Plant Propagation part XXVII based on my own experience

Well I got zip done today. I had great plans but Vern was under the weather. He got up, had a cup of tea and a breakfast pastry and then went back to bed and slept until 2:30pm. I did get many pancakes made and then later they were placed in the freezer. I also cooked some sausage. So now Vern has pancakes and sausage. Then I took the dogs for a walk and decided to go to Costco and Smith Grocery. Both places were packed and it took twice as long as it should have. So tomorrow I will get the sheets changed, the dogs washed, Sunday paper read and football playoffs watched.

JB, how did you get started on Gin? First, that is a man's drink, like Scotch. And like Jnette's Bob said, that is a summer drink. You could drink it straight up. LOL. Do not get mad, I am just pulling your good leg.

After watching the news tonight, you guys up North and East are having one hell of a winter. Does not look like fun. I am really sorry.

Well tomorrow is another day. Be good to yourself and take care and be warm. Love Sharon.

Yup, we are having a "not very nice" winter. LOL I prefer your description Sharon. I know you didn't include the West, but I can qualify as North. A lot of snow. Bob gets gravel from the DOT pile and puts it on the driveway. Then puts the car in 4 wheel and it still slides, but makes it ok. Our driveway is rather steep. At least for the winters we get.

I think everyone but Sharon, possibly Dawn, Evelyn, and Lee and I have

Now we can get WILD, as JB would say. LOL. Those wild people in the West.

You got cut off in the middle of a sentence. You must be nipping on JB drinks.

Do you hear a noise???????????????????????///It is my old bones shaking and shivering. It is cold. I must go out and feed the cats and I am putting it off until the sun comes out. They have dry food but I give them two cans of wet food daily also. They are puggy and chunky and full of good stuff.

Got up this morning feeling crappy again. I know it is anxiety and I have to get control of this now. I am so tired of the way it makes me feel. I am not sure if it is the new medication or what, but it is taking a toll on me. Not my old wise self.

JB, time to talk to the dr. about your meds. Sounds like you need some good old vitamin D. Have them check your blood for it. Can go as high as 150. 35 to 150 I think it is. When they checked mine it was 14. The dr. put me on 50K units once a week for 4 months. It made a ton of difference. That is sunshine. That was 2 years ago.

We especially need it up in the north this time of year.

Right now I am taking 3K per day. Even that isn't much. Just maintaining the level I am at now. I am back down to 20. Wish he would give me the 50K like the other dr. did a couple years ago.

heat wave tropical heat wave we hit .......................



42 today....

not much else going on pain is finally under controll.... i have not had a week like that in a looooooonnnnggggg time. and I don't want another one either. it sucked..... now to get my sleep pattern back in line. friday it was sleep an hour awake an hour followed by the same all freakin day long....
now to dig out the seeds and get them sown
I did have a grower tell me they do flower better when pot bound but I don't know because they do fine in nature without being root bound. it is definately time and day length related. I will do some looking to see if anyone knows the exact combo.

Dave

Well I am here watching the last quarter of the Packers and Bears.

I do not really care who wins. Just taking a breather. Just got back from walking the dogs. Guys in the park have shorts on. Sorry JB and all, the weather is again beautiful.

Dave I am so glad you are feeling better.

I have a handyman coming by this week to finish up "The List" and then a laborer to help me dig up area for my blue garden.
Vern has a doctor's appointment on Tuesday. The rest of the week is free to garden and de-clutter. All depends on the wind.

Jnette that is good advise for JB regarding Vitamin D. But they do watch the dosage because your body will store it and I think destroy your liver. Or is that Vitamin A.

Later.

Geez Sharon, must be nice to have help digging areas to garden, I mean one who will listen to you and do as you bid. All I have is my little helper, who as we all know, has no sense of depth, or placement. Just all over the place as he wishes. Maybe if I paid him hmmmmm. Sorry, couldn't resist.
ttyal, Lee

Yes Lee but when you come home your helper is so happy to see you and give you a big loving lick. how can your compare the difference. LOL. Love Sharon.

Have you tried treats Lee? Sometimes that does wonders. : )

Been kinda watching the game and cooking a banana/butterscotch pie and a broccoli quiche in between. Bob fell on the ice out there and sprained his wrist/arm. So, been putting brussel sprouts and heat pad off and on that along with doing the 2 pies. LOL Hope I didn't get the 2 pies mixed up and put the broccoli in the butterscotch pie and bananas in the quiche. LOL

Guess tomorrow I had better get out there early and clean the snow off the decks. It gets pretty heavy when it warms up during the day and freezes at night.

I don't know about destroying the liver Sharon, but that is why I told her to have her blood checked first. At least I thought I did. If I didn't I should have.

OK OK OK!!! I give.
Lee

Sorry if you thought we were too pushy Lee, Sharon and I crossposted on that last couple. I'll send you a piece of my pie. LOL By the time it got there it would be frozen. Probably be good.

Jnette, I think you have been nipping on some of JB liquids. First you are making broccoli quiche and then it is icing bob's ankle a d wrist with brussel sprouts and ice. I thought the broccoli quiche sounded delicious but even though I love brussel sprouts, that sound terrible.

I am so sorry Bob fell. He needs to be careful. How did he fall.

I watched the ball games, did laundry, cleaned the kitchen and did the kitchen wood floors. That was on the schedule but we are suppose to be 67 again tomorrow so I want to garden.

JB and Lee, just saw your weather report on national news again today. I think you need to plan a trip out west. Florida will not do because they are getting big time rain.

Jnette, I talked to Todd today and they re loving the weather but that is because they love to snow board and the place they have season tickets is a hour away. This weekend he had maneuvers. He is Lt. Crn. in the reserves.

Jnette, I can not imagine anyone would think you and I are pushy.

Oh well, now we have a Super Bowl and I could care less who plays or wins.

I left for about 5 minutes to fix Vern a snack. Chili, sour cream and Fritos. It is amazing what you can eat when you have a weight losing problem.

Wish me luck tomorrow and please be safe, warm and sane.....

Wow, his snack sounds good.
DH watched the 1st game and part of the 2nd, but I tuned them out. Then we watched a movie on amc with jodie foster. It was really good.
Today, I am working on projects and house stuff, then hopefully I will get to play a little. Too much to do to have to work. LOL

JB, we didn't get the snow they promised, did you? It was pretty to see cape hateras light house with all that snow around it. I would have loved to have been there with my camera and wide angle lenses.

Jnette, I hope Bob is feeling better. A fall like that has a way of disrupting everything.

Lee, Storm reminds me of my neighbors dog. When we were clearing our lot he would tell his dog to dig, and she would dig roots up until she just couldn't dig anymore. I'll bet storm will be a good digger too.

My dachshund used to dig trenches chasing moles, but he hasn't done that for a long time. Maybe he got rid of all the moles. LOL

Well, I gotta get started, if I get a chance, I will check on you all later.
Sea Ya

Morning , Yesterday was a total waste. I felt so lousy I could get nothing done except the necessities. Feed the animals, cook of chicken for the dog. grind it up, you know the drill.

I watched both the Packers and the Bears and the Jets and the Steelers games. That took no energy at all. I am glad the Packers won, but I was torn between the Jets (really a NJ team) and the Steelers (my PA home State), but in the end the Steelers outplayed the Jets so I was glad for them to win. As for the Superbowl, I am definitely for the Steelers.

I take Vitamin K in my regular vitamin program. I take all liquid and it is combined therein.
I have been outside for the past half hour walking, feeding and just enjoying the sun and the fresh air. My legs got tired walking this morning because I tense up when I hit icy spots and the boots I have were not made for walking. (Thats a song isn't it?)

Must get down to some serious work today so I will talk later. Have a good one. JB

Yes Sharon, I did use Brussel sprouts as an ice pack on Bob's arm 'cause I didn't have any peas. Wasn't quite as good but works. And no, I do not use them for our food after that. I put them in a ziplock bag so then I know they have been thawed and refrozen etc. and not to use them for anything else. After a time or two I toss them.

The quiche was really good. One of the best I have made other than the fact I was out of bacon so had to use ham. I didn't like that.

Bob slipped on the ice going down to get the newspaper for me. He had some of those tracks on his feet. They didn't work very good. Snow on top of ice so it was too much for the grips to get a hold on, and the driveway is a hill. That is why he slipped and fell.

No, neither of us had been nipping JBs gin or whatever she has now. LOL, maybe it would have been better if we had.

JB, you should not be wearing boots like that out in the ice and snow. Ask Bob. But then he was even wearing the tracks. Cleats.

They showed the storm heading your way JB on the news this morning. So, you better stay in and just watch it.

I went out and fed the birds this morning and they really go thru a lot of those sunflower seeds.

Well, we are heading to the clinic to get Bob's arm x-rayed. Sure am going to be p***** if they won't do it. That would mean going to the hospital 40 miles away.

Poor Bob...............I hope it is not seriously injured. Maybe he just bruised it and bruises are more painful then breaks so I am told.

Since you are all concerned about what I am drinking now, I will discuss that. I am not having a drink before dinner, but I am having red wine with dinner. I hope that meets with your approval. LOL and if it does not, I do not give a s***.

They are saying the storm will be a "mix" Just ducky. Freezing rain, sleet and snow. When will this end?

I finally got all the bird seed that was delivered last Tuesday in small bags and in the freezer. I ran out of space and now there is 25 lb in a plastic container in my workshop and hopefully it will not get buggy. I can not keep it in the feed barn since the rats next door love chewing up through the floor and eating whatever they can find. I had them ruin hundreds of dollars worth of bird seed one year. I was furious. Not only did they chew through the plastic containers, they chewed up bags of vermic, sand and other soil I had in bags in the barn. They were looking for food.

If any of you like to talk birds, there is a group of Eastern people talk about the birds in our yards. The link is http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1150388/ They stay on the subject on that group. LOL

lol ...morning everyone..... jb ...grind up the dog???? ohh i see now ooops

Jeanette _ I prefer frozen pea's...they break up nice and are less chunky.... good luck with the xray... I will be praying its not broken.

linda your Dauchsand sounds like he would be great for doing rows in the veggie garden...lol but the how straight would they be?

not much to say todayjust trying to get myself out of the funk I seem to have fallen into....

Have a great day
Dave

Yes Dave, peas it is if you have them. LOL, didn't have any. Yes, the bps were rather chunky for that purpose but you go with what you've got.

Well, Bob couldn't get in to either place for x-rays. Seems they are getting a run of accidents due to the ice. Anyway, he has an appt. tomorrow. I think like you say JB bruises and sprains hurt worse than breaks. They probably think it will get better with the heat and ice (whoops, peas, or bs). Maybe they think he will cancel.

Oh, so wine is the drink of the day now. I tried that but that with mushrooms made me violently ill. It really scared me. Then I read that it was the tannum in either it or the mushrooms that did not agree. But in the meantime I gave up both. But do have both once in a while. Just not together.

Will look at the bird forum, but don't like to stay on message that much so probably won't stick around long. They would probably kick me off.

Hey Dave Honey, I should send you my Anxiety and Depression tapes. I would but I am going to do them again. I must get out of this mental attitude I have taken up with. It sucks.

Today is better and I have a lot I want to get done, but I am happy to know I am not alone in the gloom and doom. I have no interests at all just now. I watered the babies in the GH and usually I am smelling and touching. All I did was water and leave. What does that tell you.

I have come cuttings of a cane begonia to put in the pots. Nope, not today.

Any ideas how to get this cloud away from over me? I do know sunshine helps and I have made an effort to actually stand inside the door with the sun shining on me for a few minutes. I know it is all has to do with my chemical imbalance in the brain. Unfortunately I inherited it from someone in my family. No, we are not crazy, just a bit wacky. LOL

xanix????

I think just being able to work with the plants and do so comfortably is the key to anti-depression within our little group. I managed tofill flats for seeds and get them soaking up water from below. I hope to get outside and water tomorrow at least the greenhouse asthe cuttings are in there. I would hate to loose them because I "just didn't feellike it"

if I can just get moving and keep out of the cold I will be good

have a great evening
Dave

Oh yes, I have xanax and only take it in the a.m. and at bedtime. Unless I need it for a Panic attack. These attacks only came back since I was told I have the left bundle block.

I was fine until they started to want to do tests, etc. I am scared s***less. I had no idea I had anything like that, now they will not leave me alone. GRRRRRRRR

JB!!! Get your butt in and have them check your vitamin D. NOW!! Then when they tell you it is way low, ask them for a prescription for 50K Units, taken once a week for 4 months.

That will help loads. You should even get one of those light bulbs and put it in a lamp next to wherever you sit the most. Believe it or not, the vit. D helps sooooo much and I have heard the light bulb does too. I have not used it, but would not go without the D if I were low. Have it checked!! Tell them why you are asking.

Do not take any of the chemical stuff. Like Prozak etc. Don't!!

I had mine checked a while back and it was a little low, so I am taking 3K Units a day. 3 1K softgels. One each meal.

Also, Dave is right. Get with the plants. Force yourself to and you will feel better. I saved a couple banana peels to stick in my brugs and haven't done it yet, can I send you some? LOL

BTW, what is a cane begonia?

Well, I did the scratch test on my Tropical Hib and it doesn't look good. I guess I'll keep it a little longer. It has been in the house, but maybe I can find room in the GH to put it.

PBear: Would you recommend some good books on DIY landscaping? I need to get started on those plans for this spring. Also, how wide should my flower beds next to the house be? Mine may be 3' at the most. The first foot next to the house is not used to plant in.....I leave it open so we don't get termites which are found in La. So I am actually planting in about 2 foot wide beds in some places. I want to widen them, but don't want to add to my weeding work.

Thanks ever so!

Well JB, I THINK to get on the next plane and head to the Southwest for a week. Plenty of Vitamin K around here. You will probably get an overdose.

I did a bunch of rearranging of plants in the garage garden section and moved a few thing out of the way. I still have three plants that need to be re-potted and then I have about 15 new cannas that need to be transferred into individual pots.

Tomorrow is recycle pick up so a lot of that went on the curb tonight.

Tomorrow is Vern's doctor appointment and the dog's vet appointment so tomorrow is a day gone. But then I have the rest of the week to play.

AND, I do not think I complain as much about the heat as you guys do about the cold. Later. Sharon.

Where is Katie and Evelyn?

wormy:

Oh! You used Bob and the dog in the same sentence. Wondering what comes out of this!!!! HA

Good morning everyone,

I've been llurking - reading but not posting. Having the same problems as Dave and JB without bad weather to justify them. Just good old depression, my longtime companion. Did a couple of hours work in the arroyo yesterday and got my morning glory seeds planted. Also gathered aloe plants and cuttings to put down there. Aloes are almost unkillable here and I often find a lot of them at the dump. When I do I bring what I can home and plant them on the hillsides. They help with erosion control and the hummingbirds love the flowers.

I don't know why so many people seem to think that a person who suffers from the disease of depression needs to be criticized and have their defects pointed out. Can't they tell that we do that for ourselves - it's part of the disease. Just a random thought.

My back is a little sore. I'm very lucky that that is one part of my body that is in pretty good shape. When there is heavy back work to be done Tony often asks for my help as he has back problems dating back to when I first met him about fifteen years ago. When he bagan working for me then I told him that the first rule was that he was not to hurt himself. If there was any work that he thought was dangerous he was to say so. I was remembering a time when I spent a few hours with my chain saw, cutting down trees that some kids had used to get over our fence and steal some tihings. There were some Mexican men working nearby and all the men got a kick out of the "Americana" working with a chain saw. Tony was afraid I would hurt myself and almost panicked when I called to him. He was greatly relieved when I jsut asked him to bring me a drink of water. Well, that was fifteen years ago and my energy seems to have diminished greatly. I keep thinking it will come back. It does in small amounts, now and then. I think I need to keep working with my doctor on the meds for depression. Gee, depression is depressing. Who would have thought?

Anyway, I'm up this morning after twelve hours of sleep and I'll get dressed and head down the arroyo. We have afew areas that are ready for seeds or plants. That is encouraging as it sometimes seems that we are doing lots of work but not getting anywhere. I think it's what many people don't understand about gardening: that if you start out with soil that is mostly rocks and sand you'd best dig and sift and amend if you want the plants you put in to grow.

Don't know what all ios going on but I'm going north in a few weeks and will see my doctor and see what he has to say. He understands both depression and diabetes so I trust him a lot.

I'm hanging in and no one ever promised me a rose garden so I'll make do with my aloes.

Thank you all for being here.


hugs, katie

Hmmm Landscape book....question is it for how to get form and flow and make it all feel correct? or is it for plant material choices???

as far as bed width goes it depends on what youplan on putting in the bed. if you plan on putting in foundation plantings of large shrubs then 4' min. Most of mine are 4' wide but thats because I can put my hand on the wall and hold myself up if I need to. Its also a good width to be able to keep up with weeds. once you get the plants in and a good mulch weeds should cut down drastically unless they come in with the mulch like most of mine do. a good pre-emerg works wonders unless you are doing seeds in place but i highly doubt thats the case.

I got rid of all my landscape books along time ago so i don't have much in the way of reference to go by but most of its in my head now. i will double check my books to see if i have any that i may have bought a while back. I will also do some looking around the net.
balance, repatition and groups are key to the landscape design. odd number of plants for some reason. I did a lot of groups of 3 along the house but most of that was done to achive a good balance of cutting material for propagation and now I am rethinking the whole cutting thing but we will see how the year shakes out.

one thing I found was that I never seem to be done with a bed. i am always moving adding or removing something to get it just so. Also remember how big the plant will get. Think great dane puppy..... its so cute and small but they grow everyday for the 1st year at least. Also watch out for the agressive plants. My mother bought a cute little cameleon plant out of a catalog and it took over and its now on year 5 of trying to get rid of it. Nothing touches it except a 5 layer mulch of cardboard newspaper and some other stuff they used and its peeked out of a few spots after that.

jeanette cane begonia's are like they sound they have a cane like stem. They are pretty easy to propagate. most of the angle wings belong to that group. One thing I stumbled across was a hardy begonia for my area. I want to try them but I have yet to find them being sold as a single.It will be interesting to see how they do in oklahoma winters of course thats once I find them and have enough money in my piggy bank to get a few.

well its time to do something even if its wrong.

peg one more thought is to look for a local group of plant nuts... a lot of the time there are books written specifically for an area. I know florida has a book florida my eden. its mostly about the plants but thats the base to any good landscape is chooseing the right plant for the right spot. Try the localmaster gardener's at the agricultural extension office. sometimes they have free hand outs that are worth their weight in gold.

check out this book 1st and formost. its $12.00... I have found that using plants that are suited for your area avoids a lot of the fight in the landscape. use these ase the bones of the landscape and then add in pockets of what you want to punch it up or add the personal tough to your yard.

http://www.lsuagcenter.com/en/lawn_garden/home_gardening/landscaping/A+Guide+to+Louisianafriendly+Landscaping++Louisiana+Yards++Neighborhoods.htm

I will keep looking. also its a good website as they have done a lot of researchalong with the University of florida.

below are a few of sources for books to look at. the second one can be bought for $1.99 as a used book. just double check shipping on it vs the new copy. i have found sometimes the shipping makes the new book more cost effective.

http://www.amazon.com/Month-month-Gardening-Louisiana-Gill/dp/1888608226?tag=dogpile-20

http://www.amazon.com/Designing-Your-Gardens-Landscapes-Successful/dp/1580173152/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1295976143&sr=1-2

http://www.amazon.com/Garden-Rooms-Better-Homes-Gardens/dp/0696215330/ref=sr_1_90?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1295977161&sr=1-90

http://www.amazon.com/Big-Book-Garden-Designs/dp/0376031891/ref=pd_rhf_shvl_2

I like the looks of this one as well
http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Concrete-Ornaments-Garden-Birdbaths/dp/1579905854/ref=sr_1_69?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1295976818&sr=1-69

The main thing to start with is a plan. it will never be correct without a plan. I knew what I wanted to do with the whole landscape and started doing it one area at a time. Also look at magazines for idea's for what you want to have. I've collected magazine articles for landscape projects they show different projects and how to get there.

I hope this helps

Dave

I was singing "The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow" la la la la la.............but that did not work.
It sleeted, rained and now it is trying to clear up but tonight there is to be more of the above.
We are to get just sleet and rain turning to snow maybe starting tomorrow.

I got into town today and spent over $90 on nothing exciting at the grocery store. It is nothing to spend $100 a week here each week on just paper goods and some food. I try and make a big pot of something and freeze it in small containers so I do not have to shop each week. I eat a lot of salads and fruit and try and keep low fat diet going for the cholesterol. I have gotten used to salads but I do love my cheese and that is not a good thing. LOL I bought a chicken to roast. That will last a few days and I will get meat for the salads and maybe some soup .

Pedicure time. OH MY GOD..................THE SUN IS SHINING................YAHOO!
I AM GOING OUTSIDE AND JUST STAND THERE FOR A FEW MINUTES.

We are in a warming trend that will last I hope. JB I am so glad the sun is out for you. I know the depression lousy weather can create. I was that way in WA from all the rain At least here when it is cold, the sun is usually out. Never ceases to amaze me that it can be 20 degrees and melting. Course it melts to ice but what the hey. I think it will be around 40 today. Didn't listen to the forecast this morning, so don't know if it will stay.
ttyal, Lee

Hello Lee...........I am hoping we will reach 35 today. That would be nice. I did not have a hat on today when I walked but my old legs were stiff today and that is not good because that means I am not exercising enough. How in heck do you exercise in the snow and Ice.
I know, the treadmill.......o.k. I thought that one out. Guess I will have to do that.

I saw a young Hawk today and as much as I hate them, he was beautiful. I just love birds.
It is so exciting to me to watch them and their activities. I miss breeding the parrots. I got so much peace and contentment out of that. Did I show you guys the live eagle cam we have on the other forum. In case you are a birdwatcher, here is one for you.

http://www.friendsofblackwater.org/camhtm2.html

This eagle cam is on the East Coast so the time difference may be a problem. Hope you can at least see the beauty of these birds.

JB I am with you, I love birds also. We have a small conure, had two but Mr. Max passed away a while back. He was a blue crown,and I think the one we have left is called a Nandy, or something like that. When we had both of them they learned the canned laughter from TV and crack you up when they decided to use it. Seemed like the more you laughed at them, the funnier they got, and the longer they laughed. Was a real round robin of laughter. Bandit, still will use it, but not quite as much. He keeps us going by his words, some of which you can't quite understand, but others are just as clear as a bell. He is a better watch bird than the dogs are watch dogs. Funny thing is he barks just like them when someone comes to the door.
I hope you are feeling better, and I know you are right about the treadmill, although snow and ice will do the same if you aren't careful :) :) Just ask Jeanette's Bob.
ttyl Lee

Yes Bob's arm is getting better. He is real good about alternating the heat and ice. Much better than I would be.

I have been off almost all day as the snow covered the satellite dish and the deck is piled high with it.

You might try the library for the landscaping books. I find I save a lot of money if I can look at them first. Also. Amazon has it set up so you can look at a lot of the book by turning pages on the computer to see if you like it. You can get some good books on there. new or used.

JB Hows your vitamin D? Don't ignore me. I hate depression. Sharon what is vitamin K for? Guess I will google it. Lol, pretty soon I will have the whole alphabet.

I have an appt. with a cardiologist on Friday JB, do I have to be afraid?

Not much going on today. Rain set in, so I had lunch with my friend and then just doodled around for the afternoon. We need the rain, so I will not complain. It was nice to get out today and have her to talk to. We haven't been together since before Christmas so we needed a catch up day.
Hope everyone is well and warm and comfy. I will check on you all tomorrow. Tonight I am crashing early.

Sea Ya

That was a nice break Linda. Think I might do the same one of these days with my sister. Good idea for a gloomy part of the year. Jeanette

So nothing has changed. The weather in the East and North East is bad and getting worse. The Southwest is in a warming trend.

I had a beautiful Hawk fly over the dogs and I when we were on our walk in the greenbelt last week. Then the next day I found a small finch torn to shreds in the back landscape and no birds anywhere.

The house keepers are coming tomorrow and I am going to garden.

I am sorry Jnette, I meant Vitamin D. JB, I hope you are feeling better. Lee you are still cold for me. Yes, and how does snow melt when the temperature is below freezing?

Linda, it sounds like you had a good day.

I had a few bees in the flowers in the front landscape Monday. Also and few Robins stayed over and they are making themselves known. I have not seen the hummingbirds for a few days.

Female dog has some kind of problem. They took x-rays and did blood test. Her liver is so large they cannot see the spleen. She has also lost 2.5 pounds in the last 6 weeks. Does not sound good. She is eleven years old. We will know more tomorrow.

See you all tomorrow. Sharon.