Chit Chat - Everyone Welcome - Part 120

Isn't it amazing the difference a couple miles makes (It's less than 10 miles)? I had terrible frosts this year.

Hello - newbie here just wanted to say hey.

Welcome DiverDown

Welcome DiverDown jump on in .

Hi Diver

Good Morning All!

Welcome to the group DiverDown!

Got some more beds planted and mulched yesterday and repotted some of my plants. Was in the yard from 9am to 6pm, came in and did laundry and got things situated for work today.

Seems strange to be going to work!

Everyone have a great day and enjoy the weather and the gardens

Linda

Good Morning to all.

I can't believe I beat Hetty to the site, she must be busy today.

Hi Diver
Welcome to the family! Are you new to gardening? Whatcha got growing?
Jan

Good morning - overslept - gotta run.....

good morning y'all

star,

My wife and I took a ride to Fort DeSoto the other day, and I couldn't help noticing how there was no frrost damage at all to trees, landscaping plants, etc. It looked as though this winter had passed right over the area.

It's amazing how the ocean moderates temperature. My neighborhood looks like a war zone!

Steve

Good morning all! Hello Diver, welcome

Darla

Welcome Diver. I am new too. Have fun.

I agree, Steve. My family lives in Brooksville, and I have never seen so much damage. My neighborhood is in bad shape too. All inland places. My 4 year old "annual" Penta froze into the ground, as well as all my Firespike, but luckily it will come back. Lost a Mango and Longun tree though.

I was Honeymoon near Dunedin, and it didn't show major signs of damage. A little cooler in the summer and a little warmer in the winter.

Good morning all! Welcome Diver!

Morning all. : )

Headed out to go babysit again. You guys and gals behave. : )
Welcome Diver : )

~Lucy

Paul, I thought everyone was joking about your living in a tent. I was just reading some of your input on the "homesteading" thread and now I'm beginning to wonder! Apparently, if you don't... you could! I'm impressed.
Marianne

I have a snake question. I found a small black snake with a red ring around it's neck in the pool yesterday. Paul or anyone know what it might be?

Ring neck snake--no kidding. LOL

http://enature.com/fieldguides/detail.asp?source=&parkid=&searchText=&allSpecies=&shapeID=1060&lshapeID=0&curAbbr=&lastView=default&lastGroup=7&lastRegion=&lastFilter=4&lastShapeName=&trackType=&curRegionID=2211&size=&habitat=&fruit=&color=&sortBy=family&curFamilyID=®ionSelect=Florida®ionZIP=&curGroupID=7&lgfromWhere=&curPageNum=6

I had one on my lanai last year and a baby at my front door a couple of months ago, but they were not like those in the pictures, wren. The black looked like velvet almost and the red ring around the neck was a bright red. It was a very pretty snake.

Hi all, enjoyed all the pictures, beautiful as always..
Haven't been on the computer as the ribs bother me if I sit too long. Anyway special effort today as I saw a couple of ads that may help someone. .

Garden Center Manager.Exp.English.T-S 9-5. In person only 36923 Blanton Rd, Dade City. 33523.

Ornamental Nursery Telemarketeer. Mon-Fri 8-5. Lithia Established customer base. Basic computer skills. Plant knowledge desired.$25-35K Call Tobias Smith. 813 689 3601.

This message was edited Mar 30, 2009 12:54 PM

More interesting ads.

Composted Worm Manure 40-50lb bag $5.95. Delivery available 20 bag minimum. or Pk/up. 352 796 0459.

Spring Hill Garden Club Plant Sale Friday and Saturday April 3-4th at the clubs nursery 1489 Parker Avenue , off Spring Hill Drive. Plants for sale reasonable, baked goods and botanical tours. info 352 683 9933.

Hi all, welcome to our new members!! Not going to try to answer all others, went to the beach over the weekend, bad decision, very windy Fri & Sat, then rain Sun morn. Not really complaining about the rain we really need it. Haven't done much in the yard, waiting on my coleous to get big enough to put in my beds. Lorine

Magi,

Are the worm castings at Best Buy Worms in Masaryktown? I've been there several times. I just bought 8 bags, a week ago.

Steve

The ring snake comes in a couple of colors.

Thank you all for the warm welcomes.

I'm not exactly new to gardening but I am by no means an expert.

At the moment my yard is embarrassing. Between the drought and the sprinkler system failing and some very nasty catepillars and . . . . Let's just say I'm pretty much starting over - on a budget - so this will be a work in progress for some time. But are we ever really finished?

My survivors are one lone loripetalum, a crepe myrtle, a few frangipani (or plumeria if you prefer), golden dewdrop, night blooming jasmine, a little gem magnolia, a white bird (that needs to be thinned out) and some things I want to kill. Very sad. I figured out today that I have at least 7,000 square feet of soft scape area and most of it needs something.

At this point I'm doing research and trying to decide what I want and where I want it, and who should live with whom for similar watering and light needs.

Evening all..

Steve it probably is the same place, I need to get some but not right now. It is so frustrating not being able to do anything!. DH thinks he is on vacation this week boy is he in for a surprise!.I have already had him out tonight with the watering can.... lol, the list is endless... First thing tommorow I have to get him digging up shampoo ginger for a sale I made today then he has a trip to the p.o. with that and all the other stuff sold.

Hi diver and starsplitter , welcome to DavesGarden :). Diver kill things???

Hetty and Budgie you are making me feel old with your 21 yr olds.. :) , my eldest son is 35 this year.

Welcome After last winter are we not all starting over?

I think you have that right Wren, although I have been surprised at some things coming back from the roots and ones I thought may have survived are toast.

Ones which surprised me coming back ( to think of a few, will try and think of more ) are musical note, australian tree fern, black pearl peppers, llochroma.
Total losses are cassia atala, lavender lantana, some tibs, weeping hibiscus, crotons, pineapples, my huge dragonfruit, orange tree,

Some survivors are pretty sad though

A former owner planted some things in very bad places. I've gotten rid of most of them at this point including 2 queen palms planted 3 feet from the roof edge. The fronds were ruining the shingles as they constantly brushed across them. An Areca palm planted on top of the water line as it entered the house - it spread to cover the pipe to the septic tank. The five lovely ficus trees, and one beautiful banyan (I promise I am being facetious with my adjectives). Roots from these monsters were threatening the foundation. Limbs from the banyan streatched across the ridgeline of the roof. I'm fortunate that I took those out before Frances and Jean blew into town.

Still have one areca palm next to the patio, and some dwarf sheffelera, also next to the patio. The sheffelera might get to live if I can tame them. Areca's are a haven for palmetto bugs and should never (imo) be planted next to concrete - or fences - or pools.

All my life I've watched people plant cute little plants that they purchased - right against the house never checking to see how big it will get. I would bet the banyan was four to six feet tall when it was planted.

DiverDown (welcome!) I hear you. One thing that always gets me is the beautiful and very popular Bismarck Palms that people plant close together, or to structures. These palms are really only beautiful if they have space around them. Such a shame, since they end up taking them down, in the end.

So - what plumeria do you have?

Shoot - that reminds me - I've got some cabbage palms trying to grow. They're just showing up - naturally inches from the fence.

I'm pretty sure I've got Madeira plumeria trees. They need to be trimmed back. I've never really trimmed them other than taking some new starts. They're just starting to show growth, do you know if this is a good time to cut them back? All of my P are from one seed (started one seed and took cuttings from it for more trees).

I do want to add another color - I had a really deep deep pink that grew outside my bedroom window of the house I was raised in. Wish mom had taken a cutting when they sold the house, but . . . oh well.

Well diver you can always throw an areca my way :)

You are right about the plantings though against houses I have huge oleanders and silverthorns to move. The other thing I have come up against is the sprinkler system which was put in when these cute plants were small and now for instance hit one huge bush , saturate that and the rest recieve nothing.Another project.
I also have 9 queen palms with dead fronds all over the place right now and sweeping the roof (eek bug transferance!) .
I think I need Hetty's chainsaw neighbor!. They are the dirtiest, messiest ( probably not a word or if it is not a correct spelling but you know what I mean !) bits fall off and flatten plants underneath, the fruit is a bug haven and again does not do the plants underneath any good.

It is the only thing that I wished had died in the freezes!. .

Wow! You guys and gals have been chatty today on the threads! Love all the pictures. You are right Sandy and Fluerone--after last winter many of us are starting over from scratch. I have had some survivors but not alot.

Started the new job today. The guy who had been working there quit Friday so I went into a blind situation. I had to figure out ALOT today!!! I was thrown in the deep end of the pool and was up to my a$$ in Alligators for most of the day but got alot sorted out, figured out all the equipment, and got some signs and proofs out the door today--hopefully tomorrow will go smoother and get more done. I wound up working 10 hours though and am still trying to unwind! Should be in bed but will stay up til 10 tonite and wind down a bit!

Looks like we have more rain coming our way--Yippee! I won't have to water daily for 2 hrs when I get home! and the plants love it!!

Hetty--I have a small Plummie Seedling that survived the winter and is putting out leaves and 2 other 3' that should start leafing out. I lost 8 of the large ones in the ground and tossed them. No ID on any of the ones left tho. Some of the brugs have started coming back and I will get more as time goes by.

Everyone have a good nite--sleep well and dream of blooms!

Linda

You want the areca - come dig it up and it's yours. My dogs may hate me for that. They think it's marks part of there race track. Oh - and they love pulling out dead fronds to play tug-of-war.

As for the sprinklers - I knew enough when I layed out my system to avoid that problem. My dad really thought I bit off more than I could chew when I said I was installing a sprinkler system. As I lay out some new planting beds, I'll have to modify the system but since I designed and installed it, I know where everything is and how the modifications will affect the existing.

This message was edited Mar 30, 2009 8:41 PM

Speaking of palms, I bought a 6' Majesty Palm at Sam's Club. We were going to replace one that we lost in The Big Freeze.

We changed our minds, and decided to plant grass in the spot that the palm took up.

I don't have anyplace to put the Majesty. It's still in a pot. If anybody wants it, they're welcome to it.

Steve

Diver, I would love to but I am not capable of digging anything right now but thank you .
The sprinklers were put in here 12 years ago, what the landscapers put in at the time the house was built have matured.

Linda you are so right , so many losses.

Steve I will buy the Majesty off you, bring it whe you come up here.

Anyway Goodnight all. take care

Well, hope you all don't mind, but I started another thread - #121, as this was getting very long -

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/969521/

Bismarkia>