And yet those natives just keep getting better and better. Sorry if it sounds like climate bragging, but winter is our season of rebirth here in coastal northern California, and things are just jumping. I've already seen the first Califoria poppies blooming, (along with seeding a whole hillside of them on this latest spec home landscape), and shrubs like the Silk Tassle, Garrya elliptica are looking fantastic right now with their long dangling earrings of white tassles against verdant green foliage. The first of the Ceanothus/California lilacs are also popping, and I have been munching on the Miner's Lettuce, a local native that can actually be kind of weedy in a garden setting, for weeks now. The flowering season will just continue to get more and more colorful through about the end of April, and the Baby Blue Eyes and several species of Clarkia I planted out from 4 inch pots from Annie's Annuals here in Richmond back in December are already bursting into bloom as well. The real possibility of severe water rationing starting later this spring is still threatening us locally, but we even have some 2 days of rains forecast to hit tomorrow, ending this unseasonably warm spell with low 70'sF here in Berkeley. I spent the day up in Sonoma County yesterday wholesale nursery shopping, and enjoyed the scenery immensely, especially the green hillsides with the massive Valley Oaks dotted here and there. I must say, a lot of the Coast Redwoods planted along the Hwy 101 freeway medians did look rather stressed out from several subpar rainfall years, but those redwoods that had planted themselves did not appear to be suffering. The first of the flowering plums are also bursting out in bloom here, as well as all the non-native Acacia dealbata and many varieties of Magnolia soulangeana, M. denudata, M. stellata, etc. The first of the South African Leucadendrons are also getting ready to pump up the volume as well. It sure would be tough to be looking out at gray skies and dirty snow and below freezing temps in comparison to our local conditions, but then again, it isn't exactly tropical swimming in the ocean weather here either, but all in all, a gorgeous California winter's day, and the promise of some much needed rains. And I can't get too worked up about nurseries pigging back on this thread to self-promote, even if it is prohibited. I understand the underlying sense of feeling a bit desperate, what with the slow down in spending, but come on! Be a little more subtle about how you do it, and I bet it would be more successful! It does seem to show that there is no one doing what Spike used to do with yanking threads into the ether...

It seems like the seed selection in most Wal-Marts I've been in during the last month is very poor. I keep looking to see if they have, by chance, added "more" but none of the ones here have done so yet. Our local Lowe's and Home Depot have only a so-so selection this year, and the local farm stores aren't much better. I buy most of my seeds online and start my own transplants because that is the only way to get the varieties I want to grow and which have proven to produce well here. I don't usually buy much seed from the "big name" seed companies but instead buy from smaller companies that tend to have a great selection of heirlooms, lower prices, and higher seed counts per packet. Vegetable transplants are about the same way too--everybody from the big box stores to our local farm stores are carrying the same Bonnie Plant Farms transplants and there's not very much offered in the way of variety. Our local stores do not necessarily sell the best-adapted varieties for our region, at least not here in southern OK. Instead, many of them sell the same varieties you could find at many different places across the nation. It is getting harder and harder to find regionally-oriented transplants grown by local/regional growers. Strawberries are a great example. In most stores (at least here in southern OK where we don't have many nurseries at all and must buy at big box stores or local farm stores), you'll often see Quinault or Sequioa, neither of which does well here, but you never see Cardinal or Sunrise, which are adapted to this area. The same thing is often true of fruit trees too and sometimes berry brambles as well. One area in which I have seen a lot of improvement the last few years is that of seed potatoes and onions. The varieties offered are, for the most part, ones that do well here....except for the little bags of dried 'onion sets' which still tend to be northern varieties. Dawn

Hi Bill, Open garden this weekend eh?? It would be quite the drive from Ontario but, I wish I could make it! Do you do this every year? I met you at the NARGS eastern winter weekend in January AND I have also heard much about your lovely garden. Have a great day! A.

Posted by Bigred: I just fished an old blue splatterware dutch oven out of my neighbor's scrap pile, punched holes in the bottom and potted it up w/impatients, coleus and caladiums. Turned out so pretty now I'm on the hunt for other junk to pot up. I also have an old chair w/ bottom planted and a septic tank clean out box planted 2-3 years w/semps,and other rock garden plants that have just gone wild so now I'm hooked on using "junk" to plant in. Posted by xkmorris: Well when I retired last year I also retired my old steel toe work boots. They are planted with plants now and looks pretty good. Posted by klynnnn: I have an old gray enamelware pot that I partially buried on its side and I have thyme planted in that next to some rosemary Posted by patricia_mi: While I was up visiting my Fathers 40 acre christmas tree farm, I found an old metal childs potty (white) with several holes in it. I was thinking some pretty strawberry plants or hen & chicks would look nice. Posted by goofyj: I like baskets and have one small one with a lid that opens and makes a backdrop for the plants. I also have a picnic basket that the lids open to the middle and I will put pots of mums in; a kids tractor about 18" tall with plants inside, and a kids rocking chair with pot on the seat. Problem is the deer, now they jump up on the porch to taste the goodies. Posted by Phyllis__MN: Last year I planted an old coal bucket with impatiens, which looked really nice, and a Red Flyer wagon with fibrous begonias which was gorgeous. I have a pair of black rubber kids boots that are going to be planted with shasta daisies today. Posted by Bigred: Sets me to thinking about the old wooden soda crates I have out back. Since semps don't need much watering maybe plant 2/3 in semps and fill the other holes w/ gravel. Have an old wooden tool caddy (double wide) that would look great w/pots of mums in the fall. Posted by chancygardener: I have this cute wooden crate type thingie from the grocery's dumpster. Green beans came in it (stamped on front that its beans). It's that real thin wood that's tied/hinged with thin wire and a lid that's hinged on so that's its like a box. I put 2 old black nursery pots full of my geranium cuttings and jew cuttings inside (the pots don't show). Posted by Seamommy: Out by the well house I have a copper tea kettle someone threw out. I put a hole in the bottom and partly buried it. It looks pretty cute too. Posted by luvsroses: I planted snapdragons in a little metal wheelbarrow. It is only about 7 inches tall or so. Posted by pplantlady: I plant up everything.....boots, old sinks, bathtubs, chairs, schooldesks, teacups, beds....you name it! If it will hold soil...it will hold a plant. One of my garden favs.....a childs bed. It's a couple of years old now and was originally planted as a quilt with a pillow. Now its just a catch all for extra seeds. I like that wild look aboutit. My sweetie and I got it for ten bucks and he built me a wooden box where the mattress was. We drilled holesin it for drainage and planted it up. It has faded a bit from the sun....but it still looks pretty cool! Posted by CraftyGardener: I have an old drum from a washing machine planted with mint. Other things I have planted in are frypans, saucepans, teapots, old mugs, old wheelbarrows, and old seed spreader, old wicker baskets ... just about anything that can hold dirt can become a planter. And here are a few more ideas from Member CraftyGardener (her member name speaks for itself!): Fill an old wheelbarrow with dirt and plant in it. If it is rusted out like mine was you won't need to add drainage holes. I have chives, hens and chicks, and some other ground cover plants that like to trail over the edges. Any old piece of garden equipment is great for planting in. I have used an old seed spreader, old metal buckets, an old watering can, and old wheelbarrows. Remember to add drainage holes. Use old tires filled with dirt to put tomato plants in. During the day the tires soak up the heat and over night that helps to keep the plants warm. I have seen old sinks, bathtubs and even toilets filled with plants on various gardening shows on television. Barrel halves, old or new, make great containers for plants. You can even transform them into mini water gardens. A great place to put lots of pots of various sizes is in a old child's wagon. Interesting pieces of pottery, bowls, tea cups,tea pots, mugs, bowls etc. found at garage sales look beautiful with small plants in them. Old plates placed under pots act as a catch-all for the water. An old saucepan, a teapot and cup and saucer, an old fry pan and a metal bucket filled with various plants sit in my "pot garden". Image by: GJ forum members Wheelbarrow, Pots & Bed