I dunno about stamina.. I think I just get so caught up in what I'm doing (playing with plants, it doesn't get any funner than that!) that I don't really realize how much time passes. I do pop into the office from time to time to refill my water bottle, or pull a bottle of gatorade from the freezer. What's nice is when I need to water what I've been playing with... a nice (accidental) soaking from the hose is always a refreshing treat. :)
I really need to check out the weather, this is the first time I'm hearing about a cold front to come through here.
Weather Dog Days of Summer
Wheeeeeeeee, it's raining!!!!!!! Thundering.... haven't noticed any lightning, but Ooooh boy is it ever raining!! WHOOPEEEEE!!! < =D
The storm--and buckets of rain--just abated. Still soft rumbles can be heard.
It started with a really dark sky all over--just after 5APM. Then there was strong
lightening to the N. of here...Those bolts were straight up and down.
I kept wandering if something got hit???
Wonder in which direction all this rain is headed next? Maybe back to here?
You know--the old saying, that T-Storms always circle around.
Now it is calming down--and i can go take a shower...Hope the rest of you
get a decent rain.
G.
speedie, hahaha!
Catmint, I have sunflowers too, usually lose some to these storms...oh well. When they start blooming, the goldfinches start eating the seeds, and I hear the goldfinches as they fly off , startled, when I round the corner, I'm always forgetting to sneak up and watch them.
Sally---
Is this a time we should be feeding the Goldfinches?
I never did see any over the winter...maybe my seed was old?
I still have it--and would use it...I even have a bag of some Finch Food.
All kinds of small seeds...
G.
I don't 'feed' finches, they come to my sunflowers. They rejected my feeder couple years ago and wouldn't come back to it.
Sally, I'm glad to hear the sunflowers help to draw the goldfinches! I've seen one so far--hope to see others.
Speedie and Gita, glad you both got some rain! We got a little here. I'll definitely be glad to see our predicted 'polar vortex' on Wednesday!
I think only gardeners welcome rain even if it comes down hard, at rush hour, and knocks over some of their plants : - )
Bah--hunbug! The cutting hours (for PT'ers) has begun.
I am down to 2 days a week this week. Maybe she will alternate weeks...2 and then 3.
It is the beginning of the summer "dead time".....Garden is pretty much winding down.
It has been the "Money maker" now since end of April. This happens every year.
Many of the seasonal hires will be let go. The better ones will be moved around
to other Dept.s as needed.
Next time it picks up again will be October....all through the Holidays--
and then everything dies off again in January until April.
They can't touch the FT'ers. it is the PT'ers that pay the price.
AND--HD does not even hire FT'ers any more. Just PT'ers.
Such is life at the BIG, rich HD.... G.
LOL Muddy--that is so true!
Hard to believe we are approaching midsummer now with all the changes that entails in our yards and our lives...
Gita, we are in that Summer-Slump at work as well, and Bossman is having a hard time with it. He might be reassured to hear that even HD has their Summer-Sales-Slump in the plant department -- he seems to think he must be doing something wrong. I tell him, NOPE, it's just that time of year... but it's temporary, to think of it as a blessing in disguise for time to get some stuff done around the grounds that he's been wanting to get done... clean-up, constructing, what-have-you.
That storm we got last evening only lasted for about 20 minutes... if we got more during the night while I was sleeping, I missed it! :) This would be a good time to get stuff done in the greenhouse today... too bad I did it all on Saturday! < =/
When I was in the GHs things always slowed done in June with a small peak around July 4th. We always attributed the July peak as people dressing up their vacation property or their yard while on staycation.
We got well over an inch of much needed rain yesterday PM. They are calling for more storms today. There had been a flash flood warning, but none locally, that I heard of. Here the downpours were sucked up by the thirsty ground within minutes of letting up.
We got 0.58 inches last night. Not incredible but very welcome and it wasn't in a hard downpour either but more of a steady, moderate rain. Very beneficial!
Here--the Baltimore area--Serious T_showers with potential high winds are
predicted again today--starting with early afternoon.
Now I have to go outside and put all my pots back on the floor so they won't blow over.
Snuggle away the really lg. pots to shelter them.
my poor Brazilian Plume! It has tiny bloom buds--but it won't be as spectacular
as I was looking forward to seeing. AND--showing YOU all....
It has now been blown over 3 times and has lost half of all it's foliage.
Early rooting of the cuttings.....that's all I can do. Life gives me lemons--and I make
lemonade. Besides--many of you will benefit. Hope they root before September...
G.
G: When you said you were going to snuggle away the large pots I pictured you actually snuggling the pots! LOL
Speedie---
YES! The real "Dog Days " are starting....need strategies to pull people in.
A general "trend" as summer winds down is people purchasing large,
ready-made planters to put on their patios and decks. Lots of cook-outs!
Vertical pot's features were featured in last week's HD newsletter. Could not find it.
Checked my e-mail "Trash" but many things I delete just go into oblivion.
Maybe you are better at searching...
Perhaps you can suggest to Bossman that you, or anyone else, can use up
some of the remaining flowers to make large planter pots?
Remember the "formula" for large pots. They need a "Thriller"--(tall center plants)
a "Filler"--(med. low plants that spread and fill in--kike Petunias, Dr. Wing begonias, etc.)
an a "Spiller'--(trailing plants that hang over the rim). VOILA!!!
Herbs can also be planted in pretty vertical pot sculptures in clay pots.
You know what I mean? The ones where about 4 pots re skewered on a tall re-bar?
They sit kind of askew of each other....left..right..left...right....
Clearancing will also draw people in. Have a SALE! Everyone loves a SALE!
Hold a "Yard sale"....
Fire up a grill and give away free hot dogs...and ice cold bottles of water...(cheap!)
A jug of Crystal Light Lemonade. YUMM! Nothing draws people in like free food..
.HD did it on Fathers day--Curtis (SM) manned the grill @the front of the store
and blew people away! HUH??? FREE Hot Dogs???? "YOU ROCK!"..
Make up COUPONS---15% or $5 off (or whatever %) any single purchase over $50...
Have a DRAWING for a nice free gift. Something you want to get rid of......:o)
You have a great brain--I am sure you can think of something.
BTW---HD has ALL trees, shrubs, Roses, etc now at 50% off. Lots of nice shrubs!
Is this is enough for your Pea Brain to work on... Gita
Jeff---we cross-posted..
"Snuggling away" means putting them where winds will not blow them over.
Like in my basement stair-well....4 steps down to the basement door.
There is a 3'x3' landing.
Tucked in against my patio table.... or on the patio floor behind my table.
Stuff like that........
I had things REALLY snuggled away--but put everything back last night.
Bummer!
G.
Thanks G, I knew what you meant. I was just pulling your leg :)
I know....
new thread about bugs
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1368581/
Oh I better take my Brazilian plume off the bench. It's not nearly so leafy but still could blow.
...New thread about bugs... does that mean we're moving from this one onto that one.. or is that just a happy little addition to the family?
Gita, ALL great ideas, and as a matter of fact, at least my little pea brain was right on track with you (at the same time) and I've already put together some really nice combo-pots, including a pretty (and FRESH) herb combo bowl. =) Darn, wish I'd though to take a pic - got a really nice Stargazer lily/Salvia combo today at the grower, what a gorgeous combination!!
We got some rain at work this afternoon - STORM, really. Gosh, it rained buckets and buckets. I think God just opened up the taps full-force on us. After the deluge it quieted down to a nice steady patter for about an hour or so. Got the same treatment at home; no limbs down, nothing blown over or damaged, just large amounts of rain. The plants are dancing all around the yard singing. :)
Yes, this storm was something else!
I was driving earlier in the afternoon when it started raining, then hailing, then sunshine, all within about 3 miles. After about 5 minutes of sunshine, a tremendous thunderstorm hit.
The drive home was ... interesting. Lots of dark intersections, trees down on the road, puddles to avoid, closed streets. Basically all the highways around DC are at a standstill so I took all backroads.
There were so many fallen branches in my development -- yet another maple tree split in half and fell on another neighbor's roof -- that I was relieved to see I still had power. Three of my potted plants fell over, which is surprising since they were in a very protected corner by the front door. The wind must have been pretty impressive to knock down those pots.
YIKES, I hope that no one was in that house when the tree fell on it!!! Oh man, that is soooooo not a happy thing to come home to! =(
I'm really glad you made it home safe and sound!! =)
Thanks, Speedie! Apparently there was a truck that got all tangled up in a downed wire, which closed a major commuter route and started a domino effect that led to massive delays everywhere. What a storm!
Glad you made it home safely, SSG!
I think the bug thread is focused on garden pests. But it probably is time for me to start a new weather thread. I'll get one started.
New weather thread is here:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1368646/
