is there no end LOL? with the ground so moist i feel like i can keep moving things. moved a clump of hosta to make room for a new baby Francee hosta. Moved a tropical hibiscus to larger pot so I could pot my new gardenia in the freed up pot. Need to sink or plant three more shrubs Moved Gitas big cane Begonia to bigger pot, pulled tricolor Alpinia from where it languished and have it a pot and more room.
Yardening Summer 2013
Sally--
Now you sound like me! Always moving stuff...
I still have to dig up two clumps--one of a too-crowded Daffodils, and the ohter
the clump of Stellas so I can plant the "Jack Frost"Brrunnera--which, BTW--
hasn't done anything since I bought it. Still the same 3 leaves.
Not giving up hope!
Greenthumb--Yoooo-Hoooo.....
There is this ugly, gray Moth sitting on one of my small CC's just outside the front door.
It is slate-colored--and looks almost pre-historic.
It is still there--a few hours later....not sure if it is dead or alive--but it is still hanging on to the CC.
You ID'd my BIG moth once--could you see if you know what this one is?
Thanks-Gita
Well--
I posted the Moth on Insect ID Forum....we will see....
Today, I accomplished 2 chores I had been putting off. Besides watering my whole garden...again...
1--I created a small bed below my Lilac bush for the 2 Hostas I have had sitting
there in 6" pots since spring. These are the two I kept--the rest went to people at the swap
This was NOT easy! I pulled up enough tree roots to start a bonfire....and digging and ripping up
the grass so there would be a bit of soil for them. Good kindling!
Outlined the bed with big rocks all around--and filled it with good stuff. They should grow there
happily...the poor things were so root bound!
2--Second thing--I dug up one of the "not blooming" clumps of Daffs and planted two dark red
Oriental Lilies there-I got on the clearance rack at Lowes for $2.
Earlier this week--I dug up the big clump of daffs in my small, front bed. Got a slew of bulbs.
These Daffs are pretty!
Finally--put the BIG rock Happy brought me last fall in that spot--and a smaller
granite rock on top of it. Now I need some kind of small critter sitting on top of that...hmmmmmm..
That would be my 1st decorative garden item. Have to snoop around.... Rite Aid has cute
garden stuff--and it should be 50% off by now....Maybe I have something laying around???
Still need to find a spot for the remaining 2 Red Phlox. The other 4 are, happily, situated.
Difficult! Maybe I will give then to Aina....
Need to go back to the Greenhouses to p/u a couple more NG Imps. One just went limp and died!
It had roots! Don't know what happened to that..I work tomorrow and they close at noon on Sundays.
OK! Some pictures....
1--Where the Hosta bed is now
2--The bed--closer
3--Happy's big rock on the bottom and a smaller rock on top. The bird is black metal--
I have 3 of these. Got them at IKEA years ago...
4--A top view of the rocks..What would look cute sitting there? It is NOT big...
Looks really lovely Gita.
Thanks, Holly.....
I will need to come to your house to get more rocks......:o) I still need to edge the front corner and
a small section of another bed in the back yard.
The front corner is partially edged already--with the rocks i got from you last year.
The other side of the corner is not. I still have a half dozen lg. rocks for this project.
There is a decaying, massive RR tie as edging on the other side. It is rooting out.
I need to saw off the length up to thee Azalea Bush. That is where the rocks need to go--
but how does one saw off a 10" x 10" RR tie? Besides--don't some of them have a metal rod inside?
I don't think I see that....as there is an area completely hollow...
Better go out and take a picture for you....Ric--will listen to your expertise.
This should be right up your alley... Hold on.....
1--This is the corner that needs to be finished up
2--Rotted out section. I need to cut the RR tie off right at where it goes under the bush.
3--Rotted out section closer
4--The good end of the tie on the other side of the Azalea. Massive--No?
5--A more distant shot--so you can see where this sits...It is on a NW corner.
Thanks for any suggestions....Gita
Gita Ric uses a chain saw to cut our RR Ties. In some of them there is a S shaped band of metal in the end. If it is there you can see it but I haven't found any other metal in any of our RRTies.
Gita, any metal is usually in the ends to help prevent splitting, anything beyond 6"s or so is usually metal free. Sometimes a piece of ballast (rock) can become imbedded in the underside, but it's uncommon. One of my favorite saws for cutting them in place is a saws-all and a longish blade, cuts through everything. LOL Maybe Holly and I need to take a ride.
It would be nice to see you--any time....IF you come--bring some rocks, please....:o)
Your sawzall too....
Need to make this worth your while. I can take you out to lunch--or get some crabs
we could consume as a trea t right here....
If you come soon--maybe the "buy one get one free" plant sale will still be on at
"The Greenhouses"....I need to go there today to pick up a couple more NG Imps. as a couple
of mine have died out....
AND--IF you would like--I can pick up a few more of those beautiful, red Phlox.
They are in qt. square pots and miserably root-bound. One lanky stem with flowers and buds at the top.
I can p/u two today--and hope someone wants them. at $1.50 each--it is a deal!
I have planted 4--in two different spots--have 2 more sitting around.
May offer these to my daughter, Aina, the budding gardener.
My garden is looking pretty good now--as the DL are adding a lot of color.
All 3 Brugs have fat flower buds on them. KK Hibiscus is about a week away from blooming....
Getting excited......I am off every day, except Sunday, this week and next week..
LMK! Gita
The red Phlox....
The red phlox is pretty -- but your hydrangea is magnificent!
I just posted, on the Plant ID forum, photos of a plant that has appear on my awful front hill just as if I had planted it -- but I have no record of what it might be. It isn't spread hither and yon the way a typical weed would be. If it rings a bell for you, I'd appreciate it if you'd let me know what it might be. More photos are on the plant ID forum. http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1322645/
Looks lovely Gita. We'll have to see how things pan out. :-}
Happy that looks like one of the weeds that always leaves us both wondering, and after a brief observation period we pull it. LOL
happy, looks familiar and I agree with Ric. Wild aster possible.THis is the hither from someone else's yon. Next year there'd be more.
That's so funny, because it planted itself so carefully in a marked spot on the hill -- mostly I can recognize weeds on the hill because they situate themselves at odds with my gardening plan, but this one planted itself so carefully! Thank you so much. Out it will go -- now I have to decide what to substitute for it. I am taking to heart Donnerville's caution that I not have the hill looking too patchwork-y so I'll see what adjoins it and see if I can stretch it out.
My husband asked me to post the following request for help. Just so you know, I suggested regular misting and I suggested using the self-watering pot that Critter recommended, but he asked that I post this nonetheless. The "florist", by the way, would be Lowe's. DH has a sentimental attachment to the Boston fern because his Mom loved them.
"Several weeks ago, I bought a sizable Boston fern from a florist and put it in my office. Since then, I have been watering it three to four times per week (the card with it suggested every other day). It has begun to develop brown spots, with some of its fronds turning brown toward the end of the frond. It does not appear to be thriving.
"The fern is in a window with a western exposure. In the afternoons, it receives direct sunlight (I could close the blind on that window). On the weekends, the office gets quite warm."
This message was edited Jul 1, 2013 10:44 AM
Not a house fern expert but my thoughts......Close the blinds. Move it away from the window on weekends. Use rain water only- carry it in from home. I guess distilled water or jugged spring water would substitute.
May need to slip it out of the pot and see what is up. It could have begun to dry in the interior of the root mass or near the bottom, and the watering is not fully moistening the root mass. You just never know sometimes. Good luck!! Sure hope we can help your sentimental plant.
Tell him (as I told you) that it's probably not getting enough water... I think it is also root-bound, adding to the problem, as the water he pours into the top just drains right through without being soaked up. The 12" self-watering planter I suggested will give a little more space around the edges, and while repotting he can loosen and even prune the roots around the edges a bit (the plant I gave you came from the edges of the one I repotted for my mom this spring -- also from Lowes, I think). Add moisture crystals to the bottom of the pot also and generously to the soil mix you add around the edges. When water sits in the reservoir, it will have a chance to be really soaked up by the roots. Keep water in the bottom reservoir, and the plant should thrive.
My mom's plant was a monster when I bought it, and she says it has grown since -- not a brown spot in sight.
Walking away backwards...Bowing in homage to the Mistress of Boston Ferns....
AHAHAHA
; ^)
Heehee!!
I'll send all this to DH and see if he will make any changes.
Critter-- the one you gave us is doing fine, sitting outside the kitchen door, where I am taking care of it....
ROFLOL... Sally, we crossed... I think your advice was spot on also! I have several plants that go brown at the tips if I give them tap water. And even through a window, that afternoon sun is probably a bit much.
Before I express my opinions here--I just want to say that my experience
with Ferns have all been in garden centers. I would not have one in the house--too messy.
Browning at the tips can have a couple causes...
--One is lack of humidity around the plant--a necessity with Ferns
The other may be the salts in the water. Chlorine is a "salt"....(sodium chloride=table salt).
--Another one may be too much water at the bottom of the pot--which can lead to root rot.
For this invisible reason--I do not like self-watering pots.
The roots CAN sit in water and you would nor know it.
I do not think a fen needs to be watered 3-4 times a week!! One good soaking once a week will do.
They do quite well if allowed to dry out a bit.
I also would not root-prune it around the edges-as all the new growth on a fern occurs on the
outside of the root ball, which may make it look root-bound, but-- It is just the way Ferns grow.
This is where new fern-starts can be pulled off and potted up.
It is hard to keep a Fern in an office environment as the air is so dry. Misting may help.
Full W. sun is a no-no. Ferns like a filtered shade/light. Think about the woods...
If you could bring this fern home and hang it up under a tree somewhere--it will rebound nicely.
OK..hope some of this helps....Gita
I'll pass it on to DH. Thanks, all!
Exciting. The orchid that Judy scored from a yard sale has opend dozens of blooms. Looking at web tonight i see it very much looks like Sharry Baby a popular Oncidium aka The Chocolate Orchid for its scent. I cant smell it but its still fun to see.
Sally that is so exciting. I keep looking at ours but haven't seen any flowering stems poking up yet.
Here it is
Loverly!!!
Sally--Your orchid is so pretty!
I always looked at the Oncidium blooms like they are little Dutch girls in a skirt..
There are arms and a head and a full skirt.....never seen this in red--usually in yellow...
I have a quick camera question.
I must have, inadvertently pushed something---I do remember seeing this:
"Your pictures are write protected'...???????
Now I can not delete what is on my card. I always clear all pictures once I have uploaded them.
Usually I go to the "prevue" mode--then click on the little trash can--and then on
"delete all photos..and it is done.
Now--the little trash can is not highlighted--so I have NO option to use it..
WHERE do I go to fix this? Thanks--Gita
1--Apricot Ruffles (Mom's) from the Swap. Still in just a gallon pot...not planted.
Gita, watch this video and you will see where the "write protect switch is". Most of the other info is for a broken the tab, but at least you can see where it is.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_XkvkHDveo
RRR--
Thanks--It is now fixed. Cute video---
I was thinking it may have something to do with that little notch.
I had these problems once before--but the "message" on my camera THEN
read that the card was "locked"...
Ain't DG great? So quickly resolved. Gita
Glad it was an easy fix! Gita, you are capturing some great shots with your new camera!!
Jill--
The MOST annoying thing about this camera is that it has "touch screen"...and it takes a picture.
Even if it brushes on my clothing--snap!
And--of course, I have yet to look at the DVD that came with it. Might learn something...
I have a total, mental block against reading manuals and anything else that tells one
how to use something....
Wonder what's behind that? Psychologically speaking.....maybe I know--but won't admit it?
G.
Maybe you just know how much easier it is for you to learn by doing.
Manuals are written all in one. Maybe they'd seem more helpful if they led one step by step. "Now try this yourself" Or if we had the patience to sit with manual AND device and do every little step and push every button as it went along. Well enough about that. TIme to smell my chocolate orchid again, This morning it has a faint scent. Might vary with time of day. ...Well, its doing something sweet....It might not be the real deal OR maybe they overblow the chocolate scent thing.
Sally, I would try putting 'our' orchid in side in a confined space where all of the chocolaty scent isn't wafted away on outside air currents or gathered by gnomes, fairies and other creatures!
Sally---
Maybe there is step-by-step on the Disc that came with it.....I just have not
taken the time to look at it...
I want to say: m"I don't have time!"---which of course is a total lie!
G.
Hmm. If it has a "regular" shutter button also, I bet touch screen take-a-photo could be turned off. I admit I still need to RTFM on my camera also! I'm sure it can do more than what I've figure out by noodling around with it.
(RTFM = Read The Frabjous Manual... it's a geek term)
I love the RTFM!
Judy, I brought our orchid into the dining room and on Thursday will be home to smell it mid day. I did detect more sweetness before noon today but then had to go to work.
Sometimes you girls are such guys!!! LOL RTFM=ROTFLMAO Oh and by the way, I do ask for directions and occasionally read the manual.