Peace, and happiness... yeah, happiness
This message was edited Dec 31, 2015 8:16 PM
Yardening Dec 2015 into 2016
Gita
Amen, Amen! Your lips to G-d's ears!
Great quote
Happy New Year everybody.
Aspen--et al
Read today's Article on "How to care for Christmas Cactus".
Print it out! It is quite good and helpful.
I need to change some of MY habits on this.... Gita
Changing some of my habits sounds like a resolution to me!
Have a Happy New Year all!
I salvaged a bunch of very ordinary hosta roots today. Ripped em out with a mattock - they were planted circling a maple over 25 years ago.. I figure I might place a new row of the hostas somewhere out back in front of the tree line? For now they're covered with loose soil and sawdust- figure they are sleeping for another month or two.
Well crap. I posted from my chrome book but must have not hit that second reply confirmation. I seem to have done that a few times.
Stump grinder.
The war zone and my weekend backyard warrior
How are the dental patients doing, Sally? And quite a project in the back yard.
Is your garage going to be where that stump was, Sally?
I spotted a few crocus flowers today, also a single "Green and Gold" flower and some Vinca minor blooms.
Quite the job you have going on there Sally.
The jaw patient still has a lot of numbness/tingling, the wisdom tooth patient had fantasticly easy time of it, but still on soft food of course with the healing. Thank heavens we bought a Ninja blender thing, that and the food processor have been essential. I will be making whipped sweet potato casserole for dinner. and what else? Dinner planning has been 'fun'!
There's another hole just right of that picture where the crabapple was. That'll be the back corner of the garage. This stump was the norway maple shading the deck. We also had a stump from a big maple we took out three years ago. So we're getting our money's worth. Because of the holiday, we got Thursday until Monday am for the same fee (250??) That and a new chainsaw, much cheaper than a tree service.= assuming all the muscles and spines hold out, lol.
I don't see any sign of my snowdrops, they are very shaded right now. No crocus. I had a stray bloom on creeping phlox, and a dandelion, and the purple deadnettle is going gangbusters like spring.
Dang! l almost forgot to 'Post Reply" again!
Sally, that does look like quite the project. We rented one of those stump grinders once, those things are awesome.
What size did you decide on for the garage?
I have a few crocus and Vinca minor blooms, one Lonicera sempervirens flower and new growth that could bloom, and a single Black-eyed Susan flower.
Those poor blooms have 1 more day, then bam the temperature is going to plummet. I have to get photos of my nonstop reblooming azalea out front before the deep freeze!
Happy New Year all. Hard to believe it's 2016, it sounds so futuristic. The cold weather is a' comin' that's for sure. I guess we'll see if my blooming plants hold out...LOL...they did on a 23 degree night but 14 is a little different. I sprayed Wiltpruf on my Cryptomeria yesterday as well as the Southern Mag and Nellie Stevens hollies. My yardening is officially done for the season.
Sally, I'm glad to hear the dental patients made it through alright. That maple project looks like a decent sized one. It's nice you were able to do it for cheap on your own. Some tree removals can be pricey.
Listening to the rain pour down and sump kick on. We'll like the mild temps for tomorrow but it will get cold fast when the sun goes down.
This weather is unreal. I'm glad I read your post because I didn't realize how cold it was going to get. I better go plug in the fish pond heater I just unplugged.
I was tempted to put on shorts today and it might snow next week!
Welllll----- someone has to post somewhere...right?
Seems winter has us all in a grip the last few days. SO cold! In the teens...
When it is so cold--no one will garden outside--but this is the time to garden inside.
I was going to continue organizing my seeds (I sure am procrastinating on this)
but ended up getting all my Amaryllis pots ready to bring upstairs.
SO--that's what I did. All 9 of them! Big and small....
I had already brought all the pots in back in late October when I brought everything in.
Then they sat, ignored, for a couple of months.
Then-I did the cleaning up, trimming off a lot of the straggly roots and re-potting in fresh soil . Trimmed back the "necks" too. Now--everything all nice and neat..
Had to toss a couple of the Pups as they seemed to have some kind of black crud
just under the bulb scales. Looked like rot--but it could have also been some vermin
living in the bulbs all summer. Split off the bigger Pups and gave them their own pots.
Some were too crowded--so I potted those on roomier pots as well.
Then, there they sat again until I noticed vague signs of new growth. One even had
2 bloom pips sticking up! OH OHH! Time to bring them up in the LR,water them and
see how fast they will start popping. I bet withing a week most of them will show
green somewhere. Most likely--leaves.
In last weeks Article here--someone wrote about Amaryllis care.
One interesting thing I had never heard before was that when the leaves start growing
from the bulbs--so do the roots at the bottom of the bulbs. Hmmm--interesting!
Of course--I presume-- that applies to new, bare bulbs. My bulbs all live on and on
in their pots and they always have roots at the bottom. I actually cut hand-full off!
Now I wait. Hope to see some of you post here too--kind of a continuation to our
previous topics. Gita
Here are the 9 pots I just brought up. Sorry--they are a bit out of focus--but I had to
wait for the camera to flash--and then they always come out this way.
they'll be beautiful!
I'm tempted by seeds but realistically cannot start any indoor pots until March 1. I thought I would do a few wintersowed pots in the garden but ran out of time and nice temps.
Gita, They look really good.
Here is a pic of the ones I gave my Mom. All 5 of the ones in the big blue pot were last years bulbs and were in the garden for the summer. All of them are going to flower.
Tour big, blue pot looks kike my big pot. Mine is a bit bigger...
I will try to find some photos of when my big pot of 5 bulbs first bloomed.
I know I have pictured from 2006. Amazing--NO?
Gotta hit the sack--working tomorrow,,,,,Please keep posting here so i don't
feel like the "lone Ranger".......Good night! Gita
Okay, I got 3 bulbs in this pot. One of Hercules. Its last two blooms are hanging in for a little bit longer. Then there are supposed to be 2 bulbs of Red Peacock, but if you look at the two hotter red blooms in the second pic they are different. For lack of a better word I will say one seems to be single petaled and the other double petaled. Both the same color which I just LOVE. I have been enjoying Hercules since mid December and the Red Peacock just started blooming within this last week.
Very cheery!
Heartwarming! yay Jan!
Jan--They are beauties! Love the deep red.....
My BIG pot are all red too. I removed one of the double-bulbs from the big pot
as they were really crowded. This allowed me to re-position the remaining 4 bulbs
giving them a bit more space. Three of the 4 bulbs are really big--they are originals
from the years ago I planted them in this very same pot. At least 20 years ago.
And--they grow and bloom every year for me.
My regiment of maintenance seems to be working OK. The only thing I am too lax about
is fertilizing and watering them, as they all sit outside in the summer.
I think fertilizing would be the most important...on anything--which I seldom do.
I am sure you have seen these--just showing off again. See the big pot?
The bulbs in it are as old as the pot.....
March, 2014.
Yes, they are gorgeous, my dear! I love red
I wish I could upload this with the fragrance. These are the first load of bulbs I got from Longfield gardens this fall. They forced so easy peezie I couldn't believe it. I've got two fridge loads of these and assorted bulbs in pots chilling and growing roots and a whole cold frame under the deck including some lilies. I can't wait to bring in the lilies but I'm pacing myself so I can have flowers over the whole winter. These by the way are Ziva. I couldn't help myself. My daughter's dog is named Ziva. She's brindle rather than white. They're both (dog and plan) short and stocky but the scent of the flowers can't be beat.
This message was edited Jan 20, 2016 12:04 PM
One of my favorites and goodie goodie I just learned I can propagate by cuttings and seed. Sorry the pic is upside down I'm just learning how to import from my phone. You should see my "techno girl" smirking.
Lovely, both! Is that a Medinilla? amazing but I was afraid too difficult so I never really considered it.
I wish I had done a couple paperwhites- just didn't get around to it.
I have an Android- if I crop my photo at all it makes it post correctly.
thanks for letting me know I'll give it a try
Yeah I have several of them I'm thinking of getting the orange kind next. They're really easy. My big one which is just going out of bloom is about 3 foot tall and had at least four blooms on it at once. I had just thrown it out on the deck in the gazebo over the summer and watered it when I remembered and brought it in when it got cold. Thats it. I will admit I do have a vaporizer going near it but that's it.
I can't believe the MAF is not screaming about their impending doom this weekend.
We had about 4 inches of snow this morning, which challenged Louisville enough. If the true insinuated 12" arrives on Friday - and then heads your way - I suspect that there be so much posting going on that new server space will be required.
Meanwhile, all my little treasures from the Holly Society of America auction (held in your heartland, Hunt Valley) are snuggling together to fend off this ill winter wind...
LOL VV, Just a little dusting of snow. These things don't get me to worked up. Kinda of looking forward to some nice white fluffy stuff. What little lovelies did you pick up at the HSA auction?
Yehudith, What a neat looking plants I have seen them for sale at some of the plant sales.
As of the evening news, there is up to 17.5" in our future by Saturday morning. THAT would be awesome.
It would completely bury the likes of:
Ilex opaca 'Bear Station'
Ilex opaca 'Glen Ellen'
Ilex cornuta 'CH-121'
Ilex x 'Cherry Bomb'
Ilex opaca 'Lin's Gold'
Ilex x 'Buttercup'
Ilex opaca 'Portia Orton'
And that's just the ones I paid for...out of the 92 plants auctioned off. A darn good time was had by all.
Forecast seems pretty sure of 18 to 24 inches for my area, starting around dusk Friday.
What a nice group of plants you picked up. The only thing that I am doing is dropping off my vacation stuff to a friend. She is taking her camper to Fl. on Feb 1st and I am flying down to meet her on Feb 15th. Then staying there with her till March 10th and heading home. She wants her camper packed before it snows. All I have to bring is clothes and a few personal things then I won't have to travel with any luggage. This is going to be quite an adventure for me. My friend J and I travel together quite often usually for 2 weeks at a beachside condo each year along with our husbands. This time it will be just the 2 of us in a camper for a month. I have never been away from Ric for more than a week at a time.
Awww-Holly----Rick will be OK! We all will check in on him...
Snow---Yes--18"-2' predicted here. Sally and I are pretty much in the same area.
Just 1/2 hour drive apart...I think...28 miles.
Not sure i will make it to work Sunday???? It is not that I fear driving in snow--
it is getting in and out of my driveway. Besides the snow predicted--I am sure
the snow plows will pass by here at least 2-3 times between Fri, and Sunday.
Because there are 2 schools on my street (Middle School and a High School)--
This street gets plowed and salted a lot.
The mountain of snow the plows leave at the end of everyone's driveway
is a serious barrier.
Even if I made it to work--when I got home--I would not be able to get into my
driveway, nor park on the street.
Shoveling a 3' plowed pile of snow (in the dark) is not something I want to do.
Bracing myself............. Gita
Yeah Gita after coming home in that little bit of snow we had last night I'm thanking G-d I'm off work tomorrow. I couldn't believe the idiots out there spassing out over the little bit we got. Yep I'm not moving, not one inch from my front door! You stay home warm and comfy too. Our plants need us around to take care of them.
Wow Holly, could be very refreshing!! Some gals at work talk about us all going away (strictly theoretical, but when some of us retire... would be great to be able to offer a big beach house and see who drops in.
Okay, count me in for visiting the big beach house. Hehehe.. Sounds wonderful, Holly. That would be great to fly without luggage.
Looking forward to the white stuff, actually. Got my milk and bread. Hehehehehe. So we're set. Jeff will get the cords set if we need to run the generator in the camper.
Jan--Don't forger the toilet paper......:o)
Got that, too!!!!