I hope everyone is having a great weekend. :)

My pal sure got mine off to a wonderful start with the box I receieved this morning.

She sent me some beautiful plaques, one with iris & the other hydrangeas.
A colorful parrot wind sock. It will be a perfect accent for the tropical garden I plan to start for next year. Right now my tropicals are scattered all over the place.
A darling birdhouse with windchimes hanging from it.
A cute little gardening angel figurine.
A pretty holder for eyeglasses or keys & change. Since I do wear reading glasses it will be perfect on my night stand.
A tin hanging candle holder perfect for the patio.
A floral notebook I plan to keep my notes of which seeds germinated & grew best for me. Last year was my first to winter sow & I misplaced some of those notes already. So having them in one book will help.
A seed trading kit. The kit had several packs of seeds, bubble envelopes & stamps. What a great idea! One I plan to steal for my pal in the future. :)

I can't wait to sow the seeds. I've never heard of ladybells so I googled those. What a pretty flower.

Thanks pal. I truly enjoyed reading the note you wrote. It's fun to read how others got their interest in gardening.

I got started gardening as a kid. Growing up in Calif., I lived next door to a commercial flower farm at one time. I thought that beautiful field of flowers was something else. I also thought that some of those flowers would look better in our yard. My first gardening lesson was that the plastic shovel that came with the sand pail I played with at the beach was not the kind of shovel to dig flowers up with. LOL
After watching my brother scooping dirt with his Tonka Toy dump truck, I figured I would scoop the flowers out. It worked, but I tore up his truck in the process. The gladiola bulbs bent the scooper. OOPS!

So I became a gardener by becoming a thief & vandal first. LOL

More pics this of the apricot canna now in full bloom, a very lovely orange canna that looks red on here however this is a very vivid ORANGE, and Tom D'oro never heard of this however is what the label said... a deep buttercupy color orange/yellow very beautiful. Finally a grouping on my front stoop

Ohhhhhh Cassie How Beautiful! Love the pics. Made my day!
Debi

HI. I'm just looking around and trying to find out about all of these RR's. I'm new here, and started my first RR with Hortiholics last month.

So, can you tell me how you grew those Cannas from seeds, how long ago and where did you buy those seeds? They are just beautiful.

Thanks
Maureen

Maureen,
I got the seeds in a trade last year and some this year in several round robins so I didn't buy them... I put them out about a week after May 15ish as that is the last frost time for my part of WV and for many parts of zone 6. I knicked the seed pods with a knife until I saw the white, then I soaked them in almost hot water and left them soaking in that water for about 3 days and then I put them out. I put them in miracle gro gardening soil and I personally mix all my soil with vermiculite however I'm sure just plain gardening soil will work fine. After they started growing I just keep them watered well and in plenty of sun. As everyone on here KNOWS I am so proud of them. I now have another small one blooming and it is a very light orange with a yellow edge. I will take a pic of it when it fully comes out. Hope this helps. I may have seeds later to trade as these are still blooming and I don't know if the seed pods will ripen or not. So far most have fallen off. I am HOPING to get seeds though

Cassie

I received a package today from one of the kind souls in this robin making up for my lack of a secret pal in the past. Thank you so much. It really wasn't my intention to ask for items I was just missing out on the comraderie of having a secret pal but I do really appreciate your kind deed of making sure I wasn't left out. This great person sent me a large assortment of Iris. Now I am an Iris nut and have many many of them around my garden but I didn't have any of the ones I was sent so I am overjoyed. I will have fun "googling" to find out what colors they are. I also received a tea cup ornament. I agree with you that it will make an excellent bird feeder and I have just the place to put it.(right under the eaves of my well-house.)
I really do like it, it is so pretty. Thank you for your kind note also.

Cassie, I love the pictures of your cannas. It looks like you have quite an assortment. I know you must feel a special pride after growing them from seeds. They are quite beautiful.

Granny Marsh, I think your sunflowers are the prettiest I have ever seen. It just lovely how they are sharing a stem and the coloring is great.

Debbie, I liked your story on how you came to like gardening. And friend and I have rustled a flower or two from a little country graveyard in our area. We only take samples, never the whole thing. On one occasion we "rescued" some blue and yellow Iris and I was glad that we did. A few weeks later, maintence came in with a bull dozer and tore them all out to put in a fence. Since my family has a plot there, I may restore them to their rightful place on of these days. The place just doesn't look right without them.

GrannyMarsh,
That sunflower is stunning!

Cassie,
Thanks for the info about your canna seeds. I haven't fertilized mine as often as you have so no wonder I have no blooms. I'll try doing that as we have at least 2 more months of growing season here.

Rainbow,
I'm glad someone sent you a package. Sounds like a good one. I'm sure no one here thought you were asking for things, you were just venting about feeling left out. It's fun to send but it's also fun to be on the other end of it.

It's a good thing you saved those Iris from the graveyard bull dozing crew.

Hi Everybody! I did alot of yard work today.. really tired now, but wanted to wish everybody a "Super" night!
Hugs,
Debi

Fill-in-Secret pal

My son was rushing me the other day because he had to do something "important" on the computer and in my haste I forgot to mention the darling fairy flower pot decoration that was also in the parcel. It was so cute that I immediately added it to a pot of ivy in the living room.

I also received bunches of neat seeds and some crocsima Lucifer bulbs. I have been eyeing them in catalogs for quite sometime but never got around to ordering them so I am very happy to receive some.

Thanks again. Karen

still no July package at my door :(
Joy

Dear Pal, Thanks a bunch for the angel calendar. That was so thoughtful of you to send it to me. Yes, I loved it!!! The pictures that you pointed out were just a stitch. I may take a frame a couple of those that I really liked. You are the BEST! Mellen/Mary Ellen

Hello everybody! Wanted to say Hi, and how's your gardens coming? Hope you all have a "Super" Day!
Hugs,
Debi

Hope everyone is having a good weekend. It's finally raining here. I hope it continues for a few days as predicted.

I thought I would share how much my morning glory vines have grown. I winter sowed these.

May
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August
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I have the craziest thing happening however I guess this is what they say about growing from SEED. I have 2 different types of canna flowers growing from the SAME plant. I earlier posted flowers which are red and yellow and a SECOND stalk of flowers was coming along at the same time and they started blooming on Thursdsay... they are yellow with very small RED DOTS!!!!! Also I planted from the same pack of Apricot Ice and I posted the first to bloom which is a beautiful apricot and the second seed from the same batch is blooming and it is almost a pinkish apricot if that makes sense... almost a light coral pink. I'm amazed!!!! I will post pics later

Cassie

Debbie,
Love the morning glories. Are those Grandpa Otis? They look really good on the trellis. I also like the bird house. I really like the look of the round bird houses.

Great looking Morning Glories, it looks like they are reaching out to the birdhouse. Thanks for sharing.

Froggies in their new home. Thanks again SP.

These Glads are from bulbs that SP sent me early in the Spring. Very pretty !! The colors are yummy...

Ohhhh Love the pics. Put a smile on my face, nice way to start the day! Love seeing everybodys flowers, their all so Beautiful! Hope everybody has a "Super" Gardening day!
Hugs,
Debi

my mailbox is full of cobwebs. Still waiting. :(

Cassie,
Those cannas sound great. I love unexpected surprises like that.

Rainbow,
I'm not sure what kind of morning glories those are. They were in a package marked "mixed" that I got in a trade last winter.

GrannyMarsh,
Those glads are beautiful. Cute frogs too.

Granny Marsh,
I love the frog bucket arrangement. How cute.

Cassie, I was thinking the other day that we haven't heard in a while how your daughter is doing. Did she get her breathing problems under control and did you ever find out what the cause was. Very pretty cannas.

Indy, I hope you hear from your secret pal soon. I know it is no fun waiting.

Indy,
I have ask your pal to rspond ASAP. I will go from there once I hear.

Who else has not received this month? Please post

Cassie

I have had some family situations that have interfered with my getting my secret pal's packages off. Hopefully, those are all taken care of now. I had a lot of fun shopping for my secret pal. I plan on getting them mailed this week.

Also, thought I would let you know that I never received a package for July nor, so far, August.

Cassie
I did receive a wonderful make up package from a considerate fellow member of this robin, but as yet I have not heard from my secret pal for July or August.

It has been raining here for 3 days and it has been glorious cool (In the 80s) After weeks of hitting 100 every day it has been a real blessing. The best thing is that I had a new roof put on my house and they finished it up just as the first sprinkles started. How's that for timing?
I went out and weeded yesterday during a break in the raindrops and it is amazing how easy those stubborn weeds come out when the ground is soaked. Hopefully, I'll have time to do more weeding tomorrow before it dries out again.

Rainbow... I assigned you a new pal for August and that pal will be sending to you for the rest of the swap and because she just received your information about a week ago it hasn't went out yet however she is dependable and has told me it would be going out this weekend.

Indy your pal states that personal issues kept them from mailing package yet and they will be mailed this week. If you do not receive by next Thursday PLMK

Cassie

Cassie, I went shopping today! Love it! My Package is ready to go to my Secret Pal! Will be in the mail tomorrow.. Have a "Super Day" all..
Hugs,
Debi

Hello Everybody, So how has your day been? Looks pretty quite in here..Anybody working in their gardens? I collected some seeds today and worked a little on cleaning some..lol I'm slow! lol Have a "Super" night all!
Hugs,
Debi

We took my daughter to college yesterday.
My nest is all empty now except for the animals and plants.
While walking around the campus, I plucked some seeds from the cannas that were growing in planters around.
Cassie,
I don't remember if there is any special things to do to the seeds when I plant them. any tips?
Joy

Just thought I'd check in. Is there a date for when we should send our packages? I still haven't received any, so I was just wondering.

Boy what a quiet group we have! I guess everyone is outside enjoying their gardens.

I mailed my pal's package over 2 weeks ago. According to USPS confirmation it was delivered. I hope she enjoyed it.

Good Morning Everybody! How was your week-end?
Cassie, I have sent, but still have'nt heard anything from my Secret Pal for (July or August) I'm really worried about her, I sure hope her & her family are alright.. If you hear from her please let me know..
Hope everybody has a "Super" Day!
Hugs,
Debi

OK.... Just some info. I cannot get into my email at home as our internet service has been down for several days now they say because of heat related issues so I don't know if anyone has written about sending their packages or not so I hope I don't offend anyone. To answer some questions... there is no set date to mail packages however they should be mailed so that the person receives them in the month that we are in or very shortly after the first part of the next month... sometimes life happens.

To the new folks... some people who are posting as not receiving also have not mailed so your pals are posting as not receiving also. Everyone please mail something to your pals even if it's just a card saying hey!!! with a short note about what's been happening in your neck of the woods. We don't have a money limit or a requirement for what you are to send. These are meant to be fun and not to make anyone feel bad. Also please post when you receive so that you pal knows not only that you did receive but also that you are enjoying what you receive.

Debi had not heard from your pal last time I could get online which was last Thursday. I'm going to the library today as I am now writing from work and cannot get in personal email here and maybe will have heard from her.

Indy have you heard from your pal? Also to answer your questions... you need to nick your seeds so that you can see the white underneath and then soak them for a couple of days. I put mine in warm water to begin the soak and then plant. You can plant in your area in IN in about late April to get an early start on growth by putting them in a pot or other container and letting them come up and then transplanting after frost. I just direct sowed mine in Mid May here in WV but heavy fertilized them when beginning.

Debbie_SW_OK I will send an email to your pal as soon as I can get in my email

Cassie

Cassie,
Don't worry about emailing my pal to see if she got my package. The delivery confirmation # shows that it was delivered.
The only time I worry is when I order something to be delivered to her. Since I don't do the mailing then, I don't have a delivery confirmation # to check on it.

I posted just to let you know that it was mailed so you can keep track.

Hi! How is everybody today? We had a beautiful day here today, sunny & in the 70"s...I got some more done in my flower beds.. How's your coming?
Debi ;-)

Boy, it's quite in here today! Where is everybody? Out enjoying the weather I hope! Have a Super night!
Debi ;-)

Hi, Y'all--

Just wanted to let everyone know that I mailed a package out to my Secret Pal yesterday (8-23).

The cherry on top is that I received a package from my other secret pal today. My little sweetie sent me an adorable flower windmill and two iris starts which will go perfect in my new side beds (once I decide on the best spot for them).

And speaking of those new beds, just had to share some pix of the progress of this, my latest project...

Here are a couple of "before" pictures:
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Here's "during":
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And, tah-dah, "after":
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And, finally, a picture of the Hyacinth Bean vine that turned out better than I ever expected:
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Well, gotta go for now...unfortunately, I haven't been able to get on here as much as I would like lately...life's been getting in the way more than usual. This too shall pass and, hopefully, right soon.

Best to all,
Cheryl

I received another make up package from one of the great people in this robin. You guys do go the extra mile. I received a cardinal wind chime, a temperature gage with birds and sunflowers, a beautiful stained glass and silver cross and a bag of chocolate mints. Also a bottle of lavender lotion. Thanks so much!

I have been decorating my well house and the decorative items will look very well on the outside walls (along with the tea cup I received earlier) I already have a couple of hanging bird houses up so these bird related items will go well with the theme. I am putting in a little paving stone sitting area with a bench. I will try to post a picture once I get done with the whole thing. Hopefully it will look like the little garden sheds you see in magazines sometimes.

Joy, I was thinking about your crafting question and I thought you might try HGTV.com. They have a lot of crafting shows on the station so they might have some kind of links to crafting exchanges. Just an idea.

Secret Pal-It arrived safely. First out of the box was something I've been eyeing in the stores. Lucky Bamboo !!! ..It IS my lucky day. They are just the coolest looking things. Wonder how they get them to curl, does anyone know? A jumbo size chocolate bar, and in the nick of time as I had a rather tedious task to start today. An angel windsock (and I agree it doesn't look Christmasy at all.) More scrapbooking supplies- template and decorative edge scissors, you are rapidly increasing my supply of accessories, thank you. A lovely pillow cover, and treats for Snickers.

What I like best of all is that I have a dependable SP.

Debi.... note from your pal and all is well. Package has been mailed.

Indy I am sending you a package for your pal. I haven't heard from her since she told me that package was going out the week of Aug 16. If you do not receive anything besides what I am sending then I will assign you a new pal for Sept. My name will be on mine so you will know it is from this swap and from me. Also to answer your questions I just nick the canna seeds until you see white and then soak them in some warm water at first and then just water for about 3 days before planting.

Cassie

Cheryl
I love the path, the basket weave pattern looks really nice. What are you going to grow up the trellis on either end?

Rainbow--

Thanks for the compliment. I'm really proud of how these beds turned out, especially in light of the fact that they were A LOT of work. The ground was so hard and compacted when I started that I had to use a grub hoe to break it up...my tiller wasn't doing much more than skipping around on top of the ground--and that was AFTER I'd been watering the beds daily for about 2 weeks prior to starting on them.

The towers at the end are rose trellises. I have "Buff Beauty" climbing roses planted at the bottom of them, although you can't see them real well in the pics...the plan is for the roses to grow up and cover the towers. Well, that's the plan, anyway *grin*...

Best,
Cheryl

I just received my very first package for this swap. It's a huge garlic wreath surrounded with lavendar. I couldn't believe how beautiful it is! Thank you so much, secret pal!

Hello Everybody! Cheryl those pictures are awesome! I love the brick path and the trellis & just how everything is laid out. You are really talented! It looks like a sactuary, a beautiful place to unwind..I absolutely love it! I'm jealous.. ;-) When everything starts really filling in going to be even more beautiful! i hope you share more pics. with us and keep us updated on it.. Your Hyacinth bean vine is huge and beautiful! I know that you are going thru difficulty's , and just wanted to let you know that you are in my thoughts and my prayers...Hugs,
Debi

I recieved my package today from my Secret Pal..As always is absolutly "Beautiful"! She sent me 6 placemats & a table runner. They are all hand painted on a beautiful linen, with trim and fringe. The colors match my kitchen, Beautifully, almost like she has seen my kitchen..I am so totally excited & happy with them. She is sooo talented!
Secret Pal, yos said in your letter that this my July package, and you were working on August..This is enough for both months..I LOVE Them! Thank You so much! Sending you a big HUG..
Debi ;-)

Still haven't received anything from my pal.....but the month's not over yet.

Becky

Cheryl have you received your package as your pal mailed on Aug 22. If so please post as she is wondering about it and if you liked items

Cassie

Hi, Cassie (& Superlative Secret Pal!!!)

Yes, I received my package from my pal, and I did post as such. However, my acknowledgement of the great gift she sent me is in the same post as the pics of my new side beds. It probably just got missed because of the "astounding beauty" of the pics of my beds *great big grin*. I suppose next time I'll post acknowledgements and thanks separately from pics and stuff.

My apologies to all for the "faux pas".

Best to all,
Cheryl

Okay I was just asking and you know what... I missed it too because I was OGLING the PICTURES and thinking how pretty they were and being very envious. Laughing... thank you for again posting.

Cassie

Cassie,
Even though I have received two marvelous make-up boxes from the great people in this robin, I still have not heard from my secret pal.

Thanks Karen

No July package, no August package, I'll give it one more month. Why do people join and not follow through?

The pal I send to always raves about my packages and I enjoy that so.