Welcome to new member drivenbonkers from Perth ON

Hi drivenbonkers, and welcome to Dave's Garden. Come on over and chat with us for a while - tell us what you like to grow.
--from Ginny in Blyth ON

thanks for the welcome!

I like to dabble in anything green or blooming. In the house there's a few orchids, cactus, violets, hoya, and a couple of other things that I don't know what they are. There's one plant that's in bud now, when it blooms I'll post it's picture to try to identify it. Reminds me of a tarantula spider.....hairy legs and all!

The outside gardens are a mishmash of a little bit of everything I like, roses, lilacs, peonies, cactus, sedums, iris, daisies, dandelions, (aka spontaneous lawn marigolds.......) spring bulbs, Something to cut for the vase every week......

I have made a little hydroponic garden (2 flats) in my light garden, just to have a bit of spring inside, and have lettuces a couple of weeks old looking pretty delicious, MMMMM, ceasar salad! Just to experiment, there's a couple cucumbers, pole beans, cantelopes and tomatoes.

I have a little greenhouse in the backyard to start my seeds (annuals, perennials and vegetables) in April. Plan on growing tomatoes and melons hydroponically in it this summer, they should do better than the poor lettuces did last summer, they baked AND fried.....

I'm such a sucker for a pretty flower picture on a seed package......looking forward to this spring, hoping all the new tulip bulbs survived the winter......

Hi drivenbonkers. Welcome to Dave's. So let me be the one to ask - what's been driving you bonkers? Great handle!

Kids, weather, the unmentionables in a city near you (no religion/politiks/co-op orders) allowed on DG.

Welcome to DG
inanda

Welcome to Dave's drivenbonkers! :D

thanks for the welcomes!

thanks echoes, the name just came up one day, when I was needing a name for my email, I was telling my kids (two teenaged boys) they were driving me bonkers, when one son said ...'and it was a short drive to get there, Mom'......

What does everyone else like to grow? Special interests?

Hi,

Welcome to DG.

Ann in Ottawa

Welcome neighbour! I live in Ottawa, but the family cottage is on the Big Rideau Lake, so Perth is a regular stop for me. We've had the place since 1955 and have watched Perth grow over the years -- such a great town.

The cottage is off the Elm Grove Road, near the Rocky Narrows and across from Star Island, if you know the lake. We can see the 'point' of Murphy's Point Provincial Park from our spot.

Good luck with your seed-starting ventures this spring.

Andy

Hi there drivenbonkers. I can relate to your name, having two teenage boys myself!

I love Perth. It's only about 50 mins away and in the spring I always do the Perth/Smiths Falls loop of the nurseries and garden centres. On the way I have to stop at Whitehouse Perennials because I love hostas and daylilies. My favs out in Perth are Kiwi Gardens and Rock Wall Gardens. Where do you like to shop for plants in your area?

Sandy

I'm what you might call an ecclectic gardener drivenbonkers :-) I grow whatever plants take my fancy at any given time. Right now I seem to be into dahlias, gladiolus, roses, and begonias for this coming season, and trying one more time to germinate seeds I have never had any luck with - Tacca, Columbine, Four O'clock (can you believe these have never germinated for me!!!!). --Ginny

bonker, can you show us some pics of your hydroponics set up? I have similar gardening interests to yours. Only two orchids left alive though. House full of plants, little greenhouse, lots of seed starting indoors under lights, roses, lilies, irises, hems, heucheras, lots of perennials. Big difference is the zone I'm trying to grow them in.

Ginny, delphiniums are my four o'clocks, lol, can't grow a delphinium no matter what I've tried.....was discouraged once with my sweet violets, and after they didn't grow (I was a bit piqued!) just dumped the tray behind the greenhouse, now the greenhouse is practically surrounded with violets. beautiful in the spring, lol, am learning patience.... ;-)

Andy, Murphy's Point is a little south of us, but we have toured along Elm Grove Road in the old car during the summers....

Sandy, I too, like Kiwi and Rock Wall, (Kiwi's just down the road across the railroad tracks from me) but look for bargains and different things just about anywhere. There's also Hillside Gardens about a mile east of Perth on # 7 , Independant Grocer and Home Hardware also have a reasonable selection of different things.....depending, of course, what you are looking for.

I've never been to Whitehouse Perennials, will put that on my list this year....

My preferences seem to change, what is alive is my current favourite, lol

echoes, here's a pic of what I have set up now. It's two and a half weeks old. It's just a plastic container, an aquarium airpump, some plastic tubing and two solid bottom trays. (holes punched in one end to drain back into the container) Seeds were started in jiffy 7's. (it's what I had on hand when spring fever hit) The aquarium pump provides the irrigation/aeration, my floralight 2 tier, 8-lamp stand provides the light. looks like I'll have to raise the light in the next day or so. there's romaine lettuce, swiss chard, mesclun mix in this one, new seeds sown every week. Another set up is on the lower level with tomatoes, cantelope, beans, and cucumber. it's my 'spring fix'.

The first hydroponic set up I had was 2 summers ago, outside, made 3 wooden bins, plumbed them together, lined them with plastic and used a pond pump to circulate the water (from a recycled plastic olive barrel) used vermiculite in pots,drip lines into the pots, trained the tomatoes up strings, and floated the lettuces. Had all the lettuces we could eat! Ran into problems with too much rain flooding the bins, leaking plumbing between the bins, clogged emitters...

Last summer tried to float the lettuces in the set up in the greenhouse, was a dismal failure only because it was way too hot for lettuces... but will have another go this summer with cantelope, tomatoes, stuff that likes the heat. This gardening stuff is so much experimentation, perspiration and exasperation! the exhiliaration when that bud bursts open....!