my seed list was last updated 12/7/14. some seeds have been traded/used since then. but I have not found the magic link to update my list. can email current list to anyone interested.

FYI, YOU will probably have to move any and all plants, even if you will have YOUR furniture moved by a professional company. They usually will NOT move live plants. It does sound as though you will be doing your own moving, but don't try to get a moving company to take even a few last-minute plants - they MIGHT since it seems this is a move within a state, but I doubt it. Renting a large truck might be the best way for you to make the move in the fewest necessary trips, especially considering the price of fuel now! I would take cuttings of whatever you can, even if they grow slowly, and especially of the things you value, for rarity, looks, etc.. If you can, dig up the most recently planted stuff that you REALLY want to take with you, pot them up into pots at least one size larger than the pot they came out of - to accomodate new root growth - you may have to do a little root and top pruning, which I don't like to suggest, but..., needs must. Keep them in a slightly shady area, dappled shade or early morning sun, and water, probably daily, but it's easier than digging hundreds of plants all at once. You may be able to beg or buy large pots from a local nursery. If not there, try a local landscaper. Since you will be building, DO NOT even try to put beds near the house - the construction crew(s) will trample them, drive over them, etc., etc.. Save the wear and tear on your nerves and voice, and your relationship with the crew(s), and plant in "nursery beds" well away from the construction. You can plant things (too) thickly there, and thin out and move closer to the house as construction is nearly done - by which I mean painted, gutters up, AC/heat pump, pathways in, etc.. This does mean that things will be multiply transplanted, but most of them will make it, and having them in the ground will be easier than having them in pots. You CAN build paths and put in other hardscape - fencing, arbors, pergolas, etc., as the house is being built, but plants just aren't "seen" and get walked on. Oh yeah, invest in 8-10 bales of straw, and lay in down heavily around the site, it will avoid a world of mud and mess being tracked into the house. You can rake up the residue and compost it when they are done and you are ready for making beds and planting. Save some of the chicken manure (or use a new supply if you have access) for putting on the beds closer in as the construction winds down. If the chicken manure isn't well aged (at a minimum, 6 months) then you can make a pile of it and borrow a tractor to turn it several times while the construction is ongoing - it's amazing how fast a pile will shrink as it breaks down, so make a bigger pile, or more piles, than you think you will need. If it is gong to be at least 4 months before you will be planting in a bed, then you can just mix it in and let it age on the spot. Another suggestion, from experience, is to run water lines out to the garden area as the house is plumbed/wired, as well as electrical lines for lights, fountains, etc. It's a LOT easier to run lines from the beginning than to run them later. I put hydrants on all 4 sides of my house, and 2 further out, and am glad I did, as it's much easier to run soaker hose systems from each spot, or to hook up a hose with a sprayer for new plantings that need more water. With a good well, and using y-connectors, I can water several areas of the garden at one time.

Some lovely combinations in the pictures above. Shows what you can do without blobs of bright flowery colour. I don't have anything unusual but I love ferns for their robustness and their immunity to slugs and snails. I find that the Japanese Painted Fern never gets very big but the plain old native Dryopteris filix-mas (Male Fern), Athyrium filix-femina (Lady Fern) and Asplenium scolopendrium (Hart's-tongue Fern) do sterling work. I have a couple of Athyrium filix-femina curiosities: (one sold to me as Irish Tatting Fern but I'm not convinced) and another I cannot id. Another stalwart is Polystichum setiferum (Soft Shield fern) which produces babies along the fronds a la Kalanchoe. This is not a great picture but shows various ferns. The supposed Irish Tatting is front right. Anyone know what it really is?

Japanese Painted Ferns are reproducing like crazy in my garden. I must have accidently hit upon just the right environment for both the mother plants & the babies. They take a long time to develop though. This will be my first babies' 3rd season & they should be about 6" tall based on last season's growth. I've got about 3 dozen new plants that I've just been leaving to grow up a bit before transplanting since they're doing so well on their own. When we planted the originals Japanese Painted Ferns we took extra care. First, dug a trench 18" deep & removed all of the existing soil to a wheelbarrel. Then, mixed the native soil with 25% leaf mould & 25% composted manure. We then returned this mixture back to the trench & planted. The ferns received 90% full shade (sun between 11:00-1:00. We also mulch them 4-5" deep in May with composted maple leaves. They are absolutely thriving. The babies turned up about 10' away in a compacted area near the hose outlet. This area receives more direct sun but stays continually moist. I do nothing...no mulch, no added soil amendments, etc. Mother Nature is growing these babies just fine on her own. I think this may be the spring to transplant them. They can't stay where they are forever...they interfer with using the hose! Anyway, if you're patient you can share babies from your ferns with your friend. Now, ask me about my maidenhair fern...what a complete failure to thrive. It survives but doesn't grow...no larger now than when I planted it 4 years ago from a 4" pot! Oh well.... Tricia