Mistakes I have made in my gardens

Have you tried the mineral fertilizer that High Country Gardens sells? I've never seen a mineral supplement sold this way before, esentially all by itself. (Yep, reading my catalogs!!!)
http://www.highcountrygardens.com/catalog/product/99715/

What is the fertilizer N source? I like to do my own additions. Each area is rich with some and defficient with others.

I think this is the same stuff that I saw in the catalog.
http://www.soilmender.com/products/fertilizers/planters2.php

Sorry for butting in on your forum you guys, I'm over here in NE corner of the state and I have used Roundup on Sweet Woodruff for 3 years running now and still have some climbing some roses. Why would it be so strong here and not over there? Can't imagine. I loved it when it was just a small area, but boy, by the 3rd year it went crazy.

Jeanette

Who are you kidding, Jeanette? Yer one of us.
I don't consider Roundup an effective control for anything, though.

Sheesh! I don't know where to start, so I won't. I, too, see myself in a lot of these posts, so I would just be repeating. I would just be repeating. Oops, see what I mean? But, hopefully, am learning from my mistakes and not repeating them. Am I repeating myself again? ^_^

This message was edited Jan 22, 2010 12:12 PM

I love the smell of sweet woodruff and its dainty little flowers. I have not had problems with it getting out of control, but this is giving me the idea to transplant some to my wilder areas and just let it have it's way...

Jnette, there is no such thing as "our forum". We love participation from everyone, no matter where they live. Geography doesn't limit knowledge or the desire for more of same.

Thank you guys, no, I really like the smell of the SW also and the pretty leaves etc. I just couldn't stop it even in our really cold weather. Jan, I used Roundup on blackberries when I lived in the Seattle area and got rid of them. But not SW.

I can't get rid of the blackberries and Devil's Club with R/U alone. I mix it with Crossbow. I need to do it again because they are getting out of control.

I can't get rid of the blackberries and Devil's Club with R/U alone. I mix it with Crossbow. I need to do it again because they are getting out of control.
Julie, Sharon, do I have any sweet woodruff?

Hi Jeanette. The PNW forum is great. We get together to enjoy each others company, as well.

Wonder if my Roundup was strong enough concentrate for the SW. Maybe I didn't mix it right. Or, maybe I mixed it too strong and that is why it got the berries. LOL

If you can borrow a goat for a bit, they do wonders for blackberries or other aggressive invasives. We used to have one we would send out on loan to folks in the Seattle area, and the little critters nibbled those canes down to bare dirt. All you have to do is be sure they have fresh water and a stout rope (or they will surely gobble up your favorite flowers...)

I have heard that. Like geese, I have also heard where people actually have herds of them they rent out for that purpose. Geese weed vegetable and strawberry beds.

bonehead, where is Cedarhome?

Cedarhome is in northern Snohomish County, almost to the Skagit County line. It is northeast of the City of Stanwood on the west side of the freeway. I don't particularly like to associate myself with Stanwood, so I've adopted the moniker the old timers use to refer to my neighborhood. We are in the rural unincorporated county on 15 acres. Totally different than the very conservative population found in Stanwood proper (sorry for potentially offending any normal human living there).

And, yes, we have had geese (and ducks) before as well. They are very good at weeding and slug patrol, but one has to be cautious about how large a flock one is willing to dodge droppings of (not insignificant). And they too are fairly indiscriminate in what they will eat. I recall in particular the ducks and geese seeming to totally ignore my lovely lettuce patch in favor of slugs and chickweed, when in reality they were simply waiting for it to reach optimum peak - then devoured it in one day. Live and learn.

bonehead. I just sent you an item Dmail. I deleted it from this forum because I found myself straying from the subject.

Jnette, you need to join us on the Apropos of Nothing thread, where there IS no topic. Maybe you will answer my elkhorn fern question, which is being studiously ignored for some reason.

Oops, I guess I am guilty of straying from subjects quite often. One seems to naturally lead to another. Didn't know there were thread police...

I think we forgot to hire thread police for the Pacific Northwest. And yes we love everyone no matter where you live. Welcome Jnette.

No, no, do not worry about straying from the topic here. We do it all the time, and anyone is welcome to do so!

Jnette, welcome! We are glad to have you. There are no rules about being in the western part of the region. You can live anywhere and be part of this group. I, for one. enjoy hearing about diverse gardens, places, and lives. it makes things more interesting.

A reason people might not be answering your fern question, Summerkid, is that either they don't know the answer, or are busy researching it so they can answer with helpful info, or someone who knows about it simply hasn't seen the post yet.

bonehead, it depends on the forum. Some people really like to stick to the topic, others don't mind it at all. We stray a lot in this forum.

Hi there , I have been out weed almost everything on your list. Funny the worst weeds in my garden is things I planted. A few things I'm still working on that I didn't see are euphorbia Robbie. Crocosmia the orange flower and Hops. This is the second year on sweet woodruff eradication and I'm winning. I have lost and given yp in varigated bishops weed. Doing ok on the euphorbis and Need to be really motivated still to get at the darn hops. Those are bad bad bad.

Just a thought round up is just a name brand and If you read the back of the bottles you are looking for the 2 4 D or gypsophate. Some percentages can be very expensive made by roundup I buy a brand called Hi yield and it was like 16 dollars and 41% 2 4 d . Read labels and add a little dish soap or oil in your mix so it sticks on the leaves longer. Also crossbow is just for broad leaf and won't kill grass.

Wow what great WEATHER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Never know. Some get VERY upset and let you know it if you stray. Therefore, being new to a thread I have to be careful. I do have to remind myself tho because, as bonehead said one thing leads to another.

LOL, is that what it is called Summerkid? Apropos of Nothing? I will look for your fern.

That is so funny, 'cause some of what cattledogs just mentioned, I am trying to get going in my yard. I.e. variegated euphorbia, golden hops, for a couple.

Hi Jnette, I don't post on here very often because I'm super busy but I have issues with plants. Big time. I own a nursery and many of Dave's garden folks come in and say Hi. I would love to have everyone again. Anyways when you only have so much room and have very cool plants something has to go. Spreads take up room. Now in the right spot many of these are great. The hope has a huge root system and runs far under ground and crawls up anything it can get a hold of. It is rubbery and hard to cut with pruners. It is pretty I have is planted with a purple clematis it looks great. In the right place anything can be a good plant. Some of the ones I'm getting rid of require a summer prune and I am so busy in the summer it doesn't happen. I know a few of the other folks ripping out this stuff and they are a little like me.

I had just put in a very strong plea to Dave in Admin for the search engine again.

I just got a return email saying he spoke with the Developers today and told them that the search engine was the highest of priorities. At the top of the list!! Woohoo!



edited to say:
Looks like we cross posted cattledogs. I have to go for a bit but I am very interested in your post and have to sit down and read it when I can concentrate on it. Please do come back.

This message was edited Jan 22, 2010 7:01 PM

I'll be back. Dave (Husband) is nagging for Popcorn. I'll let everyone Know I have the COOLEST COOLEST stuff for this season. I got an import permit. UH OH.

Jnette, Welcome to the PNW forum and please do hang out with us! It has been a joy chatting with you regarding cloners, and it would be great to have you participate here and learn more about your gardens! One of the best things about this forum is that no one harps on you for going off topic.... some of the best conversations come from that! And Pony's appropos thread makes the perfect place to just throw something out there if nothing has led to it.

Lynn, I don't believe you have any Sweet Woodruf. You may remember it from Mom's yard. Hers is in the edge of the woods to the right side of the trail leading to her meadow from her bedroom deck. It is happy there, but as it is on the edge of the woods and can't overrun anything so it is perfect where it is.

Heidi, I hadn't seen hopps mentioned before, and I was planning on adding them to my garden because I thought an instant arbor would be pretty cool. Maybe I will reconsider! I would like to learn from other people's mistakes if I can (have enough of my own to fix LOL), and have learned that if it says "may be invasive", it WILL be here. Looking forward to making a trip back out to your place this spring!

Cattledogs, I, too, am looking forward to a trip to your nursery. I was considering hops, as well. Guess I had better rethink it, besides, I love bamboo! How do I propagate my Eucalyptus tree that I got from you?

I have used hops and in Montana it is invasive but I started it in a large bucket and have trained it outwards into my wild area. It roots under mulch and pops up everywhere. I love it with its chartreuse color and delicious addtion to my beer. I let it climb my fences and it covers it well. At the end of fall I burn it off and it cleans up nice.

Isn't that pretty. My daughter had some in Federal Way but it was getting out of hand so I told her i would like to have it. I planted it in a big nursery tree pot and then planted the pot. LOL, (not in that order) Anyway, I don't have a problem with it either. I will try burning it off as you say sofer. I have mine on my house.

However, I don't think we would have the problem with them being invasive because of the cold do you? Maybe we would after re-reading what you said.

Mine is the variegated. More yellow.

You all can send me your hops & I will make beer for a roundup.

Good morning, I'm off to plant a cool woodland garden around a beautiful patio we just build. Hops are terrible. They can be deep rooted. Sweet woodruff is a pain but shallow rooted and you can sit on your but and pick away at it. Hops is a work out you need to stand and putt hard it is like a rope you can't break it it is bad. I would highly advise not in a nice garden bed. Enjoy from afar. It suck pulling it out of plants it goes around since it twines so tightly you can break other branches I can't burn the taxus hedge it is in or the cornus or the cyperus,. The thought was pretty purple and gold which is does look nice for those few weeks of the bloom but after that bad news. I spent week tearing it out of another beautiful garden and was told don't plant it. I wish I would have listened.

As far as this year I have cool stuff coming from San Marcos ( California) Xera (Portland) And 2 nurseries 1 in Japan and 1 in China oh And intersectional peonies from Canada. I have no focus and am truly ill. I need your help.

I am drugging up and going to the flower show. I haven't been to Seattle since the 80's. I'm bringing Tory and Susan for back up. I need to go and see my friend Susan has done a display garden I think it is going to be great. I loaned her plants and My friend Asha is bringing is beautiful stone temple light. I think I can do it. I will have to leave my poor Butter home. I have never done that. I need therapy. This is Butter

Goutweed (aegopodium) often gets a bum rap, but I have found it to be a very nice ground cover under fruit trees. I don't think twice about trampling it to harvest the fruit, it looks nice and sparkly in the dappled shade, and I keep it in bounds by mowing around it. I also whack it back seriously after bloom to give it a fresh spurt. I plan to let it basically take over an odd corner of my yard which has a pear and cherry tree and not much else. I'll let the dog and cat create a walking path through it to my tractor shed and gate (I'm sure they will oblige).

I planted hops at the foot of my willow tree -- it twined nicely up into it.

Lots of gardens here have hops and it doesn't seem to get out of control. Maybe in the city it is more well behaved! I would like to plant some under a birch tree so it can climb up - but now you all have me afraid!

Judi, why don't you ask the people who grow it? Maybe they plant it in planted containers like I did mine. Normally when a person gives something like that to a neighbor, or -- - they will warn them and suggest how to do it. Maybe they all have it that way.

Jeanette

My biggest gardening mistakes: Planting things to close together (I am going to rearrange where possible this Spring) and not pruning enough. I prefer the wild look in my shrub and perennial beds, but some tangles of branches can get too wild.

I too thought Golden Hops and purple clematis would be a great combo, planted in a half barrel sunken at the edge of an arbor. I don't have lots of time to spend cleaning up after it if it escapes.. perhaps I should rethink this.

I have no experience with hops, but it seems like the sunken pot or barrel idea would contain the plant, but make it less prone to drying out in the hot, dry Summer.

The pot works but it travels 30+ feet and roots there too. I have it covering a fence and "leaving" my garden area. I love it.