Propagation: Propagation: part XI based on my own experience

Its funny how we never see the bad side which I know is there somewhere and they are not showing it at the right angle to see the whole story

Well a New Year is almost upon us so I wish everybody a Happy one and the best with it
for 2010.

Thank God the 3 inches of rain we had yesterday melted the 24 inches of snow we had the weekend before. What a lousy December we had. There was only one good weekend to sell the Christmas Trees. The other weekends were only one good day if that. We sold about 100 less trees than what we projected. Some of our regular customers came in the blizzard and the poor guys were out there cutting trees and loading them By noon it was nearly impossible to see what they were doing and by mid afternoon we closed because driving became too dangerous and the roads were not plowed. It came down so fast when the worst was here it was impossible to keep the lane open for traffic. Oh well, we have an extra hundred trees to sell next year.

I have been up to my ears in so many things with the weather unpredictible. My barn cats got snowed in someplace and it was 5 days before they all surfaced. They were hungry but in good shape because fortunately I had put some weight on them before the storm came. It snowed for nearly a day and two nights without stopping.

The greenhouse is a mess. Needs alot of work but it has been impossible to work in it for any length of time because I had so many cloths on to get to it I did not want to have to remove all layers just to work an hour or less. I would get started and someone would come with a delivery or wanting to buy A tree even if we were closed thatday.

I apologize for not taking the time to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year until now. I do hope I will be able to be with you more often now that it is almost over. I hope you and yours are all well and happy and that your coming year is a prosperous one. I hate winter. Hugs. JB

JB, you stay in and keep warm. Good attitude, just have 100 more to sell next year.

You can't beat Mother Nature. Go with the flow and survive.

Happy New Year to you too. Take care, and we'll get with you next year.

Jeanette

Maybe us DG gardeners could convince people they need a 4th of July tree because it just the new in thing. Maybe Memorial Day. I bet we could come up with something.

You've got something there Sharon.

Jeanette

Never mind, this one holiday started the day after Thanksgiving and was over the 24th of Dec. That is plenty for me. No more tree days, please. I am working on my Easter Egg Plants now...wait until I sprout those babies. LOL Hugs and stay warm. It is freezing here and windy as heck.

JB.... how do you get the plants to make different colored eggs and what do you use to get them to make spots on the eggs????
I do like your attitude about the extra tree's. I am guessing you get more money for the older trees????
we got 8" of snow christmas eve yesterday was 38 and tonight we are suposed to get 1.5" - 2" of snow.
I hope everyone has a safe and happy new year
Dave

JB, when do you start seeds over there? Our last frost date is the end of May so we have a real short growing season. You probably do too. We should be getting our seeds from the swaqp in a couple of weeks. I hope I have some grasses that will make it in your zone., I only look for zone 4 since we are 5.

Dave put a new frost calculator on the site and it is really cool. Have you guys tried it?

Where is the new frost clculator? Where is Dave? I feel like I have been away for years. No one is talking but a few of us and I was concerned there was a problem. I will start my seeds next month or February. I can start moving things out in April but that is pushing it. My definite planting date is after Mother's Day or about May 10th for sewing seeds outside. We go from May to Sept. or later, depending.
Where the H is the globel warming? I am freezing my old butt off today. It is only 24 deg. again and windy. Moan and Groan......

This probably isn't the right place to post this but I feel the most comfortable in this forum. My grandson passed away Christmas morning and I want to plant something in his memory. I am not sure if I want to plant a tree or some type of plant or shrub. Are there any that are "Memorial Plants" that I could plant, he was my first and while I can't tell the other 17 that he was my favorite, I always had a special bond with him that I didn't have with the others. He was a troubled and confused child his whole life and decided that life wasn't worth it anymore. I am having a hard time dealing with it all and my only escape is taking care of my plants and stuff. When he would visit he would always tell me " pop, you have way to many plants for this little house and move them so he could watch tv without looking over them. I miss him already and know I will never forget him but want something to remind me of the wonderful grandson he always was to me.

I am so sorry for your loss. My grandmother passed away the day before Christmas and my husband the day after. Years apart, but the memories and grief still hamper my holidays big time. I know he will always be with you. My prayers and thoughts are with you at this time. I personally would plant a tree...............possibly since you live in PA one of those beautiful evergreens that grow so well up there. That way it will always be green and alive, summer and winter. Here in NJ they plant trees at the Horse Park of NJ in memory of loved ones and horses, etc. Most of them are maples but it is so sad when they loose their leaves. I planted one for my husband. I always think evergreens are forever. Just my opinion. God Bless you and your family.

withad,
I am so sorry to hear about your loss,Chistmas is to be a time of joy not sorrow. Prayers are with you and the rest of the family.

Withad:
I am sorry for your loss. A parent should not out live their child and definately not the grandparent. I kind of feel the deciduous trees are like life in that they show the seasons. I would guess the maple is chosen because it puts on the best fall color. A plant like this is a personal thing and is a tough choice.
I do agree with FF and I too share the sorrow of loss during xmas. My step father-in-law passed away on a christmas eve ( I had been married a few years and did not know him well) the next day I found my bestfriend in his house, we believe he went to get the mail, sat down light a cigarettesat back and boom he was gone. Its still tough to think of him.

I too am sorry for your loss, and my heart and soul go out to you and yours. I agree, a tree would be good. I also think of roses at a time like this. We have a family rose garden at the church, and when we lose someone, we can plant a rose in their honor, complete with a small plaque and their name. I like both ideas. Please know, whatever you choose, it will be right for you and the memories will be there for you always.
Lee


This message was edited Dec 30, 2009 11:16 PM

Thanks for all your warm thoughts and ideas. My daughter bought a Christmas tree this year and they told her it was a conifer. It has such a beautiful shape and smells like oranges if you break a stem. Does anyone know what kind of tree it would be. The needles are all about three inches long almost round rather than flat like most Christmas trees. I am thinking of getting several dwarf type evergreen type trees and making a small alcove with them as a backdrop and a small perennial garden in front. I have absolutely no luck with roses up here in the boonies, 2300' high, even though I would love some.

Hey Roger, being an old PA person, I know how difficult it is to grow certain things, especially where you are located. It is cold up there too I bet today. It is cold here and snowing again. About the conifer, I wonder if it is a concolor....we grow those and it sounds like that might be it. I don't know.....look at this link and see if it helps you. It could be any one of many. LOL Hope this helps.

http://forestry.about.com/cs/treeid/a/con_tree_id.htm

Withad, I can't tell you how sorry I am, I would be so devistated over that. It is hard to even imagine. I hope you find some comfort in gardening. Seems that is the thing that sees most of us through difficult times. I hope you find the plant that you are looking for and it will help.

Jeanette

Withad: you might contact the grower or nursery where it came from or the local extension office. they will need at a min. a bundle of the needles. that is key for id'ing a conifer. bark color and basic form also helps.
Dave

Thanks Dave, I mentioned it to my daughter and she said she had gotten the tree from a local seller and is going to ask him the name of it. The citrus smell is an indicator that it might be the concolor that JB mentioned. Most of the web photos are from a distant so it is had to tell for sure but the shape and description fits.

On an evergreen tho you can take pictures any time. We have a lot of the Larch or Tamerack which is the only needle tree I know of that loses it's needles in the winter.

Get some pics up close.

withad:

My heart goes out to you and I'm sending healing prayer for you and the family. Words are hard at this time but know that you have your garden buddies here that care for you and feel your hurt.

Being in a garden has always been a renewing experience and I'm sure what ever tree, shrub, or flower garden you decide on will be the right one.

Happy New Year folks, we are finally getting snow this week which I don't mind saying that for once it was nice to not have much if any during the month of December.

DH received his rejection letter for disability, so that battle will continue and I'm recuperating from hernia surgery. I'm just hoping I'll feel up to returning to work come Monday as we are shut down this week...

I pray that 2K10 will bring many blessings to all of you here.

Janet

Janet, they say that they always turn down on the first time around. Keep your chin up and our thoughts and prayers are with you. Get well soon.
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE
Lee

Happy New Year all and and hope everyone has a better year and better gardens in the planning stage.

Happy New year to everyone! Hopefully I am back now.
The past 4 months have been quite a challenge and I am still fighting the pnumonia/asthma thingy, but I am determined to get over it!
I had a beautiful Iris confused though it might have been actually blooming for me on Christmas day, and that was all the inspiration I needed to start planning this year's garden. We just had our first killing frost last night, ( 22 F.) so now I can cut down the last of the annuals and mulch over the beds where I am directsowing.
I was planning to winter sow a few things, but I am not sure what yet. I really need to spend time in my seed box and then decide. More than Likely I will wintersow a few hostas, hibiscus, stokesia, and coneflowers, I can never have too many of those, but I may just wait for spring to start many others. ( I am hoping for a short winter, can you tell?)
Anyway, I hope everyone is well and happy and having a great new Year.
Dreaming of Spring,
Linda

Ibartoo, we are having the worst winter so far here in NJ. I hate it. The greenhouse is looking straggly because it is so difficult to maintain the proper humidity and heat with the changeable days. I am about to say to heck with it and just let it go. Hope your dreams of Spring soon become a reality; Hugs JB

I was just saying a bit ago that we may be looking to an early spring and a longer summer. Wouldn't that be wonderful??? It has gone from the sub-zeros to 39 degrees in a week. The most snow we have had at any one time is 5 inches that lasted 2 days and was gone.

Even though we had about a month or more of very cold weather I think this (so far) has been the best winter we have had in many years. I know I am jumping the gun here. January and February are normally our worst part of the winter. We'll see.

Still have sno--barely above 0 and no hope in site. Don't know what plans to start with. Rite now I am going through fabric to quilt and when I see all the pretty flowered pieces, I just want to turn on the sun. Well the sun is on, but too cold to do anything, won't even begin to melt the Ice and sno. Lee

Hi to everyone:
We are having one of the whitest winters I can remember but I am a transplant...sort of. we did have our first blizzerd on record xmas eve. we are suposed to get upto an inch again today. we did manage to melt all the main roads and some of the side roads but its still been cold we hit a balmy 39 one day last week. we are suposed to get like a week long rain storm from the nw (jeanette) and if we are as cold as we are now it will be all white and fluffy.
we usually have a snow fall and then it warms up and melts then a few weeks of semi cold weather and another snow blast. it usually happens that way here followed by a big nasty storm sometime in april just to remind us who is in charge.
I have sown 100 cells of pampas grass and hope to get cuttings in towards the end of the month. I am toying with starting a few veggies any ideas???
I did solve my fungus gnat issue from last year. I am watering from the bottom. I am having to learn because I am used to either the end of a hose or mass watering by sprinkler.
I am curling up with a good movie and some hot coco...
Dave

Dave, I need a few hundred plugs to plant seeds in. Do you recommend any place in particular. I never used plugs before, thought I would give it a try. JB

I am looking for 3" pots ( like azalea pots) and trays for the perennials I am starting. Does anyone have a good source. Thanks, linda

Well snowing again today, like it has been since Monday. Temps took a dive and the wind picked up. DH is having to do collie duty to take them in and out to the back yard for potty breaks.... sweet man that he is. Dr says two weeks before I can drive or do much of anything let alone doing anything with my collies. (4 of them)... I'm going to try and go back to work tomorrow for only half a day, one of my sweet garden club members died this past week and the viewing is tomorrow afternoon-evening and I don't want work to tire me out too much that I can't go to say goodbye to her. She was a great support to me as President of our club and just a jewel of a friend. This is our second member to died within the last month I'm a little worried about that 3 thing and hate to think who might be next...

So with the dreary weather come the gloomy mood..... Oh come on spring I really don't like living in the north during winter.....

Janet

Janet, I am sorry for the loss of your friend. I hope that things will get better for you very soon. Things are bright here, but very cold. 22 degrees here this morning. This is the first frost we have had and the coldest temps too.
Good day to stay indoors and plan spring gardens.

Morning all, I must go into town today then I need to come home and hunt a source for the small plastic 2x2 2 mil baggies to ship seeds. I am down to my last pack and I lost the vender name and address. Any suggestions.

It is 21 here today and again I heated the barn cat food before I fed them. I am such an old softy. Later. JB

JB

here is a site with good prices better than wally world.... this site came from another post here at DG.

http://www.fetpak.com/whstore/main.pl/fl?5

hope the link will come through alright.

let me know if it doesn't

Janet

Lee, it has finally warmed up here (39 yesterday) snowing today but not too cold. So, you should be getting some of this before long. Until then, stay in and keep warm.

Jeanette

Thabnk you very much. Do any of you belong to Plant Scout? I closed my eBay store and am looking for another place to bring more attention to my plants and seeds. Not sure if I want to spend the money. I would rather give them away than get 50 cents for seeds and have to do all the paperwork on eBay. On the other hand I must be doing something wrong, the Market Place is just not working for me. Could be just me. eBay still works but the fees are killing me. I think it must be o.k. if you have big ticket items.
Thinking outloud...sorry ,......have a good evening. I am out of here. Hugs. JB

JB, I had that same problem last year with ebay's fees. I just listed a few things this week for the first time since early april. I will see what happens with it. If you find another source, please let me know.
Thanks, Linda

Maybe it is the time of year. People may not be spending the money right now. Or it could be the economy. People are saying on every TV show that they are saving instead of spending.

Sorry JB, have never heard of Plant Scout. What is it?

Jeanette

JB: Is the plant scout the thing that puts your site as a source for the plant they are looking for? I have found just as much luck with the market place. You might want to look at what you are selling. I don't know what your complete listings are. I am trying to improve my list as well. adding as much as I can to the mix so I can intrest as many people as I can. I know I don't have it all figuired out and most of its been luck and trying to look at what I might like to have in my garden.
I know you do a lot of cut flowers and your jasmine, what else do you want to sell, what do like? I have found if you don't like the plant don't grow it, it comes out in the plants, they show how much you care and the amount of passion you put into it.
I am planning to order supplies again soon so please let me know what everyone wants so maybe we can put an order together. Linda do you actually want round azalea pots or would sheet pots work for what you are growing?
Dave