tampa for a week with sixteen teen agers and some of the parents for a VB camp at the University of Tampa. She does this every year. She loves Florida.They all have a great time. We would love to move there. oh well I can dream can't I.

I love all the things Janet and Connie are making. If I was not such an old woman I would get into that. It looks like such fun. I want a big butterfly....I have a small one over my sink that I just love.

G' Morning' Folks!

It's hot! I mean it's HOT!!! Walked Grace this morning and then mowed the front yard. I sure miss my trees out front. Used to be it was nice and shady out there to mow. I had to get a dish towel wet with cool water and drape it around my neck so I wouldn't get heat stroke out there! The sun hadn't completely come over the house or else I would have waited until this evening to mow. I mowed the back yesterday evening when it cooled down some. Was still about 90 out there though.

Kell, how's that leg doing? We haven't seen you and I'm worried about you. I hope it's feeling better and not bruised. We'd love to see photos of your many holed pot whenever you get it planted. Mine is doing fantastic. The Calico Cat Topiary is also filling in very nicely.

ShellaBella, hang on to him. Anyone willing to get down in the stuff is a keeper! Looks like a fantastic pond. Please show us more.

Shirley, everything looks great! Your Persian Shield is gorgeous. I've never had good luck with them here. Connie has them growing like weeds but she has so much more shade than I do. She's given me a cutting and it's still alive.

Rvnsbrk, that is one gorgeous Brug. I've just started to really appreciate them this year. Mine is blooming like crazy since I put those tree spikes in the ground. There are about 10 blooms open right now.

Last night I was watering the front yard and after I got done, I was spraying off the front of the house. I squirted the hose behind the cedar shutters and out jumped a little green tree frog, landing right next to me on the vinyl siding of the house. I released the trigger on the hose and was bending over to look at him. He jumped and landed on my finger. I laughed out loud and he jumped again, landing on a canna. I told him he could have as many bugs as he could eat. He was such a sweet little thing. Cute with a capital "C"!

We're going to be making a trip to San Antonio sometime this week. Not sure exactly when. Hubby's Aunt is coming in from California on her way to Ohio. She is stopping by SA to visit another one of the Aunts. So we are going to go invade Mom's house (with permission). She's in Virginia now so the utilities will be slim, only electric and water, no cable, phone or internet. We've got cell phones though and the local channels and Fox do come in on one of the TV's.

We're not looking forward to the drive, but will be glad to see the Aunts. We haven't seen the one that lives in SA in about 25 years. She was very close to his mother. His mom passed away in 1981 before any of our kids were born. We got to visit with the traveling Aunt last summer when they stopped by Beaumont on a trip to Florida. She looks so much like his mother that it's uncanny. Beautiful lady! We'll have to eat out while there because Mom cleans out the fridges while she's gone and I don't want to take a chance on forgetting and leaving something in the fridge. Going to be an expensive weekend for us, but worth it!

I took some cuttings of my Rum Runner Hibiscus yesterday. They look pretty good this morning. I'm planning on taking them to the round up in Houston on the 26th. I hope they have roots by then. Earlier this year I took some cuttings from the Tequila Sunrise hibiscus that Randy gave me last year. They have all done well.

Better go take something out of the freezer to cook for dinner tonight. Yesterday I cooked pork ribs in the oven from 10 am 'til about 7 pm. They fell off the bones and were so tasty!

Shirley we were typing at the same time. Thank you so much for your kind words. We have such a great time when we make the sculptures. We were talking the other day about them while sunbathing in her pool. I told her we need to finish the dragon we started last November. We talked about what needs to be done. And then after a while, got out of the pool and went shopping instead. It wasn't too awful hot and neither of us was looking forward to firing up the torches. We have her shop to work in, which has a window unit AC in it. But the shopping sounded better. What can we say? HAHAHAHA

Sounding like a great plan to me. Would you believe me if I said I never ever go shopping.... If I need something I have my professional fetcher (Sandy) do it for me or I let my fingers do the talking on the computer. I just cannot bring myself to leave the PP for the time it would take to go into town. I know I know. I ammmmm a little mental but what can I say. I prioritize everything and now PP is top priority with me. Brin here is a shot of the old house and its fixed roof and porch. Now to get it painted new fix the windows and start inside. At least I have it secured. Maybe some day I will live there again. We do not have the porch the way we want it this look is temporary.

shirleyt:

your garden is doing well, and the new front porch/roof are looking good.

thanks for sharing with us.

Janet

Shirley, What a charming looking place!!!!

I am the same way...hardly ever leave the house for much of anything. I love to go junk shopping on the weekends, but haven't done alot lately. We consolidate our errands to one day a week since gas went up so much. We work from home on the computer and I love internet shopping...!
There is so much to keep me busy at home that I hardly ever get bored.
I almost don't know how to act anymore if we go anywhere...lol!

Hey Janet (in Ohio)! Good to see you here. Do you have coleus growing in your new beds also? How close are you to Baker's Acres? Chris (goodolebake) has got some real beauties at his place.

Shirley, it looks wonderful! So glad to see the repairs have been made. Take it one step at a time. Nothin' wrong with your priorities gal. Gotta take care of family first... always!

Shella, I also work from home. During tax season, I'm glued to this machine. after tax season, I try and find things that I can do to make a little spending money, and still be on the computer. I like wearing shorts and tank tops to "work". ^_^ I also like working in my pajamas! HAHAHA

I do enjoy shopping the thrift stores though and Sundays and Mondays are 50 cent days at our Goodwills. Certain colored tags are only 50 cents.

And yet another good reason to work from home... Everyone's on their way here for lunch. My job is to go get some pizzas at Papa John's. The youngest daughter works there so we get everything half off, as long as we pick it up. Can't beat that with a stick. Sure beats those boring sandwiches I've been eating. ^_^

Later Taters!

Janet

Nice to meet ya Janet...I have been admiring ya'lls work from a far for sometime...lol!

I am from Texas and lived there a good part of my growin up years. Lived in the Rio Grande Valley and South Padre Island was my beach. I lived in Austin for a few years too.
I love SA , but haven't been there in a long time. East TX is really pretty too. Love the woods there.
I have always wanted to learn to work with metals. Some day I will learn to use a torch, when it's cooler out! Other than that I have done lots of creative stuff over the years, from sewing to concrete sculpture to trying my hand at fine art.

DH and I trade for a living. We trade mostly the European and US markets, therefore I am usually very early to bed and get up about 2am.

Makes for a pretty dismal nightlife and weekends are hard because we are big on family and there is always lots of them around in the evenings on the weekends.... kids and grand kids...but we love it! I wouldn't trade working from home for a regular job again!

I have recently become a Coleus nut along with all my other nutty ways...I think it's so amazing that one can have sooo many colors and variations in one type of plant...!!

Michelle :)

I know what you mean shellabella. We have a constant flow of grand kids and children and friends nurses and therapist coming in and out all the time. My kitchen is a short order restaurant to the point that my son bought me a fancy sign for the dining room that says Garden Cafe open daily. We have a family party every Sunday evening. Soooo I do not need to go anywhere. I am content right here. After the horror of Katrina it is so nice to be comfortable again...

Amen Shirley...you sound like a very busy lady at home...sounds just like us!.....Sorry you had to go thru Katrina. I went thru something similar when I was a little girl, but then I had my Mom and Dad to worry about all the hard decisions that had to be made...I was lucky to have such great parents. I remember having to go stay with my Grandparents until the house was ready for us again...wasn't so bad for a kid.

Dh and I enjoy the Saturday night family dinners we have...we both love to cook and bake. He is just great that way....sometimes we fuss a little over who gets to cook what when...lol!

Gardening gets me outside and away from the computer for a little excercise which I badly need...lol! Gives me a creative outlet which I always have to have in my life.

Here's some of my Coleus ...all these beds need to be expanded in the near future!

Your beds are lovely Shella. Love the combination of colors you've got going on there. That Torentia (sp?) on the left is so pretty. Connie got one of those this year for the first time. She's moved it to several different spots and has finally found it's final home. It stays pretty all day long, even in our heat. It only gets a couple of hours of sunlight and the rest is in partial shade. I love those little faces in the blooms. Thank you for your kind words about mine and Connie's work. She handles all of the work with the torch. She has really gotten good with it too, making it work for her now.

Shirley, Saturn is taking over the world at your house. That's the biggest Saturn I've ever seen!

Well the kids came, they ate, they made cookies, we ate 'em, and now they've gone home for naps. I could use one of those myself. The grandbabies are now 2, 3, and 4. They do a lot of fussing and the moms had a terrible time with them today. They had all gotten up early this morning, so they probably should have stayed home to begin with.

They sure do wear me out when they are all here. One or two of them isn't too bad, but all 3 is a bit much!

Janet

Janet (TX) funny you should bring up Baker's Acres as I'm headed there this Thursday to go check them out....LOL

Just trying to come up with a plan as we have the grandson here for two weeks and Thursday is my day to watch him (8 years old) don't know if he will really be wanting to go do that... but I'm just dieing to go....

Janet (OH)

Janet...I'm sure there's ice-cream somewhere on the way! A Blizzard can work wonders!

Here is a link to Baker's Acres site. http://www.bakersacresgreenhouse.com/ I found this in the Short Course thread ( http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/632031/ )towards the top, so not sure if it's a current link or not, but it ought to give you an idea of the plants he has. I'm thinking it's current because of theJuly Sale mentioning closed on Friday the 4th.

Take your camera and take lots of photos so we can drool. ^_^

Janet (TX)

Not only will I take pictures of whats there but I will be happy to take pictures of what I bring home....LOL

I hadn't check the site lately and now I've missed another sale..... Next year I told DH that we would be going to the evening sale where they have food and a band. I think that would be so much fun. Getting plants and eating and listening to good music.... Almost doesn't get better than that.

Ps (I've not forgotten about the pictures just been busy busy w/grandson)
Janet (OH)


edited to add, I just checked the site out and I'll be in time for the SALE!!!! I'm jumping up and down, I could almost pee my panties..... I'm so excited...

thanks for the headsup.

For sure there will be lots of ice cream on the way there and the way back....teee heeee


This message was edited Jul 8, 2008 8:41 PM

We'll be living vicariously through you Janet. So be sure to get enough coleus for everyone! HAHAHAHAHA Man, are we enablers here, or what? Yeah, and we're proud of it too!

I was reading about that night party the other day. Sounds like so much fun. I know you'll have a great time. Lucky that hubby likes to accompany you! I'd have to drag mine by the heels. HAHAHA

The other Janet (in TX)

note to the regulars here: As you can see, we've figured out a way to distinguish ourselves so y'all aren't confused by there being 2 Janets here

Welp, I'm confused! LOL Only kidding!


Janet (OH) welcome to the Coleus Forum and the madness that will follow! LOL

I'm in a hurry and just popped in to see many posts and I don't have time to read everything. I'll be back in the morning to get caught up.

Shirley, just beautiful! Tell PP hi from all of us!

Juanita, I love your Frosty bloom. It's been a long time since I've had a frosty bloom and I remember that I really did like it. Allan & I pulled the brug out of it's container last week and put it into a larger one and you might want to try that on the one that isn't doing much that I sent you last year. It sure helped here.

shellabella! I'd call you Michelle but I love the way 'shellabella' sounds!

Kell is in some really bad pain. But she goes to the doctor tomorrow and hopefully she'll get some relief. She really thinks that she might have a hairline fracture on her leg. It's been really swollen and turned black & blue.

OK... Allan is yelling at me... maybe I have a new bloom open or something else that he wants to show me. LOL

Love to all...

my experience has only been with just two maybe three varieties from Lowes, so what do yall suggest as must haves and do they do well in full sun or do they do best in shade?

HA HA HA Janet (TX) When DH wants to know why so many I'll just refer him to U!!!!!!! and he loves Texas so look out....LOL

Janet (OH)

Hello, this is Sharon from Las Vegas. My coleus are posted on Ding Ding Bargain in the Coleus Forum. I live in Las Vegas,. Please do not call us Sin City because it really ticks me off. We plant our Coleus in April. They are now just showing off. I have cutting if any one wants them. Just postage required. I leave for San Diego and the cool beach in two weeks for two weeks. Therefore, if anyone wants cuttings they need to let me know now. I love DG and all the info each one of you have to pass on.. Hello again Beaumont.

Janet (OH) I've never met a coleus I didn't like, so I'd be tempted to get one of each of them. ^_^ And you can always blame it on me. I don't mind at all. :-)

As for sun and shade, I'm still learning who likes what. I'd suggest that you snag Chris when you get there and let him know what you need . You're both in the same zone and he'll know which ones will do best for you. From everything I've read and seen here in this forum, he's the "Bees Knees" when it comes to coleus. I've seen his container arrangements in the Short Course thread and he really knows how to make a coleus shine like a star! The colors of the leaves change whether they are in sun or shade.

Just remember, that you'll be pinching off the flowers of them. Once they are allowed to flower, they die. (You'll be snapping off those flowers in Lowe's and Home Depot like the best of us in no time, just to save the plants!) You can make many more plants from them just by snipping off the leafy tops and planting them in your soil. (Check out the sticky at the top of the forum on rooting the cuttings. And don't worry if the cuttings look wilted for the first couple of days. They will spring back and amaze you with their beauty in no time.) One plant can go a long way, so you can try many different coleus to see which you like the best. Everyone has their own favorites. I like variety and there are so many color combinations of coleus, making them super stars in my book! They will add so much to your new beds.

The great thing is that should any of your "big babies" (Gorgeous Collies, for those that don't know) break off any of the stems, you can just re-plant them to start a new plant.

Hi Sharon! You have such a beautiful collection of coleus. Taking cuttings will only make them more bushy. Lucky you getting to go to San Diego. Two weeks on the cool beach sounds marvelous! I am not familiar with the geography out there, but hope you'll be far away from all of the fires.

Well I've only had a half a cup of coffee and my brain isn't fully awake yet. Talk to y'all after breakfast!

Janet

Keeping Kell and Ted in my prayers.

Well, you could have fooled me Janet, LOL.
I got to Chris's twice last year and you are a lucky gal meadowyck.
The goodies there are so pretty and be sure to visit the ladies room.
I could kick myself because I didn't and Baker's is known for their ladies room too.
He has ice cream bars there I believe.
Chris was just completing his new coleus house the last time I was there. He was installing a special thirp screening. Thirps are the bane of all coleus growers. (I hope I am spelling thirp right.) Thirps carry fungus and anything else that could be bad for our babies.
His nursery is one I could spend $500 at in a heartbeat. Alice,
Lala_Jane, and a few others have been NoH2O (Candy) was the first from here that we heard from. She went with me also.
I see coleus as the paint for my front yard. I love them.
It's cloudy out and I have more to plant.
Have a great day.
Ted, my heart is still with you.
Sidney

LOL Brin, Sue last night told me she read I was going othe doctors today, implying I had written it some where on Daves. I had no recollection for I have been laying low in my misery, she then said it was on the coleus forum. And it was really you! I thought I was going more nuts.

THANKS Janet! I go this morning to see the doctor. My lower leg is a mess. Looks terrible and feels worse. I did well with the pain up until yesterday and I can take no more. I want drugs!

I wish I too was going to Bakers. I need more coleus to make me feel better. Welcome Sharon from Las Vegas! You lucky duck going on such a vacation!

Shirley, I love your yard esp your oh so HUGE persian shield and Shellabella
I love your husband.

Have a great day everyone!

Kell I hope things turn out ok at the docs and you can get something to help with the pain!

That DH of mine is getting awfully popular....I must start keeping a close eye out for would be kidnappers... ( I'm sure he wouldn't mind the extra work if he was well fed tho) ...lol!

Ok Dumb question...what is Chris's? I am not familiar with that Nursery.

Chris is Chris Baker aka Goodoldbake from Baker's Acres. He's in Ohio. I've never been there, but drooled every time I see someone that comes back with plants from his place. ^_^

Ahhh. Dh family in Ohio....he wants to go there in Oct or maybe Sept.

Michelle, glad to see you posting over here. I had someone tell me I needed a pond this weekend, so I'll make a note for future reference.
I'm sorry I wasn't clearer about Chris Baker.
Here's one he had ready for some show last July.
I have many tiny toes this year and wish I had some pots this color.
;)