Remember I told you that I had everything taken out of my holding bed. I potted everything, planted or gave away. Then the triple dug it after removing all the roots from the trees next door. The roots actually go under ther block wall and invade the bed. So after all of this, I was out there a few weeks ago and there it was at the back of the bed. Pirl's evil plant. I took it out and planted it in a pot.
I always get delivery confirmation with everything I ship. I do a lot of shipping, but I've never sent plants. I rarely use UPS or FEDEX. UPS charges a premium for "rural" areas and FEDEX has messed up big time the last few times we used them. Most recently 1-1/2 weeks for an Overnight package and the time before, an Overnight Christmas gift arived a week after New Years...their "reasons" were also totally lame and on the second one they flat out lied.
Sharon, that plant sounds like a "bad penny" (but a pretty one).
Pirl can you just imagine this Hosta with empty toilet paper rolls on all the stems? Never mind, it's a stupid idea...
About the conformation signature from USPost, I never signed for my, they just left it on my front steps. I think it is overpriced, I used to send Priority mail to Hawaii, without eny conf. it always got there in 3-4 days. My son stationed there and mom was sending pecan tart and brownies. Last winter when I bough lots of plants, the UPS guy would leave my packages on the porch, safer in my neighborhood.
kiseta - Delivery Confirmation doesn't require a signature (you're thinking of Signature confirmation). If you purchase Priority Mail on the USPS website, Delivery Confirmation is FREE. It only costs extra if you go to the Post Office to purchase the postage.
I have no problems with UPS delivery & I also receive packages frequently from UPS I just have found it to cost more for the items I ship.
By the way, those Pecan Tarts & Brownies sound yummy! Your son is very lucky.
Since Hawaii, he got married, but I still send packages, keep the priority mail in bussines.
Ready for that lobster roll. Lobsters are in season!
Cold lobster + warm bun = heaven.
Come on over!
That's what I say about the many miles of Route 66 we haven't traveled. Flagstaff was great fun!
Sounds divine to me!
Speaking of shade plants - my best performers during this very hot and humid summer have been the hydrangeas. It's hard not to love them.
I don't think I have any hydrangeas, unless I just haven't identified them yet. Does anyone have any specific cultivars that they love? Any that do better in clay?
Clay here too with some amending. I have 'Blue Billow' which is nice for my blue/pink ('Endless Summer' doesn't count since it's unreliable bloomer), 'Annabelle' for the white blooms that turn green and adorn my interiors during the winter months, 'Limelight' which is the last to bloom (have only had that one for a couple of years) and 'Snow Queen' (oak leaf that's first to bloom and real trooper considering the clay it's in). I think 'Endless Summer' has made me skeptical of acquiring newer varieties. Tardiva has yet to bloom for me and I've had it for several years. It's supposed to like the midwest but I don't know what I'm not giving it.
I love the paniculata family of hydrangeas but they can take full sun. Here's my favorite one, Tardiva.
This is only a small portion of it.
Tokyo Delight blooms beautifully with only early morning sun.
Cindy- i feel the same way about endless summer! How many years have you had yours? I got 2 this year, one from a greenhouse, one from walmart, they are literally feet apart and one gets maybe 1 hour more sun than the other. The sunny one is always wilting, and the other has powdery mildew! They seem to be snapping back at night, but it takes a toll on the flowers. The gorgeous large flowers they came with didn't last, and the 2nd wave are beginning to turn, now the third are half dollar sized blooms, nothing spectacular. I've been told they take a few years to shape up, i sure hope so.
I'm thinking it's been about 5 years. I did move it 2 years ago to a spot that stays a little more moist but it's in quite a bit of shade. For the blooms, I used triple phosphate and it came through. While I feel guilty these days about using the extra phosphate, I'm wondering if rock phosphate would produce similar results without the ecological impact. Does anyone know? Without the phosphate, the blooms are kinda insignificant but it might do better with more light.
I was planting some coleus clippings this morning in the holding garden and there was another one of pirl's evil plants growing. Just one little leaf. Kinda hiding from me like mint. I would take a photo but DIL has my camera with my son and grandchildren in San Diego.
It is evil. I told you so!
Was looking through the Bluestone catalog last night (discounts for early spring ordering) and saw Cimicifuga 'James Compton' - a shorter variety. The leaves look darker than the species (at least in the photo) but not as dark as 'Hillside Black Beauty'. Has anyone being growing this one?
"Kinda hiding from me like mint" LOL My chocolate mint is bold--blooming like crazy right now.
Oooh i so badly want 'hillside black beauty' i have a whole garden planned out around one day owning that. I love dark plants.
Gotta go look that up now
Every time i see it I think of sweet you, Pirl.
I am going to start a thread for Plant Anonymous. I have not purchased a new plant in about 35 days and I am going into withdrawl.
I love the dark plants as well, Kelly.
Soon you will be thinking evil thoughts when you spot that plant, Sharon. I haven't bought a plant at a nursery for awhile (haven't counted the days) but just got delivery, yesterday, on eight clematises - all wonderful.
I have real problems forcing myself to stay away from the 'half-dead half-off' racks at Lowe's.
Lowe's are all mostly dead now. I've been stalking one of my local nurseries instead. Today I picked up Pulmonaria 'Diana Clare' and a(nother) Hosta.
I think Diana Clare will look great in front of one of my big solid hostas =)
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/126142/
Ooo, very pretty!!
Love that!!!!
Eleven - I think I picked up a 'Diana Clare' last year from a Menard's reduced rack. I say "think" because I've lost the tag before entering it on my spreadsheet.
Outlaw - I keep waiting for the prices to come down on 'HBB' but it ain't happening. Is anyone out there growing these in any level of shade? I'm assuming the dark color gets better with more sun but curious.
My only Actaea is the dark 'Black Negligee' and, when I had it in sun, it burned and turned (ugly) crispy. It is so much happier in shade with very little morning sun and just a dab of late afternoon sun.
This message was edited Aug 13, 2011 12:06 PM
Just saw 'Hillside Black Beauty' and it's lovely.
This message was edited Aug 12, 2011 4:10 PM
It didn't go green, remained very dark, but lower leaves have crispy edges so I'll be giving it a barrel of compost "when I get to it".
Here it is in the center of the photo and looks fine but the photo was taken more than a month ago, before the awful heat wave. It is taller than it appears here but it's being crowded out by the hydrangeas on each side of it.
Yes - they are still very dark. I'll try to get a better photo after the rain ends.
We had rain, from heavy to light, all day and tomorrow will be a duplicate of today.
For dessert we had the last of some fantastic Georgia peaches sent by a friend who lives there. The ones we buy look so juvenile by comparison.
I will send you a bushel of peaches for some of that rain.
