O, that sounds so nice..good luck with it!
I can only dream about doing that kinda stuff right now..bein in crappy NJ where it's only 37deg and raining.

Sounds lovely Barbra. Did you take pics?

Missed you this time. I was swamped with work. Glad to see some more gardens going in you can never have enough.

Jim

No, I did not have a camera. I was hoping Jim, would come by, but he didn't. I wanted him to see the umbrella greenhouse. I think I need to ask for a camera for Christmas. Barbra,

Barbra, be sure to keep us updated with Photos, assuming Santa is good to you.

Can't wait to see a photo when you get them taken!

WOW!!! Congrats.. sounds like you worked your butt off...I also would love to see it...LOL Hope Santa shows up before your husband see's your big surprise...ROFL
Chena

if you're really interested in getting a camera, there's a polaroid t737 on w00t.com today only for 79 bucks. I've seen it elsewhere for like $200+. I myself prefer sony's point-and-shoot cybershots and canon's DSLRs but for that price you won't find anything better.

anyway just saw that today and thought, damn, that's a fantastic deal, shame I already have 3 digital cameras. lol.

Sounds like it will be pretty. You want to come over here and dig a few new beds for me? I don't even have the energy to make any lasagna beds anymore. lol
Karyn

I seem to get a new flowerbed every other year. Last bed was my mothers day gift. My husband tilled in 2 truckloads of mulch for over 3 hours. It was 112ft around. You would think my husband would be happy to have less grass to mow. I really do think I made the front yard look much better. I decided I am going to tell him, I am just waiting for the right time. Since he is the chair of this dept. he has been under alot of extra pressure lately, now would not be a good time. Friday we are going to two diffrent Christmas parties, so I might bring it up then. Gosh, I am feeling so guilty. Barbra,

That is sooooo sweet.

I sometimes wonder if I plan it right - could do my lawn with a weed whacker. (grin)

Good luck and enjoy! Can't wait to see your pics!

Barbara, I am looking at a Canon PowerShot SD750 Silver 7.1 MP Digital Camera. It does the hard to take shots and has a good Macro Zoom for close ups. Take a look at barrys close up pics. His has a macro zoom just a earlier model. I would like the dslr Cannon but 500+ is out of range right now. Kids in college thing. Even if I could afford it I would still like this camera to carry in the car.

Let me know if you need some regulars brugs. My favorites are rooting now. Some of the ones I gave up( rare ones) decided to flower. I guess I will let them live another year or not. LOL I just like constant bloomers.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cannon- this is where I buy all my computer stuff

Jim, that is so way out of my price range. I am not very good with a camera or computer. I use my husbands camera sometimes, but he is very protective of it. I should have asked sooner. I think my husband has already gotten my gift. If I do not get one for Christmas, I know he will get me one for my birthday in April. I can always use his from time to time. My friend Pat sent me the cd with the pictures she took last March. I will have my husband help me post some pictures. I will post a picture of me doing what I love to do, in the rain, barefooted. Barbra

Not a problem. I will give you my old digital. I just bought one on http://www.dealcatcher.com/ the Cannon Powershot 800, I got 1/3 off low retail with free shipping.
I really wanted the Macro option. PS if someone else goes there make sure you use the coupon code.

No need to have one lay around that could be put to good use.

Here is a link that might be useful: Deal Catcher

I have the Sony Cybershot with the macro feature I got last year for Christmas and I love it. Here is a pic of one of my roses I took with it. Jim that is so nice of you to give Barbra your camera. You are a sweetheart!

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OHHHHHHHHH I love macro. Barbara always brings me something from the big city when she comes. Her Lowes is awesome. Mine only will discount 80% dead annuals, with mites. LOL No thanks.

Mine too. I have brought home quite a bit of fungus from their discount rack that I thought I could save, lol. She tells me they have wonderful discounts on things that are really high dollar here like the Mandevilla vines. You are lucky to live near her, lol. She is a very sweet lady. About that picture I have it as my screensaver and my husband said thats pretty where did you get that from. I told him I took it and he didn't believe me til I showed him the rose bush, lol. Caught some nice pics of butterflies feeding on my flowers too. I really want to catch one of those hummingbird moths that like to get up inside the brug flowers at night but my puppy always chases them away when I get the camera, lol.

Jim, I would never take your camera, you have kids that you can give it to. My husband asked me point blank last night while we were out at the Christmas party, if I wanted a camera? I told him yes, but I understood, because I asked so late, that he probably had already gotten my gift, so I definitely want one for my Birthday. I have lived with this guy for almost 34 years, and I am betting I get one. Of, course I could be wrong, but I know him so well. He will not get me something unless he thinks its a suprise.
We had to be at the first party at 6pm yesterday, we had so much fun. I told him 3 times in conversation with other people that I have bought brugmansia cuttings, to plant in my new flowerbed. I was explaining the rooting process, and how much fun it is. He never even asked what new flowerbed.
This morning Bob came by the house, they are going to be part of an escort that will bring Santa into one of the Childrens Homes . They all ride red Harley Davidsons( firemans addition).Bob asked what were all the cuttings for, I was just putting my new cuttings into glasses ( they all came yesterday in the mail. I told Bob they were for my new flowerbed, again he never said anything. I'm just going to tell him that I told him about it. He can just ask his friends, they all know about it. Barbra

Lol, thats funny Barbra. He should care if he didn't have to build it. I talked one of my husbands friends into building me a square one last summer out of landscape timbers and I bought him beer and cooked for him and by the time John got home most of it was done. He was tickled but if it involves him digging thats a different story. That is so cool to play Santa to the Childrens Homes. You are great people. My husband had already got me something last year too and I didn't think he was getting me my camera and I was pouting cause his I was using gets blurry when I zoom and he snuck out and got it at the last minute. I love it. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas, you are always so generous with everyone. I would give you my old camera but its junky, lol. Now we keep it on the boat so we don't mess up the good camera.

Jim, thank you so much for the camera offer, that was so sweet of you. I went to Lowes today, looking for a Christmas gift, and of course strolled thru the garden dept, they have all their bulbs 75% off, I got 6 amaryllis, and 8 bags of purple hyacinths. let me know if you want any. I also picked up a 3 gallon purple majesty millet, they were $19.99 for $1, I just got you one, since I did not know what they were. They are very interesting to look at. I checked online when I got home and they were the award winning grass this year, I wish I would have gotten you more, it is a purple grass, with a cattail blume on it, there are 3 plants in each pot. If you want more I will try and get back by. They have everything Christmas marked 1/2 down, so it was crazy there.

I have Barbra's Lowes envy, lol.

LOL the camera offer is still good. Everyone has new stuff but me. So nobody wants my "handmedowns." Always good to leave one at the coast just in case. The millets are a good plant for here cause with brugs the soil always is moist. Whatever you have to bring is good. I am always appreciative. I do like color and am always searching for colorful things that will live here. My Plumerias are getting ready to bloom. Go figure. Christmas 1/2 price already. Not here not even on their meager plant selection of left overs. Brrrrr it is cold. It is 50 with a dew point of 34. I have started cuttings cause spring is 2.5 months away. Let me know cause I have many to spare.

Uh oh, now I'm gonna have to check my Lowe's for amaryllis. One of the stores here have potted blooming Paper Whites for .50 cents ea. (Can you get those to rebloom again next year if planted?) I also saw some huge purple millet here at walmart, I was really tempted..Our Lowes and H.D have an amazing assortment of cacti and succulents too. A lot of times they have tropicals marked way down because people here don't know what they are and don't buy them.

Well, last night at dinner, my husband said he wanted to go down this Friday, I guess, I will know soon enought. I want to go to plant the hyacinths bulbs, in this new bed. Barbra,

Well, it was not as bad as I thought it would be. He was very upset at first, because he said it would be so much harder to mow around. I watched him mow, and I think it was much easier than before, in fact he offered to go buy bricks to put around it. We will have to wait since they were sold out of the color that I wanted. He doesn't belived that I did the bed by myself, he said there was no way I could handle that big tiller. I told him that I did it all by myself, my friend Linda came over twice, just to chat, but she did not help, other than hold the tape while I measured it. I tilled in 76 bags, of mulch, compose, manure, and top soil, into it. I wanted that flowerbed, now I just have to come up with a name for it. Barbra,

You are one tough lady Barbra. Handled the tiller yourself? to bad hubby doesn't want to believe you :(

Wow Barbra, thats a lot of work. I wish I could do my own still. I would have the whole house surrounded, lol.

Oh my goodness another person that names her flowerbeds. Call it your Brugmansia Friendship Garden with some plants and cuttings furnished by your Brumansia Forum Friends.

Then be sure and put stakes out in the bed with the names of the brug and the person who shared them with you and what state they live in.

I'm trying to get plants from someone in all 50 States. (grin) I know it's silly but it's fun.It's a pain in the tail to keep up with them tho'. At one time I had a map with little pins in all the states that I had received some from. Then I couldn't keep up with all of it. LOL But the map thing over the desk is fun too. At least that way you can look and see where people live and so forth.

I'm always building or digging new flower beds. I just wish I could keep up with the weeds come about June and July.
I love a nice clean looking flowerbed but sometimes the weeds get ahead of me.

I'm going to try amaze this spring. Does anyone here have experience with it? If so please email me and let me know your results and what you think about it.

I have to laugh at all you people about the camera. Mine is pretty old probably around 8 years old. It's a Sony 1.2 Mega Pixels, 6X Precision Digital Zoom. It has something written on it FD MAVICA. It has a memory stick that holds around 500 pictures, and I lost the cord to plug the camera into the back of the computer about 3 years ago. I forgot to mention it has a place to put a disk in it also. Which I know nothing about. The top of the camera has this written on top of it. MPEGMovie Quick Access FD Drive 4x Digital still camera MVC-FD100. Whatever all that means. LOL It still takes real good pictures but I'd like to have something a little better.

How much does the one cost that Jim was talking about?

Marian

Marian, I have names for all my beds. This is my 12th bed. I think I will stop here. I want a veg. garden next. I ask for one every year, but now that I know how to use that tiller, I may get one sooner than he thinks. My husband thinks Jim, put the flowerbed in for me. Poor Jim, he has not even seen the bed yet. He was suppost to come down today, but we left early. I told him if he can make it down to take pictures so he can post them. Barbra,

Made it by Barbara, I met your neighbor. She had some plant questions and I gave her some info. I acquired some natives from her. She has a bunch of the big green castor beans growing wild in her back lot. I got a few and the plants that look like imitation poinsettias. I had them in Fulton. I took pictures of all of your beds. I will only post the new one unless you want me to post more. I cannot believe you tilled over those oak roots and put all that mulch in.

Barbara's new bed.
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Had to show what it would look like in the spring. This is the bed right in back of it.
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pant pant....... I gotta have that variegated leaved plant!! what is it? The one with pointy leaves?

Jim, thank you for posting the pictures, Barry, are you talking about the variegated iron plant, or the variegated ginger? I just got the iron plant in a swap, in October, so it will be awhile before I have plants to trade. I had never seen it before, it was in one of the most beautiful gardens, on the master gardens tour, and the lady and I arranged a trade. I received some neat plants in that trade, really unusual plants. They are all dormant right now, I have very few plants blooming this time of the year.
Jim, if you want to post more pictures its ok with me, the empty holes in the ground is where I dug up plumeria and desert roses, to stored in the garage for insurance. I hope the ones I left make it. Jim, did you see my Christmas gift, all covered with plastic in the front yard. I will really be suprised if I get a camera, he told the driver that it was my Christmas present, at least its better than coal. Barbra,

Looks like Verigated Ginger..

The variegated iron plant is directly in front of the first
oak tree, it has long leaves, half green and half white, looks like a yin-yang plant. Barbra,

You cant miss it, it is the plants that take up half the garden! Spiky white and greens, sharp contrasts.

Barry that is just variegated ginger, it has no white, its just diffrent shades of green. It is very easy to grow, I just took cuttings from my "Tropical Bed" and planted them there last spring, you can see how well they grew. The name of the flower bed that Jim posted is " Pearls Bed" I named it in honor of the woman who use to live there. Barbra,

OH Barbara .. Sorry I forgot to mention how beautiful everything is.. ...I'm back the Zone Envy!!!! LOL
Love the little plastic houses.. how do you keep them from blowing away?? The wind was @ 40mph yesterday.. I'd be afraid I would find them in the next county...
Kylie

Kylie, those are the umbrella greenhouses my husband bought for me. They are not going anywhere, they have a center post that goes into the soil, and there are 4 places around the edges where you place spikes into the ground, they are really neat. They open and close just like an umbrella. I put the new brugmansia cuttings under them. In March, I will remove them and place the plants where I want them. I have already picked out their spots, but have to wait until March to plant them there. I just need to make sure they do not freeze before March. That is why they are under the greenhouse umbrella. I sure hope my plan works, I just put 5 more cuttings under that umbrella yesterday. I also planted 10 pkgs of bulbs around the flowerbed before I left. Lowes had bulbs marked down 75%. Barbra,

That is beautiful Barbra! I love the tropical plants in your garden.

Ok, Barbara I just thought I would ask. You beds are always so pretty even in the winter after 50 mph winds.

Yall close your eyes,
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Barbra, can I come live with you, lol? I promise to leave devil dog here with my husband. It looks so nice and warm down there and still lush at Christmas. I got a sago palm and was so pround of it and unfortunately I killed it. It was a tiny one with those stupid glued in rocks and I could tell very well when it needed water. All the leaves turned brown and fell off when I brought it in for the winter and I was hoping they would grow back so I had it sitting on the counter and my husband threw it away. He thought it was dead. I guess I'll never know. I want to get another one next year but I will get a bigger one and put it in the ground. I will never buy anything else with the rocks glued on top of it either. He isn't allowed to weed or throw away anthing now. He is from Hawaii and doesn't know what dormant is, lol.

Jim, happy birthday, I hope your day is just full of joy. You did a great job posting the pictures. Did you see the dark yellow brugmansias they were full of blooms. I do not have to go to work until 9:30am today, I am so glad I had a chance to see the pictures. I will be too busy tonight to even look at the forum, everyone is coming over, and I do not get off until 6pm. Barbra

Lovely pictures. You've done an amazing job with your flower beds.

Just wonderful!