Mini PNW Roundup in Sept interest?

Sounds like a job for 'Alpha Mom!' to me. Bad ass gangsta dogs! Naughty!

I remember when I added Bug to the household. Nick's breeder told me to be prepared for Nick to run off with Bug at the dog park and not to come when he was called. Sure enough, Nick forgot himself there for awhile.

I think it was almost that there was safety in numbers - a similar phenomenon to two cars on the freeway who wouldn't speed on their own feeling like they can take the chance and speed when they're together on the freeway. They don't feel as accountable when they're together.

It didn't last forever - I just had to remind them both to listen to me first and not to look at each other.

Bad ass Alpha mom, indeed!

This message was edited Sep 11, 2010 10:15 PM

LOL - I'm still working on being a bad ass alpha mom . . . Gigi was well trained, but Spike never was! If there are treats involved, Spike is much better, but if there's no treat, forget it!!!

So, I have a neighbor who I just adore. She's an older woman who is is incredibly fit, loves to putter around her yard, and feed my boys sugar (they pretty much think of her as an adopted grandmother). But she just turned 86 and all of us who dote on her have to admit that she is slowing down a bit. So the neighbor on the other side of me and I have decided to take over her yard (with her blessing) so she can have a pretty yard to putter in without having to deal with the upkeep.

She has several part sun/part shade borders that have bare spots. My mission is to plant them up with sturdy, multi-season interest plants that don't need a lot of fussing or water. So if anyone who is planning on attending the roundup has any starts that would fit the bill, I would love to take them off your hands.

How sweet of you - I'll sure see what I have.

Bea, your package arrived. Everyone is going to be excited to see the Iris's and your surprise. That was so thoughtful of you.

Hey it looks like DH & I will be able to make it but will have to leave early. I don't have very many plants to share but will be out there this week to round up a few. This sounds like so much fun I can't stand to miss it...have heard rave reviews about you yard Lynn, can't wait to see the tea house!

Linda, I am thrilled that you and DH will be able to make it.

Don't expect too much to be blooming in my yard now. All of a sudden, everything just went ka put.

I am not pulling out or cutting back all of the scraggly looking things so that the seeds will be available for anyone who wants them. At least you can see what plant they came off of, a lot of my labels have either disappeared or faded. Dang.

Thanks, Lynn this is just too much fun to miss

Wow..the postal service moved this package quick!! Hope everyone enjoys the iris & surprise.

Thanks fo the package. That was nice of you. I can hardy wait for the surprise. This will be so fun.

Lynn, I may have to do a run to your house on Friday. I'm not sure I'll have enough room in my car for everything I'm bringing.

Pix... check your D-mail. :)

Pixy and Gwen, approx what time were you going to be here on Friday? I want to make sure that I am home, and not at the store. I will probably be outside pulling weeds or hiding junky messes.

Lynn, I'm not even sure I'll have to come on Friday. I'm going to spend thursday, while my husband is sleeping off the anesthesia from his colonoscopy that morning, loading up the truck and checking my list twice. I'll dmail you late Thursday if it looks like I'm going to have to make two trips.

Of course, I just remembered that I'm going to be in seattle all day on Friday, so forget it. Mike and I are going to the boat show. I'll just have to fit everything in the truck. Or lordy.

I used to love to go to the boat show. Have fun!!

I'm sad that I will be working in the prison hospital instead of having fun with all of you. : ( But that will be my fate since I will be working every weekend for the next 10 weeks. I've been working on this for a year and I'm almost finished!

I hope you all have a great time and trade lots of goodies and eat and drink and be merry!

We are bailing out, its a long story, but I need a job. I haven't had time to get the Crocosmia bulbs nor cut the grass or anything recently, but I need a job something that they keep reminding me of.

Along with DH sister Sue will be coming. Can't wait!

Analog, It is really too bad you had to back out, but totally understandable... I am really sorry that we won't be able to meet you or Judi this time, but I know that there will be another opportunity!

Hope you all don't mind walking through tall grass at our house. Last night was when I had planned on mowing the lawn and the weather did not cooperate at all... and it dosen't look like it's getting any better. Looks like we should be bringing umbrellas and "wet" shoes for the weekend, but it will still be a blast!

I was planning to cut the grass yesterday also. Oh well. I'm sure you all have seen a lawn that needs to be mowed. (And weeds that need to be pulled!)

We might put the flatbed trailer in the barn so that we can put all of our plants, etc on it. Then we will be out of the rain. We have a covered area on our patio and a patio heater, so we should be comfy. Dang rain!

Sorry, Rob, that you all can't make it.

We'll all wear our rain clothes and won't know the difference! This time of year it's difficult to schedule those lawn-mowings.

Wish I could join you all, you'll have so much fun! My daughter has generously volunteered to spend the week-end here helping me transplant and clean up the greenhouse and pot ghetto for winter. So I'll think of you all and set aside the too many things I have for a spring get together. Maybe we can have one up here in the north end in April sometime. Cheers!!!

Well, you could hardly turn away that kind of help! I wish one of my kids would offer to help me!!! Have fun with your daughter. I'm sure having her there is even better than having the help.

Sorry you have plans. I was so looking forward to you riding down with us. Get lots done and enjoy your time together.

Bummer, Linda. We'll miss you. It'll feel good to get the greenhouse cleaned out, though, I know.

Linda, It is too bad that you won't be able to join us, but I agree about the offer of help being too good to turn down!!!

I had said that I would post a picture of the variegated ST. John's Wort shrub that I have to share. It is really a cool plant...can grow up to four feet tall and is consistantly variegated in my garden where a lot of things revert to their unvariegated form.

I also will have dwarf mondo grass that we can dig if people are interested. All of the things that I have listed are really easy to dig, so please please don't be afraid to ask for them when we are at my place. I just didn't have time to do it in advance....

Julie, that is quite lovely, I may go for a bit. I remember one year my sister was on a total variegated plant kick - virtually everything she bought was striped or speckled, and I teased her about her clown garden. The next year she was into maroon leaves though, then white flowers, etc. It has all blended well over the years. Funny how that works.

Ooh. That is pretty. I'll try a bit if there's enough.

Many threads ago someone mentioned wanting some native false lily-of-the-valley, which I have an abundance of. I can certainly bring some if anyone has an interest, let me know. It looks a bit tatty at this time, but comes on strong in the spring. I get it popping up all over in my beds, often leaving it for a groundcover, otherwise easy to pull. Also known as snakeberry. Latin name is Maianthemum dilatum. Here it is in spring. I also have true lily-of-the-valley if anyone wants some pips.

I would love some more Maianthum. I have put some in, but I'm trying to get it started in the woods to combat the lamium and ivy . . .

Katie59 - you got it.

TY!

For some reason, I haven't had time to dig anything, either, and my sharing will be limited this RU as I have the two new beds to fill. Here is what you can dig when you are at my house, if you so desire:
lily of the valley
shasta daisy
montbretia
lady's mantle

You are also welcome to take cuttings from my hydrangeas.

I will also have hollyhock seeds available, though they are a mixture. I know I posted at least one picture a while back, but here are a couple of the plants that I was able to get seeds off of in EWA.

And another hollyhock. Some seeds are probably singles as well.

Bonehead and Kathy you will really like the St John's Wort Shrub. I have never seen it in another garden, and only saw it once (when I bought it) at a garden center. It spreads pretty happily by seed, but is really easy to pull. I have moved it's babies to several areas around my yard, and the ones by my big pond have spit a few babies into the pathway so I figured that those would be the perfect easy diggers for roundup. I have them in several stages of growth, so you can get an idea of how they progress.

Bonehead, I would love some Maianthemum dilatum as well. I like incorporating natives into my woodland areas, and I have an absolutely huge area that I am just starting and I think it would be a wonderful addition.

I would love some Maianthemum as well if there is enough to go around.

I spent some time today in the garden trying to get some things potted up before the rain started. I've divided several heucheras and I'll bring those, as well as some asters that I needed to thin. I dug out some hyacinthoides hispanica bulbs along with the asters - and I seem to remember someone saying that they wanted a big spread of those but couldn't get them going. Does anyone want any? I hate the little buggers, but that is because I have such a small garden and they would really like to rule it all if they could.

What about strawberry plants, anyone want any of those? I need to thin my strawberry bed out as well.