Fall renovation (ok, ok... really just a brag post)
timtsb
4 years ago
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mishmosh2000
4 years agoRelated Discussions
OK, so root pruning is really hard and not that effective?
Comments (5)I saw that response to your question and was not too terribly surprised. There is some work required to keep running bamboo in check, but from all I've seen it's more a matter of staying on top of a yearly maintenance schedule than anything inordinately difficult or frankly all that time consuming. Last April, I purchased a two-gallon start of Ph nigra from www.midatlanticbamboo.com - with whom I am most pleased - and by fall the rhyzomes were breaching the surface of the surrounding soil about four-feet in all directions. I was thrilled it had run so far. This fall I shall probably have to start pruning in order to keep this thing within its designated bounds and that's okay. I WANT bamboo growing in my back yard and am willing to do what it takes to keep it happy and well-groomed. This is key, I think. If you want something, then the time it takes - within reason, of course - to maintain that thing is well worth it. Folks who balk at having to spend an afternoon or two each year root pruning their bamboo may well think nothing of spending a couple of hours every week, spring, summer, and fall, cutting, feeding, raking, and thatching, their perfectly manicured lawn. For me, grass is more necessary evil than desirable. To each their own. If you're interested in reading more about what bamboo enthusiasts have to say about containment issues, consider stopping by www.bambooweb.info....See MoreHope this is OK to Post
Comments (29)I like the tame ones just fine, but I like the "wild" taste of Dewberries better. When I went to California to see my brothers and sister, we stayed with my older brother at his house way up in the mountains. We went on an explore all over the mountains. We found acres and acres of blackberries under the tall sugar cone pines and decided to brave the black bears to get some of the big blackberries. They were so thick on the bushes that they weighted the bushes down from the weight. It was kind of dark back in there and creepy. My children were toddlers, so I kept them close to me. The berries were covered in a rust colored dust from the ground - years of rotting pine needles. As we walked, it would poof up into the air. Very dusty. We got coated in the dust as we waded through the thickets for the big juicy berries. The berries were also coated with this dust - we ate them anyway. They were scrumptious. Very sweet and melted in your mouth. My children were streaked with purple juice, even their blonde hair had purple streaks. We ate them as we picked - two for the bucket, one for my mouth; three in the bucket, one in my mouth. I rather liked the piney taste myself. Yum Yum! :) We saw no bears, lucky for us, but there were signs they had been there. When we got back to my brother's cabin, I rinsed them and baked pies. We feasted that night and ate those pies. I wish I could have brought gallons of them home in the form of jam, but he didn't have the equipment for making jam. Best blackberries I ever et! Now I compost pine needles and add them around my blackberry vines to add that taste to mine. They love the acidity and I love the flavor. ~Annie...See MoreOk...is this a really bad idea?
Comments (9)Get a protected leather (try to scratch the sample and see) We have 5 kids and a cat. I bought a new greenish microfiber sofa in April, its already showing stains and dirt. I like the sofa, it does not show cat hair (sofa is leaf colored, cat is golden and white) but microfiber tends to have things stick to it Mine is skirted and traditional looking made by a company called Divon. O got it at the local equivalent of Value City, paid 2k for a huge sectional, chair and a half and ottoman. I have had to switch the cushions because they were not the same ones as on the display but so far the store is working with me. Look at the seams and make sure they are straight and overall the craftsmanship is there. When you really look at an inexpensive sofa you can often (but not always) see where the shortcuts were taken. So far I like my sofa but realize the quality is not amazing. For some reason the showroom piece seems a little better but I could be imagining that. I sort of wish I had gotten leather from the dirt aspect. We have ancient leather sofas in the basement that are hand me downs and the cat does not seem to bother them Do a search for Flexsteel. some love them some really did not have good experiences Here is a link that might be useful: My Sofa (mine has boxy pillows)...See MoreOk, who has some tips for fall clean up tips for hostas?
Comments (28)Apparently I'm all alone in the no clean up camp. Either that or nobody else will admit to it. I leave everything, including the 8-12 inches of oak leaves that routinely fall on my main hosta beds. After the first killing frost I simply walk away. The birds do love the scapes, checking those out all winter long, even when there is no hope that any seeds remain. It also gives me a nice number of volunteer seedlings every spring. I have not had any problems with pests or disease in the 25+ years I've been doing this, and yes, even the mini hostas will come up through the oak leaves, which by spring have composted down to almost nothing. I do walk through regularly when the hostas start to show green, and manually remove any oak leaves that have pips coming through or showing underneath (alright, I mostly use my foot, but pedally just sounds odd). This is for the hostas in my upper gardens, which are mostly for public viewing. My lower garden a work in progess, and is mainly for growing out divided plants, lining out small divisions, but also has some more landscaped areas. And by landscaped, I mean 98% hostas, but grown more as specimens, with 2% astilbes, bleeding heart, ferns, and a few other perennials. This area gets no attention at all until I'm ready to start dividing hostas in the spring. Maybe a little weeding if I'm feeling up to it, but for the most part those hostas make it all on their own. That area gets some oak leaves and lots of walnut leaves. My only slightly coddled hostas are some very small minis that live in a bed that generally doesn't get many oak leaves. Things like Manzo, Kifukirin Otome, and few other tinies live near cedar trees, but in a mostly sunny area, in a slightly raised bed, and they overwinter very well....See MoreJoe BigBlue
4 years agoport2015
4 years agotimtsb
4 years agoport2015
4 years agoThe Average Lawn Guy
4 years agotimtsb
4 years agoUser
4 years agoWill M65(SE,PA 7A)
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4 years agoWill M65(SE,PA 7A)
4 years ago
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