great day at the international CSSA convention.

hanzrobo

10 years ago

Yes!!! I'm so happy for you, getting in like that! You must have some serious mojo, making stuff like that happen. Great story!

Nice haul too. That E. scheeri is my type of cactus - naked.

Did you happen to catch Mr. Hammer?

wantonamara Z8 CenTex
Original Author

10 years ago

I am one of those that talk to strangers when they are toting three absolutely knock dead gorgeous plants. Flys to honey and I am not a shrinking violet when I have plants in my sights.. No, I did not see mr Hammer. He was on earlier.

I went down there today and got a small haul , AGAIN.

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"I certainly did not intend any negative comment about Greer Gardens." Nor did I! Agree with your comments about him, and I felt lucky to have briefly met him a few years ago. Definitely one of the grand-maitres of American Horticulture. "is that the heat and humidity of southern NJ rather severely limits the rhododendron varieties that can be grown." Well, not sure I agree. Not w/severely anyhow...though I can see why it seems that way from Maine. I would posit a nursery trying to be what Rarefind is trying to be...and survive well into the next decade...would *have* to be w/in reasonable driving distance of the Big Apple. Again, there's only so many people who are going to be willing to shell out for high-class dendrological amusements. That eliminates a lot of places from consideration. And, yes, the place isn't filled to the brim with every known fussy R. wardii hybrid, but the climate is certainly not as bad as it could be. Their soil is actually quite good for rhodies. Rarefind could never have happened outside DC, for example. To me, in 2006 when I first visited, I could not believe a rhodo garden could even look like that on the east coast. Such was the diversity of colors and plant forms. Also NB their winter climate permits them to grow, outdoors, some of the hardier camellias. To survive they need to market a broad range of plants. Showing plants outside helps that marketing effort. "Many of the micro producers, which are often one person operations, just won't be able to justitfy the expense and increased labor requirements necessary to take that step." Hhhmmmmm. This guy was a 1 person operation for a long time: www.desertnorthwest.com I admit it's maybe a little less feasible with rhododendrons, that I broadly see as more tedious to produce than most nursery commodities. I mean, a lot of shrubs, if you don't want to bother w/cuttings, you can just gather some seeds, plant them, and have saleable plants in a couple years. Not w/most rhodies, and especially because most people don't want seedlings. I just noticed a Callistemon seedling in my garden, that was already about 5" high from a dropped seed this spring. By the end of next summer it would be ready for sale. My attempt to raise rhodies from seed have been very frustrating. They are so darn slow, and the last of mine just rotted out for some reason. BTW Cold winters notwithstanding, a Callistemon is a lot harder to kill than most rhodies. That little plant apparently sailed through the very dry spell we'd had in the past 3 weeks, surviving bone dry soil in about 80% full sun. Even in shade I bet any spring sown rhodo seedling would have died w/o assistance.

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Books, Reading, and Other Great Loves

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SC, good stuff you have there! Thanks for looking it up for me. I am always fascinated with the kinds of songs people have on their playlists. My own taste is eclectic -- some would say bizarre since I don't see anything incongruous about following, say, Kiri Te Kanawa with Doug Kershaw. I'm a child of the sixties, too, and earlier. In the fifties, I adored listening to the Louisiana (Luzianna) Hayride and the Grand Ole Opry. (Whew! I get nostalgic for the crackles and pops of atmospherics, and the electric smell of hot vacuum tubes.) I think I could appreciate an iPod for bringing all the good songs together without all the garbage that every era also produced. But one thing I miss nowadays is the variety: I know some people who only listen to one type of music, and I am as uncomprehending of that as they are of my attitude of throwing it all in together and listening to whatever comes out. Lydia, what do you mean? Nigh on fifty years and I still haven't lived it down! It's a family story, a tale on me that gets trotted out too often by someone, if I'm not telling it on myself. :-) Seriously though, I know what you mean. I hope Grelobe lets us know how things turned out. As for sports: I suspect that many of us here at RP once loved athletic endeavors, but perhaps never as much as reading. I was a basketball guard back when girls played half-court. At the time I resented the forwards getting to shoot the basket when we guards only got to steal the ball from the opponent and advance it to the midline, where we had to screech to a halt (so as not to step over the dratted line and get a penalty) to advance it to the glamour girls of our own team at the other end so that they could score. Watching modern women's basketball, though, makes me think of the grace and finesse that was required to play half-court...full-court appears to me to be just back and forth, back and forth most of the time. I ran track, too, including hurdle jumping. Loved snow skiing and I was still doing that as recently as ten years ago, but I doubt that my knees would let me now. So, anyway, younger readers are probably interspersing books with sports, but we of a certain age have had to let some of the physical activity go. That's probably why you don't read much about sports from us.

Tales of the Great Architect Adventure

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Thanks, Bonnie! I had to go investigate that one. Apparently it's Swiss, made between 1875 and 1900, but is a replica of the style of stove from the 1500's. That makes sense, looking at it's decoration. I do love all the varieties of them. I've noticed sometimes the German or Czech versions have a seat like the one you shared. The Russian ones sometimes even incorporate a sleeping platform. That sounds toasty! Still looking forward to getting started when we get all the kinks worked out. Like Becky, the longer I'm forced into a holding pattern, the more "good ideas" I have. :-) Even if my builder is starting to get something of a "now what?" reaction. Heh, bless him, I think he'd love to get going, too. He's now met my kids and would like to get us all settled into our new digs, too. In the meantime, Pinterest is my friend... (check my profile and look for the "Posts" link for some discussions of some of the other details)

hanzrobo

10 years ago

Did you get that pot too? TDF!

wantonamara Z8 CenTex
Original Author

10 years ago

No, I made that pot in high school back in '69.A raku fired peice. Like it? Pottery was an old career of mine. My mother had this one. That is the only reason that I have anything I made from that EARLY period of my life..

hanzrobo

10 years ago

Excuisite. Yes, I like.

Also, doesn't surprise me one bit. You are a treasure.

Maybe your pottery days aren't over?...

wantonamara Z8 CenTex
Original Author

10 years ago

thank you. It has been decades. I still have a kiln, in pieces behind a cedar tree, a slab roller at a friend's . But I loaned my wheel to someone who I think sold it for elicits , Good artist but fell hard off the wagon. I could kick myself. He says he left it at a house when he moved out and it was gone when he came back.

teengardener1888

10 years ago

Nice haul, they are pretty. I especially like the aloe, me being a aloe enthusiast

User

10 years ago

Hey Wanton,

Call me crazy but why not invite that guy to replace your potter's wheel? If he was that lax w/ YOUR wheel, he really does owe you a replacement (if it were mine, I'd at least ask, especially since you still have the kiln, etc). Exquisite turquoise interior glaze by the way, my absolute favorite color!!

(I still have several pieces of pottery I made in high school, by hand, slab construction, .etc. They're quite nice pots actually)

wantonamara Z8 CenTex
Original Author

10 years ago

I can ask all I like, but the last three times I saw him, he could not finish a sentenece. He is couch surfing when he is lucky. Maybe he will dry out and maybe years from now, a wheel will appear at my house. It was bad judgement on my part. And he is under a bridge along with the water for all I know.

User

10 years ago

What a shame about him & the wheel, oh well.

At least you got the nice, lovely plants, enjoy!

aztcqn

8 years ago

That is a fantastic pot! I would've loved to see your other creations.
Succulents attracts us all happily in its tractor beam.

great day at the international CSSA convention.

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great day at the international CSSA convention.

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hanzrobo

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