What's Growing Part 7

Pixie, sorry to hear about your brother. when he's better you should smack him upside the head! I've been wanting to get some tropical trees. I have a great sunroom with a southern exposure for winter. where does he winter his? I have some pink banana seed. I guess it's tough to germinate, but I should give it a try

beautiful scene with the rainbow, makes me wish I lived a little more country.
the reason I was going to try to root the rose is that it's just the rootstock, not the hybrid tea I started with. of course, if you want to buy a J&P rose and kill the graft like I did...LOL

gram

Gee Gram...thanks for the vote of confidence on the rose!! LOL
My Brother has a room he use's just for tropical plants, and yes we haul those babies indoors every fall. The Banana tree goes in a bit hard due to its size, but it always bounces back. I think your sunroom would be perfect for your tropical plants.
The pinapple tree was just the top of a fresh pinapple he bought at the store, cut the top off and stuffed it in water until it rooted. He then planted it and babied it and lo and behold...he grew his own pineapple. He has another one growing now but he just started it a few months ago. Like I said...he has a VERY green thumb.
As for slappin him when he gets better...i've thought of it but i won't be mad at him anymore when his 8 weeks are up. Besides, he's in enough pain this time I think he may have actually learned something, like how old he REALLY is!

Pixie,

My 7 year old nephew is now running motocross, something I used to do when I was a young girl (I'm 41 now.) I can sympathize with your brother, as, I myself got the bug all over again when I started following his circuit.

And yep, it's prolly a risk for me to be flying around at 70mph at 41, but truly? We only live once! hee hee hee

Besides... I live in Jersey. I'm more likely to die turning onto the highway than I am on a motocross track. (wink)

Thank goodness your bro is so young at heart and bless you for caring so much for him. He's a lucky guy.

Pixie, your brother is the same height and weight as I am but a year younger. I don't go 4 wheeling any more, though. LOL. I agree with Annie, we only live once.
His white with pink center Phlox is different than my neighbors. All are lovely.
Great shots of his and your yards.
These Black eyed Susans have looked nice for 2 weeks now. I'll have to move them to a more prominent spot.
Andy P

Andy, my black-eyed susans are the best looking thing in my yard right now. I have them at the back of my lot so they show from across the lake. figured I needed something bright. A couple of the more colorful heathers are starting to take on their fall color. Must be the cooler nights. Looks they it's been set on fire..really quite remarkable. The plants are still very small, but I think in a year or two it will be impressive. these plants fascinate me.

Andy ~ You may be the same size as my brother, but your way smarter. (*wink) As for only living once, I agree... but if you ask me a 637 lb. machine is suicide not living. (but im even smaller than him so to me it's a big monster)
The black eyed susan's are wonderful, the field out back is loaded with them. I can picture them at the feet of Gram's heather. (grin)

Pixie, Best wishes for your brother and he is lucky to have you.

His garden looks as big and as beautiful as yours (well, almost)

Dave

My daylilies are pretty much winding down. Up to now I've pretty much ignored them and waited until spring and let the landscapers clean them up. But now that I have all this DL expertise at my fingertips ;-)) what SHOULD I be doing? I've been good about removing the 'wet willies'. I know I should cut off the spent scapes (not so good about that). What about the ugly browning foliage?

Pixie (grin back at ya) none of the heather will ever be over a foot or 2, so if I want black-eyed susies at their feet, somebody's either gonna have to come up with a mini real quick or I'm gonna have to do some trick photography (think anybody'll believe this?)

gram

Gram ~ Love the little pink blooms on that heather. I actually wrote it backwards...meant to say the heather at the base of the black-eyed susan's. You know...keep Susan's feet warm. LOL

Dave ~ Thanks for the good wishes for my brother, im not sure he'll feel as lucky to have me after 8 weeks of little sister up his as.... um butt.

Will you big brother be joining our forum - now that we have seen his garden? I'm sure he could tell lots of tales on his little Sis'. You know how we all love tales!

I only got stuck in trees a FEW times..no big tales to tell. Unless you count how many times they told me stop having babies. LOL After 5...i finally listened to them.
He should join DG but he doesn't even own a comp. he has years of knowledge in plants and cooking. He is an excellent cook (used to be a Chef) but right now he has to settle for my cooking ha ha ha! That will teach him to ride like a teenager! You see, I don't have to slap him in the head, just feed him my cooking for 8 weeks and he'll learn. Actually, I made him Blueberry Dumplings with these, it's one of his favorites that our Granmother use to make.

Pixie, just teasin' ya :-) :-) :-) How about the daylilies? Do I cut off the browned foliage or leave it alone til spring?

edit to add: I don't feel too sorry for him about the cooking if you're making him blueberry dumplings with your fresh blueberries...yummmm.

This message was edited Aug 14, 2006 11:37 AM

Gram ~ I usually leave it alone and it breaks down like a compost, good for the soil.
You actually KNOW what Bluberry Dumplings are? I am impressed!!!! It's a very old French recipe from my Memere.

What are they Pixie? Care to share?

Anita ~ You know the dumplings you make for chicken stew? Just like that but you add a few talb. of sugar to the mix.

Blueberry Dumplings
6 cups of blueberries in a heavy pot
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup water or just enough to barely cover the blueberries.
Boil for 3-4 minutes.
Follow dumpling mix directions on side of Bisquick or Jiffy mix. (sorry Memere..I cheat!)
plus add 3-4 talb. of sugar and a half a cup of blueberries.
Drop into boiling blueberry sauce. (w/soup spoon..should get 8-10 out of it)
Cook 10 minutes without cover, then 10 minutes with cover on.
Take cover off and cool a bit. Serve warm with fresh whipped cream.

I have used different variations, such as useing Blueberry juice instead of water but you need to cut your sugar in half at least. My Memere also made it with Blackberries and Raspberries, but my brother can't have the seeds. Had some of his intestines removed due to diverticulitis, so seeds are a no no.
If any of you try it...let me know how you like it. I won't be offended if you don't, it's one of those old family recipes that some people will like and others won't.

Anyone ever have Apple Pan-dowdy? Not sure of sp but my Memere made that too and ive never had it as good as hers. Boy I miss her!

ok - now you will have to share that one too! I am going to try the BB recipe!

pixie, I didn't know exactly what it was, but I know dumplings and I know blueberries and put together it has to be good. thanks for the recipe. if DH gets wind of this I will HAVE to try it LOL

Sounds yummy!

Now I cheat on the dumplings ...but never on the fresh whipped cream. Cool Whip doesn't taste the same w/BB Dumplings! I'll have to ask Brother where the apple pan-dowdy recipe is, he is the keeper of our Mother's and Grandmother's heirloom recipes. Only cause he comes the closest to their cooking! I should of been a fat little girl but I got my Daddy's lean genes. Thank Goodness! After having 5 kids I wieghed a whopping 108 lbs. I realized I was small at 5' 4" so I started drinking Ensure and lifting weights and woking out in the yard more. 18 years later I am at a very healthy, solid, 124lbs. and very proud of it. I never wanted to be the "rail" as I was called, but I knew there was a way to be bigger and still be healthy. My Dad was a slim lean man and my Mom was a big women (5' 5" and 180-200 lbs) I just wanted to be in between and now I am. (grin) And of course the recipes from my Mother & Memere helped!!!!! I have one brother who is 6' 4" and he's a rail with a capitol R, he too recently tried the Ensure and he's gaining. Sometimes little sisters CAN teach big brothers a few things.LOL

Has anyone else read this story on the racoon? I found it very interesting and a wonderful experence. http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/603944/

my family will eat cool whip, but I refuse. there is no substitute for real whip cream. there are lean genes in my family, too, but none of them landed on me LOL Mom's brothers were bean poles and she grew up drinking milk shakes and putting butter on everything trying to gain weight and couldn't.

I'm going to try the dumplings with canned wild bb...it's all I've got.

With the canned...you probally won't need as much water. I'm really not sure, was forbidden to use canned friut when Memere was around!
I love butter on everything, and for some of us its just as hard to gain weight as it is for others to lose. Mid-life has helped some! (grin)

Gram, Those daylily leaves can be pulled and usually they will come out at the base. I've heard this referred to as "leaf pruning". I sometimes do it, if it is unsightly. At the end of the year I pull them all up and put them in the compost.
Dave

I should tell you a bit about all these deserts I keep bringing up. There was 9 at our table every evening, in the summer we spent most of our time at my Memere & Pepere's camp.
So did the rest of our relatives, it was "Normal" to have 21 for Sunday dinner. So, Memere would ask us kids what we wanted her to make for desert, and then she would send us out to collect the fruit she needed. On our camp road, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and apples grew wild everywhere, and we would pick until she said we had enough. Then she would take the fruit and "create" the most wonderful dishes I have ever tasted in my 46 years here on earth. Nothing has ever been as mouth watering as my Memere's fruit dishes, I know now that what made them so great was that extra special ingredient: LOVE.

pixie, this sounds so picturesque, almost like a more modern-day 'Little House' episode. I think is something that a lot of kids miss out on today with family living all over the country. this would have been a good topic for the musings thread.

gram

My first Sunflowers.
Andy P

A new Candy Lily.
Andy P

One of my Dahlias from seed. I think it's a cross between Redskin and Bishops Children. It's more violet than in the pic with lighter edge and very dark foliage.
Andy P

Andy ~ Nice dahlia and lily but that sunflower is awesome!

Nice pictures Andy - still can't believe you haven't grown them before, chipmunks plant the sunflowers around here, although I do have a new to me variety that is just about open.

Gram alert - this is my favorite hydrangea I have 'Tardiva'

Andy,that sunflower is beautiful. What kind is it? I thought they only came in yellow.

1tjl, It's one in the "Ruby Moon" mix from Jungs seed. Some are extra dark red, others are lighter with a halo and there is this one, the lightest of all so far.
What's the problem, Al. There must be some common annual that you have not grown before.
Andy P

Yeah Al. Take me for instance. I have never grown a weed in any of my gardens. I just don't have the knack.

Andy,Thank you for the name. I love having different flowers for birds to enjoy. I have yellow sunflowers in bloom now . I have coreopsis also that the goldfinches like the seed of.

This message was edited Aug 15, 2006 6:48 PM

I didn't know about these sunflowers either, Andy. How tall do they get? The only sunflowers I have are a few I left under the bird feeder. Figured they weren't hurting anything and maybe the birds would end up with a free meal. No where near bloom yet.

Al, I really need a hydrangea ;-) probably not until next year though. I'm probably going to be busy from now until the ground's frozen planting what I've already ordered...and I'm not done yet LOL I like that one, though.

Dave, I'd be glad to send you some weed seeds. Some of mine are going to seed right now and I'm sure I could save some. Guaranteed to grow!

pixie, I forgot to say Zuzu over on the rose forum identified that rose for me...Rio Samba. I'm sure that's it.

gram

This message was edited Aug 15, 2006 7:55 PM

Gram, Isnt it cool to have Zuzu around? The definitive answer to any rose related question!
Yes, please send me some of those weed seeds but I can't guaruntee anything. I just can't get 'em to grow!

The sunflower varieties are endless if you ever look in Burpees or T&M - always hard to pick just one - which is all I have room for.

Gram - I wouldn't plant a hydrangea in the fall anyway

Hey I've got something new and exciting(for me at least) my brugmansia is blooming

Al, the brugmansia is so pretty. What's the variety? Are you growing it as an annual or taking it in for the winter? I got one from Park's (Cherub), ordered as a sale plant in June, didn't get it until 7/15, instead of the 3" pot it was a little bare root thing and now it's a dead 2" stick.

Dave, I could pot up some of those weeds for you instead of the seeds. they're strong healthy plants, and I could give you several choices. some are even in bloom.

Al ~ that flower is beautiful! I have never tried growing them before, is it hard? are they fussy?