Beautiful, Melanie. You do way better work on Donna Dewberry flowers than I do. I'm very impressed!
:) Donna
CLOSED: Looking for Mirabilis Longiflora
It's alot of fun. I'm prone to do some modifying to her designs. It's quick and easy. I also love to do oils, but it takes time.
Hello, you sillies - I apologize for vamoosing, but my orthopedic issues wipe me out sooner than they did 30 years ago - have either been trying to exert myself or recouperate. Today the rose Graham Thomas and I had a serious discussion with ye pruners, and he had much to grump about regarding the clematis and morning glory I threw his way last summer.
If anyone wants to send me anything, that would be nice, but I'm not expecting anything - why not just "pass it forward" as they say? (A good pass-it-forward spot is the Hurricane Katrina/Rita forum on DG - many DG members who were wiped out are starting to make gardens again - http://davesgarden.com/forums/f/katrina/all/ - see Replacement Plants thread)
Heavinscent, I think you've unsnarled everything beautifully.
I seem to recall, when I first became a paid subscriber back in the summer of 2003, that Daves Garden had a Member Store - where DG members could sell stuff they made or specialized in or grew, etc. I haven't been able to find it lately - perhaps an answer about what happened to it or where is it might be obtained on the forum Dave's Garden?. Anyhoo, if it's still around, that might be a nice way for Meag to possibly dip her toes in selling some of her work that I so much admire.
I understand Julie88 does something similar to Meag with embroidery on fabric with sophisticated sewing machine. I go into a totally slurpy state over flowers - whether it's when they triumph in the garden over furry critters and otherwise, or when ye 'pooter moniter backlights a painting of them by the likes of Fantin-Latour or Shoda Koho, or when they are painted like Meag does with a brush stroke that makes petals like sea shells, or in embroidery like I imagine Julie's must be like.
I wrote an internet guide for DG (unfinished draft) that correlates flower and garden art to old garden classics (and related subjects) - all of it is free and online because, being "open domain" (published before 1923), its copyrights have expired: http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/566811/ There are links to several of these artists (including Fantin-Latour and Asian artists) in there in case anyone wants to look 'em up.
Welp, looks like the kitties are settling down so us humans can sleep - have enjoyed kibitzing with you folks.
ps - here are thousands of botanical images of flowers done by William Curtis (English 1746 - 1799) - http://www.nalusda.gov/curtis/ that you can download, as above.
This message was edited Mar 14, 2006 4:39 AM
Blue, just don't you worry!!! I'll be sending your shortly. Thanks so very much for including me, all of you!!
Melanie
Donna, just wanted to see if you received those seeds I sent you earlier this week.
I have noticed that the Fragrant RR has gone missing since March 8, and remember that the Twisted Robin also disappeared for quite a while.
Perhaps we could all save our seed this summer with the precariousness of RRs in mind, with the goal of doing a swap around 2/1/07 like Sheran does - participants mail their packaged, labeled seed to Sheran with enough postage inside the bubble envelope for her to send the envelopes out again, with the seed divided up between all the participants. Would you like to plan on something like this with 2/1 in mind?
Let me know what you think, or if you have any other ideas.
# of participants?
another carrier like UPS? would like to use one to include international participants like Sorgina.
expand type of seed to anything especially delightful like Japanese morning glories and heirlooms etc.?
Sheran seems to really enjoy doing these swaps - perhaps a swap every 2 months might be of note, since so many different kinds of seed are continually ripening throughout most of the year - even in the north when you include indoor gardening.
Donna, I finally got those seeds out to you earlier this week - hope the postal service is agreeable.
The Fragrant RR has been missing since 3/8/06. Would anyone like to do a swap like Sheran does with the seed we save? I'd like to make it international so DGers like Sorgina can participate, and also to expand the type of seed to any seed that is especially loved, or uncommon, or heirloom, etc. - like Japanese morning glory seed, poppies, sage, etc., as well as fragrant plants. I'm thinking a swap every 4 months over the next year - 7/1, 11/1 and 3/1 - so that we can get the seed to each other relatively fresh plus give ourselves time to do the cleaning, sorting, packaging, etc. I'd like to especially invite folks on this thread and who are now participating in the Fragrant RR - especially if they do not find their robin. If less than 20 show interest, I would invite anyone else until we reach a limit we think would be workable.
I'm thinking of asking Sheran if she'd like to lead this - unless someone else would like to do it?
Lemmeno your thoughts and ideas -
Caren - you have a way with titles - what shall we call it - Swapping for Dummies? Other?
PS - Julie88 was one of the two Julies whose trades I confused with each other back when I was a "newbie" on DG - In the end, we all got our plants, but the trip was unforgettable - thanks for chiming in, Julie.
Count me in Blue, its always an adventure! Since you asked about titles I must make one point. Please bare with me as I can't think of a better way to say this.
I think title will be very important. Like Berrygirls Fragrant RR we were all wanting to give and recieve specific plant types. The name said it all but a title like Swapping for Dummies just invites mixed merigolds and wildflowers. Not that they are bad plants but if I put in hard to find, exotic, and fragrant varietys getting back merigolds is a real bummer! Please don't think me a garden snob! I just would like to get out what I put in. I hope you know what I mean.
I have foot-in-chops syndrome so please excuse my frankness but I can't think of a candy coated way to say it! LOL
Something simple but to the point like Fragrant & Heirloom Flower swap would weed out the more common 'fill' plants. But thats just my 2 cents!
Thanks
Caren
Caren, I agree with you 100%. How about the Fragrant, Heirloom and Uncommon Plant Swap?
Clarifying what we mean by that is not going to be easy. Would anyone interested in joining help out by posting which plants you definitely would not like to see darkening your mailbox? and which ones would make you wreath your mailbox in thanks to whatever Horticultural Powers that be?
Here's a beginning:
Mailbox Darkeners:
marigolds
wildflower mixes
Tendergreen bush beans
invasive plants:
Chinese Lantern Plant (Physalis franchetii -see DG PlantFiles)
Mailbox Wreathers:
brugmansia (2 pods just ripened over the winter in our cellar on a plant that Shirley1md very generously brought over here last summer along with a full carload when I thought she was only bringing over 1 pot. Parent is an unnamed white very fragrant brugie that outperformed the others last fall.)
Mertensia virginica (Virginia bluebells - shade tolerant, local woodland native that goes dormant in summer - nice to follow with ferns. I think individual named wildflowers would be fine. This is another plant I grow that may yield seed.)
Lettuce 'Marvel of 4 Seasons' (goes by a French name, is a reddish, butterhead lettuce that has yielded seed for me)
Herbs - I can't think of any I don't like.
poppies
morning glories - if you grow more than one kind, the way to ensure that the seed is true is to bag the flower the night before it opens - some MGs cross easily and some don't, but the Japanese MGs might be worth the trouble because they are so special.
It may be inevitable that one of us is going to classify someone's favorite as a Mailbox Darkener, so I hope we can all be flexible here and feel free to say which ones you like and don't like. All input and ideas and suggestions will be welcome.
It might be best to open a new thread but I dont want to open one as I am not hosting. Blue, did you ask Sheran if she was intrested? Im sure with a new title we will get more intrest than this old tired thread LOL! Just a thought.
Caren
Caren, I just dmailed her - if she likes the idea, will start new thread.
Yippy! I just hope shes not too swamped with the Easter swap! I see you are in that, what kind of dressing up for the holiday do people do for the seed packs? I wanted to join but I had no idea what to do as far as decorating. I would like to join the next one whenever that is.
Caren
Hey both Caren and Karen!! Just don't forget me when you decide to do this!! I am low on seeds but I do have some unusual ones! I sent my Easter swap off yesterday, I do hope that Blue get's my gift that's included. I have also finished the "something" I promised. Just can't figure out how to send it. In a box or roll it up! Blue can you guess???
Both of you take care
Melanie
Im sure when we do this we will post it in several forums as to not leave anyone out.
Caren
Can y'all smell the smoke from Caren and my brains from trying to set up the swap? A better wording of how to define uncommon plants occurred to me than "Mailbox Darkeners", so am posting an excerpt of what I just wrote to Caren:
"Since it's impossible to define this for different gardeners, we will probably wind up with quite a few surprises. Basically, the idea is for participants to send seeds of plants that have given them special delight and not to send seed that everyone else is already growing.
"Named varieties instead of wildflower mixes would NOT be good (oops - Caren, I left out the NOT). There are so many kinds of sage available now - if everyone grew just one plant of different kinds of Salvia guarnitica (Brazilian Black and Blue, Purple Majesty, S. guar. species; Salvia coccinea in red, pink or white; Salvia patens (species, blue cultivars or 'White Trophy') - there are many more - Sandy Mush has quite a variety of sages. Then there are Japanese morning glories - folks on that forum can be tempted to trade. Seed can be saved from dahlias. Some of us will be growing the desert 4 O'clock (Mirabilis longiflora) this summer - said to smell like orange blossoms. Keep an eye on any shrubs or vines in your garden and save those seeds. So, look around for unusual plants to grow on this summer, and then this coming fall/winter, we'll all have something a little unusual to trade."
Well, Sheran knows how to make things sound like more fun than I do - not to mention simpler. She hasn't responded yet. Maybe Caren can fiddle with the wording and ideas in my suggestions to start the swap.
For decoration, people glue stickers, bows, pretty paper or fabrics; Meag does those incredible hand-painted flowers on her packets; etc. For the Easter swap, I got the idea of excerpting poetry for each flower I'm sending with a link to the complete poem on the internet included - this is taking a million years.
Hmmm - in a box or roll up? I've always been curious what a floral interpretation of Louise Nevelson's shadow boxes might be like - but perhaps that would be too much urban angst in the posie patch, not to mention postage angst? Roll up?
Welp, better go exert something besides my brain - day's getting along.
karen
For all who are still reading the swap is a go!! Sheran will be hosting. Sign up here!
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/584800/
bringing this back up as wondering did anyone else get their seeds to grow?? i got one going and trying to catcth the blooms is hard. hehehe
I have three going no blooms yet
I finally sowed mine on June 20. The plants are about 2' x 2', but no blossoms yet. I'm afraid that my original plan to underplant a standardized white buddleia with them got compromised as I wandered around trying to figure out where I could put Japanese morning glory 'Yagurama' from EmmaGrace. This was not a wise thing to do for the Mirabilis longiflora as the competition seems a bit much for it. I'm still optimistic that it will flower and perfume our twilight with orange blossoms.
Heavinscent, did you dmail me that yours came up but that all but one keeled over as in compost? I wonder how our gardens will reflect how this flower feels about high humidity and/or lack thereof?
Ansonfan, where are you? You have a very overdue dmail from me with apologies...
Is everyone still interested in a February 2007 swap? I hope we embark upon another plant chase next winter.
Blue, all but one died and its a much diffrent habit than other mirabilis in my garden. It is not errect but is more trailing on the ground. I gave it a shot of bloom booster about 2 weeks ago and it had come in to bloom. They have not opened yet but I will try to get a pic in evening when they are opend. I cant wait to get a whiff!
Caren