cedar apple rust- how much a concern? ...and an intro

Well dang it, that stunk. I was replying when my computer froze and I got the error report and that firefox had to close. Guess I'll start all over again!

I love my Mustang. That's why I traded in my husband's and not mine. It's just better. It's older, but better. Equil has seen it, if she pops back in she can attest to my sexy car.

Must haves.........I so wanted a tulip poplar in my front yard here, but was talked out of it. They didn't think it would survive. I really wish I would of just tried. I want natural looking, so another must have would be understory trees, like redbud. For shrubs, I have to have viburnums. The more the better. I think my favorites are Michael Dodge and Asian Beauty. I also love, I believe it's Mohawk and I know Juddi for the fragrance. I want wildlife value, which reminds me of 2 more shrubs I have on the south side, Ilex verticillata (winterberry). And I have to have spice bush because it's a host plant for the swallowtail butterfly. I also love the buckeyes because I don't see many people having them (and nobody has them in my town). I also had to have Euonymus americanus (strawberry bush), nobody has them here. Must have perennials would be anything that has weed after it. Butterfly weed, joepyeweed, ironweed, milkweed. Native grasses mixed in look good with them. And the native asters. I love asters. Native coneflowers. Liatris, any of the native ones. Vines, would be native clematis, I want a crossvine (Bignonia capreolata) so bad I can taste it, and a native honeysuckle. A plant I never knew before and was a must have was Geum triflorum (Prairie smoke). Gosh, this is hard! I had this vine climbing up a tree in TN, that I had no clue what it was. I had Craig come over to ID a few things and low and behold it was a cross vine. Not planted, it just sprung up. Oh gosh, a must have is bee balm, Monarda fistulosa (Wild Bergamot ). I've had one or another bee balm at each and every house. I think this native one for up here is by far my favorite. It flopped really bad after a storm, but once everything else fills in, it shouldn't. Columbine. I love columbine. Andropogon scoparius (little bluestem) and Andropogon gerardii (Big Blue Stem) are grasses that are high on my list.

I think my must haves are probably everything in my yard! These are the ones I can think of off the top of my head anyway.

Ah yes, her little sex machine car. One problem with the thing, it's hard to get in and out of. Fun car though but I'll take my old lady car any day.

Terry, that clump we (strike that in that should be you dug) dug up from here was Monarda fistulosa? Is my memory trashed? I thought you got a chunk of that or was it something else?

I don't even want to list what I want for here. I am so greedy in the plant department because I seem to want it all.

Who has trouble getting in and out of my car? I don't.....

Yes, I dug up Monarda fistulosa and wild...wild.....the worty looking things. Starts with a q? In your front yard away from the house. I have 1 Monarda fistulosa out back and I took a piece of yours for out front. The worty looking things are in the back prairie area also.

Wild Quinine. I have the strangest premonition the worty Parthenium integrifolium is a host species to some sort of moth. I find moths I can't identify hanging around that plant like there's no tomorrow. I also see butterflies around it and the Black Swallowtail comes to mind. Interestingly enough, once the plant is established, it's not worty. Why, I don't know but you saw the mature plants and they're never worty.

See now, I knew that. I just couldn't come up with the right name. I had quince stuck in my head, and I knew that wasn't right.

Oooooohh, so I need to wait and see if I have black swallowtails!! How cool! How come you made me take the worty ones? John was looking at them yesterday, and he just calls them the wort plant!

For some reason the smaller ones are always worty. I haven't a clue why. That's why I showed you the mature wortless Wild Quinines planted right next to the juvenile worty ones for comparison. All of the mature plants were wortless. The less mature the plant, the more worts.

The roots of Wild Quinine go down pretty deep. My bet is they extend to depths of 10' or possibly even greater. I've tried to dig them up and couldn't. I told you that you were welcome to take the larger ones if you wanted but if you recall... you had a tough enough time getting up the less developed plants in that those roots were already at about 2-3'. I was sort of hoping you'd be stubborn and try again after you landed on your rump. Remember when you went flying backwards and landed in the grass laughing? Your husband was going to run over to your assistance and I laughed and told him no way so he stood there smiling while watching you go at that plant to get it out of the ground. That was the Wild Quinine you were trying to dig up. I was amused. Anyway, that's a plant that has a better shot of surviving when transplanted as a juvenile as opposed to transplanting it when it is mature. Bigger is not better in Wild Quinine when trying to relocate it.

Hey, you're welcome to come and dig up some mature plants if you'd like. I'll have my camera ready.

Well I certainly have a list now, thank you. I will finally go to the extension service in Murfreesboro to turn in the soil sample today. Seems like every time I get ready to go something comes up. I've had my son home sick since Tuesday. Sinus infection, asthma, and fever. Last night (2am) he added an earache. He's fourteen so it is easier than when he was little. Of course we are all getting the bug now.
I bet my guys would love the Mustang. I have a hard time getting in and out of the Mazda so I am not too jealous.

Have you smothered lawn before? Should I fertilize over top of the mulch? I use Plant Tone and Holly tone. Or should I fertilize just around the plants. Lift the mulch and paper arournd them, or just top it off with some more mulch? Should I start a new thread with these questions?

The soil is not deep here. They blast to build here. My neighbor says there is a rock ledge about 18 inches down on one side. He was having sprinklers installed. So I guess I can't plant some of those plants with long taproots.

I had a tough time because the soil was dry, I was wearing the wrong shoes, and I didn't have my spade.

I'm sorry your son is sick. A friend of mine has all that also. At 14, he should rebound in no time. It's us older people that can't seem to shake the bad bugs.

I've never trusted the sod to actually die if I tried to smother it. I either strip it of the sod, or kill it off with Round-Up first. Some of the sod I kept and I tried doing the solarizing thing, but my plastic kept ripping. It was the thickest plastic I could find, but my soil was piled. It's probably 4 wide and 15 long and was 3 ft high. It's shrunk considerably after being there since last fall and having 3 different plastic covers. I'm not sure how fast paper decomposes. I use it also under mulch, but I'm not suffocating the grass.

I haven't fertilized anything. I do use root stimulator (I can't think of the name, if you want it, I'll go out to the garage and look) for about the first year of the plants life, but otherwise, I don't fertilize. I'm using mostly natives and I figure they don't get fertilized in their natural habitat, so I don't either. I used to fertilize though and I just threw some around the plant. I didn't pull back anything. Probably laziness. That and Craig told me I didn't need to. I used that holly tone a lot down there. Nothing else I fertilized though, except for the root stimulator.

I also don't think it's a bad thing to plant things with long taproots. They adjust, especially if native to your area. I don't think I'd let that deter me at all. They didn't have to blast for our house down in TN, but digging wasn't fun. A pick ax was my buddy down there. I had one day for my husband to come home because right where I wanted a rhodo were some huge rocks and no way could I budge them (and if I want a plant here, then the plant goes here. Not over a little this way or that, right here). I have an arbor and 2 obelisks and various garden "art". I had to use my root feeder thing to wet the area and make a hole first. What a pain, so I don't envy you there. But in AR, where my parents have a second home, they did have to blast to build the house. And if it were my house, the long tap rooted plants would be going in, regardless. There's a Monterey Mushroom plant down there somewhere. I can't remember if it was up 27 or up 113 (or is it 111?). I can't remember the name of the town. Maybe you could inquire. I meant to tell you also, but forgot, that I love the pine straw. My husband brought me all he could fit when he was done working down there. You can't find that stuff up here. Weird, huh? Nice bales.....it's a shame. My sister and my parents both have pines, I just need to go rake it up and throw it into the back of the pickup. Much nicer to have bales :(

If you want more answers to your questions....which is probably a good idea....just know that not all people do it the same. You'll probably get differing views and you just have to do what's best for you, what you feel works.

My daughter caught me landing on my fanny as Equil pointed out above. Below is a pic........please notice I'm wearing sandals. Not exactly digging and dividing type shoes.

You have a good sense of humor if you can show the picture. Says a lot about you-all good. One time last year, when our slope was still covered with grass, I slipped and fell on my rear and slid down the slope. Luckily no one was there with a camera.

Thanks! And I know the feeling! You saw the pic above with me standing on the driveway (down in TN) looking up taking the picture? Looking down was a slippery slope when wet. All that clay was like baby poo. I slid on it more times than I can count. And the stuff stains, to boot!! Equil has a post somewhere where people were coming out talking about the times they fell and just plain old dumb stuff we do. I'm there too. Falling off ladders, tripping and falling right on Main St once wearing a t-shirt that said on the front, I HAVE CRABS.....my sister had gotten it for me out in CA. It was for a crab restaurant, which of course was only mentioned in small print on the back of the t-shirt. I almost pruned the tip of my finger off, I cut a nice chuck in my middle finger with a pair of Chicago Cutlery Kitchen Shears and had to call my parents to come get me and take to the ER, where they cut off one of my rings. Fell off of a ladder and broke my ankle, then constantly fell off the crutches. I tripped over the gas hose many times at the gas station.......my list is never ending. A year ago this last winter, I slipped on the front inside steps (was painting and had plastic on them) and landed on my back, also splitting my elbow open. My daughter had to holler for my sister who had just left. I had to sleep in a recliner (we weren't living here just yet, living with my parents while I worked on this house). When my parents came home and my mom saw me walking all crooked, she insisted I go to her chiropractor. I broke a few bones in my back.....and on and on it goes........

I've done it for so long, I can only laugh at myself.

I thought I was bad! I once fell off the kitchen counter while trying to remove a cobweb from the ceiling. Didn't hurt myself too much. Just sore. You have me beat.

Gotta run. Need to ladle some more chicken soup for the boy, run errands and get things cleaned up for the weekend. My older boy has a friend coming from out of town for the weekend. I would quarantine us, but it was all planned ahead. They won't be around much, so maybe he won't catch the bug.
I am going to pick up some Lawn Tone for the front yard. Hubby 'renovated' it last weekend. I think it is a waste, because I plan to remove about half (or more) of it next year. We will use a sod cutter for that. Well, what we keep will look good. I intend to stack the sod on the drive and put up signs-free sod. I think it will go quick as they are still building around here. I will look for some bargain plants at the local garden centers while I am out. Wish me luck.

That's how I broke my ankle. I was redoing my MIL's kitchen, everybody who promised to help me had vanished into thin air (except hubby who helped when he could) when I was turning to situate myself and turn to the other side of the cupboard above the sink, on the ladder and my foot slipped and my inseam is way to short for me to have caught myself. I went sliding on her luverly peel and stick tile floor and crashed into the fridge where we moved it so I could paint the cabinets. I slid over into the side of the fridge and then I flew back into the cubby where it should sit. My in-laws (MIL, BIL, SIL) were eating lunch when they heard something. Something like breaking bones maybe? BIL came running into the kitchen and asked me what happened, so I'm telling him and suddenly I feel like I'm going to pass out, so he's holding my leg up, I tell him "I think I'm gonna pass out and I slide down onto the floor, not passing out thank goodness. One of my tales of woe.......

I like to spray Lysol around when somebody is sick. I don't know if it helps, but it does in my head anyway :)

As for the sod, you might want to keep some of it and simply turn it upside down. Let it sit, and if it's not too deep, you can cover it with plastic. Use all the rocks I know you have around there to hold down the sides. It turns into some nice stuff. Have you ever removed sod yourselves? That's how we do it. I've never rented a sod cutter. You just need a spade, outline what you want removed, then using the spade, slice down on your lines, curves, whatever. Then get under the sod with the spade and push forward (so the spade is going along the bottom of where the roots of the grass are) and you basically peel the sod back. Think about it, it's another way of saving money.

Did you have any luck finding some bargain plants?

Ouch! I have yet to break a bone. Just bruises and knots on the head. I hope it healed well and doesn't give you problems.
Best laid plans... I never got to Murfreesboro yesterday. By the time I finished with the Lysol(I use it too:-) ran some errands and picked up the truck, I was as weak as a kitten. I spent the rest of the day in bed. This is a nasty bug. Fever, body aches...yuck. I rarely get sick. I am glad Dave and his friend spent the night with another friend. I feel a little better this morning so we'll see...

I thought we'd use the sod cutter because it looks so easy on HGTV! We also end up with a lot of sod and dirt left over when we plant stuff. We ammend with some humus or some such and there is always extra dirt. My DH built two 4'x4' raised beds and used the dirt in there. He is going to build two more. They stand knee high which makes tending it easy. I don't have a compost bin yet, and nowhere to hide stuff. We can't have a shed unless it is brick! Our neighborhood doesn't have an Association. The only two restrictions are: no fence in the front and all construction has to be 90% brick. One of the neighbors had one built with a brick front and the rest siding. No one said anything. Still must be expensive though.

No, it didn't heal right. I laid in the ER of our local hospital (I had the ambulance bring me back here even though I was closer to Peoria and good doctors) from 11:30 AM to 5 PM...seems the orthopedic guy was busying playing golf. When he finally got to the hospital, he told me it was too swollen to cast. Which didn't make any sense. He told me to go home and come back to his office on Fri. This was a Mon. I had been laying flat on my back the whole time and he thought it was swollen. Now I'm going to have to try and walk, go the bathroom, sponge bath, etc. On Fri I get there, and he doesn't "set" my foot, he just cast it hanging down. I've had problems with it ever since. And it's my right foot to boot. Shortly after the cast came off, I got a call at 1:15 AM...that's never good...it was the call center for those lifeline buttons. My grandma's was going off and could I go check on her. It's storming out, could that be why it's going off? I don't know ma'am, are you going or should we call somebody else. PJ's and all, I'm off. I'm almost to her house (back then we lived in a town about 5 miles west, so I'm driving 80 mph with flashers) when it dawns on me, I don't have a key. Her neighbor does though, she's on the list of people to call also. So I head to her house, thru the bushes, limping all the way to Helen's. She gives me a key and says she'll call the police. I get to grandma's door and I can't see, it's dark outside. I finally kind the hole for the key and slide it in.....only to discover grandma put the chain on. Nice thick chain too. I can't get my arm in there and undo it, grandpa did a good job putting that thing on years ago. What to do, what to do......kick. She was deaf in 1 ear and couldn't ear out of the other, she won't hear the doorbell, she already didn't hear the lifeline people call, so I start kicking with my left foot. I kicked and I kicked till finally I broke the trim around the door! The chain was still firmly attached to the door. I maneuver my way thru broken wood and nails and get inside. Grandma was laying there, in her bed, sound asleep. Now I'm going to scare the crap out of her...but I just gently reached out and put my hand on her arm and she looked at me, I pat my chest where her lifeline button is, and her eyes go wide. Then I hear them, cops, EMT's, the firemen.......and there I am in my slinky pj's. But all was good, grandma was fine. My ankle, I was told, could be re-broke, but that sounds like way too much pain. The 2nd doc also wanted to know why I didn't opt for surgery. What surgery? 1st doc said nothing about surgery. Maybe he wasn't done golfing. I should of had all the pins and stuff put in there. Oh well. I can still walk. It's not strong anymore, but hey, it kinda sorta works.

You'll get to Murfreesboro, don't sweat it. When you're sick, you're sick. I'm a firm believer in taking care of oneself when sick. I don't push myself...well not to hard anyway, when I'm sick.

I have to tell you, be careful about removing too much dirt away from your planting holes. My husband used to do that all time and I ended up with sunken beds. It ain't pretty. A lot of people will tell you not to amend, to use the native soil. In TN I always amended the soil. I used this tree and shrub stuff (which gave me an extra 2 years on my warranty) and I also used the soil conditioning stuff. I was so unfamiliar with clay and rock soil, so I turned to Craig for a lot of my advise. He always advised to plant things a little high, then build the mulch up to meet it. Make sense? The builder though, removed anything that was good and scraped down to the deadpan. What he did bring back was full of construction debris and half burned trees. Nothing like going to pickax a hole and finding wood. Pulling on the wood, I usually ended up pulling out a 5 ft piece. And bottles, cans, siding, guttering etc etc. I like this good ole black dirt much better. No need for the pickax except to help us when we removed a lilac from out front. Otherwise, it's just my spade.

Have your husband try it the way I described. If it's too hard for him to do, then by all means rent the sod cutter.

Have you ever ordered from these people? http://www.sunlightgardens.com/aboutsunlight.html
You can go there also. I had plans with Craig to go one day, but they were calling for freezing rain up there, so Craig cancelled on me. They are a little expensive, but they have some things I couldn't find locally, so I gave them a try.

Take it easy today!

Terryr, sorry it has taken me so long to reply. Boy this cold is a doozy! I have slept and slept. But not good sleep. Hot and cold, up and down all day and night Saturday and Sunday. I'm so thirsty, then I have to go. Maybe it is the flu. Anyway I was up at 5:30 this morning because I start back at MTSU today. Lots of cold medicine, and I made it through the day. I borrowed an inhaler from my son and that helps a lot.

I am sorry about your ankle. A friend of mine had a similar experience when she broke her arm. Her friend flipped the ATV they were in. Anyway, the doc sent her home and said come back in a week. Well it hurt so bad she went to the military hospital the next morning. The operated and put pins and screws in it. God save us from bad doctors.

I have been amending less and less as time goes on. Used to be everyone said amend, amend, amend. Now, not so much. This soil seems to be better than what we had in Clarksville so I don't think I need to. We are learning. Thank you for your suggestions. I am taking notes! I will check out Sunlight Gardens.
I am turning in early tonight. Good night.

Ah....Take the last train to Clarksville and I'll meet you in the morning.......I always sung that song while driving along I-24. Too funny.

I hope you feel better soon! Nothing like being down when you've got lots of things to do!

Yep, anymore, people say to not amend at all. Just put the native soil in. I didn't replace the native soil, I feel like I enhanced it. Just like up here, I can make this really good black dirt better by using mushroom compost. It seems like it was Crossville that I was told had a Monterey Mushroom plant, but looking at their website, it says Loudon and since I've never heard of Loudon, I know that's not it. Maybe ask around at some nurseries up your way and see what anyone says? Either that or our builder lied to me. Oh shock.

Lol, a builder lying, say it isn't so! I'm back. Feeling much better. What a rough week! Hot to boot. I am so glad it has cooled off. 75 degrees and breezy today! We went to Cheekwood gardens. I love that place. Lots of ideas there. They have a native garden area. Back to why I began this thread...I saw a nice Washington Hawthorn today and it didn't have a bit of rust. I may get one of those. Maybe we'll stop in McMinnville at one of the nurseries on the way back from Chatanooga and see what they have. Did you ever go there? Nursery capital of TN, so they say.

I'm glad you're feeling better! I could rant for hours on the guy who built that lopsided, ready to fall down house. What was always really funny, was listening, or trying to listen to him talk. Sounds like he was from the mountains and didn't have an education at all. Where was he born and raised? Michigan!! I had to contact the BBB numerous times on him, it got to where the dislike was mutual. Calling me a yankee....talk about calling the kettle black! That's why I like my house now. Built in 1896.

I had some sort of hawthorn in Soddy Daisy, but it was still pretty small when we moved.

I did some searching before I drove to McMinnville to check any nurseries out. From what I could understand, most of the nurseries are wholesale only. I know I drove by quite a few on my trips home (to IL) and back. And they had signs that said wholesale only. I can't remember the names of those nurseries. Here's 1 of the websites I looked at http://www.warrentn.com/ Why it says Warren TN is beyond me. I also just saw something that I had forgotten about. I was lost and was looking for Beersheba Hwy. Now, being from the north, I had no clue how to pronounce that. Looks like beer sheba to me. It's something like Ba share ba. Made no sense whatsoever to me. I always loved how they were always doing road work there. They'd cover the signs with what looked like big black garbage bags. No other signs to let you know which way you're supposed to go. Hopefully, by now, all that road work is done.

Gosh, I sound like I'm in a rotten mood and I'm not! Did I tell you I didn't care for living in TN at all? Being called a yankee and to go home on a daily basis, really wore me out. I never got to experience that southern hospitality you always hear about. Sure, Craig was my best buddy down there, but he's from MO. O.k rant over.........sorry!

LOL! I'm sorry your experience was bad. I was born in PA so I'm more yankee than you! If my hubby hadn't been in the Army I am sure I would have ended up farther north. It has been ok. My accent has been muddied over the years so I sound more southern now. I have a tendency to pick up speech patterns of those I hang around. I don't do it intentionally, it just happens. My parents moved us to Texas when I was a young teen. Self-preservation, I guess. People couldn't understand my fast speech anyway so I had to slow down! I once had a friend from England and next thing you know I'm saying words like 'tarmack' and 'bum'. I have to watch it because I don't want folks thinking I'm making fun.

About the southern hospitality, I have a theory. I think southerners are more likely to be friendly and cordial, but its kind of a wall or shell. It is natural for them to say hello and wave and even help a stranger, but it usually ends there. They are not any more or less likely to make real friendships than northerners. I used to get into trouble because I thought they were really trying to be my friend. I would get my feelings hurt when things cooled quickly or my confidence was betrayed. So I have learned to feel out what people really want- friendship or friendliness. I hope that makes sense. There are lots of folks in my neighborhood that won't even wave back and I've been here a year. Go figure. I just take people as they come and try to be honest and authentic. Good karma or chi or some such.

I like the construction in this house soooooo much better than the old place. My friend jokes that those houses were built by monkeys! This place feels solid and the finish work is really good. Everything has been level and square that we have measured; good signs. I hope so, because we plan to stay until we need a retirement community -or my kids move away! I'd move to be close to grandkids. I've moved around my whole life so it wouldn't bother me too much. Leaving a garden would be harder than leaving a house, I think.

Hopefully I'll find some good stuff at that plant sale. I am being impatient with this garden and I know I need to chill. It will turn out better if I don't rush it. It is hard though because of the lack of privacy. I love to sit out back and read or play with my dogs or putter around doing little chores. I don't like feeling watched. The redtwig dogwood has really shot up and blocks the view of one of my neighbor's decks. Yea! Maybe I'll plant more of those. Fast growers- hope they aren't too aggressive.

All I know is that once they asked where I was from, and I said, well I was from IL, now we live in Soddy Daisy. Man. Talk about a conversation killer. I just couldn't figure it out. Some people were really nice. The door guy at Lowe's for instance. He said he likes us Northerners, because we bring our money! He was such a funny and nice guy. My tape measure broke that I always carried in my purse. Thanks to him, I have a new one, free of charge.

I have always found the people up here to be more honest in their feelings. Maybe because I've always lived here, but that's the way it seems. Such a small town, that it makes it kind of hard to be fake. Everybody knows it then. I had a hard time getting anyone to help me down there, that was a big problem. I could of faked the accent, I do it well. I found though, that I was more aware of my speech when I heard them. So I pronounced my words properly. I never picked up the twang at all. I've been told I have somewhat of a twang anyway, but I think it's more of saying something and it sounds more like a question than a statement. I'll never get the "I'm fixing to leave" or whatever they're doing. How does anyone fix to leave? I get ready to leave, or get ready to plant, or whatever. My grandma always said I talked too fast. Always was telling me to slow down. I haven't though. Your theory makes sense, but unfortunately it didn't work for someone who didn't have an accent at all. Our subdivision was built back in a black neighborhood. Our street was all white people, but all the houses outside of it, had black families. Now they would wave and talk. Not our neighbors though.

Leaving a garden is not fun. I've left 2 now. Both were from scratch, totally. So they were all me, if that makes any sense. This house, now the only things left that were here when we moved in are an arborvitae, 2 redbuds I discovered in the lilacs (they left today) out back recently, some peonies which are going away and some iris. Otherwise, I've ripped out everything. So basically, this is all me here too. Inside and out really. It's just such a shame when people don't do basic upkeep of an old house. But, we did it all. We're not done, but that's alright.

The house in TN biggest problem was that when they put the roof trusses on, they didn't pull in the walls. So everything was off. Even my front door had this huge gap. I had to hire someone else to install a different door (builder bought the door) and they had to jerry rig it in the opening. They figured it was off an inch from top to bottom. That's a lot! Another problem we had to fix before we sold, remember this house was built in 2003 and we moved in 2004, was a squeak in the hallway. They didn't put that bottom piece of 2 by 4 (when they build the studs) down right. Basically they put the nail in crooked so the wood cracked and wasn't holding anything. So when you walked, that bottom wood moved and squeaked. It was quite an ordeal for us to fix, but we did it ourselves.

Sambucus is a good thing that I think grows relatively fast and spreads pretty good to give you a good screen. Plus it gets berries that feed the birds. We have neighbors that are never out. Never. Maybe to get from car to house, but that's it. It's very weird. So if anybody watches me, it's from behind a curtain.

Trust me. I know all about impatience. I'm afflicted also. My list for this month....get some mushroom compost and spread it all out, sand, prime and paint the front porch, get some new lattice for the bottom of the porch and prime, paint and attach it, clean the back deck and paint it (already primed last year but ran out of time to paint it), extend the deck and build a ramp for my BIL, finish the back wood storm door, it needs stain and poly on the inside and sides, I already got the paint on the outside of it, need to finish stripping the jamb then stain and poly it, need to take off the big door back there and strip it and stain and poly it, take off door from upstairs that leads to balcony and strip, stain and poly it. Then maybe I can sit and relax some? I was outside working from 9:30 AM to 7:45 PM today. I'll probably do that again tomorrow, unless it rains.

And right now, I'm so tired, I need to get to bed!

Yup, that kind of thing happened to me. Folks would hear you are military and suddenly its 20 degrees cooler. That happened a lot in Georgia. That was about 14 years ago, so maybe it has changed. Some of the southern phrases are humerous. My favorite quote is "If Ida knowed you'da wanna went, I'da seed you'da gotta getta go.' May have been a comedian who said it. I still say 'you guys' as well as the southern y'all. Texas was a different accent from TN. I enjoy hearing different accents. I have a friend in Nebraska and one from MN which sound a bit different from each other.

My neighbors don't come out much either. Straight behind us there is a nice couple that I only see once every month or so. They keep several of the blinds open or in the up position. So I don't like to look in that direction because it feels like I'm peepin'. Our yard slopes at the end down to their yard. We are elevated about 5 feet or so. They started keeping their blinds open after we started planting the slope. They will have the best view! So far I have the dogwoods, 2 viburnum dentatum, 2 itea Merlot, a beauty berry, and 2 fothergilla on the slope. At the top where it flattens out I have 3 Jane magnolias in the center of the arrangement with azaleas in between those, and on either side of those I have Nellie Stevens hollies. All of those on the we planted right after we moved in and before I decided to go native. I find I like things planted symetrically or at least balanced. The slope will be more natural though.

That's quite a to do list! I just want to fill in the slope with shrubs and trees right now. And smother more lawn. Then next year I want to do the sides of the yard. Those neighbors rarely come out. We also need to work on the front yard. I'd like to take out major areas of lawn and put down mulch. Then slowly fill that with plants. My DH has been going to construction sites and picking up rocks for the yard. All that blasting produces lots of nice stepping stones! Today we laid out a path that leads to the slope where he set in some 'steps'. The lower part of the yard is about 10 feet of lawn between the slope and the fence(property line). That may have to stay lawn for a while. Don't know what else to do with it.

Sambucus...I took some sambucus syrup for my cough. Tastes like grape juice or maybe a bit like prune juice. I am game to plant them. The gold finches that come to my yard make my day- every day. Want to make them happy.

Hi, I hope Equil doesnt see I got up from having my foot elevated to write you. I know she said she was going to dmail you with my email addy, so if you feel like just chatting or whatever, please feel free to email me.

What on earth could be wrong with being a military family? That makes no sense to me, as I'm sure it didn't to you either. My builder said something very similar to your phrase above. I also knew I was in the south when I stepped outside and heard the construction guys next door hollering that "he ain't got none". Another thing my builder always did, was every time he stopped, which was a daily basis, he made sure to tell me his wife did 10 x's more work than I did. Now mind you, every time he stopped, I was usually in the yard, planting, spreading mulch, trying to dig a hole, or I was inside painting. I was never sitting down. Yet they lived in the first house outside the subdivision and I had to stop on a few occasions. What was his wife doing? Sitting watching t.v. Their house was a mess. He also said that us Illinoisans were 25 years behind them. Uh huh. How about I did 95 x's more work than his wife did and we Illinoisans were 30 yrs ahead of them. Probably more like 50 years, since a lot of homes down there didn't have electric or plumbing. Yep, good ole Roy.

Anyway, back to gardening.....lol....I like what you describe. I had Jane magnolia down there and I loved her. Gosh, she's pretty. I like all the plants you named above. V dentatum is native as is the fothergilla. Beauty berry....if it's Callicarpa americana, you've got another native. I believe they have that at the plant sale down in Chatty. They've also got native rhodo's. When we went those were sold out, but those were the only things that they were sold out of. Get a Aesculus pavia (Red Buckeye) and a Aesculus parviflora (Bottlebrush buckeye) . Oh gosh! They should have Franklinia, you have to get one so I can be in love by osmosis! Oh my are you lucky, guess what I just found? One of the papers from the sale! Euonymus americanus (hearts a bustin), Lindera benzoin (spicebush), Calycanthus floridus (sweetshrub), Clethra alnifolia (summersweet),Ilex decidua (possum haw) Itea virginica (virginia sweetspire) 2 different Callicarpa americana, white and purple, Aronia arbutifolia (red chokeberry). If you've got room for a tree, Cladrastis kentukea (American yellowwood) or a Oxydendron arboreum (sourwood), or both. And oh my gosh the perennials! They'll have the joepyeweed, the ironweed, milkweed, columbine, butterfly weed, wild Indigo, the blazing stars, the alumroot, oh and the asters, get the asters. 2 different monarda's, coreopsis, beardtongues, giant purple hyssop, indian physic, for a vine get the Clematis viorna oh my! I only found 1 paper too! Is that a list or what?? I wish I could come too! This place is so awesome. You're going to absolutely love it.

The rocks I found while digging were small to very large. No way would they have made a walkway, They just weren't flat enough. I did use them as a border to my sort of beds. I didn't have real set beds, but some I wanted to outline more, so I used the rocks. I'd fill that last 10 ft with more shrubs! I'm having fun designing your yard..lol! I like things to be somewhat symmetrical, but right now, some things are larger than others because I bought smaller plants. Eventually, it will all come together. Right now, I'm really mad at myself. I usually really plan out where to plant things. It doesn't take me long, it just comes to me. In one "bed", I have a Carpinus caroliniana, which is a multistemmed tree that stays shorter, a 'Grace' smokebush and a Viburnum prunifolium (blackhaw viburnum) and a lone aster. The Carpinus is just going to ultimately get to big to compete with both. So my thought is to move the Carpinus south and move the smokebush north, and put the blackhaw completely somewhere else. The smokebush really grew this year, it's about 12-15 ft right now. I know you can cut them way back, but it just scares me. If I do do it, I'll probably wait till next spring.

I know gold finches love the seed from Echinacea. You've got the TN coneflower down there and there's also a yellow one that I adore. Echinacea paradoxa is the botanical name for that one. I've heard they eat the seeds from Silphium laciniatum (Compass Flower, Compass Plant or Rosinweed). Isn't this fun?! Down there, I had no HOSP like I have here. So here, I don't put out any bird seed. Down there I did though and I'd let the sunflower seeds go ahead and sprout. Oh how they loved those. Just be sure to thin them out some, otherwise you'll have a ton of them.

And get that sambucus! Sambucus canadensis or elderberry. I've heard the fruit is good but usually the birds are there stripping it clean before a person can get to it. I should taste one, since the HOSP don't like them.

Just think of my list if I could find the other paper! I know the other paper had more in the way of shrubs. Darn it all. Oh and don't forget to sign up for the newsletter. I'm so excited for you! I know, I know, let's be patient. ah breathe, breathe...........

I am afraid this thread has turned into our own chat. I'll check into the dmail. What happened to your foot? You better listen to Equil. Take care of yourself and live to garden another day. I shouldn't be online myself. I've have homework. Didn't get much done this weekend because I was babysitting. Went to Cheekwood Saturday and the Frist Museum on Sunday(Egypt exhibit). I love those kids though and I had fun. Two girls! I have two boys, so girls are a big change of pace.

I am sorry you had such a bad experience. I have run into ignorant prejudice all over the states and in several foriegn countries! People are the same everywhere. Salt of the earth and dregs of the swamp all in the same crowd. My motto is: avoid miserable people, because they are not happy until you are as miserable as they are.

You got all of that at the plant sale? Whoo hoo! I'm ready to go! I picked up two viburnum nudum Winterthur, and a viburnum dentatum Chicago Lustre yesterday for $6 each at Lowes. I hope the Chicago makes my Autumn Jazz happy. I want berries. My DH wants to buy a river birch that they have for $20. It is only about 6 ft tall but healthy. I think I will go along with that. They do really well around here. I want trees! The Carpinus and the Cladrastis sound good. What are they like? Easy or finicky? I'm gonna cram as much as I can into this yard. My neighbors must think we are crazy. Dennis was out all day yesterday setting the stepping stones into a path from the patio to the edge of the slope. Just 4 more to go and he's done. I love that man! He just says 'what's next?' He hates the slash and burn development as much as I do. We also want a loud water feature to drown out some of the urban noise. He is planning to build one himself from all the rock he's collecting. I can't work as hard as I used to because of my back, but if I sit still too long I get depressed and I'm not used to waiting for someone else to do things for me. A military wife learns to do a lot of things on her own. I've installed light fixtures, dug drainage ditches, planted trees, and spread yards and yards of dirt and mulch, all by myself. I wouldn't have it any other way....well actually I wouldn't mind someone else doing the digging. Grunt work. I hate cutting grass too. Don't do it any more with three men in the house, thank goodness. Most of it will be gone in a few years if I have my way.


This message was edited Sep 8, 2006 12:53 PM

Equil, look at the time! I had my foot elevated, but I wanted to post in this thread. John's run to get my antibiotics, so I start them today. I'll be fine.

I stepped on the triangle tool you use to strip woodwork. The points are sharp as razors, that's why they're good for stripping. It was under a newspaper, and I didn't know. John had come in to make us lunch while I was working in the garage on the back wood storm door. He came out and we went to go sit down on some chairs in the garage and I stepped on the tool. It went right thru my flip flop and into my foot. Blood everywhere. He was due to leave for work shortly, so I called my sister to take me to the ER. I didn't get stitches, something about it being a slit and not gaping open. I got a tetanus shot and start on antibiotics today. I would have started the antibiotics yesterday, but no one was opened. I'll be alright.

I'm not military, but the job my husband used to have required him to work long hours and typically Sat and Sun too. So, I just did the stuff myself. I'm just like you. I can do all that, plus fix plaster walls, strip woodwork, stain and poly, paint and on and on. I don't mind having someone to help me, but I can do it myself.

Aside from the trees, yes I got all that at the plant sale, plus more! Dang, if you were closer, I've got 2 river birches I have no room for, so they're going to my dad's. They're little, but they grow fast. I would gladly give one of them to you if you were closer. Sure you don't want to move? :o)

The Carpinus I didn't get there, I got it up here. The three things I mentioned in the bed up here, were all bought up here. The other things I listed were all of the plant list I found for the plant sale at Reflection Riding down in Chatty. If you can find a Carpinus, I'd go for it. Do a search to see the habit of the tree. I've heard of the Yellowwood (Cladrastis) before, but I don't have one. You can ask at the tree and shrub forum for their advise on it.

Your husband and my husband would get along great! Mine does the same thing. He works afternoons now, so in the morning I always hear, what's on the list for today. I list out what I want to do today, and off we go.

Have Dennis save some of the rock. Lots of rock. Then you guys can do a road trip and come up here and we can all build me a water garden. lol....

You can do dmail or just email me personally. You just click on my name and it takes you to my page where it'll say send terryr a dmail. Just click on that and that's all there is to it!

I want to see what you're doing as much as you probably want to see what I've been doing! Don't forget to post pics. I need to call Monterey Mushrooms and find out when I can get the mushroom compost, then I'll post my own.

John just got home and I took my first pill. Everybody calm down, I'll be fine......

Glad to hear it! I hope it heals fast. I sent you an email, Equil was nice enough to send your address. I will send pictures soon. I have to scan some photos into the computer first. Got to run, though I'd rather not:-(