If you have been suddenly transported three feet to your left--
sal 60 Hanzlik
2 years ago
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marilyn_c
2 years agoaok27502
2 years agoRelated Discussions
What have been some of your worst gardening mistakes?
Comments (65)My worst gardening mistake was when I was just starting, and had inherited an old, mature garden. The mistake was to get a lot of books on roses, and read them, and believe what they said! It took me a while to learn that only LOCAL advice re the size, habit, health, & pruning needs of roses was of any use (most of the books I got were written in England or the US East Coast - both equally useless as to facts about how roses grow here, but gorgeous pictures, etc.). The books were so authoritative, and stated things as facts, period, without any qualifications (except for Graham Thomas, bless him, who always said that this is what this rose does where I garden, but I have heard that it behaves differently elsewhere...) that I was intimidated into believing them. Only after years of having some of my ancient roses identified by wonderful people on this forum did I realize that they were not freaks of nature, but behaved exactly as you would expect such a rose to behave in our climate... Knowing how ignorant I was, and wanting so much to take good care of the garden I had inherited, I also unfortunately took the advice of the ARS and others about the need for spraying constantly, but only for one or two years - it was just too silly, and too much work, and I gave up. Then all of the bees and butterflies, etc came back, and the roses were still happy. So, the main lesson turned out to be to trust your own eyes about what is going on in your garden, what grows & doesn't grow, and what you like & don't like, and don't take any advice unless it is LOCAL! Jackie...See MoreIf You Could Have Only Three Roses to Design your Garden with..
Comments (35)(Since I just had a computer glitch and lost everything I wrote, let's see how much of the dream I can remember.) Ingrid, I was going to ask you "how big is this dream garden of mine?", but then I reread your post and saw that yours is your present garden, so I guess my dream garden has to fit in the space I have. When I gave you my choices, I didn't give you a plan, so here it is. Since my garden is in my small front yard, up close to and in front of my house, I can't very well have dozens of towering Tea rose bushes hiding the building. That would be silly and has been my dilemma from the beginning. So I need a "Special Small Garden in Two Parts" exemption to allow me to have a 4th rose. The dream garden plan would still be a circle in a circle, and in the center circle would be, of course, LeVesuve in all her big, bosomy pinkness. In place of the arbor at the top of the circle would be two Maman Cochets, the regal matriarchs of the garden. And in the rest of the outer circle planted en masse would be the 3rd rose in the front - Enchantress, a gorgeous magenta pink smaller Tea rose (supposed to be anyway). They would sweep up and around from the entrance at the curb to meet the Maman Cochets, bowing at their feet with arms raised in adoration. In the back garden I would need a climber because of all the oak trees I have that would want to participate in the dream. And that climber would be LeVesuve. (Oh, did that sound like a 5th rose? Nah.) The rest of the garden would be a maze of hedges of Anna Olivier and Maman Cochet, all neatly and softly clipped with no hard edges. I'm not sure if they would be mixed or all one color on each side of the path. In my dream garden Tea roses don't mind some trimming for beauty's sake. Hopefully, DH won't be too nauseated by this pastel pink and yellow dream. And then I would want more Enchantresses close to the house so we could see out the windows, right? In my dream garden there would be no north side of the house, and the west side would be just as good as the east side since there would be no BS in my garden and the setting sun is just as gentle as the morning sun. And there would be clay in the soil that would retain moisture and nutrients so all the rose bushes would have lots of beautiful green leaves to go with the flowers. In my dream garden the oak trees would not shade the roses - just the people. And no dream garden would be a true dream if the choice of roses could not be changed with the season. Now, as to the next rotation of dream roses... Sherry...See MoreAs you know, I like cats and have been feeding feral cats
Comments (49)In my experience with feral cats, If you crate a feral, (or even a domestic cat) they do much better if you cover the crate with a large towel or blanket. especially when transporting. I suppose I am fortunate to have a vet that has no problem neutering feral cats. (There is hope for Bob, Maryl) I have several formerly feral cats that are now inside cats...more notably Bella, Gus, and Bosky. Bosky sneaked out once after we brought him inside (he was injured by older dominate males and badly needed treatment). He then sneaked back inside that same day and has never attempted to leave again. We had him neutered while he was being treated for the leg wound, of course. I couldn't stand for the very feral but beautiful Bella to live as a feral cat and Bella has been an indoor cat for several years now. As it turns out, she would probably be dead otherwise since she had a tumor in her ear that was infected last year and she would have died without surgery.. The previously feral cats are very loving and seem to be happy as house cats. Of course then there is Gus. He was attacked by a pack of dogs and we took him to the vet where he was shaved and treated for his many wounds. DH said he wasn't going back outside after the rather expensive surgery, and Gus has never tried to escape the house. One other thing, after neutering, we put the feral cats in a large dog crate for recovery (put a little mulch or dirt on top of a small litter box and they will use it). We have water in the crate, of course, and feed them in it a couple times a day. After recovery, we free them and they have always stayed around as if nothing had happened. We kept Spatter in the crate until she weaned her kittens, then had her neutered, she had time to heal then was released. She stays around here still and eats here almost 2 years later. I must admit that I earn the Crazy Cat Lady title. kay...See MoreWhat have been your hits and misses this year for annuals?
Comments (27)Love the salvia! One of my favorites annuals! like rosaprimula, my garden season has turned out to be dreadful! Early spring was quite cool but late spring held so much promise, and I thought my garden was going to be great this year. But then the heat and drought hit, and even my established shrubs are drying up, crisping up, and turning brown. So I've had to let a lot of my annuals go (the ones that actually did anything lol!). I am keeping my dahlias alive, and trying to give some water to my zinnias and cosmos at the least. Rouge, I grew something similar to the cyperus years ago, in a water garden I think. I really enjoyed it even though it never looked nearly as good as yours! And your impatiens look great. I took the plunge this year also, after YEARS of not buying any, which was difficult as these were my go-to annuals due to my shade. I bought Beacon White, as the Beacon series are supposed to be mildew resistant. I like to edge my beds with the white ones. I've had mixed results. At first I was worried they had indeed been hit with the mildew, but now I think it may have been gardener error. I still don't know if I gave them too little or too much water - it's odd how some are thriving and others are not, even though I bought them at the same time, in the same tray, and they are pretty much in the same conditions, right next to each other. I'll try again next year. I love yours and I love the shape of that maple. So lovely! Iowa blooms I hope you are enjoying your zinnias. Mine are a hot mess right now (literally lol) but I'm trying to keep them alive and hoping for better results when the weather cools (and if we ever get any rain ever again!) :) Dee...See Morechisue
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