Murmur,
What exactly is starting to bother you? Having to take a ferry to go to Target? Being away from the one place that feels like 'home'? I'm wondering,,, You moved 4 years ago but the "last couple of years" have been bothering you. Hmmmm.
xxxxxx, Carrie
FOUND ART - what junk do you use for containers?
I actually love living on the island - have created a nice life for myself here . . . but the grey days seem to bother me more . . . and my sil has said the same thing and she can almost walk to Target!! LOL My kids don't live close either (one in Southern CA) and the other a couple hours or so away so that is probably the thing that is really bothering me, come to think of it!! Not having them right in my pocket has been a huge change (for all of us - them, too!).
Didn't mean to switch this thread to my whining spot!!! I'll go outside in a bit and take a picture of my Fresno (it's been in dh's family for at least 100 years!).
The pink plant is bougainvilleas. It froze three years ago and decided to come back this year...I had hoped it would come back from a small root system.. I just did not know it would take so long.... I have babies from everything coming along...the plants in the white pot are all my babies..Also the red cascade rose is a baby....the pink one peeping through on the other side of the steps are also....actually practially everything I have are babies taken and grown from my DD garden.... I just love to grow my own... I save seeds and take cuttings and try to plant or stick something to root everyday...shirley
This message was edited Jul 26, 2006 5:17 PM
Shirleyt ~ the rocking chair tucked in behind all your plants is delightful. I would leave it as is and rotate the plants with the season. In Pearl River, you can keep blooms out year around. I hope you and your plants didn't not suffer unduly during the past summers' hurricane!
Sedum, I have got to ask, do you still have the cannas in plastic pots set down in the crocks or did you transplant them directly?
Murmur, I am sympathetic. I grew up in Mn. and don't know how I could live there. I can not stand the short days of winter. Even here I get crabby when the days become noticably shorter.
Okay . . . I said I would send a picture of the Fresno and here it is. I guess it was used to dig roads waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back when . . .
I don't know what I will plant around it. DH stood it up on end for me - it had been laying down and had gotten covered by the rugosa in back of it, plus nettles, thistle, and horsetail. So I cleaned all that out, laid down thick newspapers and covered with weedscreen fabric. The statue of a cat represents my cat, Abbie, who died three years ago and is buried there. I still have to lay down newspaper and weed screen under the rugosa.
Murmur That is a neat piece. Are you thinking about letting vines run up it too? Can't wait to see the end result!
One mans junk is another womans treasure.
I had DH bring these home from the Farm junk pile
This used to be an old hog feeder
now it my Coleus Farm.
The hog water trough. We cut the top half off.
Podster.....we were torn up badly in the storm. I had a woodland garden of over twenty types of native trees with little tuck ins of flowers..a bed here and there...easy to care for areas...and then the main gardening was done in a courtyard and deck area...Very simple country place... we were remodling our old home place while living in a trailer next to it.... Fema totaled the whole place...and we are starting over.... waiting for SBA to do the final paper work for our new Mobile home... It has been a just do it time for us and e are much too old for all this start over business.....
I loved he Hull Garden tour....I used to live in Middleton about thirty miles from Boston and it was great to see that skyline again.... thank you for sharing that...
I have a "I wore it out wheel barrow too" I change it often.
check out my diary if you want to see my dammage..and garden pics
This message was edited Jul 29, 2006 3:55 PM
last one an old planter.
georgiangarden3- great pieces!!!!! Love what you've done with them.
And, Shirley, I can't say enough how sorry I am for what you've gone through. Your wheelbarrow garden is lovely - I hope that gardening can help you get through some of the tought times.
and here it is this year pitiful ...I could not get my coleus to grow here this year too hot and dry...I will ease some in later....
I just got a call from SBA... he promised to get right on it....I will believe it when it happens... here is a pic of another wheel barrow a friend built for me.....shirley
GeorgiaGarden lover your containers because they are interesting and the varieties of coleus are so pretty! So do you have to line or insulate the metal from the inside? Doesn't it get too hot for the roots? I had seen some new metal containers at my local Sears but worried the soil would get too hot. Must not because your plants look so healthy and lush!
Shirleyt - I especially like bougainvilleas. I am growing this new this year. I agree with Murmur -- hope the gardening can get you through tough times. I know when I am stressed being around plants helps a lot.
Podster - the cannas are right planted in the crocks in potting soil -- no black liner. I know it goes against all the gardening advice I've ever heard about always having drainage holes but several of the canna posters swear by this method.
Sue
Sue ~ I may have to try some cannas in a crock and measure my success. You make it sound easy!
Georgiagarden ~ I love the farm accessories, grew up on one and really appreciated the hog water trough. That's great!
Shirleyt ~ Our heartfelt sympathies to you. Hating to start over I can understand. If there is anything we can help with, seeds/starts of plants, please let us know. I really like your wheelbarrow. I have an old frame that I want to build up for this someday. We had hurricane Rita evacuees in our area and this was one of them who stayed... Meet Scraps (somebody elses leftovers) He is a nice guy and I am sure his previous family is missing him sorely.
Podster that is so sweet of you....I love the kitty...mine just disappeard and I really miss him.... I love to start things from seeds....I will have a lot to do next spring....I have heard since my last post that my new home is ready for delivery and on the lot...I can go see it and hope that SBA will quickly get off the stick...It has been long enough now... the bouganvilliea is hanging in for now but it will need to be protected for the winter here...I wish we could grow them here like they do in calif... I love them...shirley
Dear Shirley,
I hope things move along quickly for you. This is sort of a container gardening story! My sister and her family lived in Slidell while her husband was stationed there in the Marine Corps. We went to visit them and I was amazed at all the tropical plants she got to have in her back yard. While we were out shopping one day, we found some great heirloom tomato plants and several large coleus at one of her nearby garden centers. I bought a bunch of stuff! The problem was, we came down on the plane and how to get it all home? Well, she had an old suitcase and we went to walmart and bought some gallon ziploc bags and a couple of plastic shoe boxes. When our husbands came home, there we were sitting on her front porch cutting the tops off of coleus. This could be the moment that both husbands knew we had flipped! but I wrapped the whole tomato plants, minus the soil, in damp paper towels and put them in baggies and the same for the coleus cuttings and we put them in the plastic boxes and then into the extra suitcase. We checked them onto the plane and when I got home, I planted the tomatoes and rooted and planted all the coleus. I had a great Louisiana garden that year! My sister planted all the beheaded coleus roots in her garden and she had fabulous plants too.
Good luck to you with your new home.
Martha
gardenmart...that is a great story filled with really good info...I have a niece that visits from Philly often and we needed that info.... I saw my home yesterday....It was not as I had ordered but nothing that can't be easily corrected.... So maybe there is a light at the end of this tunnel .... shirleyt
Shirley, are you doing a manufactured home? I think they are fabulous - dh and I were going to do that, but couldn't find property we wanted (that had perked, that is) and then found the house we are now in. I still sometimes wish we'd waited - such a wonderful amount of space for reasonable money.
I'll keep my fingers crossed for a speedy fix!
ShirleyT,
Your ferns sure are healthy! Great job!
Murmur ....we are getting a 28x48 modular...... three bedroom and open living room dining room and galley type kitchen... it is just perfect for the two of us. I will set up one of the bedrooms as a studio. In my old age I have taken up painting and ceramics along with sewing and crocheting ....so I have a lot of stuff...It will be work but also fun getting settled. furniture shopping and I will need to build a deck and also the landscaping .... I think it will look fine.. shirley
Shirley, it will look MORE than fine - I'm excited for you . . . hope you'll keep us posted with pics, etc., and like someone mentioned above, let us know if we can send seed, etc.
Love that you have so many hobbies!!
Here is an antique gate that I use for morning glories.... I have another one like it but I have not replaced its passion vine yet... I think of it as art in the garden..shirley
Shirley, that's perfect, not to mention gorgeous. I started this thread with an old wheelbarrow - I have been so outdone!
xxxxxxx, Carrie
Oh, Carrie, I didn't think it was a competition, just an exhibition! I love the animal feeder/waterers and the old gate is cool, too! I had a cement wheel barrow I planted for years. I tired of it and my uncle wants it... glad someone is going plant it (if I ever get it to him)! I planted my old pool filter (blue one next to the chiminea) . I took my above ground pool out last year and made a new "area". I just used a sawsall(sp?) and cut the top off, drilled holes in the bottom, spray painted and vwa/la- new pot! It was kind of a sentimental thing, I'd had the pool for almost 20 years, my kids grew up with it! I did put in a tiny pond to have the water sound effect..
gg3, shirl.....not only do you love coleus...but you have great containers!!!! you go gurls!!!!
Certainly does, Sticks. Guess I need to take the dirt roads home and find me one. Can you imagine the farmer's face when I ask how much he wants for his old rusty hog feeder??
I am sooooooooooooo tired of trying to get my daylilies to grow! Any advice, since I think I see a coupla stalks in at least on of your posts.
Well.. not the artistic use odd discarded items.. But from afriend that does consumer pannel work for Oscar Myer.. they get their sample meats from the company in these square foam containers... nice 2" thick foam.. I keep wanting to embelish it with some of the stucco for the new foam houses.. since I just refinished my roof access building with it.. I should decorate the planter.. I did spray paint the white foam black...but the spray paint erodes the foam so I guess I got negative results.. but the foam keep the temps even.. and the rose overwinters nicel in it.. and it doesn't break dormancy too ealy... Gordon
Well I thought I had a better picture of it's ugliness but in with other planters.. and growing..and cropped for the photo..it'snot bad..oh.. it's right behind the chair..Gordon
Gordon,
I looked fairly carefully, and even with BOTH contacts in I don't see anything in either picture I would call ugly! Beautiful, both pictures! Do you have one of this hideous but useful item by itself?
xxxx, Carrie
Hi Gordon, Really pretty plants. I love the blend of foilage in the 1st photo and what a great disguise in the 2nd photo. From that view you could easily forget where you were. Lovely! And on top of it all recycling ~ that is great... pod
well thanks all... Ok here is the planter in all it's glory..guess I haven't shown the roses in it yet....well perhaps later..Gordon
sorry..here's the last posts photo
Love all your pots. I am getting gardening fever. Still too hot in AZ
Lindaq
Have been working at moving out the last of the junque from the 2nd hand store. Of course, look at all with an eye for the garden. This was a neat old ladder back chair lacking some seat slats. I removed the rest and plunked in a pot of gomphrena. Next year, I think I'll add spillers.....
I guess it's not really a 'container' but...
This message was edited Aug 25, 2006 8:17 PM
Pod, that absolutely qualifies! Nice eye.
xxxxx, Carrie
I like it .... shirleyt
I like it .... That reminds me of a SIL story... she had given my dad an old cane bottom chair that she did not want. The cane was all messed up... Dad replaced the cane area with wood and painted it white... Well he came to live with me and brought that chair with him . We put it on my front porch with a plant on it. It looked so good the SILcame an said that was her chair and she wanted it back......Dad had passed when she did that and I just told her ok take it. I always wondered what Dad would have said to her... shirley
Oh Shirley, I could tell you so many stories about inherited stuff that was usurped by the wrong person... the worst was when my DCousin had a live-in boyfriend, and they lived in the former home of my grandparents... my then-DH found an antique tool in my grandfather's office and the l-i boyfriend wouldn't let him! But 20 years later, they've been married for 19 years and I've been divorced for 10 and re-married for 6.