After Katrina i was inundated with offers of replacement plants. Knowing that we were moving from the sunny south to the frozen tundra of western NY and not knowing what over-wintering was going to be like, i declined all offers except for one box of brug cuttings (which i should have waited on : (
Anyway, if the offers for replacement plants are still available, i would love to "talk shop". I'm in desperate needs of ideas for zone 6 plants and still trying to figure out what a frost line is and how that affects me.
I'm not ready, more like the ground isnt ready, for anything but would like to get some ideas.
A little about the new place. I have a west facing deck, a south facing deck, a completely shaded east front porch and a pool with a deck that probably gets everything. My landscaping right now consists of 2 dwarf apple trees, lol.
I would love to put in a grape arbor and grow blackberries, peonies (woohoo), lilacs (another woohoo) and other fragrant plants. My dream is to have an area with a perennial cottage garden. Big dream would be banana trees near the pool with a few gingers here and there. I *know* i'm going to have major zone denial, lol.
K, 'nuff rambling for now, lol
Jen
Ready for spring!
my in-laws lived in Western NY and both were serious gardeners. Let me talk to them and get back to you..
If grapes can be grown from cuttings (I just read that they can be) and you're game to try cuttings, I'd be happy to send you some.
The arbor/vines were here when we bought the house and they're NOIDs, but there are both purple and green, and both are tasty!
I'd need advice on where/when to take cuttings.....grape vines are new to me!
I have some old fashioned lilacs that have produced new shoots if you would like 2 or 3 of those. I would be happy to send them to you.
Jen,
Welcome to the frozen tundra (lol) but trust a Western New York veteran, things were pretty reasonable this year, thanks to "global warming." (That's what the weather men have been telling us.) Still shocking compared to Ms weather, I'll bet.
I have cottage style perennials that you can have, hollyhock, black eyed susans, malva, shasta daisy, daylily, others I am sure, just need to see them coming up next month to remember for sure who and what. You can let me know what you might be interested in. I can even bring stuff down to you when the time is right, I think you are just on the other side of Letchworth from me.
I have major zone denial, I can't lie. I feel your pain.
In some ways, it can be fun to have the blank slate....the great people here at Dave's Garden will help you fill it all in, lol.
Jackie
woohoo, another frozen tundranite, lol!!! that would be awesome if you could make it this way! i'm right off of 256, or 390. maybe 20 miles from letchworth?
oh wow grapes and lilacs! i remember in ms i tried so hard to grow lilacs only to watch them die a slow horrible death in the heat!
lol....sometimes I wish I lived in a 'warmer winter' location, but glad I'm not a 'transplant' that doesn't have to go through those zone withdrawals!
If you can get advice on grape vine cuttings, they're yours!
I could try (if you're willing to wait) the ground layering thing, too....OR we could try it both ways!
let me look up starting grape cuttings, if they are delicious seems like they'd be worth a try!!
grapes grow well up here, so do apples...i can't wait to have my own little fruit stand...not to sell, but to just eat fresh!
They are tasty....but rather 'seedy'.
We live near an 'apple capital'....there are 6-7 orchards within about a 10 mile radius.
We have apple trees, too....do you have some mature trees?
The apples are alright....but they have a 'spotting problem' that I haven't had time to research.
We don't spray them or anything, as we have kids/pets and a well, so I'm leary of that.
My MIL has made great applesauce with them, though!
We *had* some raspberries....'til my DH decided to mow them down....the weeds that grew up between them really bothered him, and the kids kept losing balls, frisbees, etc...within them!
I'll wait to hear from you on some Grapevine prop. techniques.
Jen - I will be sending you some of your bulbs back, too! LOL! (Now aren't you glad you were so generoius with me?) Some never made a showing, but I do have some EE's, Ginger Lily, and the Canna/Calla/Ginger/???. I can also send you some Dahlia bulbs from a neighbor. You also sent me a bog lily. If you tell me how to divide it (assuming it can be divided), you can have some of that,too. And don't forget the hosta...as soon as it makes itself available, I will be beyond happy to forward some. Did you say whether you were interested in Spiderwort? Yucca???
I still have loads of houseplant cuttings I want to get to you, as well, if you are still interested.
So this is how they do all the tubes of plants i see in walmart and home depot..things like lilacs, grapes, hydrangeas etc. awesome info to know!!
http://www.cahe.nmsu.edu/pubs/_h/h-322.html
oh sequee, that would be so awesome to see offspring of the plants that i sent out to you! i think it must've been when i was destroying the yard after the bc diagnosis? the canna/calla/ginger is a curcuma! and one of my absolute favs!!
Daylilies and Iris would do fabulously for you. :-)
Want some? :-)
would love some!! names don't even seem important to me anymore. just thought thought of having blooming things makes me smile.
thanks for the offer!
I didn't know you at all then. I think I sent you a note regarding a brug cutting (?) and you sent me the famous MSJen care package. I remember I asked you which bulbs were which since the labels were all over the place and you said something like, "Won't know until you send me pictures of the plants"! Talk about pressure - LOL!
Can the bog lily be divided?
Does anyone know if it's too early to send on the bulbs? Most are NOT dormant.
Jen, You know I have the Kerria for you and I will throw together some other stuff for you as well. I am familiar with your zone. ;)
Are you going to give up the MS plants or are you willing to drag them in and out? LOL
Info on the Kerria. I thought this page was really nice. http://www.paghat.com/kerria.html
ms jen since you ditched us =) I have some Musa and elephant ear I will just send you.... =)
luv you
ely
nah, ely, i didnt ditch you i just saved you guys money on a hotel room when ya gotta get out again. for musas i'd even feed you, larry : )
im not sure what bog lily i sent, maybe the crinum americanum? white flower, kinda starish looking? we're at 52 degrees today but expecting snow from tues out.. i'm wondering if by the time it thaws out it'll be time for fall trades, lol...
i know i'm going to have major zone denial and i know as much as i say i'm not in to dragging things in and out and digging up but how do you say goodbye to old friends like that? i think i will have to continue my ginger fetish and also there are a few brugs that i would like to have..ones that i have experience with and know how they preform, although i've lost the desire to have the "new ones"...too much drama
Jen,
I wouldn't give up on the bananas. I've seen pictures on here of banana trees that had been taken down in the fall, and were lying on the ground, under a pile of snow, or under somebody's house, in a crawl space. I know there are cold-weather members here who still grow them, take them down, and store them for the winter.
Anything can be grown in pots, then stored in a warm place (like a greenhouse) during cold weather. I think you can still have a tropical garden, with the right know-how.
If it were me, I would look in some of the tropical forums (is there one on bananas?), and look back to last fall's postings. You can find posts on storing tropicals for the winter, and maybe get in touch with some of the members who do it, for advice. I think it's do-able, depending on how bad you want it.
Steve
ohhh, i want it, lol!!!
I just get nervous about it, lol. I know it can be done, in fact i used to laugh at the antics of the northerners and their dedication to their plants..i couldnt imagine hauling around 20 ft banana trees..in and out...but it does depend on how bad you want it.
i was down in the basement today and found a very very pathetic chinese ? banana....looks way sad but there is some green...i will revive it, lol
Jen, laugh if you want but in my opinion Frosty outperforms almost anything here! :) I'll have to look and see which ones did really well being stored and which ones pouted. I know Golden Lady has done well with a couple of winters in the garage. I have a huge unamed white from Kyle that has been great for 4-5 years. I finally gave up the largest one but kept cuttings. This year will truly tell since I have moved and stored them differently.
Well, Jen my sister-in-law says the frost line is really the freeze line. The ground freezes about 2 feet deep unless they get some early snow cover. So plants that are not hardy have to be planted much deeper. The best thing to do is buy very hardy plants that can handle being frozen.
They had 2 rows of Heritage raspberries but I don't remember many other plants. Good luck!
Hey Jen,
Maybe I should buy tulips and send them to you for the winter and you should buy cannas and gingers and send them on vacation with me for the winter. lol
Janet
Hi JustJen, Boy, can I relate to the shock you're facing! I grew up in Broome and Tioga Counties. There's a good place to get black raspberry ice cream on 96 near Owego. It's closed in winter....mmmmm. I always stop when I'm there to visit good friends in Ithaca.
Anyway, I have acres of Himalayan type blackberries. The story is that there were a few in the valley when the Tsunami/flood of 64 (65?) hit and spread them everywhere. They produce very fine, large yummy berries. I also have old, old grapes. The vines are huge and long and where they touch the ground, they've rooted. I don't know anything about grapes, but would be happy to send you some rooted cuttings. No worries about trade and postage won't be so much, so I'd be happy to gift you with some if you like.
And I see you got a new name too! LOL It looks great on you. :)
Would you be interested in a mature clump of Sweet Autumn Clematis??? It has a light vanilla scent, when the wind is blowing the right direction! Our youngest son is home this week for Spring Break & he could dig it up for you, since it just broke out of dormancy. Please let me know if you're interested.
oswego would be awfully far to go for ice cream but being that its raspberry, i just might have to make an exception, lol. I love anything raspberry!! i would love to have the grapes and blackberries!! Please let me know what i'll you for postage!
shirley, that would be great but let me check to see if the, oh gosh what are they called? theres some certain kind of beetle that lives in the ground under them that eat the clematis....they are fatal to horses, blister beetles. let me look to see if they are a problem up here, if they arent i would love to have it!
Hey, JJ, I live in Northern CA (bigfoot land) now and go all the way there for the black raspberry. It's homemade. And the guy makes up flavors, too. Maybe it's in Candor...that's closer, isn't it?
Let's see if they make it for you and then think of postage. I'm just doing my first trades....exciting! Is there a concern about cold temperatures for these travelling to you?
We're in the middle of a cold spell - you might be better off to wait a couple of weeks. Dang - mid 60's last Friday and Saturday, and today's high was 27...nippy!
Jen - I'm going to hold off until the temps get to a steady 50ish, k?
lol, sequee, i'm beginning to think you guys have been funning me and that summer was actually last weekend and now were back in winter.
i'm beginning to think i will forever be in sorels and sweatshirts, lol
Jen, do you have raspberries growing? I may have extra plants this year and am taking some to the GA RU.
ws,
did i talk to you earlier about heritage raspberries? someone offered them, but i just havent had a chance to find the thread or email to find out who, lol. Things have been a little crazy lately
I have a note in the gardening software I bought to remind MsJen about Heritage raspberries on 5/01. However, I could send some earlier if you wish. They are beginning to leaf out.
Oh just wait Jen. Around July-August, you are going to think you are back in MS. LOL
I have a ton of purple and white irises-do they do OK up there? LOL Since I moved I have no other plants-OH I do have some marshmallows--possibly some runners if you want them-I don't know how well they do up there though either! LOL I have lots of seeds.....I'll go through them to see what I have-what zone are you in now? Not 6, right?
Would you like some sedum starts? I would be happy to send you some.
Jenniew
Jen,
I miss peonies (not enough to move back to your kind of zone) and I have them growing here but they do not bloom. I would love for them to have a good home. Is it too late to dig? I can take a photo of where they are at now, if you are interested.
I've got lots of naturalized daffodils, too, thanks to the gentleman who lived here before us. There are other little bulb plants as well, but they usually get trampled by dog feet before they flower. Some are blue and some are white, I think allium. If you remind me, I'm happy to send some your way.
How old/large can a rose be to dig it up and ship it? I have many.
Wow, thanks for all the offers y'all!!
Jenks, I see iris starting to pop up everywhere so i'm thinkin they must do okay? I would love to have some
Sedums and peonies would be fantastic. I dont know about being too late to dig but i have noticed that they are starting to pop up also. The peonies send up red stalks first (my neighbor pointed hers out) and they are about 10 inches tall now.
I'll email y'all in a bit, but gotta do chores around here before i get too off track : )
I've got one with red stalks and one with green. You just might find you have lots of things hidden by winter. I remember as a kid in Maine, NY - not too far from you, that we had lots of iris and peonies. I took them to teachers.
The only thing that seems to be here are a gazillion yellow tulips. I'm not really upset about that tho, because I had no idea how much i love them : )
Oh and i have 2 apple trees, lol. There is nothing else that even looks like it might be a plant. I've talked to the neighbors and they all seem to think that the tulips are the only thing that was ever planted here. They definately were never seperated..there must be 500 of them, lol
I would love to have them. I'll send you a d-mail : )
I'll dig em up and get them out this weekend!