THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!!

Let me start this thread off by thanking each and every one of you for your beautiful kind thoughts, and your words of encouragement after the storm hit my wee garden. Your good vibes definitely all met in Hamburg, because I was able, (as many of you said), to save quite a few plants, although lots completely disappeared down the drain.

I didn't want even to look at the place yesterday morning, as we had been cleaning out the cellars almost the whole night, but my wife came in and told me to have a look at my Brug. The last time I saw the poor guy he was bent over at nearly 90°, and had flowers already sticking out of the pods ready to bloom.
I couldn't believe my eyes, he had righted himself up to almost the old position, and there was my first ever Brug-bloom.

I didn't look back from there. I started off by getting the yard cleared of silt, and mud, and even found a phlox, which hadn't been completely washed down, in the drain. Then I started getting the beds in order, one at a time. I lost a lot of earth, so I started making a list for the garden centre, of which plants I had lost, and beetled off to replenish the earth supply, and maybe see what cheapies I could find.

I ended up going nuts, and bought so much I couldn't get it all into my car, so I brought home what I could, and that gave me a wee excuse to go back there today and get the 'rest', at least that is what I told SWMBO ;-)

Tonight I finished the last bed, and the place looks funny, but it still has to grow.

So thank you all Ladies and Gentlemen, for your wonderful words of encouragement, if you hadn't been there to give me a sympathetic 'kick up the butt', I would probably have decided that gardening ain't for me.

If I can do anything for you from here, you know where to find me... at the best Garden Site in the world, amongst you beautiful people from DAVE'S GARDEN.

Wintermoor

((((((Wintermoor))))))

I'm glad there was a silver lining there ;) I was just getting ready to send you the bootees *G*

Thanks Baa,
I'll send you a remembrance Tea-Bag instead ;-)

Wintermoor

((((((((((((Wintermoor))))))))))) The rainbows and silver linings found you just like I knew they would. Sorry you had so much work to do, but once bitten by the garden bug......what's a body to do????

"eyes"

Oh, I'm bitten now completely "eyes" since I saw how my Brug didn't want to give up ;-) This gardening thing ain't gonna lose this guy now ;-)

Thank you again

Wintermoor

Im so glad to hear this news! I know how heart broken I was after we had the rain and floods pouring over the road and into the garden!
Arent plants amazing! :-)
God bless and make it all grow!

I'm so happy to have got it all in some sort of order again, that I'm running out every few minutes to see that I've planted them properly, and also to get a wee sniff of my new Brug blooms, since it looks like I'll have another one tomorrow.

Yippeeaayyyeee!!!

Wintermoor

:D So GLAD to hear your good news, Wintermoor! Please, please post pictures as soon as you can.

Wintermoor, once started down the garden path, there IS no turning back. I have been thinking about you and all you have faced this summer. If you find you need seeds for any cottage garden things, send me a note. I don't have any brugs - resisting mightily here - but I do know what it is to find a plant that I thought lost up and blooming. Hurrah for good old Mom Nature - a never say die kind of gal!

So very happy for you. Glad you didn't lose your sense of humor. Sorry you had to work so hard, but you'll see it is all worth it! Best of luck to you.

I love that expression, "beetled off" Never heard that one before...

Three cheers for the resiliance of plants and their people! I'm glad this turned out somewhat happily. Maybe somebody downstream will wonder where those nice plants washed in from. And plant them!

Wintermoor,I don't know if I expressed any condolences or not, as I was in the throes of a brutal headache and under the influence of as many drugs as my hand could stuff into my mouth. But rest assured, I thought of you and sent many kind thoughts your way. I have battled weather and grasshoppers all year, so I know how discouraging it can be. I found a wisteria, a caesalpinia pulcherima and a walnut tree resurrected recently, and I literally stood there and cried as I caressed them and congratulated them for hanging tight through adversity. I am elated for you, that you had that experience. The extra work is cathartic, and you got in some good bonding with the garden, so it's a good season in the end. I join the gardeners here in sending you strong vibes, and urge you to talk to those plants and congratulate
them for such a great showing. You are a team, the plants and you, charging headlong to a glorious finish.

Wintermoor, I don't know what I can add to what everyone has so eloquently voiced here - but I sure am happy for you and your stalwart brug plant!!!!

And we gardeners convince ourselves that our gardens couldn't make it without our TLC ;) Actually, most of them couldn't. But you sure are one plucky shuck, Wintermoor. Congrats on getting your garden back in order. Keep it up!

That sense of humor really pays off; I am waiting to hear a really good joke from this experience.

wintermoor, I truly know what you went through, it happened to me last year..after the waters went down, I had a cry...got dirt under my nails and was back at it again :-) Hope all is well. ((((sending you sunshine & dry thoughts)))

I felt so bad for while when I had two puppies destroyed my plants pretty enough and hurt me so bad also last winter had freeze burn last minute most on brugs and few come back alive so glad. I know how you feel so bad your loss and don't worry will send you new seeds when you ready to email me your addy. =D I am glad you are happy .

This message was edited Saturday, Aug 10th 8:53 AM

Oh, wonderful!!!! I'm so glad you've got it all planted again!! Nothing like digging back in to bring your spirits back up, unless it's a brug that just won't give up. ;) SWMBO is even smiling, I'll bet!

So pleased for you Wintermoor. Isn't it great to start again - new plants, new soil, new growth and new pleasure. And aren't plants wonderful. We care for them and look after them but they have been surviving, on their own, for millenia! It probably isn't the first flood a Brug has experienced and it probably won't be the last.

Glad to hear the bug has bitten!

Wintermoor, I am happy that all is ok with you and your "new" gardnes. It's amazing that the brug is doing so well, I am excited for you

Thank you all,
what can I say about the response I got about this..... man, its almost frightening, the power behind all of you Ladies and Gents!!!

Things are getting back to the norm slowly but surely, and yes SWMBO is as happy as a pig in the s**t ;-)

Thanks again Folks

Wintermoor

Wintermoor,
My husband is in charge of the veggie garden, and I am in charge of the flower garden. I always tell him he feeds our bodies, and I feed our souls. Keep at it, for we all need a little soul food along the path of life. You won't regret hanging in there. Never give up.

Winter I didn't know - I didn't know!!!!!!!!!! I was in Chicago. I knew you were sandbagging but to come and find out the worst case scenario is just awful. I can't add much. It's all been said for me but I know that you are a true champion and champions are never defeated. Scotland the brave forever!!!!!! :-)

Thank you all again folks,
the wee place is back up-and-running again.
I've begged, stole, and (no not borrowed) bought all that I needed, plus a wee bit too much, and I'm quite happy with the result. They still have to grow a wee bit though. I haven't even started re-designing, just popped things in where others were missing ;-)

SWMBO wants me to half one of the beds, so that we can get more seats in. I'll have to see if my good old maths can work it out, so that I don't really lose so much planting place, and she can have her table and chairs.

*Singing and Dancing*

Wintermoor

I'm so glad to hear this, Wintermoor! Your beds look pretty tall ~ can you install flat rocks-bricks-stone-pavers or the like along the edges and affix them well enough that they can serve as seats? Maybe raise the bed sides if they're too short, then install the seats?

Along the tops of the beds I have light-gray Scottish Granite stone. It isn't highly polished so it still has that rugged look about it. I sit there very often with friends, instead of on the wee plastic chairs, although some people do prefer a cushion on the granite.

Not me though..... ahm tuff ;-)

*growl* ;-)

Wintermoor

;P!!!!!!!!!!

lol!!! Winter - I just love your enthusiasm and it's great to know that your sun followed the rain. However, don't forget what sitting on hard stone can do to you!! Or that's what my mum used to say!! :-) I see that Russia, Austria and other parts of Europe are experiencing more devastation with flooding. The pictures on the BBC news were frightening!! I couldn't get hold of DD today - her line was constantly engaged and wondered if she has had bad storms too. Have you heard anything?? She's not too far from Lake Constance as you know. I think I'll mail her now!!

So what can sitting on hard stone do to you, Louisa? I never heard that one. All I ever get when I do is a cold butt.

Wintermoor

In North Yorkshire we had raised beds round the lawn and put flat stones on top and often sat there, not having any garden chairs. Anyway, stone looks alot better than plastic!

Louisa - even in cool North Yorkshire we never suffered from sitting on cold stone every summer (when it wasn't raining) for nine years! It's just an old wive's tale.

Traditional wisdom has it that sitting on cold rock or concrete (more common in urban areas) causes hemorrhoids.

Wintermoor, you will take photos of your redoubled efforts and post them, won't you? For us? Please? Soon? Can you tell I am begging here LOL

Ahh! I did not know that! *grin* Thanks, Lupine. LOLOL!

Old Wives Tale or not - I cannot bear testimony to either!! Now after I gave birth many moons ago ......well, that's another story.......lololol!!!!

ROTF, Louisa!!!!!

Still laughing here too Wingnut and can remember it very vividly!!!!! Not once, but twice......ouch!!!! lol!!!

Wintermoor,glad to hear you're up and growing again!! Good luck with the new stuff,and the offer still stands if you're lacking in anything.
Gwist

(((((((Wintermoor)))))))) Glad you are back into the swing of things and your garden will be better than ever I am sure! Lani