Gita please see
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1252459/
What's happening in your neck of the woods? Spring 2012
Gita, it does not take a lot of sand to greatly enhance the drainage of potting mix, so don't over do it. Also, don't bury the pot more than half way or you will defeat the "raised bed" effect. Go ahead and treat the roots with fungicide. It will make you feel better whether it makes any difference to the plant or not.
David
David--the deed is already done.
I added a reasonable amount of sand--and balanced it with "Organic Soil MIX"--the one with the veggie pictures on the bag
and some regular potting soil for gardens.
I used a "maybe"--3gal pot--which was not really needed. (I could have used a frying pan...(joke).....
This plant roots VERY shallowly!!!!
It is amazing how shallow the root corms are on the Monkshood. There are almost NO roots!
Just these small "balls" of corms. For whatever it is worth, I sprinkled them with Bonide "Insect and Fungus" powder,
then dug the pot in about half-way in the same spot I dug it out of.
Had enough smaller roots left to plant another smaller pot. Will dig that in somewhere else.
I can't wait how these fair for the season.
Will keep you all informed--IF i remember...........Gita
Gita, I think since you've improved the drainage, the fungus problem will take care of itself. *fingers crossed!*
Well the bath is pretty much done. Here are a couple of shots. The project was done with 80-90% reuse/recycle material, even some of the paint. The major purchases were the track light and a new fan/light which is on back order. The vanity I built to tie in the reused tall cupboards and most of the moldings I made.
Ric BTW Holly was surprised! LOL
For those that didn't know, I tried to do this in the 1 week Holly was away. Duh!
And no ladies, I rarely leave the seat up!
This message was edited Apr 16, 2012 2:44 PM
Ric---
That is very pretty--ALL of it! I wish I could "morph" you and bring you over here.....So much needs to be done....
Once upon a time I HAD the ultimate handyman.......
I love the fish and shells and water themes all over the place.....I know Holly loves them....
She is half mermaid anyway.
Just got a bright idea for a hostess gift...will ponder on it......shhhhhhh!
Gita
Ric, you're da bomb!!
So far my search for alstroemeria has yielded one pack of asparagus roots and one clearance Hydrangea Strawberries and Cream in cute pink tin pot.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/190921/
LOL
That strawberries and cream is better'n dessert! I've seen that and you'll probably love it. Ric
Plus figuring it will root next year for swap!
Sally, come to my work, we've got OODLES of bowls of lovely Alstromeria!!! Were you looking for seeds, or the whole plants? You could always harvest the seeds from the plants! =)
Ric, what LOVELY work you do!! The colours are fabulous together, so nice and peaceful. BRAVO!! < =D
We have big pots of Alstromeria for $16. at Lowes, I was thinking I saw bags of Alstromeria bulbs earlier, Did I mix them up with something else, do Alstromeria grow from bulbs?
speedie, I just might. I'll have to dmail and find out where you are.
One other nursery near nnapolis said I was just a week early for theirs.
Our lowes did not have them, or they hid them. The one guy who I know is a plant guy and would know exactly what I wasa talking aobut, sneaked away and I had to leave. THe other guys, I don't know their level and did not have time for the goose chase. "You want a what" An ass low meteria?? Lemme call the manager..."
8 ^P
; ^)
They grow from roots that look like bunches of fat fingers, or maybe like dahlieas? I 'never' grow Dahlias. THey could be in packaged bulbs. Seeds can be collected and grown--and I now know the secret to bettr germination.
8 ^O
; ^)
And what is this odd moisture falling from the sky today??
Ummm... I think it's called rain, but I'm not sure. Haven't seen it in a while, so I forgot.
Had my second golf lesson today. We have a group of 5 women friends taking a basic golf class then we go out to lunch after. Tonight is a Master Gardeners class on Natives and Restoring your Woodland Garden. I got a little bit more of the beds cleaned out and have started potting up some plants for the swap. I went down to the creek and dug up a few VA Blue Bells for the swap.
Do bluebells need to be moist even during their summer dormancy? I actually have some part-shade available now where I think they might do well... near an oak-leaf hydrangea... and I could put some hosta with them to have summer foliage in that spot also.
Jill---
Not sure if this counts--but my Clustered VA Bluebells live in my "YUK" bed---
The most water-deprived bed in my garden. They seem to be doing OK.
If you remember--the VA Bluebells Hart dug up and shared were growing
in rocks under a large evergreen or something.
Gita
Our bluebells live in what little dirt there is in an area where there is excess gravel from the driveway. Hardly a moist environment. They bloomed very well.
Hey I would take golf lessons if I got to do ladies lunch after
8 ^)
lol
Me, too
I had a yummy Bloody Mary with that lunch. Balanced diets need Veggie Juice.......
Critter my VA Blue Bells are also in a rather dry environment and the ones I dug up this morning we not down in the creek area but up the hill from the creek near the stone road. Actually dug though road stones to get them out.
Gotta love a plant that thrives in adversity! OK, definitely need bluebells!
I think this swap thread suddenly took off because we've all been outside this week, digging and dividing and pokiing at things and dreaming of the perfect plants to fill some 'holes" in our gardenscape. We're definitely in that "kid in the candy shop" mode!
I have so many trays and pots taking up all my space--not that all of it is for the Swap--
but the Swap sure has been my motivating force to divide and pot up all this stuff...
Today, I want to run up to Md. Flower and Foliage and p/u some things. Not too far--maybe 3 miles or so...
BUT! Where do i put them??? Don't want to wait until the last minute....
Definitely I want to p/u my Mandevilla for this summer...Aina wants one too....
Here is all the "stuff" I have potted up. Mamma Mia!!!!
I have the plastic mesh over much of it as the squirrels want to did into the pots...
Need some of the same space for my tougher plants to be coming outside--
like pregnant Onion--Clivias, All my HB's (already out)--except the 2 Epis.etc....
G.
We got 1.75"s of much needed rain yesterday. It took all day and soaked in really well. A bit is still standing but not much. Ric
Yep, Ric, my "rain gauge" says a little over and inch. We are down almost 5 inches ytd in this area. So glad it was not torrential run off rains!
Here the bugs have been really busy. Gita posted on another thread how her Knockout Roses are covered in aphids. All of the wild roses down the road are covered here, too.
Gypsy moth cats are huge at 2 plus inches already and also some of those tiny ones, too.
Lots of caterpiller droppings and dropping caterpillers you know, the ones that are light green and hang by threads that I call "inch worms"? Well, there are so many and they are defoliating my blueberries, small trees and the big NO NO, my japanese maples! They seem to be falling with all of the oak tree "fluff" all over my yard. I've been out hand smooshing them , but they are winning, clever little camoflgers that they are.
Turns out they are not just inch worms, but Winter Moth catterpillars, a new to my area, invasive.
http://www.mahoneysgarden.com/blog/green-caterpillar-alert-winter-moth
In my "neck of the woods" --I am freaking out a bit.....
ME-who preaches to people not to put their plants out too soon.....
Today--ALL day have been cooking this amazing (hope so) Soup I have wanted to make
for TWO years already. Seemed that today was the day!!!! Had to run to the Grocery store twice to get
a couple of ingredients....
Making "Beef Vegetable Soup with Marrow Dumplings".....
My Pot is overflowing--and I still need to add all the dumplings! I guess I will just let t simmer down a bit to make room....
NO gardening for me today-----Too cold....Too wet..and I am too busy with the soup....
Hope this cold wave passes over quickly! Gita
I believe I've been moving the tropicals either into the house or out of the house weekly for months. It saves on the gym membership.
Gita, did you make enough soup to share with the whole class? < =D
I've heard that, in my neck o' the woods, we got somewhere around 3" of rain between Saturday night and all day Sunday, and that is A-OK with me!! We've sure needed it, and from what I hear, more is to come. Nothing new to report gardening-wise. Spent all day out-and-about with DH on Saturday, so didn't get anything done outside, and Sunday was a wash-out, nearly literally! =) I've become too afraid to watch all the babies on the deck too closely, for fear of being disappointed more and more over the slow progress of things. I'm just glad that the windy/rainy weather hasn't knocked anything over! =)
Thought I'd check and see how you all made out in the blast of "Winter" that just came through. I still follow the weather up there.
Chilly here the past 2 days also. I live in a "warm" part of the area. Was 49 here this AM but just a bit NW was 34.
Since I got up at 7AM (it was 38*) it has now gone up to 44*.
Yesterday---
--I covered a lot of the annuals I bought the other day with some old sheets.
They are on my table against the house. Spent close to $90 on them all.
--Covered up all my Clivias I had brought out. Used the big bush behind them to clip the sheet to.
--Threw a sheet over my upright plant stand that i always put my CC's on.
The Swap plants are all perennials--they are OK. They are on my big, round table.
All my HB's are outside as well. All the Spiders and my big Swedish ivy HB.
--Took down my 2 big Epi HB's and put then on the tables as well. They are SOOO heavy--
didn't want the wind to be swinging them around.
OK! Soup is all done!!! Left it sitting on the stove for the night--as it was so full and hot.
This AM--the pot still felt warm. Now--the big job--have to put it all in bowls and such and
find room in the freezer--NO easy job! Will give a bowl to my neighbor. I always share things
i cook with her. She lives alone.....
1--Cutting up all the ingredients took hours! Meanwhile--all the meat and bones were simmering away for 4 hours.
2--Another shot of all the ingredients--now some added...
3--All the meat and bones are now removed. Now to cut away all the edible meat. I enjoy cutting
and dicing things! A very relaxing job. Warching TV and cutting away!
4--OK! As you can see--the pot is full to the brim! This is a 21qt. pot! That is close to 5 gallons!
BUT--the marrow dumplings still need to fit in there---somehow......never put the peas in. No room...
5--This is this morning. All done! Come on over and sit a while! It is a soup kind of a day!!!
LOL nokesvillain!!
I (too late) thought about some baby ornamental peppers that had to rough it out there last night. I think they are OK but probably grumpy.
Qwilter- did you see snow pics from western PA? BRRRRR. My sister in Pensacola, and I, have been surprised by how the weather there is not as much different as here, as we would have thought.
Sun is shining here this morning. Glad to see it but am very thankful for the past few rainy days.
Ruby
Yep - Weather Channel has been showing the Spring Snow Event!!!!
Yes, very often N FL and MD are very close in temps. Just the soil that is definaetly different!!!!
Yup lots of blue sky!
Qwilter was your Severn yard in the clay zone? Moms yard in Catonsville was def in the clay zone. So hard to stick a shovel in, but fertile.
Taking a little road trip today- going to visit speediebean at her work-nursery. Boy it is so rare that I just go off and do something fun for me. Twenty one years of mommyhood has me brainwashed.
The loot! and the dishes yet to be washed.....UGH!
Sally, Sounds like a really fun day.
Yep, I had good ol' MD Clay in Severn. For 17 years I dumped & turned compost, top soil, and maneur into that soil and most of it remained hard as a brick.
So much easier to dig in the sand here. I'll be planting mostly in 5 gal pots, filled with good soil, & sunk into the soil. At least then the roots get a good nutritional start.
dishes yet to be washed- Yeah ugh, thats the thing about cooking
Hey be sure to check out Iris Adventure
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1253354/
Don't think I'll make that one.
Ah my son just got his summer job lined up, at Annapolis City Dock Coffee. I was really relieved to hear he had a summer job.
Then later it dawned on me...
...
...
COFFEE GROUNDS
aaaaahhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
8^0
Cool beans Sally. hahaha I hope that your little excursion goes well today. I know the feeling you are having. It is so seldom that I leave the premises to go and do my thing, that I feel like a bird set free sort of on those days. Watch out, if you are like me your pocketbook will suffer due to this trip. Anyway.....have a great one.
All others, hope that the day is full of promise for you too.
Ruby
Gita, You are making me hungry.