hello
and goodmorning Mariann
I'm in of course, I have some great perennials that grew so well this year with all the rain we had that I can devide many of them.

michelle

Frances and I are going to swap seeds next month.
Mariann

;) I envy you all the rain! Wish we had got more, but won't comlpain it has been better than last year! Yes seeds will be good for me! I don't have much for trading at the moment, vereything is dry and crispy and my bulb orders will not be in till November. The only thing I have now that is fit to trade are canna, and it is just too early here to be digging those up!

off to browse my seed catalogues.....
Frances

If the mail out date is not too early, I would like to join in, but I would like a partner who can send at least some plants. With the hot, dry summer, I have not been able to "play" in my garden. By October I should be able to do that... finally!!! (Unfortunately, I think October is even a bit early to plant Spring flowering bulbs, but summer bulbs, rhizomes, etc. would be okay.) Lots of the beds need to be rearranged so I see a big project ahead. LOL
Jeanne

Hello all,
I would like to join. Oct is probably a bit too late for me to plant new stuff outside. But I would love to get some bulbs and I'm always up for getting new houseplants!! I also would be interested in trading seeds too. Need to get my seed "haves" list updated! I will also add some more of my perennials to my "haves" list. I have some that are ready to be divided and I can still do that into Oct (if we don't get a killing freeze first).

Amy

Hi all, I posted once on here but it disappeared. I don't know what happened. I am in for this month. I would love to have a partner that can take some echinaceas. I have lots to share.

Smiles
Tracy

As usual I am thinking about it. I am not sure what I have to share at the moment. I am down to just a few plants here and there.
I have lots of Sedum Brilliant to share.
Anyway, if I get enough plants together I think I can share I will let you know if I can join.

:) Fran

Count me in. I can do one more month of plants before the SNOW flies. Yuck! I hate using that "s" word.
Louise

Louise, lol at the "s" word! It is a bad one. The temps are getting pretty low at night around here. Mornings consist of long sleeve shirts and pants. Gone are the shorts! Wardrobe change is required sometimes midway through the day when the sun has finally been out long enought to warm things up.

Hi Girls-Thanks for signing up. Looks like things are a little slow this month. Time to take a deep breath. Speaking of that I thought I would see my breath this morning it was so chilly!!! Had to put on my sweat pants and a jacket.

Hope we get a few more sign ups so we can mix partners up a little.
Have a great evening
Mariann

Tracy,

I know...it's starting already. That little chill is in the air and it's still dark in the morning when my alarm goes off. Do you get a lot of snow in your area? We usually get about 100 inches during the course of the winter.

Louise

Louise, we get a ton of snow each year. We are close to Lake Erie like you are. I believe you get more lake effect than we do. I know I will be thinking of you when I watch the local weather this winter.

It got so cold last night that I woke up and pulled a quilt on the bed in the middle of the night. Before we know it we will have the furnace on full time. I am not ready for the warm weather to disappear.

Mariann, I had a doctor's appointment this morning and was so cold I pulled out my jeans and long sleeve t-shirt to wear. That wasn't enough when I got in the van, still had to turn on the heater!

We consider this our spring! Finally temps dipping below 100 and nights are cooling off to the mid 70's - plants are perking up and nurseries are re-stocking with new plants ....

I'll join for October!

Thanks.

Sue G.

Hello everyone,

I may be interested in this one. I would like to do my last round of plants but would need a partner who can send early in the month. I can send bulbs,roots,small divisions of phlox paniculatas and maybe a few others and alot of seeds to winter sow. I don't mind having to mail first.

Tracy, those echinaceas sound great!!! Maybe we'll get paired up together and I can send you a few shade plants too.

Galium, please let me know if this will work, if so, I'm in for the month.

Lisa

Sue,
I am with you on thinking something like Spring is in the air! This is the first evening I have gone outside and the temperature has been comfortable in a long, long time. It's 79 degrees out there and no excess humidity. There was even a breeze most of the day. I went out and planted some iris that had to be put in the ground and did it in the afternoon!!! (Okay, those of you where the afternoons have not been scorching hot probably do not understand how significant it is to be able to work in the garden in the middle of the day... LOL)
Just so you know, I don't mind receiving early in October, I just would prefer to send a bit later in the month. Because I want to redo some of my beds, I want to be sure it is cool enough to be digging up and relocating plants. That will be a good time to thin out my perennials, too.
Glad to see that there are some more folks joining in.
Jeanne

Sue and Jeanne, I just can't wrap my brain around the differences in growing seasons sometimes. Hearing that this is like spring and the nurseries are restocking is simply mind blowing to me. The south is a whole different world. What is January like for you guys? Are the plants still green?

Lisa, I would happily pair up with you again! I have lots more echies to share than that too. All my winter sown babies are gigantic and nice looking. I am itching to hit the end of the season sales to see what goodies are out there. What goodies have you found lately?

Tracy,

I haven't been buying much lately. I did pick up a huge pot of montauk daisies yesterday on the way home from the dr.

I think digging out the four yards of red mulch and replacing it with black pushed my back and neck over the edge. It was worth it though, it looks great!

I did some investigating on the net and it says that I can safetly plant until Oct 8th.

I do have some pretty good garden pics, i'll try and get them posted.

I'll wait to hear from galium before I go looking for plants to box up for someone.

Lisa

Oh, my back aches just thinking about you pulling out all that mulch and replacing it. I bet it looks gorgeous and just how you wanted it. I am still waiting for all of your beautiful pictures to be posted! I looked at the september pictures thread and didn't find them. I can't wait to see them.

I think the early part of the month will be the safest bet for me to plant too. I know I've planted mums around then and they've done well for me in the past. I need to start lifting my dahlias before it gets too cold. They bloomed so nicely for me this year that I want to replant them in the spring.

Lisa-Michelle will post partner's, on a new CPG thread, at the end of the month. She'll partner you up with someone who is trading the same items. Hope that will be soon enough for you.
Welcome!

Tracy-It's 6:30am here and burrrrrr!!! I am walking around the house with sweats and a jacket on. My Toad Lilies are blooming!!! Have to get out there and take some pics.

Sue-I don't know how you can keep anything alive, during the summer in AZ. My sister lives in Tucson and it gets so hot there. We've been out 3 times but always in the late winter or early spring.

Jeanne-Glad you are getting some cooler weather.
Have a great weekend everyone.
Mariann

Well January IS our coldest month, lawns are dead etc then unless you put in winter rye which a lot of people do. The winter rye is much greener than our summer bermuda by a long shot.

And, well, green is relative.

Everytime I go back east I'm reminded of what green REALLY looks like. Our green in Arizona is kind of grey-green unless you go up north - LOL.

It is very challenging to keep thing alive in the summer. Water water water is pretty much it. And you can only water in the early morning or evening......

The hard core gardeners here spend all day outside October-March........and you should see what they can do!

Sue

Sue, Jeanne

I am with you, this IS the season for gardening! I get to the point in summer when I cannot stand to look at the garden. Just the thought of dragging the hose around is depressing. But cooler temperatures and the rain we have had this past month has everything perking up! (Including ME) I do most of the 'heavy lifting' in the fall and winter.

It has been so pleasant outdoors this week I am not getting any 'work' done! temperatures seem to have fallen into the comfort zone early this year!

Anyway back to work have a great weekend everyone!

Frances

Mariann, this morning was so much better here! I actually overdressed getting ready for my son's doctor's appointment this morning. It is beautiful out and I am already in shorts. Maybe this slight temp increase will be there for you tomorrow morning! I'm already back in shorts and a t-shirt! I've not seen toad lilies before. Can't wait to see your pictures!

Sue, I would love to see some pictures of your gardens as things green up for you. I am now very curious about Az gardening!

Frances, How are you? I hope the gardens are perking up and making you smile again. I am heading out now to do more fall clean_up. Brown will be the color here very soon. I might cry. Sniff.

Is anyone interested in some lantana plants? They don't over winter here and I hate just throwing them out. Let me know.
Mariann

Mariann
I would love lantana, I have 6 different varieties and love them all, most types overwinter here fine!

Let me know if there is naything on my list that you would like!

Frances

Frances-You have mail.
Mariann

Sigh.......

It's back up to 104 today........I'm having an early morning yard sale this weekend.....hopefully it will be nicer the following weekend so I can get some fall "prep" work done outside...........

Sue G

Oh, Sue, I wish you lived near me. I would be asking if we could do a yard sale together. I need to sell lots of stuff. So sorry to hear you are still having such high temperatures. Good luck with your yard sale!!!
Jeanne

It has turned positively chilly here this week (I am getting soft in this southern climate) mid 50's in the morning and I put on a jacket..... lol

My sinuses have been very bad, tons of mold and mildew in the air.... I am feeling like a human being for the first time in a week. Ready to get outside and clean up the mess the squirrels are making of the pecans. :(

At least they are leaviing the tomatoes alone!

Good luck with your yard sale Sue!

Have a great day everyone.

Frances

Wow Sue,
I am watching the news now, our temps here are 64 right now. The wind is blowing and rain is in the future for us tongiht/tomorrow.
It is quite chilly, of course the temps are abnormally low for this time of year. BUT we need the rain so we can't complain! I just don't like be cold and I NEED to get outside to work but it is just to wind and cool. (BRRRR!!!)

:)Fran

Oh Sue! That heat is terrible. My temps are running in the 50's at night with highs in the low 70's during the day. If I were you I'd stay out of the heat and sell your stuff on ebay! World's largest garage sale. That's where I get rid of my old junk, it almost always is somebody else's treasure there. LOL!

Frances, the mold has been terrible here too. The morning dew is very thick and perfect for the mushrooms to grow. You should have seen the fat clump of them that I removed the other day. They smelled like decay and after I had them on the shovel I saw that they were squirming with maggots. Blech!

Tracy
Those mushrooms are disgusting! I saw a squirrel chewing on what looked like a big ripe tomato the other day and chased him off, when I looked down I saw a huge red mushroom with a lime green interior, almost threw up! It was gross, but the squirrels around here will eat anything (make that EVERYTHING) There are mushrooms everywhere, and they are all nasty. Going to have to see about some sort of fungicide I guess, my head is still aching from breathing that stuff.

Fran, I am with you SHIVERING...... sheesh, I want the rain, but bbbbrrrrrr (what a woos huh?)

Have a great day everyone

Frances

Sue-104 is a little to hot for me. You have all those wonderful cacti that love the sun. The older I get the more my body doesn't want to adjust to extremes in temps.

I had a bizarre thing happen to me yesterday. I was looking for a screw driver, in a box of tools we keep by the back door, and my DH opened the door, from the outside. The door hit me in the head and I fell back wards across the room and hit the wall. Mind you the room is very small. I was just off balance enough to hit the wall. I now have a dent in my head and it hurts like the devil. Luckily, I didn't get knocked out. He feels terrible about it.
Hope everyone has a good week end,
Mariann

Mariann, that is terrible! How does your head feel today? I am just cringing thinking about your poor dented noggin! I feel so bad for your hubby too. He must feel terrible.

Frances, this time of year I am popping claritin every day for that very reason. I can't stand how the mold makes me feel but at least this allergy medicine helps and doesn't make me drowsy. I don't know if there is a big enough bottle of fungicide to take care of the problem once the leaves start to drop and get all wet and moldy too. Ugh!

Tracy-My head still hurts. I'm suppose to get my hair cut today but I may wait. You know how those folks yank and dig fingers in when washing. OUCH.

We've had a mold problem here ever since we moved in. It's every where. Black mold on my car and in my house and about every mold you can think of. Sometimes, when I garden, I wear a mask so I don't breath in the mold spores.

Thought I'd post a list of everyone who signed up this month.

Mariann/galium
Michelle/micyrey
Frances/fcoffill
Jeanne/sandlapper_rose
Amy/dieg01991
Tracy/tracyvine
Fran/ncgardengirl??
Louise/esiuol
Sue/sguanzon
Lisa/ishareflowers

If I missed anyone let me know.
Mariann

Mariann, that is so awful I didn't know you had bumped your noggin! Poor girl, you just get a little of this and a little of that left and right huh?

As far as the swap I think I am going to skip this one. I have some other things going on now I need to deal with and don't want to add to (no pun intented) my headache.

I wish I could, swaping is so much fun BUT sometimes we just have to refrain...SOOOO SORRY!!! :(

:) Fran

Ooh, Mariann, I couldn't imagine even running a comb through my hair with that dent in there much less all they put your head through at the salon. Just thinking of them combing out sections before they snip with the scissors is making me shudder.

When I worked in a retail store years ago I had to sort some things in our stock room. The ceiling was very low, only 5ft high (I'm 5'10") and had pipes running all over it. I was always so cautious when working in there but one day I stood up in the wrong spot and hit my head on a brace holding the pipes and went out like a light. I had a dent in my head for quite some time. That was back when I used hot rollers every day to get myself ready for my day. Ouch, the memories!

Your mold problems are much worse than mine. The black mold can be especially dangerous. I just found some on one of the kids volleyballs that was left out under some bushes. I need to wash that with some bleach to remove it before they start playing with it again. I'm glad you wear a mask when it is bad. That stuff just isn't good for you.

Fran-Thanks for letting me know. You're right I really didn't need anything else right now.LOL

Tracy-Ouch! So you were knocked out? Luckily I wasn't but I found other injuries. I must have bent one of my fingernails backward and I have a scrape and bruising of my right shin. I told the girl, who did my hair, what happened and she was so gentle. Got a great hair cut but she's going on maternity leave in Dec. Every time I find someone I really like they leave.

The black mold here is the bane of my existence. It follows me everywhere in this house. I just can't get rid of it.
Mariann

Mariann, Yes, I'd never had anything like that happen before. One second I saw a bright flash from hitting my head and the next moment I was sitting on the pavement. It was like I blinked and that whole sitting down part was gone. A very odd sensation! I'm so glad your haircut went well and she was gentle with you. It's too bad she will be going on maternity leave. It is so hard to find the right person to do your hair. The lady I use only comes in 3 days a week and has teenage children. She works because she likes to and I pray she never quits! I love her because she actually listens to what I want her to do and does an awesome job.

Do you have a basement in your house? Have you run dehumidifiers to try to keep the damp out? Not a thing you can really do for mold outside though.

Tracy-We have a dehumidifier that I can wheel around. Our house is built on a slab so there is no basement. Some of the worse mold is in the bathroom. It also collects on the refrigerator during the summer. Yuck!!! I hate it. I put little refillable dehumidifier containers in all of the closets but it doesn't help much.

You mentioned your height when you talked about hitting your head. I got a flash about my daughter. She is about 4 or 5" taller than I am. When I hug her I put my cheek on her shoulder. It seems so weird.LOL
Mariann

Mariann, I feel for you. Mom's are supposed to be bigger than us daughters. I'm about that much taller than my Mom too. It just feels odd when you're little and we're big. Bending down to hug my Mom feels so strange. I can't remember when I passed her up. We both laugh about it.

We had problems with mold in the bathroom at our old house. The moisture accumulated in there pretty bad. Once we installed a fan that vented to the outside it became much more manageable. It was horrendous to clean in there. Seemed like we needed to use increasingly strong cleansers which led to more issues with allergies from the chemicals. There are only a few that I can use without having a reaction. I don't know what's worse the mold or the cleansers?