skip to main content

Tropical Plants - Australia

Looking forward to next spring

19 years ago

What are you most looking forward to doing in the warmer months to come?

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (8)

alisonoz_gw
19 years ago
1. Hopefully seeing flowers on some things that I have grown from seed
2. Walking out one day and finding the crow-bar fairy has planted all the stuff I can't!
3. Walking round the garden under an umbrella because it's raining
4. Buying myself a pair of gumboots because its raining very very very hard
ashmeri
19 years ago
all of the above, especially the umbrella and gumboots.
BUT I like Autumn best because at least there are 2 cooler months ahead, I don't like the summers we have been getting here lately.
Marion
Related Discussions
Some said it couldn't be done...moving GH
Q
Comments (21)
Here is a quote from the U.S. Dept. of Energy: "Installation Concrete block insulation is typically installed for new home construction or in homes undergoing major renovation. Since installation involves masonry skills, it's best to have a certified cement mason do it. When using masonry blocks for a foundation wall, filling the block cores with high-pressure foam works better than most poured-in insulations, like polystyrene beads or vermiculite or perlite pellets. Note that even though filling the block cavities and special block designs improve a block wall's thermal characteristics, it doesn't reduce heat movement very much when compared to insulation installed over the surface of the blocks either on the exterior or interior of the foundation walls. Field studies and computer simulations have shown that core-filling of any type offers little fuel savings since the majority of heat is conducted through the solid parts of the walls such as block webs and mortar joints." In Wisconsin a common construction method is to place a skin of foam insulation on the outside of the wall, whether it is made of concrete, concrete block, conventional or steel framing, then a layer of expanded metal lathing, held on with lath washers and fasteners that extend through to the base wall and finally a layer of stucco. The stucco layer is put on in three coats, a thick base coat, a thiner "primer" coat and the final color and texture coat. The joints between sheets of foam are sealed before covering them with the lathing by using drywall tape (the sticky fiberglass mesh variety) and conventional drywall compound. In order to maximize your ground contact, you should also extend the sheets of poly foam below grade at least 16-18 inches and then outward, away from the foundation at least 4 feet. This implies, of course, that your concrete cast foundation is at least 16-18 inches below the surface. See the document about insulated frost-protected foundations below. The joint between the vertical poly sheet and the horizontal one should be made and sealed with construction adhesive (the water-proof polyurethane type). Here is a link that might be useful: NAHB Frost Protected Foundations
...See More
Fall Reflections
Q
Comments (5)
Just wanted to add my thanks to everyone on the forum. I went to Austin for Thanksgiving and missed Faith's message. I'm glad you're aboard, Faith. Thanks for all the ID's, MissSherry, and thanks for sharing your contest, Mike. Michelle, thanks for making the trade for us, and thanks for the info, Tdogmom. EVERYONE else that I didn't name specifically, thanks for making the BF forum a great place to learn and share! Linda, just wanted to say a personal thanks also. I brought back a Gregg's Mist Flower from the great state of TX, so I'm ready for next year! I plan to make a trip to Fredricksburg next spring, so before I go, I'll take requests from the OK bunch for seeds and as many plants as my little car can hold. Sandy
...See More
nighty-night garden
Q
Comments (2)
My compost pile is huge and there's still much to heap upon it. I always hate to see the season end and all the purdy flowers freeze, but afterwards it's good to get things neatened and prepared for the long winter sleep. The weather has now taken a real dive and there's the big push to get things done, heck fall bulbs are still to arrive in the mail. We had one of the driest summers, no more than a mere two to three inches of rain in many locations, the ground is powder dry! I spent the entire summer being attached to a garden hose and will now have to spend many hours watering things in for winter. The garden had turned out very good, the cucumbers not so great, it was too cool in June and July. Potatoes were lousy, just never had gotten around to watering them! Other than the very cold spring start and extremely dry summer, August and September were filled with beautiful warm / hot days and the flowers had put on a really great show! Just too bad we didn't have one more month of summer! Terry
...See More
Basic propogation
Q
Comments (4)
in the alternative.. now is a good time to be dividing appropriate plants.. so they have time to settle in.. outdoors ... keeping a big chunk of a plant for you .. and line out some smaller ones for trading or gifts ... why messin doors.. when it can be done.. easier.. outside ... and that is what i would do for any mint.. no need to mess around int he house... and i dont get the salvia part.. but good for you ... indoor plant growing.. can be handled in a 4000 page book... there are so many variables to handle.. that i wish you all the luck in the world ... but you are going to need to do a lot of research between now.. and first frost.. good luck ... the one key .. is adjustable lights.. the lights need to be.. sustained.. at about 2 inches over the plants.. so as the plants grow ... either the light rises.. or the shelf goes down ... more lights the better ... and plain shop lights are fine .. no need for fancy ones.. this variable is LIGHT INTENSITY and plant stand design ... you will also need to master.. media [what you grow in .. and that is not soil]... cleanliness.. water.. humidity ... and luck ... lol .. ken Here is a link that might be useful: link
...See More
bernard_qld
19 years ago
Agree with Alison and Marion, must a decent rainy season. Haven't seen one for a long time now. And not having to wear three jumpers and a jacket.
wollemia_TC
19 years ago
The pair of koalas living in the gum trees at our back door having a baby.
The flowering/fruiting of more of my own plantings.
The wallabies eating the grass again instead of my plants.
Fewer weeds coming up than in previous years.
Oh, yes, and RAIN.
Tony
artiew
19 years ago
Hi Melmat,

I am eagerly awaiting the coming of the next growing season - many of my plants have been in the clay long enough to put down decent roots, and I believe that I will have an explosion of flowers from my Grevillea, Callistemon, Banksia and, ahem, certain exotics that I wont mention here for fear of reprisals :)

About the only thing that I dont have in my garden is roses - horses for courses, but they just dont do it for me. I do look forward to my Bougainvillea and wattle providing colour next Winter, but my thoughts are very much focussed on Spring at the moment.

Cheers,

Artie
ari_wh
19 years ago
Well... I don't want to sound too ungrateful.. but I am actually looking forward to our dry season up here (which has not arrived yet). The temperature is still high and the rain is still around.... although the night temperature has actually started to drop. But, if you live here during the wet season, then you know what I mean.... The plants love it, but hey.... a little bit of cooler weather would not hurt.

Regards, Ari :)
melmat
Original Author
19 years ago
I'm looking forward to watching my screening of bamboo and heliconias take off so I don't have to see the ghastly house next door.

Also can't wait to be able to wake for work and not be in complete darkness then come home in the dark.
mistymorn
19 years ago
All the trees bursting into flowers and new leaves, and hoping my bamboo's take off too. And eating all the vegetables that I have just planted.

But not looking forward to Summer at all if it is going to be like the last one

Related Stories

WINTER GARDENING 6 Reasons I’m Not Looking Forward to Spring

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Not kicking up your heels anticipating rushes of spring color and garden catalogs? You’re not alone

BATHROOM COLOR Spring Forward With a Green Bathroom

By Jennifer Ott Design

Use nature’s freshest hues to make your space really sing

GARDENING AND LANDSCAPING Spring Forward! Making the Most of Evening Sunlight

By Lily Gahagan

Embrace the extra hour of sun that daylight saving time brings

PRODUCT PICKS Guest Picks: Design-Forward Outdoor Furniture

By Shields & Company Interiors

Treat yourself to one of these splurge-worthy patio pieces and enjoy great outdoor style for many summers to come

HOUZZ TOURS Houzz Tour: Visit a Forward Thinking Family Complex

By Becky Harris

Four planned structures on a double lot smartly make room for the whole family or future renters

HOMES AROUND THE WORLD Houzz Tour: Fashion Steps Forward in a Coastal Swedish Home

By Sara Norrman

Clothing store owners bring their fashion sensibility home with a mix of designer furnishings, Ikea pieces and quirky artworks

HOUZZ TOURS My Houzz: Queensland Newlyweds Put Their Festive Feet Forward

By Tamara Armstrong

An Australian couple’s mountain home reflects their contrasting styles and special occasions

FURNITURE Put Your Furniture's Best Foot Forward

By Becky Harris

Hoof it up the high-design way with animal-shape feet that add eye-catching decorative flair to stools, benches, tables and chairs

DECORATING GUIDES Hot Looks From the Spring 2013 High Point Market

By Pangaea Interior Design, Portland, OR

Get an eyeful of some of the colors, textures, materials and more taking a big stand at North Carolina's huge furnishings trade show

LIFE Retirement Reinvention: Boomers Plot Their Next Big Move

By Bud Dietrich, AIA

Choosing a place to settle in for the golden years? You're not alone. Where boomers are going and what it might look like

Sponsored

J.S. Brown & Co.

77 Reviews

Columbus Leading Full Service Design Build Firm