It's horrid when plants, and the trellis, get no respect from workers. Please let us know next year if the clematis and hydrangea recovered. The deer have been absolutely feasting on our hydrangeas and they look awful.
Marie - maybe you could buy a bunch of flags to alert the crew as to what NOT to cut back in the future.
Haven't seen Lee around. I'm hoping he's out and enjoying his vision more than ever.
Hope Lee is doing well and we hear from you soon.
Although this wouldn't work with ants up the pants, I found this remedy worked for ant bites. Rub the young leaves of comfrey on the bites. It was amazing that after a few minutes :no pain !
Good idea on the signs. Once in desperation to alert the lawn service, I wrote DO NOT CUT LOW on old garden gloves and stuck it on a stack on the lawn.(had 2 different type of grasses ) Looked funny but did the trick.
Talking about ants: Apparently when I was 2, I chose to plop myself on top of an ant hill. To this day, my family enjoys telling me the story of the time I had "ants in my pants" ~Jan
Funny! Makes me twitch just thinking of it.
The snow has finally melted...well, most of it...and the clems look fine.
You've been through so much in the last 10 days, Marilyn. I hope all the clematis bloom beautifully for you.
Thank you, Pirl! After Irene, you know how upsetting damaged trees are....I hate looking out the window right now!
Same here. The trees you and I tended for years came down in mere seconds. Very disheartening! Nice to think "it will be even better next year" but hard to accept now. The kind people who try to bolster our spirits may not have had such destruction and can't really see our losses and the losses suffered by so many other people.
I'v lost a few trees and I know it leaves a hole in the yard and your heart but it realy dose get better and opens up new possibillity's
Yes, hopefully a new crab will be there in the spring.
That's a nice spring event to look forward to and to enjoy.
If our Crape Myrtle doesn't bounce back you can bet I'll be the crab around here.
LOL
Pirl a crab? That is funny!I hate to think about losing my trees. I would have to dig up all the plants and have them fostered! So sorry you lost yours. I had no idea that crape myrtles grow so north. I thought they were southern trees.
Just ask my husband or our dog - I can be very crabby. Digging up Houttuynia really makes me crabby!
Crape myrtles do very well here but are referred to as "marginally hardy" in zones 6 and lower. The fall color is spectacular on one from my son-in-law, Powhatan. That sounds funny! SIL is Tony, Crape Myrtle is Powhatan.
Here's Powhatan, not Tony!
Pirl, love the color of the blooms on Powhatan, and the fall color of the leaves. It's plant that keeps on giving:-). Annette
I wish I could grow it.... :(
Thanks! The autumn color was a huge surprise since I didn't choose it based on fall color but for the color of the blossom, supposedly purple, but it was pink (again). Now I have three pink and one that hasn't yet bloomed.
Carolyn - maybe you could try one and overwinter it in your garage.
This is the color I was expecting (on the left) compared to the actual blossom (on the right). What I love most of all is the tree form. Now it's 2.5 years old and around 3.5' tall.
Carolyn - I was just going over my Crape Myrtle photos and found two that might tempt you but they don't have the fall color. I received them from a DG friend, Lea, as very small (maybe 3 to 6") plants. They are supposed to get taller but so far one seems to be more of a spreading type (pictured here) while the other grows taller but it's still less than 2' tall after three years. They may be more easily kept in the garage over winter and watered lightly once a month. I'd try putting them in a box with paper or insulation around the pot.
Lea grew them from seed. This is Park's "Supersonic Mix":
Arlene
I appreciate the offer, but I do not have a garage. Do you think if it was kept in a pot and then put between my deck and the house that would work? I have my dryer vent in that location....
Here is the other one, labeled "Lavender". I'm still waiting for it to flower so maybe next year it will happen.
Link to Park's for seeds: http://www.parkseed.com/gardening/PD/1108?cid=ppp000006&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Spring%2009%20Specific&utm_term=Flower%20Seeds%209
Carolyn - sorry! I just guessed that you did have a garage. How about a basement? The dryer vent would only give temporary heat. Possibly planting it and covering it with a box of leaves for winter might work.
I want to try growing them from seed. If it works I can send you some so you'll have a no risk project to see if they'll survive the winter for you.
Just my own personal belief here: buying a fully grown plant for a marginally hardy plant is more risky than planting a tiny one. The little ones can adapt more easily. That is only my thought on the matter and it works for me.
Hello everyone, I apologize for not posting.All is well with me and family but, I remain a frequent flyer for treatments, checking on me various ailments etc !! I am pretty sure many of you very similar issues! My gardens are planted, trimmed and are sorted out for winter. The cold frames are too full of semi tender, spring flowering and growing on seedlings of 1,2 and 3 years, I am going to purchase another for North American Rock Garden seed choices this Dec.,many will need it for germination process and some to be carried over till potting up.Here is a picture of my S,A.C. from an upstairs bedroom, the plant now consists of a group of 20 to 40 inch bare stems!! Lee Sherwood McDonald
Good to have you back with us! We missed you.
Your SAC is so gorgeous!
Come on over and keep chatting about clem's here: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1229422/
(and pruning!)
