Thank-you Gwen and Carol

For hosting all of us. It was tons of fun and you both have wonderful places. Good to see all of you. Thanks for driving Julia and Deb.

I too had a great time. As a newbie it was fun to meet the people on the PNW forum. Thanks for the wonderful day. Loved the tour, your personal gardens and all the conversation. Pixydish thanks for the pink abutilon. Be sure and let us know when that sweet guy arrives in July.

What a great day! Gwen ordered beautiful weather and the weather gods listened to her. Carole's place was fabulous and the bird feeders there were supremely entertaining. Her memory garden is coming together so nicely and the views from her place are glorious!
Gwen outdid herself organizing and preparing for Rachel's shower, which stayed a surprise until the last minute! We sat down to a delicious lunch prepared by Gwen. I hope someone got a photo of the beautiful table she set, complete with flowers at each place setting. I loved meeting Judi, Deb, and Julia in person. What delightful company! Our group can get so chatty and there is so much energy all the time, they held their own completely! Now they will be 'old timers'.

Many thanks, Gwen and Carole, for hosting such a delightful day for gardeners. I'll tell you what: Rachel's baby is going to be one well-outfitted infant!

Oh, and I should mention the plant trading! Excellent!

Oops! We crossposted, Julia. It was lovely meeting you and thank you so much for the heucheras. I hope the abutilon does well for you.

This message was edited May 16, 2010 9:10 PM

Thank you so much Gwen, and I am sorry I missed seeing Carole's garden. Lunch was delicious and the afternoon so relaxing. Gwen your home and garden (and chickens) are lovely. I so enjoyed being out in the country! And such sweet dogs - you have a bit of heaven there. Rachel how exciting that your little kid will soon be here. He will have a lot of bibs to use.

I am so happy I finally got to meet some DG folks in person!

Julia, is it possible these are the poppies you brought?
http://www.dutchbulbs.com/images/products/small/3762.jpg

I think this is the one. The bloom is much more orange than in this picture. Mine is blooming now. Will try and take a picture and post.



http://www.dutchbulbs.com/store/perennials/orientalpoppies/15846

Julia, looking forward to the photos.

Judy, I'm so glad you made it to Rachel's surprise shower! I too wish you could have visited my place, but hopefully there will be other times (and maybe I'll really have things back in shape by then . . . yeah, right!).

My daughter, Sylvia, just before she left yesterday, relented and let me have the darling little watering can that she won (actually her suitcase was just plain too full!) at the shower. It's in one of my greenhouse windows which are not used much because one of my cats gets up there and knocks things over.

Yes, looking forward to a photo. Looks delectable.

Hold that poppie. I thought the picture was off from the bloom I had. All these years I thought that was the chocolate one. I think Wayside gardens or who ever I got that from did a number on me. I think they ran out and just sent me a poppy. I am so mad. After a few stings from that place I never order from them anymore. On my first trade too. I'm so embarrassed. A few years back I got a collection of poppies from wayside gardens and the Choc. one was part of it. Each plant was labeled.
I'm sure you all have this one.
http://www.dutchbulbs.com/store/perennials/orientalpoppies/14098
Maybe when the others bloom It will show up. It could be that the blonde girl that works here got plants mixed up that year.(thats me)
I will make a list and be sue that at the next DG gathering you get the right one. Oh my! Pixy, Murrmur and the third went to ???

I did a plant sale with a friend of mine a few years ago and mis-labeled a whole bunch of daylilies - I indicated they were "Strawberry Candy" when in fact they were "Big Smile." Totally different colors! We did the sale the next year as well and no one came back and complained so I guess I was forgiven!

No worries, Julia! The Prince of Orange is luscious! I don't have that one, either, so it's all good. That happens to all of us. If it blooms this year, I'll post a photo.
Oh, the third went to Rose Benz, Rachel's mom, I think. She's not going to worry about it, either.
Ditto on Wayside gardens, though. I've learned that the hard way, too.

Wayside is not fun. Nor are their plants.

Ditto on Wayside. And they don't do refunds either.

This is the poppy. This is my first picture hope it turns out. It rained before I got the picture.

The jury is in on Wayside. The poppy is lovely! I hope I get a bloom this year. Next time we get together, I have salmon colored poppies if anyone is interested in those.

The rain was so hard today everything looks beaten down.

I have Poppies - lots of orange Poppies with dark purple splotches. I cannot kill them, believe me - I have tried. These are stalwart & determined, laughing freely at my abysmal efforts.
Anyone looking for Poppies?

Oh yes - "Patty" - the not plum/purple poppy is back. Grew at the base of one of the nearby lavateras. I guess she thought I wouldnt notice her while she pursued her roguish ways. So now, we have a Lavapop sort of situation, and I will wait with scissors in hand to catch her in bloom. I was certain to dig deep - such a cunning one, she is. I suppose I cut off one of her toes.....

Salmon request here! Will go nicely with the other flowers that belong to that colour group. It's not an easy colour to find. Usually to the pink side or the yellow side, rarely the perfect mix.

I'll take salmon. I love that color!!

Kate, I am practically rolling on the floor over your description of the loathsome 'patty'. I will trade you Patty for Salmon. I have lots and lots of Salmon. When they are bloomed out I will pot some (thereby leaving tiny pieces in the soil to produce more salmon...). I love Patty. I have her planted with lavender and the combination is divine.

Introducing the lovely, but toeless 'Patty's plum'.

Poppies with dark purple splotches?

Like these?

I love them all. I have the pink and a huge red one. One other I think orange. They are not budded yet and the peonys are budded but not opening.

You may & I will gladly dig her for you. But, i'm warning you - she must be a sneaky Old Fart, because she went grey-plum on me. Reminds me of those violet-haired ladies at the salon in Palm springs. Sheesh that made me feel like i was 5 as I was the youngest one (27) there. I'd never seen so much blue or violet or silver or pastel streaks in grey hair. Had no clue it could be achieved. I have so much to look forward to. it will be hard to choose 1 colour. i'll do them all, and pretend it's another garden. A head garden.

My Patty ain't Plum.
this is why i like yellow - it doesn't go grey toned. Nor does orange. ewww - sounds nasty.

like this:

Hmm, I think I have that one. But put Patty in a Pot and I'll adopt her. Of course, once you have Patty, even one tiny little piece of her will remain in your garden forever! MWUHAHAHAH! Maybe she will take her cue from my Patty and be the appropriate color. I'm kind of a sucker for poppies.

I bought a patty's plum from Wayside Garden's and It did't make it. I like to buy plants that are named after me.^_^ I will try again someday.

Well, you can be sure you have a source for Patty here!

Willow I will dig up some of the clump for you. Might as well spread her around & this one is sassy - a survivor to be sure. I'll take pictures of her not plum/purple colour so you can do a thumbs up or down.

Pix - question for you about Ptilotus: how did Joey do for you? Did you get seeds? I bought one at WM nursery last week, and I'm anxious to see it go through it's adolescent stage & grow up! I tried to get information (other than the typical), and was surprised to see that there are so many different types.
Uh oh - new research about to happen, which will entail plant acquisition.....

Every time you guys mention another plant I wonder what I've been missing. My lilliputian garden is stuffed full. And I keep looking up the plants you talk about and usually I think, oh I must have that! So whatever plant-acquiring-must-have disease you all have, it is contagious. You should all be banished to an island, just like Typhoid Mary. Maybe you could all live in a compound at Gwen's place, and guards will monitor the gate and your communications. Temptresses, all of you!

That was a good morning laugh!

I agree, Portland. DG is full of enablers.

Good thing we all have a lot of space for our plant ghettos inhabitants - yeah, right!!!

Well, hang onto your little banishing ways, Portland, because I cannot really recommend Ptilotus! :) No need to run out and buy this one unless you can give it plenty of heat. I should not have bothered growing these from seed in my yard because even with last summer's heat, it didn't do much. I was not impressed. And then I saw them for sale at the local Lowes in nice gallon sized containers, well filled out, for about 3.50. I could scream. I paid 7$ for that package of seeds. Okay, okay, so I live and learn. Or at least I live.

So, Portland, we tried to warn you when you were a fresh-faced newbie on this site. Don't say we didn't warn you that gardening is a slippery slope of desire! We are but sirens on the rocks! If you only lived closer you could take advantage of my plant lust by taking home seedlings of desirable varieties that I grow from seed, or divisions from the garden. Katye is known to foist plants upon people as well, but only good ones (plants, not people). I will foist any kind of plant on unsuspecting people. (Well, not really, but since I grow a lot from seed, I never can really tell how these plants are going to turn out until they do.) Be glad your garden is on the small side. You'll probably live longer that way.

It has been a very long time since I was fresh-faced, or experienced the slippery slope of desire! You did warn me, but like Odysseus I fell prey. And now there is no cure.

So I will forgo the Ptilotus. But there are so many other temptations!

I had a nice surprise yesterday. About a week ago I decided to move the trash cans that were obscuring a very narrow strip (14") of dirt along the side of the house so I could put a few plants there. Yesterday I walked past and was astounded to find that what I thought was a little weed had grown about a foot, and was sporting three perfect calla lily blooms.

Oh what a good surprise. My callas come up much later.

Perfect, Portland -- that was good karma indeed. Free the dirt!

OOH callas! Love them! That is a very nice surprise, indeed!

OMG I think I must be a hoarder!!

Oh, dear, I cleaned out the corner where the maple was that my daughters gave me for Mother's Day. The corner is wonderful, but I have to find a new plant ghetto spot or homes for all of them! I'm on my laptop so my visiting Yorkie, Gracie, can be with me so I can't post pictures, but I will tomorrow. My guy friend built a wonderful raised bed for it (by the time I add the last of the top soil, it will be a yard of dirt!) and I've added other things in it and around it.

Sure feels good to be back in the right frame of mind for my gardens!

Hey Murmur ^_^ Good for you.

My visitor, Gracie, went home today and I am desolate, as is Spike. I get to have her again, but I really want to own her. Of course, her "dad" does love her, darn it. How could I get that attached to a dog in just a week, when I knew it wasn't permanent? Dumb me.