Casual Thursday at Sallyg's

Me too! Sally, it was great to see you -- we did miss you at Jan's. All the food was delicious! And Coleup, you need to host a get-together before you move - I can't image what your gardens must look like with the gorgeous plants that come out of it!

Is the DG clock off? Maybe it has been this way forever and I never noticed, but it is 9:40 am as I post this, and yet I bet the time stamp will read 8:40 am.

Yes! a get-together... or... maybe... a U-dig yard sale? I'm admiring my "haul" this morning, btw... thank you very much! I added a few azaleas and rhodi's to my tree line since I started winning the poison ivy battle back there, and now I will suddenly double their number! They'll make a great backdrop to all the daffs... plus, I'm thinking now how great it would be to plant some daffs next to them! Woohooo, an excuse for more fall bulbs!

Heehee. Like we ever need an excuse for more plants.

We're so glad that so many could come, and also make it home safe and sound even if kinda late (for our demographic- we talked about being much younger and thinking ten pm was time to go OUT not go home!)

Perfect weather for a big circle of chairs on the lawn. Good times.

Thanks coleup!! for the hostess gift of huge pot with elephant ears coleus, begonias, and those really cool purple and yellow flowers that I have not looked at the tag of yet....

Thanks for ALL the treats everybody brought, made a delicious and pretty event. Who knew just casual would be so much fun? Hope/ wish nobody had to go to 'work' today.

Sally, thank you so much for hosting this lovely get-together! It was a great end to a long, hard day.

I thought I had enough hydrangeas, but maybe I need to look for one more... :)

Hehehe

Sally--

You are the coolest of the cool----nothing fazes you---or so it seems...

Thanks for doing this! It was great to see everyone. Gita

I missed seeing Sally's hydrangea earlier in the evening, just never got around to that side of her house... so I went out with a flashlight, just before we left! Wow, yes indeed, that 'Strawberries & Cream' is stunning in bloom! It's become such a sturdy little plant with Sally's super-green thumb, too.

Sally (and Mark) thank you for having everyone over, it was a great time.

I also want to thank everyone else as well, I had been having a depressed couple of days and even thought about not coming. I am so glad I did, I enjoyed myself and woke up on Friday feeling much better thanks to you all. I may not post much on here but I do follow (lurk) and appreciate each of you.

Another project idea for you handy folks.

That is VERY cute, Robin!!!

I am not into "projects"--but the thought of some sor6t of Vertical gardening is slowly creeping
in my mind. There are just so many horizontal spaces for pots of flowers...

Vertical gardening g is all the rage now....HD had it all over its home page in the spring...
A couple people built a couple.....One was called the "Flower Tower' the other one Mike invented--
made of pallets and decorated a bit with some short dog-eared fencing stakes.

I think I took pictures....G.

1--The pallet planter. Can be a two-sided herb garden. There is a solid piece of plywood in the back of each
palate and the soil is dumped between the two as you plant. There is, I believe, weed block fabric
holding the soil for each row of planting. It looked gorgeous when the plants were growing out.
RIC!!!YOU CAN DO THIS!!!!!

Really glad you came Robin. That is a really neat project I will have to keep that one in mind. LOL

Me too Robin. There is nothing like getting out and seeing people with like minds. I am really glad I made it as well, I felt like such an opportunity was not to be missed. Especially living so close.
Gorgeous morning here.

Go Terps.

I'm glad you came too, Catbird. I wish we'd had more time to talk. The afternoon/evening went too fast!

I like that pallet planter design... I've previously seen ones with the pallet being the only wood used, I guess with weed blocker fabric behind it and plants poked through the fabric. If you used screws and treated fence/deck boards, you could remove the non-pallet pieces to more easily refresh the potting soil every few years.

Robin, that spiral planter is genius. It would be a fabulous "pizza garden," with a tomato in the tall part and pizza herbs marching down the slope. It also looks potentially transportable (with the "tower" and the rest as 2 separate pieces), so my nephew could make one during "camp" week and bring it home to Pittsburgh... I've got the wire, he'd just need to use a cutter and pliers...

Thank you!

I'm pretty sure I have too many project ideas, but the kids like being able to choose. Since the first day of camp when my oldest niece (soon 14) was 5, that's how I've done it -- put a bunch of project and activities on little cards, folded them and put them into a basket. We usually manage at least 1 "major" and 1 or 2 "minor" things from the basket each day. :-)

Gita, I still have too much horizontal space yet, the only vertical growing I'm planning is to get the Wisteria onto the trellis. LOL

I'm glad you came too Robin, it's so nice to relax with friends and take a break. It's hard to worry about anything else if you're in the moment, with people you who's company you enjoy.

Robin, I'm glad you came too. And I know I sure had a great time letting go of the cares.
"To HE# with Seeds!! " LOL pardon me!

Jill--

I will examine more closely the pallet plantings. Not sure there is weed block--but will check.
Will let you know....

One side of this planter, originally was all lettuce. it grew nice and full--very pretty...
Dig this! a older man (customer) came in and wanted some lettuce plants. IN MAY???? HA!

He asked for the ones in the planter--and one of the girls removed every one of them
and sold it to him at the original price. I was SOOO pissed!!! But--she said--"I AM empowered"--
a HD motto for us--and so she pulled every one of those huge lettuces out.

That man sure had audacity--and also ignorance--not knowing that lettuce plants are NOT sold in May!
Cold crop--you know.....

Such is life! The customer is always right!!! AAAhGGHHHH!!! G.

I planted the Acalypha between the gold-ish Gold mop juniper and the gold and yellow Liriope out front- KILLER COMBO. A picture would help- when the sun goes off it...

I planted one of them towards the back of the raised bed--and the other one in my small front bed.
It is now 2:15Pm--and they are both still sitting in full sun. looking a a bit droopy...

Maybe it is just from the roots being pulled apart a bit--but, maybe, they would prefer more shade.
Will see in a couple days....
maybe i should have waited for an overcast day to plant them out....

We shall see......I gave the last one to Paul--so the three of us can compare notes...

Gotta run!!! Gita

Mine will definitely be sitting in part shade, high shade. I haven't had any time to plant anything yet. I actually just got home since Thursday night. I gave the plants some water real quick and have to head back out for the evening, it'll have to wait until Monday. Everything will get a nice big drink on the Sunday morning. The big hydrangea is recovering slowly.

Paul, I think the 'Doublicious' hydrangea pot is so full of roots that there isn't much to hold water. I had to set them in a tray/tub of water and really let it soak up what it wanted cause just regular watering had most of the water running out the bottom and the plants still gasping! Set pot in 2-3 inches of water and water from top to get the wicking process going and hydrate that hydrangea super well before planting out or potting up. It may well drop some leaves, remove any that turn yellow and keep foliage dry until plant less stressed. Also keep in shade ie treat it like a tender veggie plant and not a big strong bush!

Sally, sounds like Casual Thursday was just the right tonic many of us needed! Thanks again for opening your yard and heart and garden to all of us.

I had a great time, and it was just what I needed too. It is always so great to see everyone. I had no intention of getting more plants, but I came home with some pretty cool stuff. Love that "Dooublicious' hydrangea, and picked up one to go with it called 'Lady in Red' on Saturday morning. I have been outside most of the weekend weeding, weeding, weeding, and more weeding - does that part ever end? It felt so good to come in and shower, and now I'm winding down and getting ready for the week ahead. Hope to see everyone again soon!!! Terri

This picture goes along with the photography stories we were sharing. What a hoot...

ROFLOL

Just a reminder that if for any reason any of the Doublicious or the Rhodi/Azaleas you all got from me should bite the dust, they are ';garanteed' for 1 year. I'm keeping the receipts on file.

I'm pleased as punch that you all cleaned me out! Brought two van fulls returned empty handed except for some cash to reconvert to plants in Vermont!

Sally, the yellow flowers in your combo planter are Torenia 'Yellow Moon'. Coleus is 'Meanderin g Linda'. The woody stemed plants planted with the Colocasia 'Black Stem' are Plectanthrus 'Mona Lavender'. (It winters over each year with the ee s and banana) Banana is Ensete.

Jill, welcome to the wonderful world of shade gardening! So glad I've contributed some 'bones'! Some of us couldn't figure out why in the world you were acquiring so many azaleas, etc. What a way to celebrate winning some battles with poison ivy.

Aspenhill I am so pleased that in consultation with Greenthumb, you will provide for the Oregon Vine Maple and a Hazel Alder! Hopefully you or someone else will claim some of these "understory trees" I stlll have.

Greenthumb, I'm so pleased that you and Pat like your new Australian Tree Fern and the Chinese Scholars Tree! You both are special people so therefore special plants! I so appreciate the time and patience spent going over my rocks and crystals soon to be passed on to my grandsons. Hopefully they will keep a lifelong curiousity and learning of things of the earth just as you have!

Jan. we missed you, too. Sally and I had a side bet that you would just show up! At least seven cars left loaded with plants! Maybe I will do a fall or spring casual dig your own!

Ric and Holly, my yard is not so much an 'empty nest', but it is much saner!

Coleup,

Perhaps you could grow semi-wild gingseng as your crop?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/maryland-bans-wild-ginseng-harvest-on-state-land-upsetting-diggers/2013/06/22/eb02d00c-d9d6-11e2-a9f2-42ee3912ae0e_story.html

Those azaleas will make a much nicer understory than the stupid weed trees (like honeysuckle, but shrubbish)... I haven't actually killed off most of those, just keep hacking them back to nubs and letting them regrow a little before hacking again... that way, I can selectively use them as a "screen" if/when construction starts behind us. When the azeleas etc. get bigger, the weed trees will go! (but I'm not digging out those stumps, nossir)

There's about 200 feet of "fence row" with trees along the back of our yard, so you can see that's plenty of room for a dozen rhodis plus 3 more from the spring society sale... Not quite sure yet where to place the 2 deciduous ones... I've already got little lilacs in the sunnier stretch of that border, might move a couple of them. I did plant the river birch I bought that day! (Neighbor kid helped dig the hole for that one... still looks stressed, but I think it's recovering.)

Jill, maybe I should/could give you this white lilac that refuses to bloom for me. hart gave it to me, apparently it blooms a half hour west pf DC.

coleup- thanks! now what is the thing with glossy purple pointed-oval leaves please? Torenia is now a pot in the shade out front. Clematis pots buried in the wintercreeper.

I sure had a carload when we went home. Must say that the Australian Tree Fern is something that I have wanted for such a very long time and I am really looking forward to watching it grow.

UMD_Terp: I saw that article too -- where do you think one could get starts of the wild ginseng to plant? Seriously.

http://www.hardingsginsengfarm.com/cultivate.htm
Price and product list: http://www.hardingsginsengfarm.com/ginsengseeds.htm

This message was edited Jun 24, 2013 9:47 AM

For local ginseng plants see: http://www.catoctinginseng.com/

Sally, I haven't seen blooms on my white lilac from Hart, either. I have several young lilacs that haven't bloomed yet... maybe they're getting too much shade in their spot, but I think they should be OK, so maybe they're just not big enough yet. I'm not sure which one is Hart's, labels got mixed, but hopefully it'll bloom next spring, then I'll know! I think the newer varieties are probably also quicker bloomers. ?

Sally---

I think your glossy, purple leaves are the "Persian Shield"--a beautiful foliage plant
that goes with everything and every color. One of my favorite accent plants.

Hope this is what you were asking about...Gita

http://msucares.com/news/print/sgnews/sg07/sg070823.html

thanks Gita but no, these are one solid color a dark glossy red-purple

Post a picture?????? G.

I think the inconsistent winter temps are effecting our lilacs more than anything. A few of mine had a limited # of blooms this year. They were only the ones that were protected from the south and west and less susceptible to warming. We never had a good freeze to stabilize the ground temps, this coming year, if we have a penetrating freeze I may try mulching them to prevent some of the warming and see what happens.

Sallyg Oops, I thought I had kept the lable on that plant, pretty isn't it? I believe it is one of the Wax Acanthus called
Pseudoranthemum autopurporeum "Black Varnish"
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/185971/

I believe Buttoneer would be interested in overwintering this plant if you are not. I picked it up on a whim this Spring and know little about its culture.
http://www.gardenharvestsupply.com/ProductCart/pc/Black-Varnish-Pseuderanthemum-Plant-p4205.htm#details