Well---
Got home from work today and, as usual, sat down to check DG.
Read about your woes re not finding the purple helebores.
Jumped back in my car and drove to Lowes--hoping they still may have the other two.
NOPE!!! Wanted to get them for you if they did. Not far--5mi. round trip....
What they had new was a cart-full of the pale purple Calla Lilies in big 4" pots.
Don't know the price--there was no sign on the cart.
Sorry......G.
spring time plant shopping
How sweet gita! I was very impressed with both box stores. Home depot had quite the selection of azaleas. I'll probably buy one or two "silver swords." Variegated azaleas aren't common. I guess they will be now with HD selling them.
They are nice azaleas. I got a couple of them a couple of years ago for my twins houses.
Ooh, HD has 'Silver Sword' Az's this year! I'll have to check that out... they are so striking!
I did some garden shopping at Costco yesterday... they had several kinds of nice-sized azaleas for (I think) $14. I resisted those, but didn't resist the bagged bulbs & bare-root plants, many of which were 6 for $12. Hostas, Astilbes, LA Irises, and yes, even Lilies! Actually, I did pick up a pack of 18 'Casa Blanca' lilies for those who especially wanted them, because it doesn't look like ADR has had any luck finding more of those. They also had those huge resin planters again this year, $18-20. I picked up one that was taller than others I had already, thinking it would be good for getting a little additional water depth for a potted water lily. (They are no-hole containers but are easily drilled.)
Joyanna and I were down with a tummy bug today, so we did some plant browsing on the computer between naps. Well, I mostly browsed while she watched princess shows, but she does have to look any time I say "oooh!" :-)
I have to keep in mind what I have coming already this spring... Lilies, caladiums, water lilies & lotus, semps from Goldfinch's new store, and a box from Santa Rosa (if anybody wants just a couple of things from them, you're welcome to add to my flat rate order, just LMK).
Jill,
Agreed. Silver sword is a beauty. Let me know if you can't find it at yours, they had maybe 5 at the HD Columbia. I love my peiris Japonica valentine valley. It is a beauty and i tried to split it. Figured i had nothing to lose with their waranty.
I was at the Lowes in Gaithersburg yesterday -- they had lots of Hellebores but full price; they did have a lot of Gaura for $2 each that looked a little worse for wear. So the mark-downs must be a store-by-store decision. They had corn gluten at a very good price (but I had already bought some....).
They are a store by store decision. Really depends on what the manager wants to do. I got tons of great plants at very good discounts the first year I worked. Then the second year I worked a different store and really bought very little, some of those plants were terrible should have been sold at a dollar or less and they were still asking half price.
Was at both HD and Lowes yesterday. HD had bunches and Lowes had hardly anything out. I was surprsed, cuz we just passed Easter. The Lowes must not have had much out then. Need to look harder.
Weather is colder they are waiting , less work, less loss ..
For us too !
Jan,
Out Lowes here keeps all their clearanced plants WAYYY in the back of the outside garden
on several racks. One just needs to know where to look.
I have now been at my HD twice this week--and there was NO sign of any Easter plants!
Odd-NO? I KNOW where they went!!! Down the chute. Maybe in NJ they do things differently???
Nothing much gets clearanced at HD here. Perhaps--it is different in different stores--but here,
Bell Nursery rules! it is THEIR plants--and THEIR markdown.
Well---on my home back from the Sr. Center where I had my taxes done (FREE)--I stopped in at this
crummy little "hole" called DJ Liquidators. I keep stopping to see if they have gotten any garden
supplies in. Not yet--so I assume never...
However--outside the place were pots and pots of blooming bulbs---not all that cheap.
And there!!! There were 2 gorgeous Oriental Lily pots --in full bloom and bud. Not any clearance price--
but a fair price. I just had to buy one!!! Had to....Yup! could not resist! Three plants in the pot---
Gorgeous pink! No name...but I am sure Jill will know...Paid $8 for the pot.
*****AND! Jill--NO snide remarks about me buying another Lily!!!!! Kapish? G......;o}
Here she be....
DJ Liquidators can have some unique plants, suprisingly.
Most of the plants were Easter left-overs--from who knows where....But these Lilies--
I have NO idea where, and why, something this beautiful would not have sold???
Eight bucks is not cheap for a place like DJ's---but there are 3 Lilies in the pot...so........;o)
I can just see the problems ahead--with all the ones i am getting from Jill's order--
and the 2 bulbs I bought at tha Timmonium Flower and garden show.....Mamma Mia....
I will just have to learn to "bunch" things up a bit....and hope I have NO rabbits this spring.
They can strip all the leaves off of Oriental Lilies...leaving just the stem--as high up as they can reach.
I always have to put a circle of the green plastic fencing around these.
YEAH! Paul is coming tomorrow to dig......I hope he can manage it all--I will not be a lot of help..will try....
Good Bye Wintersweet!!!!! It's been good to know you!
Dr. Seuss will be the new inhabitant of this little bed--opening up the previous bed for more flowers--
maybe even some Oriental Lilies??? Full AM sun until 2 or 3PM. Good enough! NO tree roots either...
AHAAAA!
I WILL take pictures......G.
The Lowes on the way down to my oldest's place (think Williamsburg area) had their Easter Lilies for $1....heaven help me! I'd already bought one at my Walmart (full price...just couldn't help myself) and then picked up 2 more at Lowes AND they a beautiful healthy hanging basket of the small leaf Lacunosa. Course I grabbed that one. For those that haven't had the pleasure of the hoya blooms - esp the scent of the Lacunosa's you're missing a good one. Such easy happy plants as well.
On a side note - the bulbs Gita so generously shared and the granddaughters planted bloomed on Easter...just look at these sweet babies!!
What's that Chantell, narcissus? Cute!
GOing to Lowe's in Severn tomorrow (today)
Gita, take it easy and do the photo documentary of the Big Dig! For our Yardening or Neck of the Woods....
Sally--
That little bloom I gave Chantelle is the clustered, VERY fragrant daffs (?)...
I have had these for a long time--Dug up a clump just for Chantelle...the scent is heavenly!
On the slightly negative side--when the blooms fade--the leaves grow long and hang around forever...
Much longer that the regular daffs. Somewhere--I have the official name for these......
I'll be sending paul home with all kinds of trays and small pots....I have an endless supply if I am out
in garden....Will be heading there in about 2 weeks....for my Sunday work day.
Gita,
Those dafs are gorgeous. I can't wait to see them.
Now, Paul--SEE!
If you could spare a few extra minutes--you may just go home with a few things.....
No one EVER leaves my house empty handed.....
Besides--the orioles game starts at 3:20PM today. You DO NOT want to be heading South on I-95
at that time--unless you like to sit in traffic and admire the roadside scenery....
I do not think these are really Daffs---as i said--someone ID'd them once--but I can't find
that little slip of paper...need to look harder....
These are NOT in bloom yet--but are in full bud. Any day now....
You can, definitely, go home with several pots of Hostas. Remember--I offered them around last year?
I have 17 pots---
See you soon! Will be a glorious day for hard work! Gita
You can also choose a pot-full of these Tahiti Daffs. to take home...
They are the ones I dug up that were around the WS shrub.
Haha well I won't be going home empty handed. A monster shrub that will make its way down 95. Lol ah I'm still debating on where to out it.
I've never learned the rules about "narcissus includes daffodils but not all daffodils are technically narcissus" or is it the other way??
but both of those are gorgeous. I have a few sweet scented Narcissus but they are in later-blooming kinds.
Gita, those fragrant white ones you gave to Chantell are 'Erlicheer'
Beautiful day for digging!!
Narcissus is the botanical name. They're all daffodils, too. Some people use the term "jonquils," and that's where things get confusing. Whenever somebody has pointed out "jonquils" to me, they seem to be talking about Division 1 "Trumpet" daffs. But there's another division (Div. 7) for "jonquilla" daffodils. *shrug* If you just use "Narcissus" or "daffodil," you'll be right for sure.
Found a good page just now for daffodil division descriptions: http://daffseek.org/help/divisions-help.php
Terp & Gita are going to have a great garden day together, for sure!
LOL, it's neither way and it's the Jonquil causing the problems....
I am hoping for pictures of the DIG.
Oh- Lowes in Severn had empty clearance carts. Well, some half wilted Ever Red Loropetalum for 3$ (could be marginally hardy), a few Lavendar that looked like the Spanish fancy flowered kind, very few Phalenopsis orchids and florist Kalanchoes - the K's in ceramic tall 5 inch pots for $4 not bad if you just liked the pot-- the only Hellebores were full price named Gold something. Basically they were rockin and rollin with tables full of brand new gorgeous stuff .
Oh, my God---"The Dig" was soo difficult--you cannot imagine!
Not so much the digging per say--bit the getting it in the van.
Lots of ingenuity used and applied--and scrapped--and something else tried....
Many glitches--and some disasters....BUT--eventually--about 2 hours later--it was all done.
A few beers drank--a bit of resting--and paul was off to home to reverse all the effort
and get this shrub OUT of the van.....like pulling against grain (stems and branches)...
I will upload the pictures I took in a bit......Stay tuned..........G.
Those little white clustered daffs could be 'Erlicheer'... or they could be 'Cheerfulness'... or maybe that's 2 names for essentially the same variety? Sweet, regardless, and 'Tahiti' might be my favorite double.
Paul went home with a big box full of plants and a lot of empty flats and pots.
No need to wait until the swap.......:o)
It was nice working with you, Paul..and I enjoyed giving you the inside and outside tours.
Now you will know what i am talking about when I post about my beds.
Also--as a second thought--maybe it was OK to cut the ends off--since the plant lost
about the same %'age of roots. Good luck with the planting....
remember--water..water...and maybe put in some kind of root stimulator in the water.
Like a week dilution of some kind of "Starter fertilizer"...or Fish Emulsion...
Even if it skips a year due to all this trauma--I know it will make it....tell the shrub "I said so!!" .
Gita
It was always pleasure Gita. Thankfully we figured out how to get it in the van without having to rent a backhoe, or a come-along. It was much easier to get out and planted then it was to dig up and put in the van. So it goes. With my visit to Aspenhill Terri tomorrow that will be two DGs in two days! WOW. It must be spring fever!!!!!
Hey paul!
You answered my questions before I "sent" them.....HOW? Weird!!!! A coincidence???
I hit "send"--and there was your Post already. Like--we cross-posted....Hmmmmm.........
Something psychic going on here......
OH...OHHHHH----DG clock is off by an hour!!!!!
It is now 7:20PM. Watch it--I will hit "send" and the time will show 6:20PM.
Ready!
Here is a SIGN I made for Earth Day at the HD. By request....
Sitting and no calls--means I can work on other things....I love doing signs...
This took me almost all my shift to do...as the goofy woman holding the tree was, originally,
a little picture about 3"x3".....
I had to enlarge it and transpose it on the poster totally by eye. That took a long time.
This sign is 17"x22". I even took it home to finish a few things...and to spray it.
The "EARTH DAY" lettering also took a long time. I wanted the letters to look like rocks--
prehistoric and crumbling--as The Earth has been around for so long....
It will sit out in garden near the trees. I wanted to have Kinkos laminate it--but there was a 4 hour
lead time before they could get it done. Also--WHO would pay the $9 to have this done?
So--I hope it sits in a place where it does not get too trashed...
They always come to me to make signs--and I never disappoint....end of bragging.....G.
Have you seen this week's Home Depot add?
They are having "Black Friday in April"...all kinds of good deals...
These specials go till Wed. night--4/10.
Ex:
--All 4" and 5" Bonnie Herbs and Veggies--5/$10. (the 5" are usually $3.48)
They loaded us up Wednesday! Even a lot of Tomatoes....not all varieties...yet...
--MG Garden Soil--5/$10
--Black mulch--5/$10.
etc...etc....
Look for the add--even if you have to go on-line. I don't have one at home...gave it to Paul..
Usually--these come in the Wednesday paper. Look for it amid all the "junk"....
****I finally bought a cute, small, 2-burner + side burner, Brinkman gas grill. $129.
Still have to get the propane tank.
Been wanting one for a long time--maybe i will grill a bit more if i can just
turn a knob and it is ready. No cleanup--NO ashes--No mess....
G.
Joyanna & I went out to Southern States this afternoon... mostly to look at the baby chicks, but also to pick up some pine fines they found for me. We had to check out the greenhouse... and we didn't leave empty handed. They had an interesting assortment of perennials in 4" pots fr $3.75. Leopardsbane 'Little Leo' was one that's been on my wish list, along with any "star" series Dianthus, so I was happy with those. I also picked up a crowded little pot of some kind of creeping red sedum and an ice plant with pale pink blooms. Joyanna found a thrift whose pink blooms looked like truffula trees (I think she's going to need a bigger spot for her fairy garden this year). We couldn't resist the pansies, either... nice 6-packs for $3.25, not a great price, but the plants look wonderful. I especially liked the blue one called "Whiskers," with some great markings on its "face."
Gita, that's a great sign! Our HD really needs you. Thanks for LMK about the specials... will check it out when I go looking for that variegated azalea!
OK--While I have time---I will try to do the "Big Dig" commentary here...
PLEASE, in case you pop in, let me finish the "Story" before you post in-between....Thanks.
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This has been in the "works" for a long time---just Paul trying to find a day he can come over
and get this done. I decided early this spring that I really do not need or want this Shrub any more.
Paul, on the other hand, jumped at the chance to have a full-grown, 18yr. old Wintersweet.
And so--yesterday was IT--beautiful day, sun shining, 60 degrees--what else can you wish for?
Well for one--I wished that Paul would bring a strong buddy to help--but he did not...
So--it was just the two of us.
Here is a picture of the Shrub--way earlier this year.
In anticipation of the DIG--I trimmed it up really nice--thinned out the stems, etc...
1--The base of the shrub-all junked up...
2--All nicely pruned and thinned...
3--The WS was already in full bloom--in january
First thing I had to do is dig up the 12 clumps of my Tahiti Daffodils that had been
growing around the base of the Shrub for several years.
In the process--the shrub already, got partially, root-pruned.
This Shrub has very fine, spidery roots that radiate out from the base.
Took this picture to show Paul what he was up against....
His comment was: "OH MY!!!"
My wish was--that hopefully, this shrub's roots were ALL of this kind, and shallow--
and that we would not hit a massive tap-root deeper down.
SO! The day came--yesterday--and Paul arrived in his old van.
Walked over to the shrub and said--"What am I getting myself into!!!"...
Or--something to that effect--like--this is CRAZY!
Before "The Dig"--I walked Paul all around the garden and showed where some things WILL BE.
We had a beer--and looked at the inside of my house as well...The "jungle"...
Well--time to dig....Sad to say--I did not get any pictures of the actual dig--just got too busy.
But--he, basically, dug a circle around the base, finishing the root-pruning--and now--tried to
see if he could rock the shrub free. Nope!
My mind kept thinking there has to be a deeper root....
Paul had brought an all-metal digging tool--and, using a cinder block as a fulcrum, he got the whole
root ball out of the ground. Phew---No big root!!! Yeah!
This root ball was so heavy that it could not even be budged. So we started removing some of the soil
from the bottom of it as well the sides to lighten the load.
Now--there it sat--in all its glory.....The shrub was free!!! What next?
Next--we put a tarp under the root ball---rock it left--rock it to the right--and it was now sitting on the tarp.
Tied it around the best we could....
This message was edited Apr 6, 2013 7:28 AM
OOPS! here are the pictures....
You think YOU can move this????
Now--the next issue was how to get it into the van????? Can't lift it--now what?
Two heads--a couple bright ideas....Paul spies a bunch of landscape timbers in my yard...
"Lets put them from the van to the bed and slide the root-ball UP.
HA! You think so????????
OK! He goes to move the van as close to the bed as he can. And here is where the FUN starts....
The van's battery is DEAD! He left his lights on! Geez...
So--I go and get my cables and drive my car nose-to-nose with his and he hooks them up.
Great! It works--so he lets the car run a bit to make sure it will be OK.
WHAT IF I did not have cables????? We would have been up poo-poo's creek!
Now--the van is backed up as close to the bed as possible--the ties are angled
between the bed and the back of the van--and the next haalf hour is spent trying
to get the root ball up the ramp.
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE!!!! Can't budge!
Paul finds a strong, blue strap and is mumbling something about wishing he had a "come-along".
We try again--no luck. Time for plan # 99.
Move the van as far down the driveway (where it slopes down) as that will decrease the angle of the ramp a lot.
BRIGHT IDEA!! Simple physics.....
SO! Now thew van is sticking half way into the street. No sweat! There is a full lane left for anyone to get by.
We place three Landscape ties from the driveway to the van. Beautiful! This should be easy-peezy now...
BUT--How do we get the root ball TO the van? I suggest "walking" ir over.
Paul says he is going to roll it down the driveway. So that is what we do....leaving a trail of soil,
falling off the roots, along the way. HEY! The load is getting lighter!!! That's good stuff!
Almost done now---Home run!!! Two hours have passed!
The "ramp" gets put in place and between the two of us, we manage to put the root ball
on it. Not so heavy any more.....lot of the soil dribbled off during 'the roll"...
Paul gets in the van and starts pulling the whole thing in. Bit by bit--and BINGO!!! It's almost in.
"Almost"--because the ends are all sticking out..."Can't have that"--Paul says.
I object! PLEASE don't cut all the ends off!!!! We can tie the doors together and leave the
ends alone. I offer to look for a red flag to tie on the ends... NOPE!
Paul gets out the loppers and snips all the top growth off enough so he can close the door....
He does not want to get pulled over or to attract attention....registration issues......'nuff said!
"The Big Dig" is over----Paul is pooped--so we sit down and have another beer....chill a bit...
Mission accomplished. Now Paul has to get home and reverse the process.
Get it out of the van and, hopefully, plant it asap.
I do not yet know the details of it all.
SO! here is the "Victory Shot"-----Happy (?) Guy--Empty bed---Happy ME!
This bed will now become the future home of my Dr. Seuss Brug--as it likes to sprawl
all over. This will also free up the bed it usually grows in for more things i can plant there.
Maybe even some of the Lilies I will be getting. Nice, full AM sun until 2-3PM.
Paul--I hope YOUR newly acquired shrub will grow well and give you many moments of joy.
THE END. Gita
