Oh, count me in, Skybird! I'd enjoy a propagation lesson. Thanks for volunteering. Just 6 - 7 months to go!:)
I'll probably bring pepper and tomato seedlings, don't know what type yet.
Can I have one of everything, lol?!
Barb

I start to think about it every time I walk by the plants I got last time!

I'll definitely want more sempervivums. I finally moved mine outside. The surviving ones are doing well. Of course I've lost some of the labels, so I don't know which ones I have! I'll try to match my plants to your photos so I don't duplicate too many of them. I'll do better about keeping them labeled, too.

The Zauschneria didn't make it, so I'd love to try again.

Serpent Moon's ajugas are settling in nicely. They're in a different spot from last time, and they don't seem to be getting munched. We shall see. Most of the other plants seem to be doing well, too.

The long, mild fall has been great for getting the plants established. I didn't expect it to be so dry, though! There are some plants out in the yard that aren't getting watered as well as they should since I thought we'd have more rain/snow by now.

Propagation workshops are always fun, especially since we can take home our lab materials, i.e., new plants!

I've been looking at my various plants trying to decide what to bring in the spring. We shall see...

Um ... I'm in seed harvesting and swapping mode right now. Just finishing up hosting one swap, and participating in a couple other swaps right now, so not really thinking about living plants yet. Once my wintersown stuff starts to sprout in the early spring, I'll be ready for a swap. Too early to make a wishlist, until I see what germinates.

First I have to figure out what I'm going to wintersow next year...

I, too, am interested in more Hens & Chicks, and Sedums, as some cat or other critter keeps digging my potted ones up, and scattering them all over my porch! They don't seem to bother the ones in the ground though, so maybe I need to quite trying to use them as container plants.

Bonnie

OMG!!! Me too! I did not like missing the swap especially since I already had things ready to go. And, I figured out why I forgot to bring the Stupice tomato seedling to the spring swap for Polygonum--they never sent the seeds!! Duh, why didn't I think of that before?

Anyway, I may have killed all the irises I dug up because, gasp, I never got to planting them elsewhere to save them for next year. Darn!! But, I'm going to do a huge pre-big-snow clean-up seeing as how there are tons of pots and things all over the yard including bikes, summer furniture and dead tomato plants still in pots. So, tomorrow is the day.

Skybird, I am gaga over the maiden hair fern!! I'm also feeling greedy for the Becky Shasta daisies seeing as how I've managed to not be able to make one grow yet. Although, maybe that is a sign that it just isn't happy up here? I'm not sure that is possible but we do get some dry winds...

I'm also getting ready to plan for spring! I've decided that I'll start my tomato seeds earlier this time. So, instead of putting away all the seed starting stuff for winter, I'm thinking of a place to put it all so I can easily get to it an a few months. Well, four months or so!

Monday will be fun! Work in the cold of the morning, come home and yard-tidy in the "warmth" of high-noon, then sew all the rest of the day. Yeah, I know, it is a good life, isn't it?

J.

jclepine: Irises are tough. It's not too late to replant them. Or, overwinter them in a garage and then plant them (or swap them) in the spring. You may not get 100% survival, but some will survive the abuse.

Now that I've written about the ajugas surviving the local critters, the local critters have suddenly discovered them. Oh, well. Maybe the roots are OK and they'll come back in the spring.

No fair!! I have to finish school before I'm allowed to play gardening (in theory). I too have been thinking about spring and hoping that this year it will not coincide with graduations, brandings and all the other stuff that goes on in the spring.

I am hoping we get my greenhouse up before March so I can have some nice starts going.

I really have no idea what I would want, or what I would have. I know I have tons of 1-gal pots I was going to bring in spring, but couldn't come because of graduation, so I know those will be in the back of the truck in May(?) if I get to come.

I did take a few cuttings off my tomatoes "yellow pear" for overwintering indoors. They were rooted in 3 days, amazing (I know not really, they are tomatoes for peat sake.)

I'll have more time in January after I'm done with college and the kids are back there.

Billie/Belinda

Thanks, Polygonum! I did re-plant them so hopefully they will be fine. They didn't look dead!

Also, while I was out there, one of the Becky Shasta daisies IS alive! It must have fallen out of the box of swap starts because it was just lying there on its side in the little foam cup it came home in. Roots were through the cup and into the ground. I've planted it so hopefully it will be happy.

I honestly didn't know you could start tomato plants from cuttings, well, I did know that, I just didn't know they would make good plants for fruit! I hope you'll be able to make it, Billie!!

I'm pretty excited about all the yard work I did today. Of course, I was covered in dirt and what not and it was really fun to get stuff done.

Thinking of spring...

J.

ok........ i have always (well almost) wanted a fern so can i have a maidenhair fern? i hope Polygonum and i can keep it alive........;-^(D (mustache dude!)

Cant wait for the day to come. Yippee skipper. Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Hi All,

The holidays are over and it's finally gotten cold enough out that I can't really do much outside right now, so I'm gonna bump this back up! I'm really chomping at the bit to be able to do some real gardening again, and while I know that's not what I'm doing here, at least I'm thinking about it!

Among other things, I'm really anxious to see if the flat of perennial starts I have out on the deck are going to successfully root and be lookin' good for the swap! I don't think they did much rooting before it started getting cold out, and it will be really interesting to see what happens---to me, at least! Last week when it was supposed to be getting REALLY cold out, I covered the flat with a heavy blanket and put plastic on top of it to keep it "warm" (???) and dry when it snowed! When I got my one and only other snow this winter, I had shoveled some snow on top of it to insulate it from the worst cold, and the soil in the pots was saturated from when that melted, and besides keeping the blanket dry, the plastic was also to keep more snow from melting into the pots! If they stay soaked all winter, they for sure won't make it! Tomorrow I need to get them uncovered again, and I'll start sticking them up on the deck rail during the day to get a little bit of sun again, and to dry out some!

I also trimmed my Turkish Veronica, Veronica liwanensis, back about six weeks ago, and I have some rooting inside. If that successfully transplants into soil, I'll have a couple of them for the swap too! When I was out working in the yard right up until it FINALLY got cold out, I was thinking about all the things I'll be able to bring some of, and I had to keep stopping myself from potting them up then and there since I'm not sure if they'll make it in pots over winter or not! I just kept repeating: Wait till spring! Wait till spring! Yeah, I've got it bad! Now that it's gotten cold and I'm not actually working in the dirt anymore, it's easier to not think about it!

I do have a heads up for any of you who might be thinking about what you're gonna plant your swap plants in when it's time! Last week I was picking up some big clear storage bins, on sale at Walmart, to try a "new method" for winter sowing this year (I'm watching for your WS thread, Bonnie!), and while I was there I got a bunch of styrofoam cups, both for some of the winter sowing AND for swap plants. Since I use the styrofoam cups for every swap, I've looked all over for the best price, and WM is the easy winner! They have 8.5 oz. cups, 51 in a package, for just 81 cents! Over the years I've also tried the various other hard plastic cups, but the styrofoam works well, is the cheapest, and is SO much easier to punch holes in the bottom, that that's all I use anymore. I usually pick up some of a larger size too, for things that already have too big a root system for the small ones. But for those of you that will be doing seedlings or small divisions/cuttings, the cheap ones from WM will work really well for you.

Jennifer and Serpent, the plant I was talking about that LOOKED like a maidenhair fern when it was a tiny seedling, turned out to NOT be a fern! Thinking it was actually a fern was just wishful thinking on my part! See my original post above, and the pictures of the (purple) Thalictrum! That's what they turned out to be when they started getting a few more true leaves! The leaves on the full-grown plant look pretty close to columbine leaves. So if you guys are interested in Thalictrum aquilegiafolium (shade plant), I'll have some! If you're looking for maidenhair ferns---I am too! ;-)

Without objection, I am still planning to have the Spring Swap here at my house, and for those who haven't been here before, that's in Thornton near 120th and Colorado Blvd.

And I will go ahead and plan to do a basic propagation demo, and have a general Q & A session if there's time and people have questions. It won't be a workshop kind of thing, Polygonum, just a looky-see kind of thing. I'll show you all the really basic take/make/stick cutting technique with no-fail sedums again, and the Ajugas, and I'll do true-to-variety/color Oriental poppies from root cuttings (Jennifer, will you be my supplier again?), and how to "core" shasta daisy shoots to root them. I'll do basic how-to on rooting succulents like X-mas cactus and Jade, where you have to make the cuttings and let them "heal over" before sticking them. And last time everybody seemed to enjoy watching me playing with and sticking hen & chick starts, so we'll do that again. It seems like such simple stuff that it hardly seems worth doing, but nothing is simple till you know how to do it! And if the timing works out well, I'll try to have a couple of the plants that I started for the swap available so I can show you the comparison of what they look like when I stick them and what the same thing looks like X weeks later. So I'll show how to do it, and, like last time, we'll do ask any/all propagation questions as we go.

Billie! No more school, no more excuses! It's been a while and we'll be expecting you this year! (Deviled home-grown eggs???)

For those of you who aren't familiar with our swaps, this isn't the "real' thread about the Spring Swap---I'll start that in a couple months (this is just my can't-stand-to-not-talk-about-it thread for over winter), but here's some very basic info!

Everybody here on RMG is welcome---even if you're new to gardening or in a new house or for whatever reason can't bring any plants! There are always plenty of plants for everyone! Friends/relatives/significant others are welcome too---but if they're not into gardening, they might be pretty bored! (Axe Murders are NOT welcome! The bored "extra folks" are assigned to axe murderer watch duty!) The plants are mostly outdoor plants, but can be anything, and some people bring houseplant starts too. For the Spring Swap we usually get a lot of veggie and annual/bedding plant starts/seedlings, along with some perennial starts. (The Fall Swap tends to be mostly perennials!) We do a potluck lunch too, and everybody can bring something to eat! The Spring Swap is usually sometime during the first half of May, on a Saturday or Sunday, and usually starts around 11-ish. ALL information about the swap is posted here on RMG, so you need to follow the swap thread (after the "real" thread is started) on the forum to know what's going on. The ONLY email that gets sent is about a week before the swap with the address and directions to the swap. (So don't send me your email address now and ask me to let you know when it's gonna be! It ain't gonna happen! I'm not that organized!) Just check in here on RMG starting in early March for the information thread where the exact date, time, and other info will be decided. (And for the Swap Old Timers around here, I'm not keeping track of who wants dibs on what until after I start the actual swap thread in March, so, while I love to have some idea of who's interested in what, and it helps me know if I should try to start more of something, you'll need to wait for the Who Wants What thread to actually get on my list for something.)

The days are getting---noticeably---longer already,
Skybird

By the Spring Swap, we will have moved into our new house and I will have a much better idea of our yard space and what might go where. Yay!

Skybird, I look forward to meeting you after missing you at the Fall event. BTW, all the sedums I got from you are still doing fantastically well.

i would still like the Thalictrum aquilegiafolium and i cant wait till i see more GREEN aka: spring/summer!!!!!!!! ;^)

Okay, planning and looking forward to a lack of cold, but would not mind some moisture. They promised us 1 - 3 inches of snow last night but I got zip, zero zilch, nada dang bit. I plan to go to swap this year as long as it is not on graduation at the high school (I think that is May 21). If I do, I will probably bring my mother as long as she promises to behave (lol).

I still have all the 1 gal pots that I was going to bring a few years ago. I will put them in the truck for anyone who wants some. Also, if anyone needs composted steer manure, I can arrange to bring some of that up too.

I know I will have veggie garden plants to swap, maybe a few herbs (will have to see what wants to grow this spring) and, yes Skybird, I will bring the deviled eggs from my happy hens.

Billie

Billie, I wouldn't mind some of your BS (lol!)

Would anyone want some blank plant markers cut from old blinds?

So it's NOT just me - the garden porn catalogs are pouring in and I'm wondering how much stuff I can sell on Craigslist to fund the madness before hubby notices... ("Bed? We had a bed? How odd...the TV too? Really?...Oh, no, we got rid of the car LAST year, honey...") Ha Ha.

Everything is snowpiled (yay!) so I'll have to assess possible swap items after some melting happens. We did get enough snow today that jumping from the roof into the shoveled-up pile was finally doable. I'm still ready for spring, though!

I'm always up for propagation lessons too, Skybird...if you have enough interest it would be great to plan for that.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to re-peruse my David Austin rose order form and resume the chant: "Five per year is e-no-ugh...five per year is e-no-ugh..."

Billi, I would like some composted steer manure. I usually come with my wagon, so a couple of gallons would be great. I so cant wait for the swap this year. Looking forward to seeing all the RM gardners again. I've started a flat of tomatos and have been busy cloning geraniums. Peace everyone. Gloria M.

I will get a few 5 gal buckets so that kvenkat and gjmancini can each get what they need and have a few extras just in case.
I will let you guys know what else I have coming after vacation in March

Billie

Since no date has been set yet, I thought I would just say that the only weekend in May that I will probably have a conflict is the weekend of the 14th - 15th. So my vote is for any date except those : )

Bonnie

BILLIE! I tried to email you--twice, and I got them both back from Mailer Daemon! I've had that problem other times about swap stuff with you! It says: ACCESS DENIED! Don't you deny me, girl!!! Seriously, email me if you have my address from a past swap, or PM me thru GW, and tell me what address I can use to contact you! I'll be waiting!!!!!

With that out of the way...............

Hi all!

I'm planning to start the REAL swap thread sometime during the first week of March! It's time to start getting serious about this! I am SO looking forward to warm weather again, and the swap! I know for sure now that I'll have a few of the Turkish Veronica starts that I mentioned somewhere above. I potted them into soil and am growing them inside till I can harden them off and keep them outside. They're rooting very nicely, and I'm going to chop off the tops soon to get them to thicken up some before the swap. When I'm outside on the nice days, I still keep seeing things I want to get ready for the swap, but I'm extremely limited on space inside, and I still don't feel certain they'd make it if kept outside, so I'll just have to wait---some more!

I'm so glad to see the names of those of you that have posted you're planning to come! It's gonna be fun! I AM planning to do the propagation demo, and I'm keeping a list of a few other things that people ask about to talk about too. If anybody has any specific questions they'd like answered, let me know!

Billie, I'd like to order about two yards of your BS!!!

Keep an eye out for the real swap thread soon,
Skybird

K Skybird I'll bring it, but you get to unload it!! And I'm not putting it in buckets, LOL. Seriously, if you need that much, I can bring it, I won't guarantee that it is sifted as it will be loaded by a tractor. I will try to send you a e-mail, don't know what is up cuz my e-mail has not changed, but I will give you my yahoo address, billie357.

So I guess we now have two weekends out in May, 14--15 and 21st, narrowing it down.

Billie

Billie,
I can bring my own 5 gal buckets. I don't need more than 2 or 3 since its only going in my flower patch.

How well-aged is the manure?

Thanks!

It's been piled probably 2-3 years. I fill my beds and plant. The last batches I got had no smell, but a really pretty black color.

I' going to try to get some more from him today so I can plant raspberries tomorrow. They are coming in bare root from a local off of Craigslist, gotta love that thing.

Billie

Billie I do believe you said the magic words! I am not sure if you have enough manure to spare but I would LOVE some. If you message me I will even come and pick it up whenever is good for you. Let me know.
Skybird I still have some pots of yours and need to drop them off. I will email you and we can set up a time. I will be looking for the spring swap thread!!!

Skybird - I'd LOVE a Turkish veronica and if there's a spare thalictrum, that would be fun to try. I'll start assessing my stuff after I get some cleanup done, and will post what I can bring.
I'd like to put in a bid that we have the swap on a Saturday, any weekend is fine with me. Majority rules, of course!

Saturdays are better for me as well.

I'm good with Saturdays too except for May 14th.

DD's high school graduation is May 28th, so I hope the swap isn't that weekend. But if it is, it is! You can't please everybody. If I can't make it, I'll make sure the plants get there.
I just sowed my first indoor flat of peppers and tomatoes today. I'll probably sow a flat of eggplant, cukes and Roma toms next week.
The dahlias seemed to be a hit, so I may bring some of those. I'm glad someone enjoyed them, since the grasshoppers ate all of mine last year!
I'm going to pot up some dutch iris bulbs for the swap, too.
Gettin' antsy!
Barb

Wow! So much activity over the winter. I am impressed at how all of you keep motivated over the winter. I just spent this morning watering the trees and the few perennials I managed to chunk in the ground before winter because it was crazy warm so it got me thinking about gardening and my unfinished retaining wall :( and how late I am with seed starting - just placed seed orders! I would love love to come to the Spring Swap. I am planning to start some seeds (Snapdragons, Linum, Pansies, Petunia) given to me this weekend outside! Gulp! so there is a possibility I could have seedlings to bring.

Also (prob more appropriate on the orchid forum - is there one?) I get a good fix of bloomers from my orchids over the winter. Almost everything is blooming now. The Oncidiums have a shorter bloom span and started in late December (blooms are starting to wane) and the Phaleonopsis started blooming about a month ago. So with this going on, I forget that I need to start seeds! Anyways there is a possibility that I will have several Oncidiums that needs repotting and separating if anyone is interested. They are really easy to grow and maintain, the first Phal was obtained (blooming now!) about 12 years ago and it could possibly be about 15 yrs old.

Sugaralice, I for one am happy that you posted pictures of your orchids. I have a couple of oncidiums and several phals, but not one of mine is blooming right now. I can't pass up a clearance orchid at the big box stores that I think is in general good health and enjoy the challenge of getting it to bloom again. Sometimes they're mystery colors, so that's even more incentive to get them to bloom in order to see what I got.

If you do divide your orchids, please keep me in mind as someone who'd like to add some new plants to my window sill.

Beautiful pics. I especially enjoyed the spotted blooms in the middle picture. Thanks again for posting.

Connie

Those orchids are pretty. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks! They really are a joy in the gray winter months (Not so gray around here!)
Connie - Note taken, I'll likely have a yellow and chocolate oncidium that needs dividing. I am so glad to hear you rescuing orchids from BB stores! I get really upset when I hear people throw them away after the blooms are finished! I once fished a poor fellow from the office trash and got it to bloom a yr later and returned it to my surprised colleague. I've had good luck to get my phals bloom every year and my oncidiums about twice a year and I don't really do anything special except we do keep our house on the cool side. Here's a little bit of info I found on GW about inducing blooms http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/orchids/2004090359017731.html

Sugaralice, those orchids are gorgeous! Do you keep them inside? I'd love to have a start if you get the chance.

I'm getting ready for spring! I just started 36 seedlings--all the tomatoes and some other stuff. So happy to get peat up my nose and all along my arms...ahh, spring is just around the corner!

Granted, I could have started too late or too early but I'm not sure I care. I've gotta give it a try and see if I can make a better go of the tomatoes this year. Last year, too late of a start and not enough sun.

Can't wait to see the official swap thread! Although, maybe it is already up? Gee, I'd better take a closer look.

Skybird, did I say anything about the poppy root yet? I'm happy to dig some up but I'll just have to wait and see how soon the snow melts. I never know what it will do.

Looking forward...

Jennifer