Here's a pic from this summer when August and I went to TPF for the first time. We were blown away by the masses of color and tons of butterflies. August is standing between two varieties of Phlox, in front of black-eyed susans I think.
Cat, if you do ever plan the trip, let me know. We can go together!
This message was edited Sep 24, 2013 8:22 PM
oh, wow, that is awesome!! Yes, let's definitely plan a trip there--would love to go, Typ!!
Me too! Me too! Me too!
After I finish my paper route by 7 am on Sats, I'm free as a bird!
Just reminding you both--"The Dig" is fast approaching....Oct. 6th.
What time frames were we talking about??? Afternoon? I forgot...
And, Karen--I just want to say how wonderful it is that your children will
grow up appreciating nature and gardening. August is well on his way--
A trip to a Nursery--and with his interest in Bugs...YOU ROCK!!!
Cat--you may need directions???. Karen has already been here twice.
LMK! I am easy to find.....Gita
Once more--this is what my house looks like--when you are looking for it....
The house numbers are on my curb mail box--fading fast...
Gita: I think I already told you, but if not, I need to tell you now that I can't make it to the dig. We just have too much going on over here.... Never a dull moment.
Coleup and Typ, yes let's plan it! Anyone else? :-)
Gita, yes I need directions--thanks so much! I was wondering if we could schedule for later in the day; my daughter needs to be driven to and from dance class 12-2:30, and then to an overnight birthday party at 3, and then I am free as a bird! So I could leave here at 3 and not have any more worries. Would later in the day work for the 2 of you?
Thanks, Gita. I got my love of nature and flowers from my mom. It's not that I show August stuff intentionally because I want to educate him. I just think it's SO COOL so I share it with him, turns out (most of the time) he thinks it's pretty cool too.
Gita, I thought it was going to be Oct 5 (Saturday)? Later in the day would be better for me too (4 or 5). August got invited to a birthday party that starts at 2 and I don't have the heart to say no to the kid's mom! Sorry you'll have to miss the fun, Happy. :(
Cat and Coleup, if you want to go to TPF before the end of the year, it needs to happen soon b/c they are only open through October. Otherwise we probably will have to hold off till next summer. I'm an early bird too so I can do an early morning if you guys want to. Might be fun to go with steaming hot cups of coffee and doughnuts in hand and see the frost touched foliage...
I do love Fall! Even if it does signal the end of the growing season. It is so beautiful!
Happy, good to hear that your amsonia's still doing well! They're going to look so pretty when they take on that fall color.
ssg: I hope so -- and hope that I'll have plenty to share once it settles in.
oh, dear, I'm so sorry--I realize I got confused with the dates! Saturday, Oct 5, later in the day would *not* work for me as my daughter's own 12th birthday party is scheduled to begin at 5 pm on Oct 5! Would an afternoon time work? I'm so sorry. :-( When I was scheduling her birthday, I remembered to avoid the 12th because of the bulb sharing, but then must have been thinking earlier in the day for the iris divide on the 5th.
Typ and Coleup, the last 2 weekends of October should work for me! Or alternatively wait till next spring.
Karen--
I was mixed up--YES! it was scheduled on Sat. the 5th. I work on Sundays.
As of oct. 11th--my position as a Phone Operator will be no more,,,
My Mgr, worked it out so I will, once again, become a garden Associate.
I like it--but, going into colder weather--I am not so keen to be outside.
Of course--"Garden" also includes the Greenhouse and the Inside garden.
Other places to work with customers...
Well.....since there are 2 separate clumps to dig up--we can dig some from each
clump when you come so you both get some of each color.
Need to fix a garden cart full of 'good stuff" to mix back into the beds when we re-plant.
So much to do yet..........:o(
Would the following Saturday (Oct. 12) work better for both of you?
I would so love to have both of you here together...more like a "Party"....
Happy--yes, I remember that you said you could not come...sorry!
Gita
The only thing about Oct 12th is that it is the date for our bulb sharing event at Critter's.
Cat--I did have a feeling that date was taken. NO problem!
We will do the "DIG" as planned....Any time in the afternoon....
I cut all the Iris Foliage back today.
Still need to rake clean the bed in those areas. So many dried leaves and such.
See you on the 5th. Sometimes in the early afternoon.
Will D-mail you directions. Gita
okay, thanks, Gita! Karen, I'm bummed I'll miss you--next time! This crazy life with a middle schooler...
I'm going to see what I can do. Don't count me out yet!
Gita, are you going to the Bulb Party at Critter's? If so, I'd appreciate if you could ferry a plant back to me from Donner.
Karen--
No. I am not going to Ctitters. I am not involved in the bulb buy .
Need to send donner a "Hello"--haven't seen her post forever.
Hope all is well....G.
I made a trip to the Merrifield Garden Center in Gainesville on Saturday. It is one of the best nurseries that I've ever been to, but is about an hour drive from Lucketts. Merrifield has three locations in Virginia, but the Gainesville location is the biggest. Not much on sale yet, but I couldn't pass up getting a few things. The anemones are all in bloom right now, so I picked out a few different kinds - nicer than just picking out varieties based on a photo or plant tag. I finally found the hardy geranium 'Blushing Turtle' that coleup spotted somewhere last spring. I've been looking for it all summer for my Turtle Garden.
I've been wanting to go to Behnkes too - I've never been because it is over in Maryland, but maybe a few of us can make an outing there sometime next spring.
Aspenhill, I've been to Merrifield's Fairfax garden center a couple of times, and I'm always surprised at how healthy their plants are. This time of the year, certain shrubs and perennials in containers can look ratty and burnt, but Merrifield plants look totally unblemished.
I wish their prices were better!
I think it would be fun to go to Behnke's in Beltsville next spring--and also to Perennial Farms! We could have such a fun outing!
Funny you should mention anemones. I stopped at the nursery near my daughter's volleyball game again yesterday and ended up with my first anemone--'Robustissima'! It's very pretty--lovely delicate shade of pink. I agree--it's nice to see the plants in person--and oh so tempting. ;-) I also ended up getting some viola jump ups and some penstemon.
I was looking for picture of a beautiful white Anemone from a shady park in New York City last september. Didn't find it but this is nice anyway.
Beautiful Sally! :-)
Aspenhill so glad tou found 'Blushing Turtle!! Mine is now two plants waiting to see how they do. It is a cute and different Hardy Geranium.
Local HD has Eupatorium 'Choco;ate for $10 and Pierris 'Mountain Fire' and 'Valley Rose' on clearance for $9.99.. Any one want me to pick up on e just let me know.
My latest purchase was Glossy Abelia 'Kalidascope' Abelias bloom from early Spring to late Fall for me and mostly stay evergreen Bee and butterfly magnets, too.
not I. I have very little spare room for plants I have to pay for. I spend so much time looking at my mess and trying to fit everything into a good place.
I did get some pansies for front door color fall thru early spring. Might be time for a break from article work and get them potted...
Sally--
I LOVE--LOVE that picture of the sky and water!!!!
That kind of sights really "speak to me".....
Ditto on your comments about not having room for bought plants.
I could even "open a shop" with all the plants I have now!
VERY, Very seldom do I justify buying a plant. it would have to be something very special.
You can tell the people that have bigger yards---they are always buying plants and bulbs...
G.
Gita- feel free to use that picture if you'd like. Mark took it from the airplane- I think when they flew to Ocracoke NC. The colors are so pretty in a muted palette. Didn't Mother Nature do nicely?
I potted pansies into two large stoneware pots that flank the front door. I potted daffodils in under them. I thought it will look nice when the daffodils are up blooming above the pansies. But now I'm thinking I'll dislike the daff foliage, and be dissecting the pots to get them out after bloom and plant elsewhere to finish growing. LOL.
Thanks Coleup I'll keep an eye out for the Abelia Kaleidoscope! I love the pollinator magnets. And having only just started gardening this spring I'm still like a kid in a candy shop! :-).
Sally, thanks! I will put it in the Folder called "Wallpaper". It holds favorite
pictures I use on my DESKTOP.
The only way I can describe your photo is----SERENITY.
Do you save amazing photos to use on your desktop?
When I was in AK in July, 2007 to visit my sister, our cousin and her DH
also came there from Latvia. My sister footed the whole bill for them.
She can afford it! They had always wanted to see AK.
Must seem like a fairy tale Land when you live as far from it as Latvia.
Anyway--one of the treats we had was to fly over all the Glaciers
in a small, 4-seater plane piloted by a young woman.
Obviously--she does this regularly for tourists.
The sights below were breath-taking....the pictures turned out amazing--
given the fact that they were taken through a small window of the plane.
I will show you my favorites--and, yes!, you can use any of them too.
1--The largest glacier fly-over. The black lines are where 2 glaciers
have met and become one. The striations (???--HA!) are deep crevices
of the Glacier. Hundreds of feet deep. That is why it is so dangerous to walk on them.
2--The end of some Multi glaciers --they all are melting and forming, first, a silt laden
stream that becomes a small river and, eventually, flow into lakes, which flow into the sea.
3--End of the road of a multi-glacier. This was my all time favorite photo.
You can see the wide silt-laden stream before it enters the river.
4--This shows the multi-small glaciers feeding into a large glacier.
5--The only shot I got of the "Harding Ice Field". The snow is thousands of feet deep--
It is the "mother" of all the glaciers. The rocks you see are the tops of high mountains.
Does that give you an idea?
Google "Harding Ice Field"---you will learn the fantastic history of it.
OK! end of show.....G.
Sorry I got so off-topic. Sally's picture made me do it....It's HER fault!!!
Hope i am forgiven...G.
of course you're forgiven!
Beautiful and very interesting.
Behnke's is having a sale on their pine bark fines!
25% off 4.99
wow that's a great price, SSG!
SSG -- so the pine bark fines are 3.74 a bag at Behnke's? How do they compare to the $3.99 pine bark fine bags from Meadows Farms? Same size bag and quality?
Happy, I haven't bought pine fines at Behnke's in a long time (probably over a year), but from what I remember, it was the exact same brand/size that they have at Meadow's.
Thanks! Behnke's is a bit closer to me that Meadows Farms, so that's a good thing.
Catmint, I finally went and checked out the beltway location of American Plant. It's cute, but very small compared to Behnkes or Merryfields. Their prices are quite high, as expected, and probably comparable to Merryfields. Their Abelia Kaleidoscope was over $40!
I'm thinking about using more shrubs/grass and less perennials. Perennials are fun as fillers, but I don't like seeing all that dying foliage and empty space in the fall/winter. It's actually kind of depressing, compared to the euphoria of seeing new growth in the spring. Hm, maybe I'm taking this a little too seriously. :)
Coleup, do you remember where you saw that Abelia Kaleidoscope on sale? How much was it?
yes, American Plant is definitely expensive! I've been seeing prices at Seasons in Gaithersburg that are probably half of what I imagine they'd be at American Plant. I think I'll check at Seasons when I'm in the area on Sunday to see if they have any of the Abelia there!
Now you have me curious about Behnke's! It sounds like the one in Beltsville is their main store?
Don't know how I'll feel about the winter... I tried to get a few things that are supposed to provide winter interest, and a few things that are supposed to be evergreen, but I don't know how it's actually going to feel... I've been thinking the winter might be a good time for me to catch up on scrapbooking! ;-)
Abelia 'Kalidascope' was at my local Home Depot. I think $20.
Coleup, the HD near you sounds much better than the one that it is near me. Mine seems to carry mostly annuals and a few highly popular perennials, like hosta. The shrub section is very small.
When I merchandized plants at my local HD it was #1 in plants sales in the region. Since then it has slipped into top five, surpased by a newer store whose name I can't recall.
My local store has also become a gathering spot for shrubs/etc being pulled from small stores and offered some fantastic clearance items last fall mostly crepe myrtles/ hydrangeas and named JM trees.
I stop there almost daily to keep my eye out for any deals on plants for me or that others might be interested in.
Would you like me to check if there are any "Kalidascopes' available? I've been listing 'deals' on our plant shopping thread. I am willing to procure a deal for MAF ers with payment of cost at a swap or individually.
I haven't heard from everyone on every 'deal' plant, but I believe most have been pleased. And, if we had been shopping together most of those plants would have jumped into our carts!
LMK. Judy
