Crazy things we do for our hostas
newhostalady Z6 ON, Canada
5 years ago
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steve duggins(Z6a) - Central Ohio
5 years agonewhostalady Z6 ON, Canada thanked steve duggins(Z6a) - Central OhioRelated Discussions
Things We Can Do To Protect & Help Our Bee Friends
Comments (10)What about loss of wildflowers as well? People grow a lot of plants that no long provide pollen sources, too. I agree with all the above reasons mentioned, but am wondering if it is a combination of all of these things. I am not a beekeeper, but neither did I notice a decline in honeybees in my garden last year. I have begun providing more native plant species in my garden, and plants that are attractive to butterflies and moths, which in turn means bees love the plants, too. I had tons of them all over the garden last year. Had not noticed as many in past years. I read one article that quoted Albert Einstein as saying that if we lose our bee population, the human population would disappear shortly thereafter (paraphrasing). I garden with no pesticides; I'm not close to agriculture communities that grow genetically altered food crops or anything. I was surprised, though, that during our severe drought last year, the bees were numerous. So, I don't know if drought or weather changes are affecting the bees or not. I'm just giving you my personal observations. I did not notice a hive around anywhere, so I don't know where they were coming from. I am concerned, though, as just a city gardener, about the decline in population, as we all should be IMHO. We have just messed with Mother Nature to the point we have destroyed the bounty she offered us. This includes a lot of our insects, like the bees, butterflies, and moths, all of which are pollinators. People kill the hornworms on their tomatos, yet what do they think pollinates their okra, squash, and flowers? Sphinx moths, which is what the hornworms are. I've suggested that a lot of people who grow tomatoes grow some they don't consider their "best", and move the hornworms to those plants. I'm thinking I may put out some mason bee hives as well! I thank you all for the good work you are doing here! Susan...See MoreOh, the things we do for our DL!!!
Comments (7)Hello:Cindy, Your yard is pretty!.More sun light will be great for your dayliles. Enjoy! your visit at daylilies by the pond. Tell Sara I said hello! and I have been making my list out to buy more daylilies.I visited her a few weeks ago and bought a few daylilies. Karla...See MoreHi y'all...and what do I do with this crazy thing?
Comments (13)Hi Mike, nice to meet some other Okie plumie lovers! Thanks for the advice, I really appreciate it. Somehow I just knew y'all were going to tell me to cut it into pieces. Yikes, I'm scared-lol. Should I try to make the cuts and root it now or should I do as Moonie suggests and wait until spring? I have to admit, I did go to Southwoods and buy another plumie last week. A miniature Divine this time. Didn't want to take the chance of growing another monster-lol. I've also been eyeballing a Scentsational in full bloom. It smells good enough to eat but I'm not ready to spend $80 on a plumie. I went back today just to smell it and talk myself out of it for the 3rd time. I'd love to have the name of any local nursery that sells plumies! Moonie, thanks for the advice ! I appreciate getting help from plumeria growers with more experience and know-how than I have....See MoreAre we crazy to consider being our own GC?
Comments (20)We GC'd our own kitchen reno and it went beautifully. None of ours was DIY, all subtrades were pros, and we were without a kitchen for less than a month. A lot of excellent advice above. We found the keys to success were: 1) Personal recommendations for all the trades. And by that I mean we'd either had personal prior experience with them, or we knew people who had. I don't mean that we called their supplied references, I mean they were referenced from people *we* already knew. If you can't do that re. being new to an area, or other reasons, I would reconsider being your own GC. 2) A lot of pre-planning. We didn't rush into the reno, we planned it in some detail over the course of 6-8 months. We had all the supplies (tile, lighting, sinks, faucets, etc ordered and delivered in advance, and the appliances ordered and paid for with delivery scheduled in advance). We planned the timeline in detail as well which leads to the next point: 3) Once you've started, stick to your schedule RELIGIOUSLY! When you're dealing with many subtrades (in our case there were the electricians, tiler, cabinet maker, gas fitter, quartz fabricator/installer, disposal bin firm, and then contractors who did cab tear-out, plumbing, ductwork for the range, drywalling, appliance install, painting, and a bunch of other things) you have to manage the timeline very carefully. None of these guys are going to care if your project gets delayed for some unrelated reason and you want them to come a few days later at the last minute ... they have jobs lined up for other customers that they need to honor. So if you do NOTHING else, ensure that you have every single thing planned and ready for each trade when they arrive. Because they need to get in and out of your job on time or your are screwed (and by screwed I mean potentially without a kitchen for months, and you can't know how painful that is until you've been without one for even a week or so, it's horrible). 4) As mentioned above, make sure you can have someone home at all times. There are always little things that come up (do you want the cab handle at the top or the bottom, do you want the faucet this way or that, light here or there a few inches, etc.) We had the flexibility to work from home when needed (main contractors, tiler, and cabinet and counter installers), but other work we had done evenings and weekend (electrician, gas fitter, etc.). 5) Check for any issues regularly, and before you let the trade go for the day. Keep detailed lists of what you want, and check each item at end of each day and before you let the trade go. E.g., if the item is "prep faucet installed", you check that it's installed the way you want it, facing the right way, the spray hose pulls out properly, it doesn't leak, etc., before you cross it off your list ... but if there are any issues you can either get it fixed right away before paying, if it's at the end of a job, or put it on your list for next day to have fixed if that same trade is back). So bottom line, if you can be there during the job and more importantly if you are organized enough to plan, plan, and plan some more, you can get a fabulous job done and save a boatload in the process. Don't be scared of doing it yourself if you have the time to plan and prepare. Good luck to you!...See Morenewhostalady Z6 ON, Canada
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agonicholsworth Z6 Indianapolis
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agonewhostalady Z6 ON, Canada thanked nicholsworth Z6 Indianapolissandyslopes z6 n. UT
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agonewhostalady Z6 ON, Canada thanked sandyslopes z6 n. UTnewhostalady Z6 ON, Canada
5 years agosteve duggins(Z6a) - Central Ohio
5 years agonewhostalady Z6 ON, Canada thanked steve duggins(Z6a) - Central Ohionicholsworth Z6 Indianapolis
5 years agonewhostalady Z6 ON, Canada thanked nicholsworth Z6 Indianapolisnewhostalady Z6 ON, Canada
5 years ago
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nicholsworth Z6 Indianapolis