Hello from San Francisco

This site was a great find. Let me tell you about my obsessions!

I have always loved gardening. I worked in fine gardening for a while, and now I just do it for enjoyment and pleasure. I used to do it off and on, but now, my housemates all moved out and I'm taking advantage of it..

I have two outside gardens. In my little front garden, my pride and joy is a beautiful firepower nandina domestica that I have had for about 8 years, and it's about 8 feet tall. Besides the nandina, I started there with some common plants, princess flower tree (~20feet high, salvia leucantha, yellow abutilon ( trained up, about 6 feet), and a nice azalea.

In the back, I have a gunnera manicata that I am just starting, a wachendorfia thyrsifola, then some more common perennials I got from Wayside Gardens: gaillardia fanfare, pyrethrum j. kelway, orange echinacea, a nice "sky pencil" holly. In some containers, I have a hedychium gardnerianum, a musella lasiocarpa ( I'm really excited about that one), trying some tarragon, couple of ferns, rush, and dahlias.

Indoors, I have a 400W HPS lamp on some peppers, tomatoes, horseradish (incredibly fast-growing), some seedling albizia julibrissin's, a two-inch widdringtonia cedarbergensis ( that I'll try indoors as a bonsai? ), a jamaican red dwarf musa, and a jatropha multifada ( that has some drooping leaves, help?). Most of these plants are relatively new too. Well, the peppers are looking real tasty!

Not under the lamp, but still illuminated, I have my carnivorous plants in a 25 gallon aquarium. I have some nice sundews ( one drosera binata) and a sarracenia. I just love sundews. They are just too cool.

Also illumited, I have a Rainforest ( Gen. Hydro. ) aeroponic system with the 242 model lid ( has 42 2'' sites ( little mesh cups that get a coco fiber cup with clay pebbles, which sit in an 18 gal. reservoir that gets misted underneath). I am using this to start seeds. I also started with this thing within a couple of weeks. The albizia started off right away, which was not surprising. I use a quality aquarium heater inside it that I have at 88 degrees. Some of the more interesting seeds I have in there are sophora japonica, brachychiton acerifolus, butea frondosa, arisaema tortuosum, jacaranda mimosaefolia, hovenia dulcis, coffea sp., podocarpus macrophylla, firmiana simplex, and more. Also, I am trying to start tacca integrifolia, the white bat flower, which I understand is hard to germinate. I keep anyone posted on my success if anyone is interested...

As you might be able to tell, I've developed quite a little hobby. I'd say that I have a green thumb, I suppose, but it's that I really, really enjoy seeing plant growth, and love being able to see changes in plants. I am excited about these new plants, many of which I have only seen in pictures. I can recognize a great deal of the common plants around here, and there are quite a few around here due to the climate (and microclimates), but I want some different plants!

I know, long-winded intro...I told you that I was obsessed!
Thanks to all of those who sent me welcome e-mails! I am excited, can you tell?

GVF

PS. - I 'll put some pictures up soon...

A big wave from Kentucky : ) Welcome to Dave's.

Vicki

Welcome from your Southern neighbor.

Around here, no one is obsessive, just a love of gardening.

Donna

Welcome from Iowa. Hope you enjoy Daves. I have trouble staying away long enough to weed and water. LOL!

Welcome GVF from the red rock canyons of Moab Utah. it sounds like you have an acre full of plants instead of a yard bet you have stuff to teach us.

Thanks for your welcome messages.

Blooms, I'm just a beginner!

Cheers

hello from new york

Welcome from Iowa. Glad you joined us in our passions/obsessions!

Welcome neighbor, boy oh boy, you are obsessed, how fantastic, I love to see someone else so involved with their plants. I'm sure you'll be an inspiration to us all.

Welcome from OK. You'll definately love this site. Enjoy!