Let's Talk about Gardens

Posted by Rosemary, Volunteer Mentor @rosemarya, Mar 31, 2020

Spring is on it's way and many of us are looking forward to some sunshine and warmer weather and being outdoors...and gardens!
Perhaps you look forward to digging in the fresh spring time soil as you prepare for a summer garden? Do you plant flowers? Do you plant vegetables?
Do you garden for enjoyment? Do you garden for health benefits? What do you want to share about your garden?

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Just Want to Talk Support Group.

@Erinmfs

I visited our botanical center recently, mourning the loss of my flowers to the plumbing work. It’s so beautiful there.

Jump to this post

@Erinmfs
I go to the botanical gardens in San Francisco but my favorite garden is Butchart Gardens in British Columbia Canada.
https://www.gettyimages.com/photos/butchart-gardens?phrase=butchart%20gardens&sort=mostpopular
Take care,
Jake

REPLY
@jakedduck1

@Erinmfs
I go to the botanical gardens in San Francisco but my favorite garden is Butchart Gardens in British Columbia Canada.
https://www.gettyimages.com/photos/butchart-gardens?phrase=butchart%20gardens&sort=mostpopular
Take care,
Jake

Jump to this post

@jakedduck1 How beautiful!! Thank you for sharing this link.

I have no green thumb. I set out some of my succulents yesterday, but we had a frost/freeze overnight. I am afeared they have bitten the bullet ;((
Ginger

REPLY
@fiesty76

FF 2nd Covid vacc, was dizzy from "making up postponed dr appt's" due to pandemic caution. With just one more doc to go next week, I’m spending much of each Spring day clearing, weeding, removing last yr's bark mulch, and digging.

Most newly installed 75 spring bulbs with markers have stopped their bloom along with returning tulips, daffies, and hyacinths.

Easter weekend I emptied and broke down a 40" wooden whiskey barrel that was beginning to rot at the bottom. Replaced it with a 30" and mixed old soil with new along with cow manure, compost, perlite and gypsum to use as new filler. Centered beautiful blue annual salvia with 4 surrounding ivy geraniums.and pleased with the look.

Cut back Eng. Ivy surrounding front tree and then took cuttings to root. Added new soil mix to one area of front courtyard and installed 36 purchased Eng. Ivy to area cleared earlier of mixed vinca and ivy.

Obssessed with gardening after a yr of no new plant purchases, layers of dust increase inside but I'm just giving them a nod as I grab an iced tea and head back outdoors.

A doz. Dahlia tubers installed along with Shasta daisies, geraniums, snaps and more strawberry plants. Lined one large back bed with white stones. Yay! To Spring, sunshine and life in the yard!

Jump to this post

@fiesty76 I love succulents for some reason, maybe because they're so unusual, weird, I like that in my garden. These stone ropes are a bright, almost irridescent yellow-green. It's a great color against the darker green of simple giant lirope or mondo grass. I have some sad hydrangeas in my front tree area that really need help and support.....I'm thinking of adding a couple of new hydrangeas to fill in and then just mulch and I'm looking for something as accent in front of them. Semi shade area. But, I have to quell my enthusiasm, as whatever I buy has to be planted by someone other than me! And maintained.....so, maybe just mulch.

The condo board repaved our private streets, curbing, everything and tore out most of the median plantings & tossed in a garbage container!!!!! I was horrified! I can't stand the thought of killing a living plant. Of the opinion we should save them and find a place for them to thrive. So, I hobbled out and picked up, put on my patio 40-50 clumps of healthy liriope and ammarylas and star plant. I saved them all over the winter on my concrete patio....they're happy, growing, ammarylas are blooming!!! On concrete! They're saying a big 'thank you' for saving them...I even dropped a bunch of huge star plant bulbs on leaves under my live oak tree. They got watered w/grass and are blooming now. So, I'll get the neighbor boys to plant them. May put liriope out front and on patio. I'm focused on easy, simple, pretty and self-maintaining....my how we change.

Enjoy the fun. Have a blessed day. elizabeth

REPLY
@jakedduck1

@Erinmfs
I go to the botanical gardens in San Francisco but my favorite garden is Butchart Gardens in British Columbia Canada.
https://www.gettyimages.com/photos/butchart-gardens?phrase=butchart%20gardens&sort=mostpopular
Take care,
Jake

Jump to this post

Hi Jake, that is a beautiful garden. The photos I took myself for posting, testing the camera and the New Connect. There was snow outside when I took my photos of our botanical center. The plumbing work took out all of my flowers next to the driveway on one side! So frustrating. My flower garden is a munched up mound of soil, and the sewer problem still isn't fixed.

REPLY
@gingerw

@jakedduck1 How beautiful!! Thank you for sharing this link.

I have no green thumb. I set out some of my succulents yesterday, but we had a frost/freeze overnight. I am afeared they have bitten the bullet ;((
Ginger

Jump to this post

@gingerw
Some succulentsare are hardy and can withstand frost & below zero temperatures whereas others can’t. Hopefully yours are a hardy variety.
Jake

REPLY
@rosemarya

Spring is on it’s way! Mother Nature is already hard at work creating her garden.

This past year all of you have shared some great gardening tips and information.
I have enjoyed reading, learning, and even weeding alongside of you! I am thinking of going with flowers in pots this year.

@fiesty76, @ess77, @artist01, @mayofeb2020, @gingerw, @scottij, @funcountess, @2011panc, @katiejo59, @lioness, @jimhd, @fredm, @oxbeaux, @contentandwell, @parus, @Erinmfs, @sueinmn, @thumperguy, @januaryjane, and anyone that I missed. Newcomers are always welcome!!

How about you? What are you thinking and planning. Do you have a picture to share? Maybe you want to simply pull up a chair and enjoy the arrival of Spring.

Jump to this post

@rosemarya I cut my Mexican petunias back about six weeks ago and they are currently blooming a beautiful deep purple. Then red and gold lantana were all trimmed a few weeks ago and are sprouting new growth and should be blooming in a few weeks which will last into October. The purple lantana survive winter much more easily and so they are already in full bloom. We have a variety of cacti that are forming blooms which are quite stunning with deep oranges, yellows and reds but generally last for only a day or two. Our little johns are ready to burst as well as the border bottle brush bushes. There are probably 10 other plants all in various stages of early blooming and getting ready to burst.. As for annuals we have had geraniums blooming since December and I am about to plant some vinca (sort of an annual periwinkle) around our potted sago palms . They will mound a bit and then trail down the sides of the pots as the sago palm forces them away from totally mounding. By summer's end it will look like a solid pot of flowers holding a palm in their midst.

I like my plants and I like puttering around them even better.
Best always,
s!

REPLY
@jakedduck1

@Erinmfs
I go to the botanical gardens in San Francisco but my favorite garden is Butchart Gardens in British Columbia Canada.
https://www.gettyimages.com/photos/butchart-gardens?phrase=butchart%20gardens&sort=mostpopular
Take care,
Jake

Jump to this post

@jakedduck1 I wasn't familiar with that BC garden. Thanks for the pictures. Something for my bucket list

REPLY

@hopefull33250 The Descaso gardens in L.A are a place Id like to see Told my son since ai don't drive anymore ,they are to be beautiful A post on my Facebook by friend

REPLY
@fiesty76

FF 2nd Covid vacc, was dizzy from "making up postponed dr appt's" due to pandemic caution. With just one more doc to go next week, I’m spending much of each Spring day clearing, weeding, removing last yr's bark mulch, and digging.

Most newly installed 75 spring bulbs with markers have stopped their bloom along with returning tulips, daffies, and hyacinths.

Easter weekend I emptied and broke down a 40" wooden whiskey barrel that was beginning to rot at the bottom. Replaced it with a 30" and mixed old soil with new along with cow manure, compost, perlite and gypsum to use as new filler. Centered beautiful blue annual salvia with 4 surrounding ivy geraniums.and pleased with the look.

Cut back Eng. Ivy surrounding front tree and then took cuttings to root. Added new soil mix to one area of front courtyard and installed 36 purchased Eng. Ivy to area cleared earlier of mixed vinca and ivy.

Obssessed with gardening after a yr of no new plant purchases, layers of dust increase inside but I'm just giving them a nod as I grab an iced tea and head back outdoors.

A doz. Dahlia tubers installed along with Shasta daisies, geraniums, snaps and more strawberry plants. Lined one large back bed with white stones. Yay! To Spring, sunshine and life in the yard!

Jump to this post

@fiesty76 I'm impressed w/your good work and the wonderful varied selection of beauties. I love everything you mentioned. Never grown snaps here, don't know how they'd do. And, I love shastas, geraniums. I have a medium sized pot with red/hot pink geraniums filling it and blooming their little heads off, with a tall saw - grass in the center, about 2' tall. I love it. It should, if I do my part, keep blooming and be happy and make me happy for a long time. Hope so....Did you buy your white stones at the store or have on property or ??? What's in that bed? Are the ivy geraniums red you planted with the blue salvia? Bet that's good.

BTW: about the dust...makes for superb notes to family or friends or self. I have a serious problem w/dust until I get my new windows installed. On the list.

Bless you my friend. Enjoy tomorrow after refreshing night. elizabeth

REPLY

@rosemary @fiesty76 @jimhd @parus @artist01 @lioness @ess77 As spring arrives for some of us (and it seems like summer for others) I'm enjoying the pictures. When we arrived here in south Texas last month, it didn't look promising after a prolonged freeze. A few favorites are slowly showing signs of life, but quite a few need to go. This morning on our walk, the first blooms on the prickly pear cactus greeted us. My handyman and I found tiny signs of growth at the base of my favorite Crown of Thorns, so it gets the summer to try to recover.

What has survived the winter in your garden? Do you have plans for this year, or are you going to mainly sit back & enjoy the fruits of your labors?
Sue

REPLY
Please sign in or register to post a reply.