Arlene
let us know how you fair. We are supposed to get the winds and rain starting tonight.....
Everyone, please stay safe.
Summer clematis chatter...
hope you all are safe been watching the weather on tv I have a grand son in N.J. and a niece in Jacksonville N.C. and we can't get a hold of any of them
Gloria
So far, so good, Carolyn. Heavy rain started within the last hour but now it's gone - more will arrive, I'm sure. Thanks for thinking of us.
Good luck to all who will experience any part of this storm.
pirl, hope you and your family made it through the storm ok. Please post when you can, and give us an update as to how you're doing. You continue to be in our thoughts and prayers. Annette
http://suffolktimes.timesreview.com/2011/08/18692/hurricane-irene-more-than-7000-north-fork-residents-affected-by-outages/
Looks like most of Southhold is without power. I had heard the hurricane had hit at high tide.
I am sure that we will hear from Arlene as soon as they have power again.
Arlene - post when you can and know you are in our thoughts and prayers.
Carolyn
Thinking about you and hoping you are safe
I was ready to give up on my clematis but they are both growing really well. I'm excited to report I have one bud forming. Hopefully, there will be more to follow.
Mine have all performed badly this year. Either the vines die when buds form or the buds just fall off. I do have buds now but...
Dr. Ruppel.
This message was edited Aug 30, 2011 8:43 AM
yyyaaa I have a little rebloom too
I had Silver Moon rebloom.....
This cooler weather have mine putting out new growth with buds forming.
Though the weather is not cooler here (predicted hight for to day is 97) my clems are beginning to put up some new growth. Many have crisped up and gone brown. I have yet to understand what is going on with them. I am beginning to wonder if this browning out is some form of fungus.
Pirl is fine....no internet yet....
Oh good! Thanks for letting us know.
Glad she's ok.
Robin - when did you talk with her? Is Jack ok as well?
I didn't talk to her, WaterCan on the Northeast gardening thread did...he also lives on LI....Pirl said they & the neighbors lost some large trees, but everyone is OK.....
We're fine and so is the house. Thanks for all your prayers and good wishes. The garden didn't fare as well, sorry to say and clem's were stomped by the crew doing clean up work and cutting the balance of what was left of three downed trees and the poor, glorious (at one time) Crape Myrtle. I'm very thankful it wasn't worse.
Here's a before and after shot to show the mess. Right now gasoline and a match seem so tempting.
Pirl, I am glad you are ok, hope your husband is too. We where all worried abot you and I am glad none of those trees came down on your house. Just take a breather and take it slow. Best wishess, Etelka
we are all glad you are fine look at it this way you will get a whole new garden bed by this time next year :0)
Gloria
Thanks, Etelka. The tree limbs that just missed the house and the living room French doors were nightmarish as I entered the living room. They will remain nightmares for a long time.
Gloria - I'm 70 and Jack is 81. We simply can't do all that would have to be done to restore our gardens. I wish we could. We're alive and well and I thank God for it.
Scary stuff indeed pirl, glad you are OK!
Thanks, Sue. Glad we weren't awake when that limb fell!
Arlene
So glad you are all ok. That is the important thing.
Carolyn
Good to see you posting again pirl, and glad that you and your DH are ok. Annette
Thanks, Carolyn and Annette. I really am so thankful it wasn't worse.
People in VT, NH and NJ have it so much worse that our damage is infinitesimal by comparison. Thank you, God.
There is much gladness here for your safety!
Thank you. I will try not to count the lilies and clematises lost.
Sometimes you just have to consider that if money can replace what's lost then there really is no loss. Better by far than buying a dress for a funeral or worse, burying a loved one.
Oh boy, is that ever true.
You have a wonderful attitude, Pirl.....and you're so right.....material things are just 'things"......
Pirl , we are all so glad you and Jack are well. I suspect that you will find new and exciting adventures in your garden during the years ahead.
The storms of life will never keep the encouragement you have shown to all of our gardens down for long.
Big tears are filling my eyes right now, John. What a lovely post and such a touching message. Thank you so very much.
Tibetana and Etoile Rose seem to be history as of now. There were two tiny leaves left on Tibetana but probably too damaged to sustain it. I can buy more clematises but can't replace all the good friendship of my DG friends. Thank you one and all.
So glad you are ok. Gardening is never boring, is it? Just when one thinks they are 'finished' Mother Nature likes to remind us who is boss.
The before and after photo was quite dramatic, thanks for posting it~ Jan
Thanks, Jan. It has certainly been one of life's many gardening experiences to deal with the damage as well as the missing shade but I'm using two umbrellas to help me stay cooler as I work.
Here's a little part of yesterday's work - the top is the after the storm and how it looks now. At bottom left is how it was a month ago and then the cut stump photo was taken right after it was cut down.
Mother Nature always bats last!
At least it did not hit the house. A flower bed can be re done easy and cheaper than replacing a home.
You can imagine how very thankful we are that none of the three downed trees hit the house!
One of the several neighbors who stopped over to see the damages called it a "Home run". It came so close! Many times in the past we've had limbs removed because I feared what could happen in a storm since the tree where I've been working (the photo above) was a Box Elder, in the maple family but very soft wood.
It's a real learning experience for anyone to remove any limbs or trees that could damage a home or a car. The lost Bradford Pear 'Aristocrat' came highly recommended to us when we planted it in 1993. Now it's history. It, too, had lost many limbs over the years and I hated the creaking over my head when I'd work out there. Now it's ground level and, once I get out there to work, I won't have the concerns I had in the past.
There are several clematises on the remaining stump so we'll see how they perform next year with their full sun placement now. I will always miss the shade but peace of mind is definitely worth the loss.
I have been looking at about 4 that are rather close to the house since that storm. I am thinking that they will have to come down. A clump of 2 are only about 15 feet from my back door. If they fell I would loose half of my house. I would get a lot more morning sun if they were gone.
Our neighbor down the block hired our guys, who were new to us and excellent, to cut down two of their trees that were just too close to their home. Both are now gone. There was one in the front and one in back and they both shaded the living room. The wife commented on how bright the room is now.
Good luck with the trees, Marie. It's costly but damage to a home is much more and now I understand insurance companies force the homeowners to live elsewhere while the reconstruction is in progress. That's just adding fuel to the fire.
I have already spent about 4000.00 in tree's and limb removal in the past 10 years. These trees will need to have a climber go up, due to the location. I cant seem to find anyone that climbs though.
Only one guy in the crew of five that we used, did the climbing and watching him was frightening enough. We've spent so much on having this junk tree pruned over the years, then cabled, that I know the removal was for the best (but I still miss the shade).
You might try calling Bartlett Tree Experts in your area and maybe they could recommend someone who would give you an estimate. Look at the bottom of this link for a location near you.
http://www.bartlett.com/search.cfm?searchField=Williamstown%2C+NJ&searchBut=Search
