Texas-specific (or not!) chat here about gardening...whatever! :)
TUESDAY, Aug. 1: Texas "Coffee" and Gardening in the AM
Here is Monday's link if your want to read the previous thread.
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/633528/
Hope you all have a great day! I am running late again this morning..Will catch up this afternoon after work.
Good morning all. I figured I'd be last one in as usual, but I'm surprised to see nobody here yet. I'm going to head out and feed the mosquitos and dead head the roses. Hope all y'all have a good day and I'll be back later.
Good morning! I'm here with a bowl of oatmeal and coffee on the brew. I've been reading up on Japanese Maples, as I have an established one (4 years old) that's going through some severe leaf scorch, and one I just planted about a month ago that's doing very, very well in the backyard. I want to plant another, but am thinking I may wait until fall.
Tonight's the National Night Out Against Crime, so the search dog and I are doing a neighborhood meet with parents and children. It's gonna be out -- even from 6:00-8:30 -- but it should be fun, too.
Have a great (safe) day!
Good morning! Our neighborhood gets together every year for the National Night Out, too. We all bring finger food and chairs and sit in the cul-de-sac in the middle of the neighborhood and chat. Usually a police officer pops by for a while to say hello. Last time my now-5-year-old, Joy, spent most of the time he was here petting the police car, which the officer found pretty funny. LOL
"Search dog", Susannah? What does he/she search for? Is this the pretty, horseshoe-weilding goldie from the last episode?
Have a great Tuesday, everyone!!
Susannah, I have two Japanese maples, one in ground and one in pot. My in ground one is two years old and showing some signs of leaf scorch right now. My potted one has made it for about 8 years now and I think I've found a spot it's happy in. I really love them but they are tricky to grow here, especially in ground in our gumbo. Do you know which varieties yours are? I'd be interested to know since our growing conditions are similar. Here's a pic of my potted one, it's the cultivar Kamagata.
Sheila, does your back also act up when the weather changes? I can "predict" rain by pain in neck and back.
Well, I lost a day of gardening going to doctor. Still have droopy, puffy eye lid....but will be patient... I'm ready to get out and tear out some plants that are melting in the heat. I've used Messenger twice now, and have noticed very good results on most plants. Of course, I also fertilize with fish emulsion and Hasta-Gro. I do think the Messenger has made a difference, tho. I also need to get photos of some for IDing. I ordered some metal plant stakes from a co-op I'm in. Those plastic sticks just get lost or moved.
I sent your "doghouse/playhouse" pic to my daughter, Susannah. It's just too cute! We may have to copy it one day for GS.
Stay cool.....
Thanks! Glad you like the playhouse! We had fun painting it, though there are a thousand tiny crannies you have to get in there with a itty-bitty paintbrush. Close work when the sweat's pouring!
I think the Japanese Maple in the back is a Bloodgood. I'm not sure about the one in the front -- it was put in by landscapers in 2003, and there's a significant variability to the leaves and I *think* I see evidence of a graft. It's been very hardy growing beneath a magnolia but receiving a blast of late afternoon sun in summer. This year, though, I have got QUITE a bit of leaf scorch. The magnolia is a water hog, so I'm having to coddle the JM in the front a bit. The one in the back at the sidewalk to the cottage (Bloodgood) is doing beautifully. Not even a scorched leaf tip.
Susanna....I have one JM in the ground also and its top leaves are very yellow. My DH loves JM's and just HAD to have some in the landscape. (He planted one in Dallas about 20 years ago--one of the first to start using them there!...we went to see it a month ago and it was doing so well...was huge!!) I now love them! We bought 6 at Red Barn's 1/2 price and they are still in the tubs...1/2 burried in a hole and covered with mulch.
The JM in the ground is a Sango Kaku...and I can't wait to see the red foliage in the fall and the red stems when the leaves are gone. The ones in tubs are the "weeping" kind.
More later...
Connie
BB, I have always had a sore back when doing too much in the yard. But all of this happened Easter weekend this year when I hid Easter eggs and sat down and colored with my nephew in the picture (Monday thread). I don't think we have had much rain for me to notice if it gives me more problems with the change in weather! LOL!
I use the plastic plant markers but am not happy with them. Do you get a good price on your co-op metal ones? There is a thread on here about plant markers where one person was using painted rocks. I would love to do that but I don't have time right now.
I bought my markers thru the Master Gardener co-op here. They were about $34. for 100. I believe a DG co-op ordered some earlier this year for less. I bought 50 thru MGs last year, and thought I'd never use them all. When you have a lot of container plants, plus those in the ground, 50 tags don't last long though! You might watch the co-op forum to see if someone decides to place another order. I don't think I'll paint rocks as markers! Sounds like a cute idea, but I spend a lot of time digging rocks out of my garden!!!
Hope your back gets better soon. I can sympathize with you. By the way...that's one cute little boy in the pic! I have a 10 mo. old GS. Just getting ready to walk. I'm going to be "Bubbles" to him. Unless he changes it to Bubba!!
I thought I'd be posting in the mornings, but I'm usually out in the yard early before it gets too hot. I browse the forums at night. Try to check in after I come in for another cool drink! More tomorrow.......Sandi
Bubbles will be a neat nickname. I chose the She-she too. My DS made him a photo book with family members pictures in it. He calls it his book and sits and points at each person in the book and says their name. She said there is one that shows me bending over and he still knows who I am. LOL!!
The book is such a great idea! We're going to have to copy that one. SIL's relatives are mostly in Waco. Would be so nice for him to recognize them.....instead of being shy, as he is now around them.
I'm inside this morning because I scrolled down to read the thread about red crepe myrtles. I think I spent nearly an hour! Those little mini-crepes look like something I'd like to use out front. I have a large bed of "this and that" at the front of the yard. I'm constantly watering, trimming, and dead-heading. I'd like less upkeep and crepes pretty much take care of themselves. I have a huge white one that we plan to remove this winter. It's too big and fills our little courtyard with spent flowers all summer...and leaves in the fall. I had no idea it would get so big. Dwarfs and minis seem the way to go for me. Love the flowers ...and keeping them low would be a plus.
On my way out to feed the 3 fish the raccoons have left us. Then I'm going to water a few scraggly looking brugmansias.....they truly look like weeds this summer...mites too...
Enjoy your morning....
Oops....going to do today's thread now
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/634665/
Here's the new link...hopefully. I don't do a good job of it like Sheila!!