Why don't Americans love hedge like Brits?
sujiwan_gw 6b MD/PA
11 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (72)
Huggorm
10 years agopoaky1
10 years agoRelated Discussions
Poppies, everyone loves them, why don't I? [g]
Comments (16)Hi Dee :-) I started mine late too. I had a Fancy Mix and some of the poppies were really pretty. They do only last for a day each, and I understand they don't make good cutting flowers either. I can imagine the petals falling off by the end of day one in a vase. I have heard people suggest burning the end of the stem with a match but don't know if that improves their vase life. Never tried it. I didn't get any large animals messing them up, and I was blaming the rain for awhile, but I was out looking at them yesterday and wow, this latest heat wave has really hit them hard. They look even worse. I think they are just finished flowering and dying back and they would have done that regardless. Maybe not as floppy if there wasn't as much rain, but in New England, this is our weather..lol. Crazy, but it's always something I will also give them another try next year and plan to put them in a different location and put them between and among other plants to see if that makes a difference, and pull them when they start to get ratty. Did you have a favorite? I want to try Patty's Plum next year and Black Peony. I am going to winter sow them a little differently. Going to pull them this week. Supposed to get a lot of rain later today. Thanks Dee :-)...See MoreWhy don't more people grow vegetables?
Comments (82)keepitlow, at first I thought the thing about keeping shoes in your fridge was a joke taken out of context or something like that, but there was a link to the full article and... oh my gosh! You know, when I was in college and lived in a 300 square foot apartment I STILL tried to cook in my tiny kitchen. I had lived in the dorm the year before and was so sick of other people cooking for me and not having that control over my own food. I can't imagine just unplugging your fridge and eating take out all the time. I mean, yes, I do get take out sometimes, and go to restaurants, but if I lived on it... it's so fattening and so expensive! *** macky77, "'My soil won't grow anything and I can't afford or don't have time to build raised beds and buy all the special ingredients you NEED to make super soil.' The most common situations they cite are either living in rental properties with neglected yards or new developments where the topsoil was not replaced after construction." Well, as other people have said, yes, new developments can have awful soil. Bermudagrass sod doesn't take much. I live in a rental house with a neglected yard (at least until I got here). Actually it's kind of interesting to see what's hanging on in a yard where nature has been allowed to take over. I used to have scarlet sage growing in the front (hummingbirds LOVE that stuff) until the Lawn Police ordered us to mow it down, and in the back I have pigeonberry, black-eyed susan, wild sunflowers, and rain lillies growing, along with some other wildflowers I have yet to identify. I betcha the land is actually better off for it rather than being maintained as a Bermudagrass monoculture soaked in herbicides. But anyway, back to having good soil, this goes back to my idea that maybe people think growing veggies is harder than it really is. I live in south-central Texas. The soil here is clay with limestone rocks, and I'm growing stuff right in it. Didn't build any raised beds (don't want to build any permanent structures at a rental house). Potatoes didn't seem to like it, but tomatoes, beans, peppers, squash, etc. don't seem to mind one bit. Digging in it is a big of hard work, but it's better than gonig to the gym. I wonder if the garden media has anything to do with this. You know, TV shows with perfect looking gardens, soil you can dig with your bare hands, etc. I wonder if people actually think that veggies NEED perfect soil to grow. Sure they might grow better in perfect soil, but they can make do with what they've got. You don't have to be Martha Stewart. I see gardening as a partnership between me, the plants, and Nature. That means that I don't have to do ALL the work. Lots of plants grow just fine with no human help at all. Veggie plants have evolved alongside us for a while and now need some help, but I still feel like I'm letting them and Nature do most of the work. When people say they can't grow plants here because it's too hot or dry or we have bad soil or something, I always think of the Hopi and related tribes that lived off their gardens with no modern technology in the DESERT. I don't live in the desert, and I do have modern technology, and I do have the farmer's market and grocery store as a backup, so I think I have it EASY. Actually, it reminds me of something from Buffalo Bird Woman's Garden where she talks about how white people don't know how to plant things right. I forgot specifically what it was she was talking about, but I only wonder what she'd think if she saw our gardens today....See MoreWhy don't I like double flower Amaryllis?
Comments (47)Let me clarify if I may. The phyto is obtained by the sender only, not the receiver and the cost is determined by the govt where the sender lives. It costs around $50 in Aus. and anywhere from $10-30 in most other countries. As the receiver you only need an import permit and in the U.S. this is totally free and the form takes as much as 5 minutes to fill out if you are having a cup of coffee while you do it. You only need to list a couple of species/hybrids and once you get it you can import thousands of bulbs of any species that is not CITES protected even though you never put it on your list in the first place. By the way, you only need to list one country on your original import permit and then you can import from any country you want as well. I have been doing this for many years now and have talked with the people at our APHIS/USDA office numerous times to get these points clarified in person. Trust me when I say this is totally trivial...totallY!! The only problem you will have is sometimes the bulbs are not packed as well as they should be or are packed the slightest bit damp and then you have some that arrive with fungus or rot. If you are importing bulbs that are tougher than Amaryllis you can simply expect some loss....everyone has this problem that I have ever talked to about importing that does it in significant quantities. All the best if you decide to do it :o) Dan...See MoreWANTED: Condiments -like? Don't like? Want to try?
Comments (38)In general, I don't like condiments that are sweet, and that includes ketchup, although I use it on a rare occasion. I especially dislike sweet mustards (although I love all other mustards) and I also dislike sweet pickles and sweet BBQ sauce. Don't like Miracle Whip either. What I do like: tangy mustards, Thai curry paste, wasabi, horseradish, chili sauce (without tomato), Mexican salsas (red and green), and most complex spice mixes that are not sweet. I generally omit cinnamon and nutmeg in spice mixes, or else greatly reduce the amount of those spices, which is one reason I make my own Thai curry paste - and omit the cinnamon altogether. I like all vinegars, even the sweet Balsamic ones, and so there is a bit of a contradiction there. Sweet is okay if it is balanced with sour, but I tend to prefer tart, bitter, and spicy. It takes me over a year to go through a 5 pound bag of sugar, and I tend to use that up mostly at Christmas time. I like fruits for desserts, and I use preserves on occasion, but not on a regular basis. I do make my own fig preserves and give most of it away. The only chocolate I eat is bittersweet, but then I can't eat milk chocolate anyway. Lars...See Morepoaky1
10 years agoHuggorm
10 years agofloral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
10 years agowhaas_5a
10 years agodavidrt28 (zone 7)
10 years agopoaky1
8 years agoUser
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoDave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoedlincoln
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agosujiwan_gw 6b MD/PA
8 years agomad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)
8 years agoviper114
8 years agobengz6westmd
8 years agoHuggorm
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoviper114
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoUser
8 years agokentrees12
8 years agoUser
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agosujiwan
8 years agoUser
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agofloral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
8 years agokrnuttle
8 years agofloral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
8 years agowisconsitom
8 years agoLaura Ross
7 years agoUser
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoNHBabs z4b-5a NH
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agosam_md
7 years agoDave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoEmbothrium
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoLogan L Johnson
7 years agopoaky1
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agopoaky1
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoEmbothrium
7 years agopoaky1
7 years agoUser
7 years agoDeborah lippitt
4 years agofloral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
4 years agoDeborah lippitt
4 years agoNHBabs z4b-5a NH
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agogardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
4 years agoDeborah lippitt
4 years agofloral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
4 years agoDeborah lippitt
4 years agofloral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
4 years agoDeborah lippitt
4 years agoHU-456353534
9 months agoHU-456353534
9 months ago
Related Stories
GARDENING GUIDES9 Low-Growing Hedges That Make Good Neighbors
Define garden areas or borders without blocking the view, with these evergreen shrubs that take kindly to trimming
Full StoryDECORATING GUIDESWedding Fever: Brit Design on the Mind
Union Jacks and More Fly High as Royal Wedding Draws Near
Full StoryPRODUCT PICKSGuest Picks: Bringing Brit Chic into Your Home
Celebrate England's big year with 20 pieces inspired or designed by British tastemakers
Full StoryMOST POPULARHow to Hang the American Flag at Home
We’ll show you how to display the American flag on your house for Memorial Day, the Fourth of July or all year round
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDESThese Hedges Can Add Interest to Your Winter Garden
Evergreen trees and shrubs provide structure and color in the winter months — and can attract wildlife too
Full StoryARCHITECTURE6 American Takes on Tudor Style
Classic elements and modern twists create plenty of variations on this medieval architectural style
Full StoryROOTS OF STYLERoots of Style: The Indelible Charm of American Tudors
Rich details and an intimate scale give this English-inspired architectural style memorable character and flexibilty
Full StoryFUN HOUZZDon’t Be a Stickybeak — and Other Home-Related Lingo From Abroad
Need to hire a contractor or buy a certain piece of furniture in the U.K. or Australia? Keep this guide at hand
Full StoryLANDSCAPE DESIGNTouches of Grandness for the Garden
You don’t need a king-size yard to add a little formality to your landscape with fanciful hedges, topiaries and paths
Full StoryDECORATING GUIDESHouzz Tour: Much to Like About This Traditional Beauty
New elements mix well with old in a New Jersey family’s elegant and comfortable colonial revival home
Full Story
uptightbuyer