Sally, I used to have neighbors like that, but when Tom passed away Julia moved out, so now I'm stuck with "this". =/
Holly, the neighbors own the fence I guess, since the original owners of the house are the ones who paid to put it in. I'm guessing the sale of the house includes the fence on the property as well. I don't know that they'd mind if something "gentle" were twist-tied to it, like the burlap you suggested, or the mesh that Gita suggested... I would have to try it and see, since they don't talk to us at all, other than to ask us for things. (long story...) I think the burlap would give the best barrier, but the mesh would probably blend in and be less noticeable... will have to look into both, thank you guys! =)
Yarden maintenance May into June
Maybe just me, but I wouldn't hesitate to put something on my side of a neighbor's fence or retaining wall, and I can't believe the neighbor would care so long as I wasn't damaging the fence.
Could you get away with saying to the neighbor: "You are probably not aware of it but when you mow, some of your yard mowings wander onto my mulch, so I've tacked up this inconspicuous strip of [mesh or whatever] to catch them because it is hard for me to pick out of the mulch."
This message was edited Jun 14, 2012 7:46 AM
It can be so hard to have these discussions with neighbors.
Another neighbor of mine is benign, and takes good care of things, but he 'owns' the forsythia hedge (by my calculations, put in by previous owner) and when some of them died, their spots were mysteriously taken by a yew and a Euonymus... I don't know if he did it or they just happened...and he is Korean, with difficulty with English, and I fear any questioning would result in his feeling bad . Then again. way back in the corner where he can't reach and it is on my side of his vegetable garden fence, I'm pretty sure now he doesn't care what I do.. I might need that spot for something better than 40 yr old mismatched forsythia.
My mom had a set of PITA neighbors. I tried to convince her they absolutely did not care what we did with our side of their completely neglected back corner of the yard, including to tear out some of the block wall that was slowly coming apart down her bank. But she'd never let me. Then she had other neighbors who put in something they could maintain from THEIR side, but that would be completely overgrown and nasty looking on OUR side. Well, the whole corner was that way between three bordering odd shaped yards....
Good luck speedie! ( BTW, you don't have much excuse not to try and come if I have a swap in fall, not too far!)
Look what I bought at the HD the other day. Just too cute not to pick up for $3.98.
These were all mixed in with the regular Hostas. Nothing special on the tag. Just "Hosta"...
Would this be what some of you referred to as "Mouse Ear Hosta???
Pot and all--it is about 10" tall.
AND---Look at my Red Epi!!!!!!
Covered in bloom buds! Amazing!
Gita, that looks like Mouse Ears but I can't say for certain....
I agree with Happy. Looks like Mouse Ears to me but I couldn't say for certain. Here is a picture of my Mouse Ears, they are less than 8" tall.
Wow, lots of neighbor stories lately. Knock on wood, things are calm here. Nothing more frustrating though than having less than respectful folks near by. I like the idea of either the burlap or mesh to prevent others debris coming in to my yard. Heck, I am thinking one of those might work to keep cow heads out of flower beds too if new fencing isn't in the plans for a while. Thanks for the ideas Holly and Gita.
Have not done much gardening here either but sure am putting in a lot of hours packing up china cabinets and all the closets in the house. Things are moving right along and with a few pieces of furniture getting out of here it is looking so much more spacious. Last week after some discussion as to what to do with all the potting supplies that I need for my houseplants, we looked on Craigs List and was able to find three metal storage cabinets that are now sitting on the front deck and serving as home to gadzillions of potting trays and pots, vases and the like. I cannot believe the amount of stuff moved out of that one room. No wonder I had such issues when trying to maintain the plants during the winter months. Due to the graciousness of Bec_No_Va I am new owner of two grow lights shelves. The plant room will have a different set up in the fall when plants are moved back in. I am super excited about having new carpeting installed and also having less clutter and furnishings to deal with.
I am having fun checking on the progress of some newly planted seeds. I found a half a package of something I bought a few years back and planted in a back bed, where they did exactly nothing. They are called Summer Poinsettia. Amaranthus I believe. I was also suprised to see that one of the cups from Donnerville at Holly's swap was an Amarathus also. Hers is ready to go in the ground and the ones I have growing will be put in a bed this weekend. If they do what the package says, I am in store for a really beautiful plant later on.
Thank you great big time for starting a Mock Orange for me Roses. Also thanks for offering to start the Lilac Josee for me too. Both sound very, very interesting. Here I am putting in requests way early for the next swap. My bad!!!
Gita, the Epi is lovely. Is there anything that I might do to aid in helping the ones you have given me in the past to bloom? So far, no blooms. I am happy to report that a Bromeliad that Pat gave me some months ago is in bloom, much to my surprise. Maybe there is hope for me yet.
Anyway.....good to hear from everyone. Take good care and happy gardening all.
Ruby
Holly--
your "mouse ears" actually look like mouse ears.....rounded leaves.
The one i got has a bit pointed leaves. I think it still is very cute. Love the blooms!
I potted it in a bowl-shaped pot--think dish garden--and have it sitting on a tree stump next to
my bird bath which is under my old Lilac bush. Very secluded--especially now with the fence.
I am, actually, liking it more and more. The fence--that is. Looks good and frames the bed nicely.
Cut back and then dug up my old Rosemary bush in my :YUK" bed. wasn't all that hard--fairly shallow rooted,
Amended it with a bag of composted, chopped leaves and dug it all in. Also not all that hard.....
Now I have some open spaces to plant something or other in. The "Alpine Catch-fly" got first dibs.
Can anyone tell me how wide this, actually, spreads???? Please? I may then move it over a foot or so.
If I don't buy any more plants at HD--I am actually seeing daylight in finishing all the planting....
The thing is--now that the bulb foliage is actually dying off--new open areas appear.
I go through this every year...Ho---Hummm---
Still off the next two days--I should be done! Gita
Ruby---
What can I tell you about your Epis???? I think we have covered it already....
Plant your new plants in, at least, an 8" HB. Hang it outside under a part-sunny tree and
water and fertilize lightly as you would any other plant.
In October--bring it in and hang it near a bright window and give it a rest period until
early February. That means--barely watering it--just enough to keep it a bit moist.
In late spring/early summer--take it back outside and continue regular care.
You cannot MAKE it bloom! It will bloom when it wants to. Even if it takess 4-5 years.
I believe Epis need to reach a root-bound state and then they start "stressing out"--which, often
puts them in a blooming mode.
They grow and grow--and the fronds hang in all kinds of angles and positions. It can get ugly!
LET IT BE!!!!! One year--it will surprise you to no end....
Like my Red Epi #1. This is only the 3rd. time it has ever bloomed in almost 7 years.
My Epi #2--the one that blew me away last year--with those amazing, pink/red blooms--
that was the 1st time it ever bloomed in the same length of time.
I got both of them as single-leaf starts in 2005 from CA.
Don't fuss! Let them do their thing! Just keep up the seasonal care--and then the dormancy period.
Gita
Yes, They are round with a bluish cast. They have a nice tight compact growth. They will be blooming very soon.
Good morning all! =)
Happy, I know I shouldn't hesitate to put something up there on that fence, but I do try really hard to not make waves with neighbors, they can make things REALLY miserable if they want to. But, sorry to say, no, it's not feasible to discuss the situation with them, and especially not him. Long story, but I tried that when they first moved in (along with greeting them to the neighborhood with a freshly-baked-muffin and fruit basket), was planning to have landscape work done and went to talk to them FIVE times to make sure things were ok, and to ask if, while I have the guys here did they want a few shrubs along the fence-line pruned or removed.... they wouldn't even come DOWN THE DRIVEWAY to look at which shrubs I was referring to.... until the END of the last day, after the landscapers were all packed up and finished; THEN, while we were sitting around on the porch drinking lemonade, they came out, with her yelling "HEEYYYY!!!", wanting to know if the guys would remove ALL FOUR of the shrubs at the end of the fence-line!! We left the answer up to the owner of the company, who told them in no uncertain terms "F** NO, CAN'T YOU SEE WE'RE ALL FINISHED AND THE EQUIPMENT IS PACKED UP NOW?!!?!?" Sorta funny, but leaves us now with an uncomfortable situation. They two of them (neighbors) were together, however, it was **her** to do the talking; we've tried talking with him, but he just WON'T talk to us, I get the feeling he's "not allowed". She just calls us "Hey" when she addresses us at all, which so far has only been 2 more times: once to ask DH to fix something electrically for her, and once when she came over to "borrow" some foil from me. **Deeeeep sigh**. Nope, no reasonable discussions are in the future, I'm sorry to say. =( Heck with it, I'll go check out the burlap and/or mesh to see which one I like the looks of better and just do it. (sorry that got so wordy, but that's not even the HALF of it!!)
Sally, is there a thread going on around here somewhere to discuss your Fall plant swap? I will find out the date as early as possible and put that date on the calender at work to be SURE to have the day off! =) This summer I'll be spending some time in Kansas to visit my Mamma, but Lord willing, I won't have to make any 'sudden' trips there again any time soon. < =/ I'm REALLY looking forward to going!!!
Gita, your Hosta looks sooooo happy!!!!!! What a little gem you found!!! Your Epi is really REALLY pretty too!!! I really like the "hanging in all kinds of angles and positions" look, gives it such great personality.
Ruby, CONGRATULATIONS on your new organizing toys!! =) It's such a good feeling to have a new space to keep and organize your stuff, huh? Wheeee!!!!! Would love to see pictures of them! Had to giggle at "gadzillions", that's a really good word! =)
Not much gardening stuff going on around my neck o' the woods lately, been slightly under the weather for a few days with being on an antibiotic (a really KICK-BUTT one) for an infection. Feeling better now though, so I'll probably get out and nose around after work today. Boss Lady is getting in "Clean Up The Green House" mode and has decided that, since the annual phlox aren't selling they need to get trashed... NOOOOOO!!!! So, I'll be bringing home 2 flats of those tomorrow to install.... somewhere, over the weekend. < =D I decided on just the pink ones, (no lavender) since I already have so much purple... prolly gonna put them in the big bed, there's still a few empty spots that would love some colour. =)
Well, have a great day all, and those of you in my neck o' the woods, enjoy the GORGEOUS weather!!! Gita, enjoy your days off!! =)
Organizational tools are great! Now, if I would just use them it would be even better. How exciting, new flooring! Woot, woot!!
I pruned a yew by the back deck yesterday. We also have one that I let grow to see how big it would get. Heehee. I had NO idea they could get so big. It really needs to come out as it really is about 15' in diameter. I have thought about limbing it up. We'll see.
My bad.....the larger of the two Epi's I have gave me a heck of time last winter. I tried having it in two different locations and in each spot it was in my way. A few pieces of it got knocked off but are now seemingly gladly living in other pots. Aaahhhh......hanging basket. I will try that. Makes sense since it wasn't doing me any favors in the previous two spots being in my way. Now, to get some e-clips in the ceiling of the plant room before returning it inside for the winter.
Speedie, will try to snap a few shots of the new cabinets. I just packed away camera yesterday though, so it may be a bit. l will make a note to take a picture after unpacking things. I know that they are very handy to have to store my many potting supplies though.
I received two of the Mouse Ear Hosta from Cole at the Swap. Mine have both already bloomed and these look much like the picture you posted Gita. They are adorable, and love the way you described your planting yours. I haven't yet found a permanent home for mine, and might do something along the same lines as did, potting in some way.
Good luck with your endeavors Jan. I too am just sort of piddling and only doing gardening things that are in dire need of attention. I am so busy other wise and preoccupied, but am seeing the end to the madness. I have only one more closet to empty and pack and on June 25 I will be walking on all new flooring. I already know that will be a mood lifter for sure.
The weekend is upon us and I want to wish everyone much gardening progress and pleasure. I will be attempting to plant the Summer Poinsettia in a bed this weekend because it has already grown to good sizes in the pot where I sowed the seed. Will have to make another stickie note on kitchen counter to tend it daily for a while though.
Have a good one all.
Ruby
Ruby----
Not sure my little Hosta is a "mouse ear". Holly posted a picture of hers--and it has
rounded leaves. Mine are a bit pointed.
Love the beautiful, blue flowers, though.
For now--it is sitting here next to one of my 3 bird baths. in total shade.....
May need a bit more light? I'll find a better spot....
sppedie if/when there's a date I'll let you know! No thread just rumors...te hee.
I finally got a picture of my muddy hill.
It's mostly shady and grass doesn't grow here. It's a muddy, yucky mess when it rains.
I'm hoping the ajuga and variegated liriope (from sallyg) are going to spread and fill in nicely. It was so hard to dig that I just plopped them right on top of the existing clay mud.
On the left is the start of a shade garden. That oakleaf hydrangea was purchased this spring but hasn't flowered, which is a bit worrisome. It has a fungal infection, like every other plant in my garden. That area was sheet mulched over the winter and has pretty good soil. I just couldn't sheet mulch the walkway.
It looks promising!
SS: I have tons of ajuga and sweet woodruff and Tiarella Running Tapestry that can supplement what you have. I think sweet woodruff would look nice there, and God knows but it's quick -- but not unpleasantly invasive. And I have a lot of what I call "junk" hostas -- no named ones that fill in quickly. Nothing special, but they'll hold up a hill. All of those can be "surface" planted. So if you want to drive a few miles, let me know!
Thanks, HM!
Can sweet woodruff handle being walked on? The trash cans and the entrance to the backyard are on this side, so it gets a lot of foot/trashcan/wheelbarrow traffic.
I have some sweet woodruff on the actual bed, next to the hydrangea, but I'd love some more. Right now it's more mulch than plants.
I'm thinking that I should wait until September to get any more ajuga. I'm so lazy about watering that I just may kill them if I plant them now!
You couldn't kill my ajuga if you tried. I promise.
We walk on the Sweet Woodruff. It bounces back if the walking is only occasional (I wouldn't put it in a foot path). I have been walking through a bed of it, over and over, to plant another bed, and it seems only a little worse for wear -- not as bouncy as where I didn't walk, but definitely not dead.
I have tons of ajuga. It was spreading out the fenced area it is in, and the guy who mows for me weedwhacked it down yesterday (he didn't know I didn't want him to) -- an area maybe 1' x 5' -- but it'll be back by next weekend. You are welcome to dig and move as much as you want!
You should try the Running Tapestry too. I can show you what it looks like -- I think it is pretty.
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