Hello everyone! Oh Linda I am so sorry about the loss of your pets. I have birds and cats too, they are part of the family. My cat just had kittens, I wish I could put one in a box and send it to you.
And to Michelle and Deb, I am also sorry for your losses as well. I know how frustrating that can be. I have problems with creatures at night, (armadillos and racoons) they love to disturb freshly planted beds, it is an awful feeling to wake up and see all your hard work trashed. I have some unusal tomato seedlings, gourd seeds and acorn squash seeds if you guys want some. Just e-mail me your addy and I will get them right to you.
I got my box today! It was originally mailed to the wrong PO. So I got some great goodies!
An amaryllis bulb
Two kinds of brugs
Notepads
seed bags
pretty garden coasters
six different kinds of datura seeds
blue forget me nots (I love blue!)
Sunflowers
chives and dill
Evrything was so neatly packaged, I loved everything, Thank you so much Marie!!

A beautiful day today finally. My Azaleas are all in bloom.

Look at all of you wonderful ladies sharing all those unusual seeds with Michelle and Debby. Every one of you is fantastic! I wish I had some different vegies to send but sadly I am not too good at growing them, so don't keep any except for Better Boy Tomatoes and Spinach. I am giving those a shot again this year. The Better Boys are up and sprouted to 6" tall, no sign of the spinach yet! lol!

Scotty, that is a very nice box that you received! Wonderful job Marie!

Mariann, your azaleas are beautiful! You are making me miss my old house where I planted some double blooming pink ones. I love it when they are in bloom.

Have a good night everyone!

Tracy

Hi everyone!

Deb and Michele, sorry about your loss of plants and your greenhouse. I am not having a vegetable garden this year, and so I don't have anything to share with you either. I wish I did!

Tracy, do you still need some waders? lol I love your Gardening shed. Your hubby and boys did a great job!

Linda, I sure hope your cat comes back, and I'm sorry to hear about your bird. It sounds like you had a really nice Mother's Day!

Mariann, your Azaleas are BEAUTIFUL!

I was talking to one my Physical Therapists, and gardening came up. I wasn't sure if I was sore from the gardening or the Therapy, lol, and she told me she moved to a home which had a lot of Iris' on the side of the garage that she had just dug up and got rid of, because they attract snakes. I just smiled and nodded, but my mind was screaming, "You did what??????" If only I had met her before that!!

I am getting a real treat from my mom. She has a fern peony that my aunt gave her, but it isn't growing well for her (poor soil) so she said I could have it. I think I will be able to divide it also! They are so pretty. Does anyone know when the best time to dig it would be? I don't mind if I have to wait until next year to see it bloom.

I hope everyone has a nice, dry, sunny and calm day today!
Karen

Karen, YES! I still need waders! Ugh, it is raining again here. I think we will be dry for tomorrow and then 2 more days of rain. I think it would be nice to have one day of rain and then 5 days dry. Think I can negotiate a little with Mother Nature? :o( I can just imagine you screaming in your head at the therapist! lol! I can't believe she just tossed them! Yeesh!

I see down South there is more bad weather. Hope everyone here from the GW misses out on it. Tracy, hope some of that rain misses you, too!

I found this in my flower bed today: grrrrr....
My Columbine Canadensis..

And the footprint from the culprit that is eating my Columbines. (not just the above)

Anyone know of any ways to keep deer out of your flower beds? They have never been a big problem before, so I hope it doesn't become one now. The other Columbine it ate was one that I wintersowed last year, and was hoping to see some blooms this summer. It ate every leaf off of it!!

This is some of my ferns coming up. I have LOTS!! I don't know what kind it is, came with the property. It is always in the shade (on side of house) and I never water it. It spreads nicely. If anyone has a shady spot to fill, this would work great. It gets about 3-4' tall full grown. I'll gladly share some!

Have a great day!
Karen

OHHH Karen, that bad bad deer!!!

Mariann your azeleas are breathtaking!

Linda I am soo sorry about your cat and your birdie. I hate that you lost two friends. I hope your Cat finds its way home.

We have been getting storms and they are moving NE. Thankfully in this part of Houston we got just a minimal amount of rain so far and now the sun is out for a little while (long enough to make the humidity very sticky!) only to get bad again this afternoon/evening and through tomorrow. Oh well I can't complain because we missed out on the really bad stuff so far.

I hope everyone has a safe, dry and happy day.

Pixie

I forgot to post a pic of the flowers I bought from a nice elderly lady. She sells most everything for $1.00. Lily, Iris, and Daylilies for $2.00.

I plan on going back some time this week. She also sells bulbs and seeds. You walk around there feeling like a kid at the candy store! lol

Karen I posted this recipe last month. It does work if repeated after rain and watering.
1-2 eggs (fresh)
3 cloves garlic
2 cups water
chop in food processor until garlic is very fine or liquefy in a blender. Strain into a 1 gallon sprayer and add water to 1 gallon, shake. Spray on plants.
*If you don't strain, the mix, the egg will clog up sprayer nozzle.
**You can buy a pump sprayer at Home Depot or WalMart very inexpensively

Deer don't like the smell of sulfur which is in eggs and also don't particularly like garlic. They may take a bite but won't chew the plant down. Catch them now before the mom's teach the babies where your tasty treasures are.LOL
Good luck
Mariann

Mariann,
You are so AWESOME! Your box arrived today and I just gotta say, I did the "happy dance" for quite a while! ( I'm still doin it.LOL )
Thank you so much. You sent plants that I have been looking for for several years! Especially the coconut Geranium and the toad lily and lots of others.

I kept squealing like a little girl as I unpacked the box. My guys came in singing here comes santa claus. LOL

To Everyone else:
Mariann sent :
houseplants: pothos and a beautiful dragon wing begonia, shade plants like toad lily and caladiums and passionfruits too. She sent dwarf Shasta daisies, ( I have the perfect spot for those, Jasmine and a nite blooming cereus heirloom . Best of all, She put in a gorgeous card and sent the me history of her plants that were family heirlooms..... I love that.
So many of my plants are heirlooms and it is so nice to be able to say, This was "Grandma Mollie's" and that's one that Aunt Jewel's gave me, and even more fun is " my gardenweb friend from _____ sent me this one.
The gardener's handsoap is desperately needed ( I tend to garden without gloves and in flip flops.) and the spikes will be put to real good use... probably tomorrow.Oh yeah, a catalog from what looks like an awesome herb farm. I will be sending them an order soon.
Thank you so much, I will be mailing your box probably monday, I am waiting for one more "goodie" to arrive and then I will send it on it's way. I will be sure to post the DC# too.

I love the way you packed the box too. I took a lesson so my plants will have easier journeys from now on.

Oh Happy Day!
Linda

Hi Everyone,
I've been so busy cleaning up the yard after another strong round of storms! We had nickel sized hail the other night along with massive tree bending winds! My garden doesn't stand a chance! I am amazed though, the garden sat for a couple of days submerged under water and I see seedling coming up in spots! So things did make it! I'm not sure what yet, some of my plant stakes blew away (are totally missing)! That's never happened before, but I can usually ID everything once it's an inch or so. Plus, I did make a planned map of what I planted too. I'm running to Sids greenhouse today for some extra tomato plants. They usually carry nice heirlooms. I know I'm going to have a few bare spots due to all the water!

Other than that, the grass looks great! The deepest emerald green it's ever been! My landscape in the front looks really good too, we never had problems with flooding before (in my garden in the back yard). So hopefully, it doesn't happen again.

Tracy,
Nice potting area! I hinted that I wanted a potting shed for Mother's day, hmmm? I guess no one heard me! It's nice to keep the mess located to one area. I do potting everywhere.. kitchen sink, on the patio set!

Better make this short, I have a million things to do today! Has anyone heard from Louise/Esiuol lately (my swap Pal)? Just curious. ;)

Deb

Deb, I'm glad things are drying up a bit and that you are seeing some sprouts that survived! We're are getting some sprinkles today, but nothing major like you've had.

I received my package from Huong today! Thank You!
Huong sent me some seeds: Cosmos, Daisy, Cleome, Echinacea, Maltese Cross, CA Poppies, Daylily, Rose Campion, Trumpet Vine Madame Galen (googled~looks beautiful!!) and some Bouncing Bet, I believe this is Soapwart? Its very pretty also, can't wait to try it! All of these seeds will grow nicely here! Houng also sent me some gardening gloves, and a very pretty bracelet. Did you make it Huong? Thank You for your package. I will get mine out to you on Monday!

Have a nice day everyone!
Karen

Linda, that is a great box that Mariann sent you! I love how you have heirloom plants with family ties. I love to add plants to my gardens that I remember my family members were fond of. I now have a small blackberry patch in honor of my Aunt, Grandma grew hosta and Bleeding Hearts, and my mom was fond of herbs. I have special little touches here and there that remind me of all the family I am lucky to have had.

Deb, thanks! I am so happy to have it all together now! I was doing the same as you with potting, kitchen sink, on my knees on the hard stone patio, patio tables, just everywhere. Now I am in search of all of my scattered tools to get them hung up on all of those empty pegs. I am happy that you have seedlings coming back. Good luck with id'ing your plants. I guess I am not the only one playing "Name that Plant" this spring. My neighbor blew a bunch of my markers away earlier in the season with his industrial strength leaf blower. He was being a nice guy cleaning up the yard for his Mom and also cleaned out my shade garden. Leaves, acorns, garden markers and all!

Have a great day!

Tracy

hello
well it is another overcast day, there is saposed to be some rain later.
sorry deb there is still no word from Louise/Esiuol. mariann has sent an e-mail, if there is still no responce by sat I think I will send a postcard. she may be ill or having computer problems. don't worry deb you will get something but I want to give louise more time. if her computer is down she may not evan know who her partner is.
I'll be in the chat room later
michelle

Mariann, I forgot to say Thank you for re-posting the recipe to keep deer away. I'm going to give it a try.

We had some sprinkles this morning and it was mostly cloudy, but now the sun peeks out every so often. Its nice out, 64 degrees, but I think scattered showers are in the forcast for this afternoon, too.

Have a good day!
Karen

Linda-I'm glad everything arrived safely. The cryptic emails I sent you about a plant on your exchange list was for the Coconut Scented Geranium. I wasn't sure if you had found it somewhere. They had just potted it up at Well Sweep that's why it's so small. I'm so glad you liked everything and that I had so many things on your list.

Deb & Jeanne-I emailed Louise this morning. With this crazy weather we're having I become very concerned about people.

Deb-I'm glad the water has finally receded. I did see on the news about hail in some parts of the country. Hope you are able to find more tomato plants.

Tracy you are so lucky to have a place for all your gardening stuff. Mine is scattered everywhere. I bet you are excited about using it.

Well I need to get outside and do some planting. Hope everyone has a great day.
Mariann

Mariann,
I'm back from the greenhouse and was able to find a few healthy looking tomato plants! Just the plain "Big boy" and "Early girl" but I can't be choosy at this point. Hopefully all the heirlooms come up still. I do see some sprouts, so there still is hope. I usually plant everything way in advance (indoors), but this year for some reason fell behind. I decided to save time and plant directly in the garden, which was my mistake! I'll never do that again!

I also came home with two huge begonias (baskets). They are gorgeous, huge! ;) I want to start collecting a few of the scented varieties. Right now I have a rose/lemon only.

Well, better get off and go edge the landscape. I also have a little weeding, pruning to do. We are putting down mulch this weekend. Just to freshen things up. We do it every year. Don't buy the mulch that is guaranteed to stay red for 5 years and costs more, it doesn't work. It faded the same as all mulches.

Deb

I thought I'd post who sent and received. Boxes need to be sent by the 26th. That is 10 days from now. If someone needs an extension because of an emergency please let Michelle or myself know.

Mariann/galium-sent-received
Linda/ibartoo-received
Michelle/micyrey-sent-received
Tracy/tracyvine-sent-received
Becki/beckilove-
Tammy/thelwig55-sent
Karen/kalena67-received
Huong/hmle2217-sent
Sue/sguanzon-
Trina/pixieluvplants-
Sharon/scottrell-sent-received
Marie/wynative-sent
Jeanne/sandlapper_rose-sent-received
Louise/esiuol-received (not posted)
Deb/debbya-sent

If I forgot someone or posted incorrectly please let me know.
More rain today. At least I had 2 days of sun which were wonderful. Was able to recharge my batteries.LOL
Mariann

This article appeared in the Wall Stree Journal yesterday. It features our own Michelle/micyrey and Jeanne/sandlapper_rose as well as another GW member Remy.

Pushing the Envelope on Vegetables
As Interest Revives in Growing Edibles,
Some Turn to Purple Carrots, Blue Potatoes
By JUNE FLETCHER
May 16, 2008

The view of the vegetable patch will be decidedly odd this year: Get ready for maroon carrots, yellow watermelons and pink-and-white striped beets.

Garden centers, catalogs and seed companies are promoting strange, splashy edibles not only to intrigue veteran gardeners who always seek the unusual, but also to inspire a new generation who -- until recently -- hadn't shown much interest in getting their hands in the dirt.

The amount of money U.S. consumers spent on vegetable gardens rose 22% in 2007, to $1.4 billion, from 2006, according to a survey conducted in January for the National Gardening Association, an industry-sponsored group. Another poll, conducted in February for the Garden Writers Association Foundation, found that 39% of gardeners planned to grow edible plants this spring, up from 32% a year earlier.

Though the odd-vegetable trend has been around for several seasons, more unusual crops are appearing in catalogs and garden-oriented Web sites this year. Gurney's, a mail-order purveyor, is promoting a purple-red Brussels sprout called Falstaff. Competitor Burpee has a white cherry tomato called Italian Ice and an heirloom Chinese radish, dubbed the Radish Watermelon, that looks like a white baseball with a bright pink center. Park Seed rolled out purple Pak Choi, golden beets and Big Rainbow yellow-and-red splotched tomatoes that grow to two pounds apiece.

For longtime aficionados of the quirky, such as Remy Orlowski, the plants add elements of visual and gustatory surprise to her landscape. This spring, the 44-year-old nutritionist has been weaving red okra, purple-podded peas and a spicy, splotched and twisted plant called a fish pepper among the flowers in her Tonawanda, N.Y., backyard. She also added two odd tomatoes -- Carbon, a deep maroon, and Pruden's Purple, which is actually pink -- to the 40 varieties she already grows.

Mrs. Orlowski says she always is on the lookout for "weird and ugly" tomatoes -- especially newly rediscovered heirlooms -- both because she wants to rescue varieties that may be on the brink of extinction and because she thinks they taste better than store-bought ones. But she and her husband, Gary, who works in a hospital-supply firm, sometimes encounter resistance when they try to give away their excess produce to co-workers. "It can be off-putting to some," she says of the odd variations.

Indeed, hitting the right note with unusual plants can be difficult, says George Ball, chairman and chief executive officer of W. Atlee Burpee & Co. of Warminster, Pa. While peculiar plants can be profitable to their sellers -- they're usually initially priced 10% to 20% more than old favorites -- they can take years of breeding to produce, and the market's reaction is unpredictable. Burpee's best-selling new vegetable last year was Golden Mama, a yellow-fleshed, egg-shaped tomato designed to make paste. It cooks down to a golden-yellow sauce instead of the unattractive grayish-brown glop that other yellow tomatoes typically produce. But some of Burpee's other recent introductions, including Purple Dragon Carrots and All Blue potatoes, were "flopperoos," says Mr. Ball. "The sight of blue is unappetizing to many people," he says. "I couldn't give them away."

Congratulations Jeanne, Remy and Michelle! Wow, so many of our gardening buddies are famous now! I just finished reading the full article and loved it! You guys are simply amazing to me.

Michelle, I thought that was so cool how you made red white and blue french fries for 4th of July. So creative with those vegies!

I'll post the link to the Wall Street Journals online article so everyone can read from where it leaves off above.

Today is my oldest son's prom. The school has a Prom Walk for the everyone in town to come and view all the seniors in their dresses and tuxedos. Everyone looked beautiful and handsome. Here is a picture of Ted and his date Ann.

Here is a link that might be useful: The wsj article

Oops. I read the entire article but didn't realize I missed posting some of it.
Pushing the Envelope on Vegetables
As Interest Revives in Growing Edibles,
Some Turn to Purple Carrots, Blue Potatoes
By JUNE FLETCHER
May 16, 2008
CONTINUED

And some unusual veggies require that gardeners do a bit of coddling. Ferry-Morse's new "Health Smart" vegetable collection includes exotic Hakurei Hybrid turnips, touted for their vitamin-rich tops and mild-tasting white flesh that can be chopped raw into salads, as well as Nutri-Red carrots, promoted as high in the nutrient lycopene. However, the company's Web site warns that the turnips need to be harvested when they're between 2 inches and 3½ inches in diameter or they become woody, while the carrots can crack if they're watered too much.

Still, some gardeners enjoy a challenge. Jeanne Hertzog, 58, a retired police captain who owns a pet-sitting business, grows both traditional and off-the-wall vegetables in her nine-acre Lexington, S.C., yard, as well as in nearly 80 patio pots. She likes to experiment with growing techniques -- she once grew an heirloom tomato upside down through a hole in a hanging bucket -- as well as bizarre plants, such as the Egyptian Walking Onion, which puts out small bulbs on the ends of stalks that fall over and take root, running rampant through the garden if not kept under control. Although the unusual veggies can be a lot of work, and they don't always measure up to standard ones in flavor -- a "chocolate" pepper she grew had an off taste -- she says their strangeness is part of the charm. This spring, she started an "odd, odder, oddest" seed swap on an online gardening forum, and received seeds for Cinnamon Basil, Green Zebra tomatoes and Apple Green eggplants. "I'm always interested in something new," she says.

Charlie Nardozzi, senior horticulturist for the National Gardening Association, says some people grow odd veggies simply to be on the cutting edge. Other, environmentally motivated gardeners are trying to resurrect long-forgotten native plants. Mike Robins, a 27-year-old Burtonsville, Md., graphic designer, has planted an old Indian staple, Apios Americana -- also known as the Hog Peanut or groundnut -- in a patio pot this spring. The rangy vine was so prized by 17th-century colonists that they punished Indians who dug its starchy tubers with the stocks or whipping. But the bulbous tubers take two years to reach edible size, so Mr. Robins will have to do a lot of watering and fertilizing before he can harvest them. "I have no idea what they taste like," he says.

Eccentric edibles have been converting some die-hard veggie-spurners, like Michelle Reynolds, into fans. Last season, on a lark, the 36-year-old Quincy, Ill., homemaker grew blue potatoes -- which she mixed with red and white ones for Fourth of July french fries -- as well as white oval cucumbers, "rainbow" carrots in red, orange, yellow and green, and tiny, pastel-hued "Easter Egg" eggplants. The veggies were such a hit with her two preschoolers -- particularly her 5-year-old son, Timmy -- that she plans to plant more this spring. "He likes the pretty colors," she says. And she adds that she likes the way they taste, too.

Write to June Fletcher at june.fletcher@wsj.com

Very interesting article! Thanks for posting it Mariann & congrats to Jeanne, Remy, and Michele!!

Huong, your package is going out tomorrow and I will post your DC# tomorrow also. Enjoy!!

Deb, how are your sprouts looking? I hope you've found more survivors!

Karen

My box to Trina is going out today.
DC#01038555749393106966

Hope you like what I'm sending.

Sue G.

Huong, here is your DC#: 0308 0730 0000 9874 9617.
I hope you like everything!

Karen

Sharon - OMG!! What a wonderful way to start my week! I am getting spoiled here :)

Sharon sent me the following goodies:

LOTS of Prickly Pear Cactus pads
A Pink Brug cutting
Hens & Chicks
Jade start
Orange Cosmos Seeds
A picture frame brag book!
Beads & Button's Magazine
African Fox Glove Seeds - My sister purchased 2 of these plants for her yard and they are GORGIOUS! Can't wait to see mine in bloom!

Drum roll here........
AND...
A Monstera Deliciosa rooted start!! Just tooo AWSOME!

Thanks so very much for making this month such a great one for me, Sharon!

Marie

Marie what a great box you received from Sharon. I love Hens and Chicks don't know why except they are so adorable.

I hope everyone had a great weekend.
Mariann

Hello, what an interesting article! You guys are too cool!
Marie, I am so glad you like your box! You were easy to get stuff for, we both like a lot of the same things!
Hope everyone has a great night! - Sharon

Mariann/galium-sent-received
Linda/ibartoo-received
Michelle/micyrey-sent-received
Tracy/tracyvine-sent-received
Becki/beckilove-
Tammy/thelwig55-sent
Karen/kalena67-sent-received
Huong/hmle2217-sent
Sue/sguanzon-sent
Trina/pixieluvplants-
Sharon/scottrell-sent-received
Marie/wynative-sent-received
Jeanne/sandlapper_rose-sent-received
Louise/esiuol-received (not posted)
Deb/debbya-sent

We only have a few more days until the deadline. We've not heard from anyone for an extension.
Louise you need to post what you received from Jeanne/sandlapper_rose.
{{gwi:1261833}}

I switched internet providers and am not too happy with this new one! I've lost AOL twice (had to reinstall it) and can't log online for a few days until it decides to mysteriously come back. The icon totally disappears (and reappears)! I've been going through Internet explorer to read the threads, but have a hard time sending email. It goes in an AOL folder that waits for AOL to send it later. I called the new provider and hopefully, my computer can be fixed. It's only a little over a year old. So that's why I've been MIA. When it becomes a hassle to get online, I garden, weed or clean. My house is spotless, LOL! ;)

Update on my garden.. The beans survived the flood, the little sprouts I noticed turned out to be weeds (or things I can't ID), not tomatoes. And it looks as though some of the lettuce is finally coming up too. I ended up purchasing some tomato plants (big boy, early girl) nothing special or heirloom! Everything good was sold out by the time I went. So please think of me for fall! Save me any heirloom tomato seed you can (even if it's just a few) I'll be soooo grateful! I'm really going to miss my Black Krim, black cherry, black plum, hungarian pink, pleated tomato, striped stuffer, golden delight, and many other named varieties that I've had for years! NEVER plant your seeds directly in the garden! I really should of known better! See what happens when you get too confident with your growing skills? ;) The only herb I have so far is chives. All of my favorite herbs didn't come up either! What am I going to do without all my basils? I grew every type I could find! I'm going to miss Opal basil the most! Hopefully someone starts a good veggie seed RR! I'll buy seeds to add in it!

Deb

I promise I will have my box out by Monday - I'm just running behind, as usual! I hope everyone is doing well!

Hugs,
Becki

Deb-I have plenty of herb seeds from last year. I'll send them off to you.
Mariann

Hi everyone!

Just wanted to share a couple of pics. A couple of years ago when we built our garage, we had them put the excavated dirt in our garden, which the kids named the 'dirt hill'. They loved it! I did not. This past week end my hubby finally got it leveled out, and we get to have our veggie garden back!! Plus, I can see my flower beds!

Dirt hill

Our Garden is back!

My new flower bed (tilled last fall)

Tracy, the center of this bed is where I want a nice patch of Galium. Thank you so much for helping me with that!!

Have a great day!
Karen

Karen, that is a wonderful garden! It is going to be so beautiful this summer! Wow! You have got to be so excited. I love the walkway and the stepping stones! What vegies are you going to grow now that you have your vegetable garden back? Your dirt is so nice and rich looking! You are a lucky girl to have that.

Tracy

Thanks Tracy! We are going to plant slicer cucumbers, pickling cucumbers, watermelon, cantaloupe, green beans, carrots, sweet corn, onions, cherry tomatos, big boy tomatos, and early girl tomatos. I wanted a hill of Zucchini, but hubby thought otherwise. I guess the only thing I do with it, is make zucchini bread. We usually end up giving it away or tossing a lot of it. I also like squash, but kids do not, and hubby can do with out, so no squash either. I'm still debating about peppers. I normally only use them for salsa. We all like salsa, so maybe I will plant some. I guess I'm sorda rambling on here! lol.

Yes, the dirt is really nice here. I don't add anything to it. I'm sure I could, and have even nicer dirt, but I figure that is just extra work!

Karen

Mariann, I mailed your box today. I am sorry it took me so long to get it together. I hope you like everything. your DC # is 0307 1790 0001 0851 5423.

I got crop circles! You all won't believe this, but all of my sunny spots were right in the middle of the yard and covered over with grass. DH tilled up little flower bed gardens and outlined them with bricks and said " now you can plant a garden in the circles. LOL So I planted every kind of vege I have wanted to grow but never could before and it looks really cool. I can't wait to do that to the front yard too. I will post pictures soon. I also stuck flowers in around the veges. I can't wait to see it all bloom!

Yay Linda!! Yes, post some pic's! What a great hubby ya got! I've been wanting to outline my flower beds with bricks also, but still haven't found anyone with any to throw away! I don't want to buy them! lol

Karen

Karen, all of those vegies sound yummy! I love zuchini! Sauteed in butter with onions, zuchini bread, grilled, you name it! Good stuff!

We have good dirt here but I need to amend it every spring just to keep things happy. Close to the house we have clay but out in the yard is some very nice dirt. A little heavy but still nice to work with. Not as nice as yours though.

Linda, that sounds awesome! I can't wait to see the pictures. I'm so happy for you!

Tracy

Karen-You're going to have a great garden!! I love the look of your new flower bed too.

Linda-I'll be on the look out for your box.
Mariann

hello
I know I have not been around latly, I have been very buisy trying to get all the babies planted, I'm hopping to get the last 2 flats of annuals planted at the community garden tomarrow.
I have been taking some picks though.

I have more columbines but some of the picks did not come out right, I'm gonna try morning light tomarrow.

deb I will deffinently keep you in mind for some heirloom seeds if I get them, but the way my mind works I may send them to someone else. LOL

karen - I chop up my zucs and put them in my salads, it is a good way for me to get more vegies

kalana - that is funny about the bricks, I'm always on the look out for free bricks, stepping stones, or cool rocks

well I'm gonna stop by the chat room then go off to take a bath.

michelle

Mariann,
Thank you so much! I really appreciate it!

Michelle,
Thank you too. ;) Keep me in mind for any heirloom tomato seeds, even if it's in the fall. At least I'll have them for next year! I have a feeling I'm really going to miss my colorful tomatoes! My Family loved eating black krim, hungarian pink, golden delight, all mixed up in a salad! The colors were so pretty! Black krim is such a strange color, deep burgandy green/red! Hungarian pink was an odd pinkish red and was sort of crisp, different texture. Golden delight was a low acid tomato, and yellow.
I've never grown just 'big boy' 'early girl' before. :(
What are your favorites?

Deb

Michelle-I love your Columbines

Deb-I mailed your herb seeds out today.

We are changing the send by date to Tuesday the 27th. I didn't realize that Monday was a holiday.

I posted at the beginning of the month as to who might want to trade seeds in June. In some areas of the country it is to hot to send plants. Please post and let us know what you would prefer.
Thanks
Mariann

I can still take plants!

Michelle, I love your columbines, too. I wintersowed quite a few different varieties this winter, but not all of them have come up. The ones that did are still too small to plant out. This is the 2nd year that 'Dragonfly' would not germinate. I have 2 different columbines that I'm hoping will bloom this summer for the first time. I wintersowed them last year.

Karen

I will trade plants if I can send very early in June, but after that just seeds until later on - probably the September swap will be when I feel okay about starting on plants again. I know those in the cooler places are just now getting to where they want to plant, but summer is the worse time for planting here. Starting from seeds seems to be okay if they are hot weather plants. Anything being transplanted has a very hard time of it.
Thanks!
Jeanne

Michelle, your columbines are beautiful! You reminded me why I fell in love with them all over again! I started a ton from seed in winter sowing too and they are still teeny tiny. They were the last of all my seeds to germinate from the January sowing date. I can't wait to see the blooms on the one you sent me!

I am up for plants too. I have lots of sunny and part sun spots to fill this month since I FINALLY am getting the dirt for my lasagna bed's top layer. We had so much rain that it stopped me in my tracks for several weeks and I was able to finish the compost layer yesterday. Tomorrow the dirt comes! Woo hoo!

I will be sending in the early part of June as I have too much going on later in the month with catering and then my son's graduation party. So early is good for me! lol!

Have a great evening everyone!

Tracy

I'm in Jeanne's boat. After about the 15th of June, it is way too hot for plants. Tracy suggested venting the boxes, but I have already received some that had turned to mush. YUK! Anyway, it is just seeds for me till about september.

Hi all,

Sue, Mariann and Michelle, I have been very under the weather this week and since today is Friday (already, ok I am pushin it by 30 mins) and a Holiday weekend I will be sending your (Sue's) box out on Tuesday. I am sorry for being so late.

Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Trina (Pixie)

Linda-Your box arrived today. I love everything! You're sensational!!!
{{gwi:1261846}}
Linda sent me the most amazing tropical plants. Cuttings from her Mother's Day Plants (Linda I had to look these up and I'm so excited to receive them)-Clerodendrum thomsoniae (Bleeding Glory-Bower) and Pandorea jasminoides 'Charisma' (Variegated Pandora Vine). Also Linda's favorite Coleus 'Stained Glassworks Trailing Plum'.

There was a card in the box with stories on all the plants she sent. I love having a story to tell when I show people my plants. I also received 3 fans of Iris 'Above Board', Stokes Aster and Oxalis triangularis.

I was very excited about the new Passiflora Chave. This plant was hybridized in Spain and newly registered. Linda traded for it.

I also received gardening gloves, a Lucky Clover Grow Kit, a gardening sign that reads 'Life is a Garden tend it with Joy' and a Sea Horse water diffuser. I know just what pot I'm going to put this in. Plus there were seeds, 3 different Daylily seeds, Gerbera Daisy and Morning Glory Tree.

Linda thank you so much for everything. I'm thrilled to receive plants with such a rich history. The cuttings are all in water and I'm going out to pot up the rest.

Mariann

I got my package from Karen/kalena yesterday. Thanks so much for all the goodies. I love them. Karen sent me a mix of everything. I absolutely adore the ivy cuttings. I plan on putting them in a pretty pot tomorrow. I also got some cocoa mix, lotion and lip balm. I always use lotion and lip balm. In fact, when I opened the box and saw it, I put some on right then. I also got so many seeds from Karen including veggies and flower seeds.

Thank you thank you thank you for the purple podded beans. I've been looking everywhere for these and now I have more than I can think of growing! Thanks a bunch and have a great memorial day weekend!

Here is a link that might be useful: My Garden Blog

I really thought I had posted this but was reading back and sheesh... I AM SOOO SORRY SUE!!! I received your box yesterday!! Thank you soo much!

Sue sent me...

Yellow Mums
Elephant Ear Bulb (this must be the giants eh? its huge!)
some Ivy
some Ornamental grass (I love the coloring on this)
"Oscar" Glad Bulbs
some concentrated Hummer food (this is great stuff!)
some gardening gloves
and some Decorative Spanish Moss (how'd ya know I needed some? I use this for alot of my crafts and usually get it from trees but as Houston grows the trees go that have it)

Thank you so much for everything!!!

Smiles,
Pixie

Well, I meant to get my box out today, but things came up and I didn't make it in time for the postman. I have every intention of getting it out on Tuesday, but if unforseen circumstances come up, I will let Mariann or Michelle know. I don't see any reason though, why my box won't go out on Tuesday. Hope everyone is having a great weekend!!

Hugs,
Becki