I am now the neighborhood joke

14 years ago

I just need a place to lick my wounds a little, and this seemed like the right place. 2 years ago I built the beautiful white picket fence in the front yard, and dreamed of having roses all along it- spilling in between the pickets -spilling over the pickets. Well mother nature had different plans with her underground river, and almost all my carefully selected roses almost died. My choices were 1. give up on having roses, or any other plants along my fence, and just setttle for a lawn, or 2. Use some kind of raised containers or beds to plant roses in. Well, I tried wine barrels, and it just looked crummy. It was hard to maintain, and the roses never met their full potential. I also didn't like looking at 10 wine barrels in a long line. So, I had 2' high x 2' deep, by 17-1/2' wide (the other one is 15' long) brick planters built along the fence, with just enough room in between to paint the fence. EVERYONE has told me that they look horrible, ugly, overkill, awkward, etc. . True, you can't see the fence from one side, now, but you couldn't see it with plants there either. I don't think it looks bad, but maybe I am blinded by the fact that I just want roses there , no matter what. Tomorrow I will plant the roses in the horrible eyesore that is now my front yard. Thanks for listening....

Kate.

ps I'd post a photo, but I don't know how.

Featured Answer

sherryocala

14 years ago

last modified: 9 years ago

Now, Kate, you know from every experience in your life that nothing ever looks right until it's DONE. Whether your painting a room or planting a garden, it has to be finished before it stops looking ugly. I have doubted a paint job until the trim was done and the blue tape removed and the newspaper/dropcloth picked up and the furniture back in place. And then it was fine - just what it was supposed to be. Your brick planters sound like the perfect architectural detail for your garden, and you're probably planning for companion plants in their vicinity to soften the brick edges. And so what if you have to walk out into the street to see your picket fence. It'll be the perfect opportunity to hear your neighbors gush over your beautiful rose garden AND your picket fence AND your great intelligence that figured out a beautiful way to play the hand you were dealt in your "river runs through it" front yard. One word to the wise, you'll need to pamper your roses with more frequent, weaker feedings, I think, because of the extra watering that containers need, but you probably already know that.

When I read "underground river" and "picker fence", it rang a bell. I remember your post from a long time ago asking for advise and ideas for doing what your heart wanted to do. How exciting that you have done it! Now it's just a matter of making the roses comfortable in their new homes and basking in their beauty. Don't listen to the naysayers and don't listen to your own doubting thoughts. Remember what Butch Cassidy said, "Boy, I got vision, and the rest of the world wears bifocals." Enjoy your garden and trust your instincts.

Sherry

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (36)

texaslynn
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Well, it's hard to picture it exactly but rest assured, if you get your roses to grow and bloom, it will be the neighborhood pride!

P.S. Get some fast growing varieties :)

Lynn
jerijen
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
To HADES with them.
When your roses are grown, and blooming, you'll be having the last laugh.

Jeri
Related Discussions
I found out why Wikipedia is a joke Re fruit varieties
Q
Comments (20)
I've never researched how WP contributions & monitoring of posted material works. Several times I've heard it disparaged as a reference source when used in debate, with the comment "anyone can post, I can change that page right now" or "WP is compiled by 15 yr olds" etc. So I read through the entire talk/history of the My Jewel article out of curiosity. Here is what my read found: You added My Jewel to this of cultivars. It's possible this in itself would've stayed in place. Because you created a short article to link from the cultivar list, it generated attention. Someone "patrolled" it immediately and found it was OK (not blatant vandalism). But one criteria for new articles (vs. reference in existing articles) is that it meet "notability" standards, as not just anything should have it's own page in an encyclopedia! A few hours later, it was tagged for speedy deletion with a fairly "low priority" reason code of A7. Another editor corrected that editor for using the wrong code. You also pleaded with the initial editor -- he removed it. A few minutes later a different editor again tags it for deletion with an even higher reason code and also adds a COI code to it! Because My Jewel is obscure, you referenced a specific company in a fairly unknown city, which sounded like you were affiliated or pushing the tree for personal benefit, the reason they tagged you with the Conflict of Interest. At this point I was LOL. When you defended it to the editor stating you don't have any interest in the company and only grow the tree yourself for personal consumption they said "well, if you're the only one growing it, then you want others to grow it" you now have a conflict of interest! I was rolling my eyes on that one, too! You corrected these two editors, by quoting them the WP guidelines for COI and notability and received "oh you're right, let's put it all back". Those conversations happened on three editors individual Talk pages. But meanwhile, two more editors get involved and agree between themselves it wasn't notable enough in a Google search, and posted such on the new page "Marked for Deletion -- My Jewel" (not sure if you were even aware of this at the time). That's a grand total of 6 editors involved a mere few hours after posting it, 5 of which originally wanted it deleted (not revised, deleted). A couple days later, admin drops by, looks only at the two comments on the Marked for Deletion page (by editors you hadn't conversed with yet) and voila, it's gone. The editors you previously convinced had moved on without updating a thing. It was obvious to me there wasn't any specific bias towards you or the apple, but rather they treat you like doctors treat walk-in patients with pain. You're a drug seeker unless you absolutely prove it different (with 3rd party proof of the pain or condition, otherwise it's a conflict of interest if you describe it). Because as stated in prior posts, the WP editors expect either you don't know what you're doing, have your own interests in mind, or are there to flat out vandalize. You must be glutton for punishment as a newbie posting an article; otherwise you must be previously respected, ie. WP-credentialed, to avoid this initial wall. From browsing the other points on those editors talk pages, I can understand why. A few days in doctor shoes, seeing real drug-seekers come in and repeated saying "my pain ia a 10!" numbs you quickly. It's unfortunate on both sides.
...See More
Neighborhood Cat Violates My Potatoes - What Now?
Q
Comments (24)
Cats kill for fun. That is only your opinion. Robins have decided they like my raspberries so I gave their eggs to the local chipmunk-- that was for fun. I am sure we both enjoyed it. I'm not sure if this is a joke or not, but if so, it wasn't a good one, and rather immature. Robins are a native species, and belong here doing what they do, so your analogy has no merit. As for the cats killing for fun, it is indeed my opinion, and also a fact for most, but not all, cats. I know farmers who obtain cats for rodent control, and most say that the cats couldn't care less about rodents, that they go after birds instead. Then there is my parents, who live in a very rural area. The nearest farm building is over a mile away, yet they keep getting the farm cats killing birds at their feeders, which I've witnessed while there. Pretty easy to form an opinion when you have actual facts, but then again, facts don't matter when you don't agree, right? Noinwi makes a good point that humans have created this problem. Sure, it's not fair to the cats to suffer the consequences, but it's not fair to the house sparrows, starlings, asian carp, feral pigs, emerald ash borer, or any other non-native species that gets killed or trapped either. Yet, nobody will defend those species, or post sarcastic remarks in their defense. All in all, I don't care which way people choose to deal with cats, but passive methods will usually end in failure, as they have for me over and over. The problem never goes away until the PROBLEM goes away. Joe
...See More
Fragrant Blue? Now I am 99.9% sure!
Q
Comments (19)
First... let's start with the official registration... the link from hippienono... Paul Aden registered it as the product of the cross of two of his numbered breeders. Evidence suggests that there were no such plants, so we have no idea where it came from. Then look at the size... registered as 12" wide by 8" high. If you look at old FB plants in gardens you will see lots of them in the 30-36" wide clumps. The height isn't too bad - it is a lower, flat growing plant compared with other hostas. The registration does indicate it is not fragrant. Yet the registrant (Aden) didn't indicate a different "nominant" so it would appear he named the plant FRAGRANT Bouquet and indicated is is not fragrant. Pretty odd! He gave the flowering period in New York as a range of time of 3 1/2 weeks. That usually indicates somebody really isn't willing to watch the plant for a couple of years and narrow the time down. He did get it right that its a white (sometimes whiteish... with some of the lavender chemicals present and fading to white) and an earlier rather than later bloomer. Not sure where Fine Girl's extensive description comes from... noting the location as the Enterprise Rent-a-car Flower Borders is fun! They got the size wrong, like the registration... and "showy" might be a stretch on the flowers, but that's in the eye of the beholder... So... we don't want to ever get into disagreements based on either unofficial or official plant descriptions. It is sad to see this kind of mistakes on old plants - Aden could have gone back and corrected obvious errors like the size of this plant. We'll see what happens to this registration after the two AHS committees get done reviewing the Aden registrations. Unfortunately, we're continuing to see such errors... even more of them. It is all about marketing. I waited to register Polish Prince until I'd grown it independent of its parent plant for four years. I observed its growth and made sure it would remain margined and interesting. On the other hand, if I'd have wanted to market it, I'd have offered it to some of the bigger companies and let them name it for marketing. The could have put it into tissue culture five years ago. Of course, they wouldn't have really known what an adult looks like. This is happening all the time. People get a neat seedling or sport and name it and throw it in tc. They register it based on "best guess." In spite of how easy it is, very few registrants go back and correct the registration. The only thing we can totally trust on the registration is the name. Oh, wait... lots of people getting what are probably the same sport in different locations are naming them, so names are even suspect. And who knows about the naming on all the Aden plants. So... I still encourage people to register hostas and to make them as accurate as possible. You'll often hear me referring to registrations. But we do have to use a grain of salt. One thing about Fragrant Blue is undeniable. Some people call it fragrant. Of those, most say "mildly fragrant." The majority of people say they cannot detect a fragrance from FB. No joke, folks... I've been testing people on this from numerous plants... (I only have two left)... and only a few folks have ever detected a fragrance. These plants are FB in every respect except for that. I grew them from a tc batch I got, I think, in 1996. Now, Brandy... I think you are one of the lucky ones. Yours is fragrant. And I even believe that there might be an "original" strain of FB that is fragrant and a much larger group of FB that came out of tc without fragrance. The only reason I wouldn't lable it FB... because it was originally labeled Blue Flame. The most likely scenario, as we've discussed before, is that an all blue plant snuck through the culling process along with with the rest of the Blue Flames. Every batch of BF tc will have a percentage of these all blue plants. In the old days, solid colored plants in the tissue culture of a variegated plant would be culled - thrown in the compost. But there are some plants that give high percentages... like 30%... of solid-colored plants. It has become common practice for the wholesalers to re-label them or rename them. Examples... when they tissue culture June, it is common practice to pull out the all blue ones and re-label them Halcyon. On the other hand, when Q&Z got a bunch of blues coming from tc of Paul's Glory, instead of labeling them with the parent's name - Perry's True Blue - they chose to give it a new name - Wheaton Blue. Following their lead, a lot of retailers started doing this as well. The nursery Brandy's friend got the "Blue Flame" from could have avoided the serious confusion by putting in a tag for Fragrant Blue. And I know its become common practice in home gardens. Lots of people say they never had to buy Halcyon because they pulled a blue piece off of their June - or First Frost or El Nino etc etc etc. - and relabeled it Halcyon. There is a good chance that plant is genetically identical to FB... making it FB. Unfortunately, without genetic testing, we are only guessing. So I won't label mine that way. It doesn't really matter WHAT we call our plants... until we share them with somebody else. I know I'm in a distinct minority... but I remain a purist, especially because I might be dividing and sharing/selling the plant. I HATE the idea of adding any confusion to what is already a wild naming environment for hostas.
...See More
Hoodlums in the neighborhood and I need advice
Q
Comments (59)
I definitely agree w/ the video cameras, here's more ideas: -plant very thorny rose bushes under windows, other places that they could break into your house, or hiding places. (remove non-thorny shrubs that could be used as hiding places) -add _lots_ of "always on" and "motion detection" exterior lighting (both kinds) -add some interior lighting near windows w/ random timers -find out approx. what time of night they're stopping by and re-schedule your in-ground sprinklers for that time (or see if your sprinkler guy can hook them up to a motion detection system) -sprinkle kitty poo (or something just as lovely) in their favorite hiding places -find a local security company that will actually stop by your house in the event of some sort of "security violation" (being caught just once might do the trick and then you could cancel the more expensive security service) -along the lines of the above, hire someone local who can 'catch them in the act' (or catch them on film) -- again, once might be enough -find a very large male friend, roommate, brother, to house-sit on random occasions during the day or night (hide his car, or drop him off secretly so they have no way of knowing if he's actually around) don't hesitate to let him bring his very big, one-eyed, foaming-at-the-mouth dog -put up a fence(s) -take their picture(s) if you ever see them outside your house (carry a small camera with you on walks) -tell your HOA that you won't go against their rules and install the home security modifications that they denied as long as they sign an agreement that holds the HOA board members personally liable for any vandalism that could have been prevented -- maybe an attorney would write that up and send it with a nice cover letter for you? -install more locks (do this anyway!) -schedule your lawnmower or landscaper to mow your lawn/landscape during your highest "at risk" times during the day -tell friends/family/co-workers where you live and ask them to drive by when every they're in the area -start a neighborhood watch group -put 'for sale' signs in the offending kid's yards (maybe someone will stop by and offer to buy their parents houses?) ok, this one isn't serious
...See More
dublinbay z6 (KS)
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Hey, Kate--this is from another Kate. : ) You pursue your dream, regardless of what others say. I don't know why some people out there take such a negative attitude towards gardening (I've run into them also), but just remember that the first duty of any garden is to please the gardener--so you keep searching for what will please you--that is the main thing.

As to posting your pics, get a free account at photobucket.com. They have easy directions on how to upload your pics to that account. Once your pics are uploaded there, run your mouse down below the pic--several codes will appear. Click on the HTML code. It will automatically "copy" the HTML address. Then come over here to the rose forum and "paste" (right-click on your mouse) the HTML address in the message box. You can type your comments before and after the HTML code. Just remember that you won't be able to actually see the picture until you click on the "Preview" box.

Hope that helps. I'm sure many helpful posters could come up with suggestions and encourage you if they could see the actual pictures.

Kate
ingrid_vc so. CA zone 9
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Plant your roses. If you have the room, intermix with irises, day lilies or any other bulb or perennial that you like and that does well there. In a fairly short time you're going to have a beautiful area, full of color and fragrance, and the naysayers will have to eat their words.

Ingrid
poodlepup
Original Author
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Thank you all for your kind words. I will sign up at photobucket and then post some pictures tomorrow. -I am going to put my roses in tomorrow. I had to select all new (smaller) roses since they will now be starting 2' higher.
I am using Zepherine (for the arbor), John Clare, Gertrude Jekyll, Radway Sunrise, & Belle Story.
Speaking of Radway Sunrise. This rose is a treasure. It's like having 5 different rose colors in one. Every day it looks different than the day before-going from soft peachy yellow to pink, and then darkening WAY up to a deep crimson before it drops. It's really a fun rose to have.
duchesse_nalabama
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Well, Kate, we paid big bucks to have a very large tree taken out of the front yard so I could grow roses in the front. (I can't believe you spent that much money to chop down that beee yoo ti full silver maple tree)

We plowed up the grass and spent I don't know how many hours building beds and hauling manure and grass clippings and leaves. (don't you have anything else to do with your life? Your clothes always look terrible. You spent how much for a chipper shredder??? Why do you make so much noise shredding leaves??? How big is your water bill? )

Then planting all kinds of stuff out front last fall. The side yard was full of all kinds of containers and milk cartons this winter planted with winter sown seeds for perennials I never heard of before but bought seed for (why do you have a side yard full of milk containers and what are you doing out there in the freezing cold watering plants. Are you crazy?)

But this summer the yard is full of annuals, perennials and very happy roses. Now the only problem is that my vegetable garden is in the side yard visible from the front (Why are you growing tomatoes in the front yard? Why do your cucumbers grow everywhere? Why can't you be like normal people? Why do you always look so grubby?)

Today we picked flowers and roses to send to shut ins and had fresh tomatoes and cucumbers. I even give some to my neighbors. You'll have the last laugh, just keep working.
poodlepup
Original Author
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
You're sweet, Sherry. Thanks to everyone for the encouragement. Now I feel better with renewed spirit that I am going to need -to fill those planters up with dirt!
Jean Marion (z6a Idaho)
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Are the bricks painted white? That might help to blend everything together...
sherryocala
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Ooh, decobug, I like white painted brick. That would be pretty.

Gean, your neighbors didn't really tell you you always look grubby, did they? What a bunch of nasty meanies. Grubby is exactly the right word to describe me when I'm gardening. (I prefer gardening in the backyard for that reason.) Just shows how gracious and gentle my neighbors are. They're so nice and encouraging - but then I don't have a shredder/chipper.

Sherry
duchesse_nalabama
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Sherry, My neighbors really are pretty nice, but they do shake their heads especially when I cop their bags of leaves or grass from their curbs. And haul manure and they ask what is that smell, after an alfalfa tea party. But after almost five years of my aberrant behavior followed by bouquets of flowers or tomatoes, they have accepted me as the neighborhood kook. But, the exciting thing is several of them are starting to garden, putting in picket fences, growing perennials. But no old roses. That's why I was so excited about putting in roses in my front. So they could see how wonderful they are!

funny story, once a number of my neighbors were in my back yard while I was in my usual grubby clothes and covered with mud. Someone asked me if I had on a new shirt and I said no, it was just an old gardening shirt. Whereupon one of my neighbors gave me that sidelong look and said, aren't all of your clothes gardening clothes??

So, yes, Sherry, I almost always look pretty grubby. My yard is so open that my back is the same as my front so there's no escaping their watching eyes.
sherryocala
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
That was low, Gean. I think I would have "replied" with a stupid look, like 'Huh?' People are strange.

Sherry
jackie_o
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Well at least your neighbor doesn't spit in your garden (mine does).

Gean reading your story reminded me of something that happened about six years ago. I was gardening (sweating) in grubby clothes, my hair up in a bun, and my sister drove up the drive. real fast. she jumped out of the car and said "what are you doing to my sister's roses??" I stopped and looked at her like she was nuts and she did a double-take and said, "oh. it's YOU. sorry." I must've looked pretty bad if she didn't even recognize me lol.

Good luck Kate and don't give up. I hope you do post pictures because I'm having trouble picturing it.
allison64
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I second Jeri, To Hades with them! Unbelievable what comes out of peoples mouths. Poodlepup, I hope you just stare at them when something like that comes out of their mouths.

Jackie_o, Neighbor spitting in your yard...Jeeez Arrrg! He probably chews tobacco right!? lol Speaking of which, what is the deal with neighbors walking their dogs and just letting them and pee on our hedges, grass, flowers, like it's completely acceptable?! For awhile I wondered why my flowers in front weren't looking good. Um maybe 'cause 15 boy dogs pee on them daily! I have actually yelled out my window HEY! when I happen to see it. ( I am a delight ;-)) I just do NOT get it! lol We all have big yards in this neighborhood. My dog "goes" in MY yard, simple. lol goofy humans....

Now enjoy your yard Poodlepup! :0)
mendocino_rose
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Shame on them for being so thoughtless. When your roses are flourishing it will be a different story. I like the idea about painting the bricks white. It will be easier to choose the color of your roses then too. Enjoy your roses and your life. It's your own after all.
aliska12000
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
My heart goes out to you as I remember your struggles and disappointment(s) last year. I know how it feels to want something so badly, it seems to be just within your grasp, then adversity strikes in one form or another.

I like your fighting spirit and, while it really shouldn't be about what the neighbors think but what you think and want, I hope you have an abundance of beauty for not giving up. Will look forward to pictures, know it will take awhile, and hope your latest plan revision works at last. If Zeffie takes over an arbor, that will be front and center.

Take heart that your climate offers advantages some of the rest of us don't have. Even so, we all have something to fight. Even it's only flowers and not food, it gives me a greater appreciation for what our ancestors' must have gone through with constant setbacks, heartbreak and adversity. Maybe it's not a fair comparison.

Most of us are on our own when it comes to doing what we love and trying to make it happen.
User
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
People can be such a**es. I long ago gave up giving a rats behind what anyone thought of what I do and how I look. Life's too short to care about other people's opinions.

More power to anyone who perseveres in creating their personal vision of beauty and pleasure. Those to seek to criticize and tear down your vision are being petty and thoughtless.
Terry Crawford
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Poodlepup, your garden is your canvas and you are the artist. You paint it with roses and plants to please only YOU and give you pleasure and peace. Don't worry about what others think about your garden; it sounds wonderful.

When your neighbors start making your mortgage payment, THEN they can give your their 2 cents worth...
-terry
katefisher
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Kate:

Let me sum up for you my feelings on my neighbors not malicious but still occasionally ridiculous comments on my garden with one sentence: I didn't make it for you:) My garden gives me and my husband pleasure and that's why I made it.

Furthermore both neighbors who have shared the most on my possible mental illness when it comes to my roses and the volume of plants in our yard have yards that are pretty scruffy. One in particular has a 'flower' bed strictly devoted to button weeds. So I am comfortable with my little gardening obsession and I hope you can get there also. If you want to email me a picture of pictures of your garden I'll post them for you.

Kate
zeffyrose
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Kate-----Your picket fence with bricks sounds wonderful----Can't wait to see Zeffy spilling over your arbor---

Have you ever considered the Peggy Martin Rose--It is supposed to be really tough enough to stand any adversity--

About your neighbors---I'm way too old to care what they think.

Many years ago when my children were little we had a "tire swing " hanging in the front yard on an old oak tree. A very fussy neighbor made a nasty remark about the tire being in the front yard.--So I replied ---"well Bobby Kennedy has one in his front yard ( he was Attorney General at the time)--so if it is good enough for him it is good enough for me" "Fussy neighbor" never said another word----
LOL

Can't wait to see your pictures.

BTW---I now have a galvanized wash tub in my front yard with flowers in it-----LOL---differnt house and different neighbors----haven't heard any complaints yet----LOL LOL

Florence
judith5bmontreal
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Oh, Poodlepup, as everyone else has said, don't give up on your dream. We all had to start somewhere....everyone thought I was nuts too, obsessed with my garden as I was. And no, sometimes things don't work out the way you planned (to put it mildly), but now, a few years later, they're eating their words. You'll see, soon it will all start coming together, and you will get so much joy and pleasure from it that it really won't matter WHAT anyone else thinks or says.
Judith
judith5bmontreal
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Oh, and I forgot - Duchesse, very entertaining description of the evolution of your garden - I laughed all the way through it!
Judith
sandy808
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Kate, it might just be time to tell your rude neighbors to take a hike and mind their own yards. My husband has been telling me to do this for years, but unless someone is extremely rude, I just look at them and walk away, as if they were't there. Telling you your yard looks horrible is beyond rude.

If YOU like the effect of what you are doing, by all means go for it! Your yard is for you, and you alone. I have never seen an ugly garden that someone built with love.

This is the exact reason why my husband and I are selling a house that we built ourselves, (with much love I might add), and looking for land in a more remote area of Florida, with enough acres for a buffer. I don't really care to see another neighbor as long as I live.

Sandy
zeffyrose
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Sandy---that is so sad that you have to leave a home you love and built yourself.

Sure wish the neighbor problem could work itself out--

Florence
sandy808
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Thanks Florence. They're not what I would classify as "bad" people. They are actually decent and moral as far as I can tell. Maybe they just don't have a life, or are jealous. People in general seem much more rude than they were 20 years ago, and my tolerance has about run out with it.

In my sub-division half the newer people in the last 5 years drive around in their golf carts every day, sometimes several times a day gawking every which way. We do not have a golf course in here. I don't know what they expect to see, but I have now put sheers on all my windows. The really nasty ones pull in the driveway and make negative comments about why I would be out doing such a thing as get dirty (as if they had the right!). A rare few are complimentary, but they aren't the nosey ones. Ironically, even the nastier ones have commented they hate to see us leave.

That, combined with rapidly, and "trumped up" increasing home owner fees (we're deed restricted) has kind of clinched it. The fees don't include any ammenities such as lawn mowing, trash removal, etc. either. As we age, we have to think about what we can afford when we are no longer working. I'd hate to see what the fees are up to by then. They have increased by a multipication of 5 since 1997. I'm not allowed to put a fence up, which would help with the neighbor thing, but I wouldn't want to be hemmed in anyway.

We never lived on any less than 20 acres for most of our lives, so we're not cut out for this kind of thing any way. Out in "the country" folks are different. They mind they're own business, but are there if you need them in a disaster. At least, I'm hoping they're still that way. And, I could get by with a 10 acre buffer now.

In the meantime, I've taken cuttings and rooted a few roses. My husband is going to set up a misting area for me this fall so that I have a higher success rate.

For three years I've had someone sneak into our yard and randomly turn the drip tubes off. This has resulted in unestablished roses dying. I am told by irrigation experts that what we have does not turn themselves off from pressure changes, etc. They have to be physically turned off. I came home from two weeks away and found several dead potted roses. I thought maybe they had been watered too much on the automatic system. What I found this evening was that the irrigation heads had been turned off. I also found my dosmatic fertilizer injector barrel which is made of strong plastic, slashed and destroyed. We need to put cameras up I guess.

I am an animal lover, and have been all my life. Hmmmm...... I am beginning to like animals much, much, better than most people.

Sorry about all this. I'm frustrated.

Sandy
nickelsmumz8
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Joseph's Coat grows like a mother in Kate's zone. That would be a colorful, vigorous and fast growing way to make those planters look right. If some low support could be added, it would block out the sidewalk and to heck with everyone!
User
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
"Ironically, even the nastier ones have commented they hate to see us leave."

Thats because you are robbing them of some of their entertainment!

Sandy, I will donate a climate-appropriate rose for your new garden if you are interested. Let me know if you are interested.

Paul B.
Terry Crawford
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Sandy, good luck on your new home search. I too enjoy my space and can't imagine living in town, even though I live in a rural subdivision on 2.5 acres.

Will you have to build again? Good luck to you, and Paul, what a housewarming gift! You could start a trend.
Warm regards,
terry
sandy808
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Wow Paul, what a generous offer! We are planning to remain Florida residents, because so far we like the way the state is being run, and we are "homestaeded", so it controls our property taxes. We also enjoy the climate and ecology here (well, maybe I don't like the month of August so much). The area we plan to purchase land will be in zone 8 rather than zone 9 where I currently reside. We actually live on an imaginary line between the two zones right now.

Yes, Terry, we plan on building again. Not a fun process at all, but we are going to build a Florida "cracker" style house. The initial settlers here figured out how to keep their houses cool in the summer without the central air conditioning that didn't exist at that time. I will still have central air, but it won't have to work so hard. I also love the full wrap around porches they had. The difference will be that we will build out of block rather than wood for termite protection. It's nice that you have some acreage to give you some space.

I think you're correct in saying "there goes the entertainment"! My neighbor across the street likes to pull her chair up and watch me when I go outdoors. She says her dog likes to watch me. She is a nice lady, but I am rather a private person, and like to work in the yard for the peace it brings. One time she told me her dog couldn't stand watching me work so hard any more, so she had to go inside and close her blinds. I was planting roses and having a good time at it.

The man that lives dirctly behind me goes out with his weedeater whenever I go outside to work in the back. He's actually taken the thing up on his roof twice and was running it along one wall to his house. I'm presuming he was using it to get dirt or leaves off his house and roof, but maybe he is just nuts. One day while potting plants he was out all day re-edging the same beds over and over. I can't imagine why, as I certainly am not the least bit attractive when potting plants. I started to get very annoyed with the racket and called in to my husband that maybe we should put the poor man out of his misery. He must have heard me, because he's not out with his weedeater as much. Of coarse his wife knows exactly how many times I go swimming, and that is with bushes and thick "privacy" screen. It put a damper on how often I use the pool. With today's building costs, we probably won't have another pool. Too bad I can't load the house and garden, and pool on a truck! Isn't all of this a hoot?! It's actually hilarious if you aren't the one involved on the receiving end of this.

Oh, and one neighbor across the street paints his brown grass green in the winter.

Anyway, we're hoping to find a piece of land that we can afford to grab up, and then we'll start building once we sell. So far we've had several "tire kickers" look, which is encouraging, but I expect the selling process will take a while. That's O.K. It'll give me time to propagate some roses and camellias in the meantime.

Sorry Kate. I kind of took over your thread. At least you know you have others out there with less than desirable neighbors.

Sandy
plan9fromposhmadison
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Truly, nobody should critique until it's done.

Thanks to our Mayor, our town has a lot of fabulous new buildings. One (a mega-pharmacy) is under construction, and is already looking like some grand Renaissance palace in Rome. But two months ago, nothing except a concrete block wall was visible. Someone at the Mayor's office told me they were getting irate calls about "that awful concrete block building". One lady said "Well, at least you could have made 'em brick it!" This is so funny, because the building now has the beginnings of an arched colonnade, and (if the illustrations and descriptions in the city newsletter are to be believed) will have Corinthian AND Ionic columns, a polished granite base, and all kinds of things you just don't see on retail buildings today. In other words, we're getting one of the most beautiful new buildings IN THE WORLD, and still, people were criticizing, because they didn't have the ability to see the finished product, like you do.

So forge ahead, my dear, and just be sure to underplant the roses with plants that will cascade over the edge of the planter, softening its lines. You have one of the best climates for horticulture in the whole world, so I know you'll come up with something great. Best of luck!
patricianat
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Oh, I have been the crazy lady with the roses in her front yard for years and what is so wonderful about being so crazy, is that they all call on the crazy lady when they want to make bouquets or obtain advice about how to create a garden or how to grow roses and what kind of fertilizer/compost is being used.

I just don't care what anyone thinks about me or my garden even when it is laden with insects, fungi and virus. It's mine, damn it. I paid for this mess and if someone is going to criticize it constructively or otherwise, I will be the one I listen to.
duchesse_nalabama
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Well, Kate, see, you're perfectly normal around here. You go, girl!
hosenemesis
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
poodlepup, I LOVE brick with white picket fences! It sounds really pretty to me. I think you were very clever to figure out how to solve this problem.
Renee
sandy808
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Kate, I think what you are doing sounds very pretty, too. Don't second guess yourself because of some thoughtless people. People who like to garden have excellent taste, because they are following their heart. I have never seen an ugly garden. Ugly contractor type landscaping, yes, but never an ugly garden.

Sandy
mkrkmr
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
If you(!) don't like the look of the brick planter with the picket fence, you might build a brick fence on the street side of the planter, tear up the picket fence and plant something appropriate in front of the planter. Or you could erect brick fence posts along the planter and reuse the picket fence between (shortened a bit).

Anyway, you're the best judge of what you like!
sylviatexas1
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
My experience?

The worst, the most vicious, "critics" are the ones who are trying to distract themselves from their own miserable lives.

The day I moved in, one of the neighbors came over (to welcome me, I naively thought!) & said, "You could have painted that house *any* color but that one!")

Enjoy your roses!

I am now the neighborhood joke

Comments (36)

Related Discussions

poodlepupOriginal Author

poodlepupOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

poodlepup
Original Author

poodlepup
Original Author