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Let's Talk about Gardens
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?
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@ess77, Just read your response to @Erinmfs and have to say that Lowes is my first stop favorite for plants and all-to do with gardening supplies. With their credit card, not only do I appreciate the discount on any purchase there but so often can find their discounted plant racks a real boon whenever needing some additional fillers for almost nothing!
Like you, I'm drawn to unusual plants for a spark of uniqueness and some work better than others. My bottle bush lasted for several yrs as well but I've not tried a shrimp plant nor crown of thorns. Maybe next yr?
Luckily, because of multiple bird feeders, squirrels can't access the feeders and are left with scrambling for the spilled seeds. I've tried several diff types of hummingbird feeders but none too successfully. They readily feed on late blooming Turkscap and other bright flowers but although I've placed the feeders in diff locations and changed and cleaned the feeders every few days, they seem to "wait" for summer bloomers like my butterfly bush which also attracts, moths, butterflies and bees.
Yes, Elizabeth, I, too, have had a long love/hate relationship with phones. I've had both my landline and 1st flip and now "smarty" cell phones with the same numbers for yrs. I just use the cell for car and travel; don't even know that number and have been pleased with rare scam calls.
If ever there was a yr for needing a team of garden helpers, this has been it. I am still removing leaves from beds and for some, this is the 3rd big effort accumulations coming from winds carried from other neighbor yards. Weeds are a diff story entirely. This is the 1st in 20 yrs of gardening, that these little devils have sprung up in flower beds.
With the Connect changes, my messages are going once more to my Spam folder and not reaching either the special filter site or reg. Yahoo mail. Hoping my help req. to @colleen young will rectify the problem. Until that happens, I'm struggling with the format changes and finding what I want to follow. Doesn't help that I am cyber deficient regardless. Sigh.
Your dad's reminder of "everything in moderation" was a favorite of my parents' as well. Alas and although I heard it frequently growing up, I've yet to master it. Smiles
It is beginning to dawn on me that all of my plant splurges this spring will require maintenance care and water...and more water. If last yr was one for our record books for extreme heat and drought, I can only imagine what my water bill will be this season with forecasts for an even hotter, drier summer. Good at justifying though, at my age, I know my active gardening years are limited and so I'm pushing my efforts and loving the time outside.
However we experience nature, seasonal changes and the surprises it never fails to inspire are true gifts for the heart. Yesterday I watched 2 Colorado Cardinals, which I'd fed all winter, doing the courtship flirt which may produce more offspring...How exciting is that?
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2 ReactionsElizabeth - there are a number of pre-packaged drip watering systems you can set up and connect to timers - there's flexibility because you can put more or higher capacity drippers in the water-loving plants. Or you can just irrigate the frequent waterers and hand water the rest. Do a little searching for patio watering systems. I'm a techno-nerd, married to a tinkerer, so I have very elaborate systems with multiple-outlet timers - too much to describe here.
Sue
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4 ReactionsI just went and looked again at my 4-yo crown of thorns - thought it was dead a month ago after the February freeze, but it is indeed coming back from the roots. The younger ones didn't survive though. If you decide to try one, buy a local one - not from Lowe's - there are different varieties and the natives will survive a light freeze here in TX, but not the imports.
As for watering see my reply to Elizabeth - drip, drip, drip - all of the water goes EXACTLY where needed, none is wasted.
Sue
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1 Reaction@sueinmn, When I had my lawn irrigation system professionally installed, 3 areas in back near fence were drip lines. They simply didn't work for me and I had them removed and different ht pop-ups added to those areas which have worked more successfully. So happy for the irrigation system but even so, there are some areas which still require hand watering.
Yes, while Lowes is my first stop, Sue, I also purchase from local nurseries and growers. The growers particularly do a great job because of their knowledge of our soils, temps, etc.
Sunday was a purely perfect Spring day with temp up to high 80's. Yesterday heading out to doc appt at 8 am, temp was in low 30's and never got above 50 late afternoon. Exasperating to say the least and more of the same predicted until next week.
After the horrific TX freeze earlier, I'm still hoping that despite two additional short term freezes recently, more of my perennials will still emerge. So happy that your 4 yr old crown of thorns is reviving and feel sure that like your younger plants, many of mine may have bitten the bullet.
In the meantime, I'm attempting to root both Eng. Ivy and Powis Castle’ artemisia along with a variety of seed starters in little seed pots. Also using the wet paper towel method to check for viability on other, older saved seeds from previous years. Thank goodness for my vacc that will be seeing extra duty once the dining table and breakfast bar are cleared of potting mix.
Are you back in TX for the spring/summer? Your growing location and mine so differ in the same state that it is almost like we reside in different countries, yes?
Somebody mentioned daffodils not long ago, I’m in our local daffodil garden, they are so beautiful!
@colleenyoung i cannot find the Garden discussion thread to write this post?
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3 ReactionsHi Molly, I moved your message to the Let's Talk about Gardens discussion. I find the best way to search for a discussion is to use the Discussion search window. See pic below.
This search looks specifically for keywords in titles and the first post of discussions.
I’m on my iPhone, I didn’t use the Search, I tried the ‘drop down” listing, and Gardens wasn’t in the list (on my phone.)
@ess7, I’m heading back there to find out ! I’m here now, it’s a Powder Puff Plant, tropical member of the pea family.
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1 ReactionI’ve never seen a red Easter Lilly? There’s one here at the Conservatory. Attendant here says it’s Amaryllis .
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1 ReactionWell, aren't you having a ball! Taking a fun day out to observe? Love it and love the pictures. Thanks.....the red flower of the powder puff plant is exactly the same as the bottle brush plant/tree, I think. At least, they're related and yours looks the same size plant as mine in a pot. I love it. It and the shrimp plant I have near-by do attract hummingbirds and butterflies.
Yes, that is an amaryllis. Beautiful isn't it? I have lots of them around my place, in our public median/area and around my condo. I went out and grabbed a lot of bulbs when the pavement was redone and they were gettting thrown away!!! I was horrified, so hobbled out with my walker like a crazy little old lady and picked up as many as possible. Now, they're growing on my patio and on the side of my front area. I love the plant itself and the flower is lovely, if too short lived.
Enjoy the day, my friend, and all the pretties. Blessings on this lovely day. elizabeth
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