plant swap

We've likely scared a lot of people away by our completely random way of continually changing the subject on every thread. I blame rock and roll.

And those wild plant parties~ Who knows why staying on topic is so hard for people who live in such a beautiful!! Perhaps to stay drier when wandering around other's yards?
Sofer, it is so a green house.How many people do you know with grow racks in their basements? there is a whole thread about it.The windows need installed and other little projects, but it will work for this year for sure.
Want to put in some skylights, but difficult to do when all the electrical wires run along the ceiling and down the walls, but going to do it next summer when the weather is nice again.

And we couldn't unhitch the red truckfor fear of never getting it hooked up again, and I parked it, with the help of two tractors! And personally I wish my Pa would have hit the barn harder and knocked it down!!

Yes, Pix - I'm afraid we probably have scared a few people away - we sometimes have three or four conversations going on the same thread at any one time. Do you think it's something in the water?

Gordon - Wish I could have seen the team of truck and tractor drivers. You've precision-positioned the trailer in a nice location. And boy will there be room for lots of plants in that greenhouse once you have it ready . . .

Gordon, I am astounded - I need to get my DD to visit Dave's and this thread, or at least send her a photo of what you've done. She is still talking about how much she enjoyed going to your place and meeting everyone.

Change topic? Us? Naaaaaaa . . . but wish you could have seen me laughing when we spilled at least a half a gallon of paint on my dining room carpet!!!

Murmer, a half gallon of paint on the carpet ? I wonder how many folks would try to get it up with the vacuum cleaner.

Balvenie, we just happened to have a huge bag of rags (for minor paint cleanup, of course) and used them all sopping it up. Then, because I had borrowed my younger daughter's steam cleaner, I spent a couple hours - literally - working on it, then spent a long time cleaning up the steam cleaner. There's still a pretty good stain on the carpet, but I'll deal with it. The wall color is heavenly!

Back to Gordon's greenhouse . . . sorry I changed topic - lol!

Gordon - We're so envious! What a great idea. We're those people with the grow racks/light set up only ours will be in the garage for around 6000 seedlings. It's our makeshift GH.... your set up is so much nicer and self contained

Pixy - hope your iris turn out wonderful this spring. If not, let me know I'll have plenty to share.

Murmur - get arty with the carpet. I remember my mother's friend - always absolutely skint, champagne taste and 1 beer a week budget, but incredibly creative - she bought a really, ummm, intereting carpet for under their dining table, then began splashing it with paint, lots of colours and really rubbing it in. When it dried she went over it with one of those dog grooming wire brushes, and then painted all over it with a light colour, dried it, and 'groomed it again - it was magic, just magic. Had that lovely shabby chic look, very boho before there was such a thing. I've always wanted to do it - except I never have any carpets!!

OK the carpet first I spilled varnish on my carpet while I was rigging my sailboat and doing the teak varnish in my condo. I just mopped up the large amount and put a big rug over it to make it look unaffected. When the renters moved in they spent a whole week eliminating it from the rug. I thought they were good renters then. LOL
Now Grow lights in Seattle are a bad idea. Look at all of that electricity you are using for a non-essencial purpose. How can you live with yourself in a state that the world looks to to be led in the "green" way. (Quote Seattle's Mayor)

Steve - it's either grow lights or mushrooms. We don't get any sun in the winter . . . I don't know about you, but I want more!!

Uh, our power is hydroeletric. Not coal burning like in Montana, shame!!!! I wouldn't use grow lights, just regular shop flourescen lights and you have to with 8.5 hrs of light a day.
Geez, how much greener can a recycled home be? So far I am into the whole thing $65.42. Blocks wre 97 cents each, and bought a tube of caulking. Windows are all out of the old barn, and if you wandered in there you know there is alot of weird and cool stuff out there.
I haven't done a paint spill, but I have been laying hardwood floor and almost got done, just around the island prep area when I hit the water line. Water filled the floor pretty fast! Even though we dried it up pretty good and levt 3 heaters on it all night, the next day boards were already warping. Had to pull out nearly the whole floor and start over. My dad deducted the wood we had to replace out of my check, I was kind of mad, but only in my 20s then. Now, I would offer before he even said a word.

Dog tired working on that thing all day. It goes excruciating slow going my dad's speed! Just makes it that more tiring! But on the way down I noticed the hibiscus in full bloom, and I always seem to miss it! But not this time! I really love being able to go out and find something new blooming even this late in the year!

Nice!! So do you think you'll have the windows in before winter? Wow!!!!

Done! Just have to redo the inside now. You wouldn't believe how big it is inside! And would be so easy to turn into a little retail shop later. Just wait till I start painting it!

I can believe it. It looked huge when they dropped it off. So you have all the windows in already? Awesome!! Now you just have to lift those plants and put them in there.

Are you going to run electricity out there to maintain the heat and to add any light?

Gordon, all I can say is WOW! That is incredible and so exciting to think of your eventual retail shop! Do you have a name yet for your nursery? (My apologies if that's been covered somewhere else.)

Ladybugg, it's tillysrat who has the iris. I think you meant to offer them to her.

Let's see sofer, how guilty do I feel using florescent lights to grow plants in the winter??? Hmmmm. Let me think.....(this is where the Jeopardy song plays) . 0. I feel 0 guilt. Nada.

Murmur, I think we're trying to get him to give the nursery some kind of 'man plant' name. He already has the golf tees that he uses to keep the hose off his plants. You should post a photo of that, Gordon. The other men on here would get a kick out of it. Maybe some women, too. Who knows?

It was almost like summer today!

Say, Soferdig, on another thread awhile back, you mentioned that birds of prey are less attracted to specific colors and were less likely to go after prey of that color. Was it red you mentioned? My son's friend has a little Maltese puppy and I was telling her about the color thing and could not remember exactly if the color was red.
This is Charlie, age 13 weeks. He is really a cute dog and very friendly and playful. Franny (our oldest Aussie)is not impressed, however, and pretty much ignores him. I don't think our other aussie, Skip, even knows that Charlie is a dog. He hasn't shown the least bit of irritation at Charlie's existence.

OMG - he's so cute it hurts!!! I can't remember what color it was, either - seems to me it was white. But that's probably because that's the color that stimulates sight hounds to hunt. I must be getting them confused.

I can only dream of having a greenhouse with lots of artificial light. Got the whole lawn mowed today and several things cleaned up. Was just outside enjoying the warm temperatures (I gardened today in the sun in shorts and a tank top and thought I was going to get sunburned!!) and planning again for the 100th time where I'd be putting my greenhouse someday.

I think I have a pet bunny in the front yard. Tues-Friday last week I came around the corner (my driveway is the end of a road) and saw him sitting in the middle of the drive up to the road. Allegro and Honey were sitting in the front today just staring at the bushes - I think Honey knows there's a bunny out there. Allegro just knew that Honey knew there was "something" interesting out there. Goofy bunny. Goofy cats. I just hope the bunny stays out of the back yard.

Oooooooh that puppy is precious - does he need a home by any chance? I'd be willing to sacrifice much of my life and rescue him.

LOL! You and me both, Carole! No the puppy was a gift to Andrew's friend for her birthday, and also because her dad just went to Iraq. He's such a cute little guy!

Say Rob, I've identified the grass you were giving away at the swap. It's Pleioblastus variegatus - a rhizomatus grass.
http://www.taunton.com/finegardening/plantguide/pleioblastus-variegatus-dwarf-white-stripe.aspx

The only good thing in the old barn is power! It's still wired, so, just going to run an over head wire to the trailer.If the electrical is in tact I should be able to just hang some shop lights and move plants in. Seems that the color red is becoming very predominant outside, hence time to dig up tropicals.It seems to stay about 15 degrees warmer inside than out of the trailer. And that is with no heat or lights, so I should be able to bump that up anouther 10 degrees, and that would be super!

Gordon - you rock!

Gordon You Rock! But hydroelectric power along the entire west coast comes from Montana. Some small mountains called the Rocky Ones. We too have hydroelectric and use so little with our population we sell to all others and the coal fired electric is generated to sell to the SW to cool their homes. Enjoy the water we share with you (well it does come from Alaska origionally)
Now I too agree the little one is a doll but please paint it black or red because white is the color selected by all raptors.
Just a shot of the alpine meadows starting their fall color changes here in Juneau.

Gordon - nice going. I love that old barn (well, from the one time I was in there). I might have to see if I can't rent a spot for a few things. :-)

I heard you guys had a scare with bear repellent in the airport, Steve. Only in Alaska . . .

Thanks Sofer! (Oh, and thanks for sharing, too! It's nice to be a good energy neighbor!)
I will tell Charlie's 'mom' to put a little black and red on him. I'm glad I mentioned to her about the raptors. He was over at our house and needed to go outside to do his little doggy business. He was just so tiny on the grass that all I could think about was 'raptor lunch'. This is the smallest dog I've ever seen, and he's already 13 weeks old. You haven't lived until you've seen a dog that small chase a wadded up papertowel and shake it like there's no tomorrow! So Cute!


Okay, I'm mailing out envelopes with cuttings from the bunny plant to 7 people tomorrow, so be on the lookout. Some have roots already, some do not. I don't know who got what so if you got some roots with yours, just keep it quiet, okay? If your address is in the exchange or you emailed it to me, I have it. If not, I don't.

Sofer, ever here of the Colubia river? Powers most of the west coast with a few dams on it, no where near Montana.And there's these little mountains called the Cascades, they have snow on them that melts, there are alot of rivers here. I lived in Billings, the biggest city under the Big Sky, and the electricity was produced in town at the coal power plant. Biggest job provider in the area. Is ther even a dam in Motana or Alaska? I'm goign to feel stupid if I look and there is. Well, won't be the first or the last.

OOOh, the testosterone!! You can cut it with a knife!

Arrrrrruuuuuggggg! Grrrrrrowlllll, and Uuuuuumph. LOL Yes there are several dams in Montana. Flathead Lake, Wild horse lake, just 2 in our (flathead)county. Several on the East slope of Rockies, and a couple on the Yellowstone. And if you look at the source of that cummbia river you will see that only water that runs into it 'above' your dams is from the rockies and not the Cascades. Oh yes plus all the rain that falls in eastern washington. They (Cascades) just water your plants and give Seattle drinking water. There are 2 small ones on the Okanogan I think. We people in Montana get no thanks for all of the snow we store up for the cuuumbia to flow year round.

More like stupidity! So there is dams in Montana and one in Anaska. According to Mr and Mrs Wikipedia, the Alaskan Power gets most of their power from one dam. And Montana has 11 dams, they are all owned by Pennsylvania Power and it looks like the good citizens of montana would like their cheap powr back, just like we do. So , we in the NW are supposed to be super green , so the southern and NE states can waste all the energy they want? Ever see the world at night from space? Cool pic, the east coast and southern cal are lit up like one big light!!

Your preaching to the choir. I cannot agree more. Guilt drives green in the areas who dictate to us how to be green. We in Montana and you in Seattle are much more aware of green because it still exists around us and will long after the twin towers of NYC gets rebuilt.

Hi Steve! Just haveing fun! I know the way it works.Would you like to see my $600 power bills? Snohomish County PUD has the highest rates in the state. We got killed in the Enron mess. Thats where my power was coming from, we were buying it from Enron.Made in Washington, sold to Enron at profit, and sold to us at a bigger profit, and squandered profits to upper management. Sound about right?
Oh well, let me turn up the heat, a little nippy! Turn on the light so I can see, tun off the tv no one is watching, and do laundry and gab on the pc! It's only money!!

Oooooh. I like it when "we" argue around the sphere and come back to the cool, clear, green qualities of the beautiful Northwest.

Hey look! Plants!

ROFLMBO . . .

I too jest. But we in Montana are somewhat sensitive about water because all our Hydro dams need to be emptied early in the spring so downrivers' can irrigate and float salmon. Our lakes remain empty through our whole summer when we would love to boat on them. We have low levels in our Natural lake all winter because hydro is first and boating last. Flathead lake goes down 20' starting in October and doesn't get filled again until first of June. Lots of mud flats for early and late summer. I know about flood control and all that but that used to be Dec through April.

This message was edited Sep 28, 2008 11:22 PM

Good one Gordon! Back to the uniting power of plants to share the joy of life. I too have plants. Up in the mountains 2 days ago. Cow parsnips

Ah, the color green. and the blue of water. The Lakewood I live in sits on top of its own aquafer. We'd have to be in a drought for 7 years straight to run out of water in my neck of the woods. So the powers who be tried to get us to buy off on selling water out of state. I believe they heard quite a lot of shouting about that. Good thing, too, because who knew I'd still have to be watering some flowers at the end of September???

Hey, here's another plant! Yep, Gordon, that IS an abutilon!

Delightful scenery, as usual, Steve! Here's another scene from my backyard: It's Hydrangea Lane. If you look carefully, you will see a little fairy flying around in this photo.