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".... Im drooling ;). Maybe there could be enough room to accommodate myself, my partner and our two cats ;)....
Why don't we all buy FORTY acres together and just start a gardening commune? :)
lovemycorgi, I had to smile when I saw the reference to healthcare. I've always wanted to move a bit north and have a few acres and farm, and now that my kids are grown, and the mortgage paid off, I'm not sure I'm still young enough to do it lol. But even moreso, I also think about that proximity to healthcare. I live within 20 minutes to an hour's drive of some of the best hospitals in the country and that's a huge consideration when you get to be of a certain age!
:)
Dee
Each condo unit has a small fenced backyard as well as a deck or a small ground level patio. I have an elevated deck (3 steps) and the rest was/is bare lawn....of sorts ;-) And not very much of that. I have about 500 square feet to work with.
Except for some seasonal stuff, everything will live outdoors in containers year round. And out in the lawn area. A couple of smallish pots on the deck but not much room there for anything other than my herbs and summer vacationing houseplants.
The 'befores' are not very interesting and borderline scary (at least to me) but I'll be taking lots of 'afters'!
Good luck with it, I have a feeling it's going to be great. I find it fascinating that you are in the business, and are such a long time gardener and to downsize to a small space. I'm looking forward to seeing photos.
Black soldier fly larvae, maybe? If so, they're not a problem (and probably actually are beneficial).
Lol luckyladyslipper! I agree!
Thanks SyinUSA. I'll look into that!
:)
Dee
peren.all thanks for that recommendation! I've been contemplating Goats Beard for a few years and this little guy may fit better into my garden area. I'm sure I can squeeze him in somewhere!
:)
Dee
You are most welcome diggerdee! Always happy to enable and I am sure you can fit in one (or more) lol.
rouge will do!
rouge, yes I got that, lol, - I remember it being behind the chain link fence! (although I did think it was a neighbors yard, not a park) - but I'd still love to see photos of this garden as it fills in!
How well-maintained is that park? You don't think someone will come along and weed-whack the goats beard, do you? Sure hope not!
:)
Dee
I first used Garden Crossings about three seasons ago and I agree - I've been happy with their plants and their customer service. They're very prompt at replying to emails, and I think their plants are decent sizes and come in the mail in good shape.
Good luck with your plants!
:)
Dee
Nice to hear a positive review, I'll have to keep them on the list to consider should I need anything.
Yes, seems like they know what they're doing..I liked the careful packaging in addition to the plants. I think they had a big and nice selection.
Lol, thanks for that info! And thanks for the details, gg. I was thinking of them for a small slope but the "drying out" part might be a non-starter, at least for now. Realistically I won't get around to watering new plants enough so perhaps I'll hold off. They are lovely though, and at least in my neck of the woods, rather unusual - I don't think I've really ever seen any. Maybe in the future....
Thanks for the photos Henry!
:)
Dee
It is against a rock on the south side of the house
Also, I have no problem protecting it with frost cloth if the temp gets below -5 to -10
My first thought was phlox as well.
:)
Dee
Yeah, they do look like phlox. Well, phooey! I hope those two Cardinalis come back. I was got sick after I planted them last year. I briefly got to seem them bloom.
Hope your recovery was quick. If your L. c. was allowed to go to seed you should have seedlings come up as well.
Interesting. I planted an Otto Luykens about 5 years ago and am still waitiing for it to get higher than the 4 feet it's been for the last 3 years. I think I may have even posted about it, asking it's mature size. Was just outside today and was considering moving it, as it's in a privacy shrub border but not providing much privacy lol. Would love for mine to get like the one in Sam's photo!
:)
Dee
Yes, I wasn't clear. I was agreeing to it's being Prunus laurocerasus. It might not even be a named cultivar. There's quite a variety of leaf shape in seedling trees.
Most probably Prunus laurocerasus 'Schipkaensis'
SImilar to rosa, I've never worn shorts in public in my life lol. And I don't wear them to garden. I'm actually a vampire, so I hardly ever go in the sun and when I garden pretty much the only thing showing is my face. Socks, long pants, muck boots, long-sleeved shirts, gloves, baseball cap. So my sun protection kind of doubles as my tick protection.
In the fall and now, in the spring, when my gardening involves raking and moving a ton of leaves, and carrying them and brush, etc., I am more careful about covering everything and checking for ticks when I come in. During the summer I have to admit I don't bother as much.
No chemical sprays for me. IMO, why spray poison on myself daily to offset the smaller chance of a tick bite? I prefer to take my chances with a physical barrier (clothing). In 25 years of gardening I've been lucky and only had one tick on me which I removed in time.
:)
Dee
Omg. I was trimming and weeding my blackberries this afternoon and when I got inside I found a tick walking on my hand!
Thank you to everyone who commented!
Nothing wrong with posting to an old thread, IMO. It brings the subject back into conversation and can still offer opinions, advice, experiences, and photos!
:)
Dee
I have no issues with resurrecting old threads...........IF the late contribution adds to the discussion. However, when the new comments fail to address the subject at all and go off on another tangent (with a lot of holes in its concept) and further offering unasked for advice to the previous posters that have not been active on the forums for years, then I am compelled to respond.
I've have sometimes wondered what became of "Kevin" i.e, aachenelf z5 Mpls.
Thyme, what a lovely hellebore "plate" lol! I have been eyeing some of those hellebores in the Wedding series but they are on the expensive side.
I have some rather promiscuous hellebores. They were given to me by a fellow Garden Webber who got them in some kind of trial or overflow or something like that from a breeder. Hmm, maybe it wasn't a trial because they were unnamed. They are in shades of purple, some quite dark, and I like the nice early blooms to cheer things up. Anyway, they seed around quite a bit, so I am always giving some away. Makes me hesitate to buy more, although perhaps I should take out these and get the ones I really want - like those Wedding Series ones!
Not much in bloom now. My poor daffs got zapped by rain then freexing temps so they have gone a bit early. A flowering almond is about to bloom, and the above-mentioned hellebores are still going, and that's about it.
Even though there are not many blooms, this is my favorite time in the garden. After cleaning out the beds, everything is so new and fresh and green, and there is so much hope and anticipation! (Even if it WAS 33 degrees this morning lol!)
:)
Dee
Hmm, funny. I post to this thread, then go to my email and open one from Avant Gardens. Their blog post was about hellebores, epimediums and - jeffersonia! I had never even heard of this and now in the space of a half hour I've read about it twice lol. Maybe it's an omen...
:)
Dee
I am in southeast MA and we are having frost nearly every day! I am pretty sure that I bought my jeffersonia at Avant Gardens.
It was 35F here this morning, but already it is 42F with the sun up. Almost a frost. I suppose 90F days are right behind the late frost days. [g] I would think by now, I would be expecting this kind of volatile weather. And that it will continue to worsen too in a gradual way. But is it me, or is it just human nature to get lifted up by good weather and then get disappointed all over again, when the new weather patterns continue? I suppose I haven't accepted it.
Anyway, I think we are probably in the clear of cold mornings soon.
The sun is out this morning so I thought I'd try to take a photo or two of Hellebores. Most of them have fleshed out as much as they are going to, but this morning in the cold, they are not exactly ready for their picture. [g] I did get one that looks great! Best it has ever looked. It's probably double what it usually is. It's Hellebore 'Mellow Yellow'. I credit all the rain we've gotten.