Snatchin' Part X... Salvaging at the Dump

Heather, over by Pittsburgh, come on down... ~ Suzi :)

When things are out by the curb on trash pick up day and you spot something you would just love to have, but hesitate because you don't know how you would explain where you got it to family or friends, go for it and if anyone asks tell them you went 'curb shopping', it sounds so much classier than 'dumpster diving'.

Judy

Saving Seeds: Snatchin' Part XI - Curb shopping at it's finest! LOL! I got a great cabinet, curbside in Germany. Still just as pretty and useable as day I scarfed it up, in 91-92. Snatched some white lilacs other night. Had seen but never had nor smelled. As I was clipping, dogs started growling and barking like crazy. AHHHHHHH Got them home, didn't smell like "lilacs" should, so went to dif house and got lilac-lilacs. Next day, 7 y/o says why don't you throw those white ones out, they stink. After all my hard work snatchin and those dogs, what disrespect! LOL ~ Later, Suzi :)

I've been a lurker on the Snatchin' thread for awhile., maybe just not ready to admit my problem LOL! But I had such successful snatch yesterday, I had to share:
Went to the Japanese Garden in Portland, OR yesterday. OUTSIDE the garden (not inside, let's be clear about that), there is a lovely Japanese maple of unknown variety. I was able to "rescue" about 4 seedlings that surely would have been trampled by someone, and also about 7 or 8 seeds.
Then, on to Willamette University, where my daughter attends school. They have lovely grounds with many beautiful Japanese maples that I covet. I got seeds from three maples, including one that has leaves that are cut so deeply that each leaf looks as though it has long slender fingers.
I was also able to 'rescue' some seedlings of an ornamental sedge with yellow and green striped leaves, a large ornamental fescue with long blue leaves, and another ornamental sedge.
In the cracks by one of the ponds I found a seedling of a cobweb form of hens and chicks. Rescued!
In all, a very good day for snatchin'! I find that a used Starbucks cup with lid makes a convenient container for seedlings!

Here's a book I came across, just for the snatchers among us:

Guerilla Gardening: How to Create Gorgeous Gardens For Free, by Barbara Pallenberg.
Here's what's on the cover:
A woman dressed in fatigues with scissors in her pocket and a shovel in her hand.
"Learn to spot salvageable plants and materials, Find out which plants are best for capture and transport, Deploy household tools to turn your yard or living room into a glorious garden, Be prepared to get dirty scavenging plants from dumpsters, alleyways, and abandoned lots".

sounds like professional seed/plant snatch' to me! She probably doesn't have any advice we don't already know from experience, but it's an amusing book just the same!

Well, now that I"m 'out of the closet', I'm leaving town. Going on vacation, that is. Maybe snatching a few plants along the way.

Welcome Pixydish! What an interesting book too! Between all of us Snatchers we should never have to but a plant again!

Nicole

Pixydish - my crystal ball told me you were a Snatcher at heart, glad you came out of the closet!!! lol lol

Weezie, see what happens when you send Alaskan seeds to a Texan living in Florida.

Yummy Sidney! Put that puppy in a salad!

I eat the biggest leaf everytime I pass. They are tasty!

hmmm ~ I want to read that book!! Have to call the library and see if I can request it. ~ Suzi :)

Up to 712 bricks! Trying to exercise restraint so neighbor can go get more, if she wants... Wouldn't want to make her think she told me and I took them all... :)

She might not go back to get any, you know how people are... how about asking her how many she wants, get them all and give her "her part". That is if she doesn't want all that are left. Or go together so she can do part of the work. Of tell her she better get busy or they will all be gone, to your house. While you're waiting on her someone might get them!!!

If you & your neighbor are tired of hauling, please email me & tell me where these bricks are -- I will send my brother over to snatch any that remain!

I'm heading over to my friend's house tomorrow.... she says I can snatch some hostas etc if I help her dig & split them! :-) I have some divisions & seedlings for her too, so I guess it's more of a trade than a snatch, LOL.

Cool Critterologist! That could be called a Snatch N Trade! Hey, new Snatchin' term!

Oh and don't anyone make fun of me... Yesterday I 'started' my own website. There's nothing there yet but a pic of Louie from the roundup. Of course reading the directions is just too easy! Anyway, I am going to put - guess what? - gardening stuff on it! Maybe I can get a little 'side job' business too. Who knows? Anyway, it was cheaper than AOL (went thru Yahoo) and has e-mail! So bye bye AOL!

Going up to my dad and step mom's tomorrow. Maybe I can Snatch a few things! Will post pics if I am successfull!

Nicole

Talked to her tonight. She got some more today, said might go get some more still. 2 nights ago, I said 3-4 more loads left. She and I both took, and she said there is still a lot more there. I told her I didn't want her to be mad at me for taking it all; she said go ahead. So, I will...

Good luck snatchin' at your Dad and SM's, Nicole. Out of curiosity, how much does Yahoo charge for website? ~ Suzi :)

Nicole, Are you riding your motorcycle to your fathers??

I can see it now - snatches all the goodies and has them packed up, ready to go, goes out front and realizes - motorcycle lol lol lol

Not so funny, I did it at grocery store, but only once - 4 bags and taters... oops! good thing I had bungees... hmm and I thought it was age... lol lol

Nicole - If you are going there on bike - please be very careful!!! ~ Suzi :)

My Mother went down to Texas to see my brother's new house in Terrell. She's also on a seed hunt misson for me! She'll be getting some Texas Paintbrush (Castilleja indivisa) & any color of Texas Bluebonnet (Lupinus texensis) she can find. My brother says they're weeds down there and steps on them to crush 'em! He doesn't realize he's only replanting the seeds.... LOL!

She's also getting other texas natives too. I hope she brings or sends a giant manilla envelope back to me.

~* Robin

Tell her to get some mimosa seeds, might be some on trees by now. Not sure anymore since grew them from seed 1983-89. DU brought back and has in his yard. No flowers and stays very small... zone 5a, up by cleveland.

Prob do better in zone 6 for us... (please share!!) If she doesn't get them, we'll have to get someone still there to send us a bunch! ~ Suzi :)

Well I put in a full day. First planted flower boxes on my deck with petunias that I had started from seeds. 6 big boxes!!. Then unloaded a Pick-up truck load of mulch and mulched 3 annual beds, watered everthing. Then in between a trip to DM and MIL to help them do little jobs. Showered and rested, then off to get my granddaughter for the weekend, home and fixed supper. Fried fish that we caught night before last, hush pupplies, and cole slaw. Very good. They are predicting rain for tonight and tomorrow, so maybe I can catch up with inside jobs. However, I was looking forward to a day of yard sales. My DGD just loves them. (shes 9). Well off to the shower again, some days I take 2 or 3 from being outside and sweating.

~ Suzi :)

I have some mimosa seeds right now sent to me a few weeks ago. Send me postage only.
Look in the addy exchange.

~* Robin

Robin - thank you! thank you! thank you! Only postage and no Bubble - okay, on it's way!!! Fond memories - my older DD helped me grow these from seed in TX when she was 2+3 (now 19). Now my 7 y/o can too....

Now, if I could only get some cuttings of that yellow rose I had there!!! Anyone going to Ft Hood, let me know - LOL

Thanks!!! You are a treasure! ~ Suzi :)

Defoecat - was that all before breakfast??? Dang you sure did a lot today. Proud for you!!!

Judy

Sugarweed, great job growing the nasties! Sorry I haven't stopped in here lately. I've been trying to get ready to open our nursery on Memorial Day weekend, and there is still so much to do. I've missed visiting in Dave's Garden lately.

No judycooksey, that was a full day!!. After that post, I went to veggie garden planted more tomatoes and a row of lima beans and a row of green beans. Back in for another shower, 4 in one day. Gonna need a skin transplant before long. It was 87 here yesterday, today is cooler with some rain last night and this morning. Temperature is more to my liking.

I wish I had your energy.... I think I burned out my 3rd gear!!!

Judy

Don't worry about 3rd gear. Just as long as 1st and 2nd work, why do you want to go faster. Pick a speed and cruise!! No I am enjoying it because for the last 2 years have not been able to do anything. No energy, went undiagnosed, went from specialist to specialist to find out what was wrong. Finally changed primary care Dr., and lo and behold, after going over my volumous file, took me off a heart medication that strangely I had been taking for 2 years, and within days had my old energy back again. Am going to try to get off all meds, I might end up feeling like I'm 30 again. (I'm really 58) Feeling 30 might be dangerous, because wild oats were not all sewn!! LOL

Ohhhh, I vote for feeling 30 and sewing those wild oats!!! You only got one chance in this old world and life is too short not to have experienced living!!!

Just be careful about going wild; we don't wanna hear about a crash & burn incident! Defoecat...

~* Robin

Don't think I will follow up on the"wild thing". My mind has these fantasies that I am sure that my body wouldn't or couldn't do!! Like a dog chasing a car, what would I do with anything if I caught it!!. Seriously I have a DH. We've been married 40 years. So anything wild will include him!!

How right you are, one person's wild definitely isn't everyone's.

My wild oat sewing was DH & I driving through Mexico in a rented VW bug with mechancial problems... We had to get a push start at the most inconvenient times and in the process met the most wonderful people!! The adventure of a life time, which would have frightened most people.

Judy

Defoecat,
So glad those meds were eliminated and you finally got all your energy back!! Too bad the old dr never realized the correlation; 2 wasted years! But, you feel great now, so celebrate! ~ Suzi :)

Briar Rose, I alternate between anger and elation. My life is too short to spend lying on the couch with not enough energy to fix a meal. They joy at being able to everything that I used to do, with more appreciation for the job well done!!

OH!!!!!! YOU are going to be sooooooooo proud of me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I went today to check out this tree that KimGather is interested in -- it was right near some spiderwort I had noticed a couple days -- bright blue flowers in the middle of all this ditch junk how could I not ago miss it? Soo I went looking for seedlings of this tree for Kim -- couldn't find any-- did pull a small bit off to make sure I have the right tree and get some seeds LOL! Also got the flowers and leaves off another tree -- the flowers look like snapdragons.. pretty.

Anyway as I was leaving I remembered the spiderwort-- and it is late evening-- about 6:30 so the flowers are closed. But I find it-- turn the van around pack in a siding along the road (there is a creek on the other side of the road-- so this place was where fishermen would park)> ANyway-- I pull over -- lock the van-- dash across the road quick dig up a clump-- and run back across the street! LOL!!!!!! It really doesn't belong to anybody and was covered in weeds but it was potentially property of a gym down a ways.... I plunked it in the bucket of dirt I had brought for the seedlings I didn't get and took it right home. it is settling in nicely in one of the garden beds and covers up my daffodill leaves very well I must say.... LOL!!

Heather

woohoo! Good job Heather!!! It has been so long since I snatched anything, I am out of practice. Guess I will have to live through others' snatches LOL Way to go girl!!!

Hey, Heather... good job! By late June, I should be able to do some snatching of my own. Right now, I'm stuck at home taking care of customers and getting all the plants out on the tables... sort of snatching from myself at this point!

Aw Heather, what a good heart you have to give that poor little neglected fella a home!! Hats off to you!

Nicole

I guess I am a "snatcher" too. I admit it!

Every day on my walk to work (and now when I walk my daughter to the park), I would pass by this beautiful maple tree in the tiny front yard of a neighbor. The yard was literally only about 6' by 6'. This maple was sort of a full moon type, with lime green leaves and a red edge on each leaf. It was about 12 feet tall. I would admire it every time I would pass by.

One day 2 years ago, I noticed a seedling growing up through a crack in between some steps across from the house. I kept thinking I should do something before it was trampled or died in the tight quarters of this teeny crack. One day on my way down the street, I brought a small potful of dirt hidden in the bottom of my daughter's stroller. I reached down and pop! out came the seedling, roots beautifully in tact! I ran back home, my heart beating wildly.

I planted it in my backyard and it is now almost 3 feet tall! I have a lot of plants, but I am really proud of my tiny seedling that I rescued from certain death.

Yea Ivy!

Ivy, you're a lady who takes after my own heart!! Good Going!!!

Judy