New member

Hi All!! I'm new here and can't wait to meet others and share ideas and learn.
Anyone from Gig Harbor, Wa. area?
We've been redoing our yard front and back and love the way it's coming along.
Happy Gardening!!
Doxiesmom

Welcome! Your garden is looking lovely. I'm south of you.

Welcome aboard! Y'all have 8a listed when I think you're both 8b. You might have used record lows for your zone instead of average. I guess I'm an optimist.

Thanks growin. I'll change mine. Does that mean I can grow more things than I thought I could?

Thanks for the tip. Kinda hard to see on map where I am. :)
Kathy

You bet! Go crazy. You've just gained 1/2 a zone! LOL. You'll have to go out and buy tons of 8b plants now.

Welcome Doxiesmom. :-)

I'm near KatyMac, but new to the "lowland" area of western Washington so my experience in Zone 8a/b is limited. Love your water feature. Gotta get me something like that!

Hi there Kathy. I'm in Lakewood, just across the bridge from you. Love your water jar fountain! What do you like to grow?

Hi Doxiesmom...I'm just a hop away, over here in Sumner! Welcome to DG!

Hi All!!
Thanks for the warm welcome!! I love to grow everything!! We've been redoing front and back and putting new plants in
I love fancy geranuims and hardy fuschias(2 of them have grown over 8ft tall), tree peonys.
I'm into elephant ears, gunnera's and any big leaf plant now, so I can make cement leaves. Want to make a table with a big leaf and a three tiered fountain for back yard.
I have fibromyalgia, so can't do everything like I used, so get frustrated. But I do try and love looking at pics here of what others have done.
Do any of the locals in my area ever get together to tour garden places? I'd love to do that sometime.
Take care,
Kathy

I just crept in to see what was new in this Fourm....Hi Doxiesmom....I am owned by a Dachshund too!! The most hard-headed breed around....IMHO....but the most lovable

When ya'll plan your Round Up let me know so I can post it in the Dave's Garden Round Ups at a Glance forum////nothing more fun than a RU!! Jo

Welcome! Luv yer leaves!!! Isn't Gunnera just the greatest when it comes to making concrete ones? I couldn't even move mine and had to let them "age" for about 5 months - well, through the winter. I am located down the road a piece - halfway between Olympia and Shelton!

Great leaves, Kathy! On November 4 there is a plant swap up in Redmond. I don't know who all is going from the DG group. The last swap was up in Newcastle at Jburesh's home. I came home with WAY too many new plants, after swearing a solemn oath that I would come home with fewer than I brought. I believe I must have had my fingers crossed on that one.
There was a 'roundup' this summer, actually two of them. Likely there will be another one or two next spring and summer. The one on Whidbey Island was a blast - we did the Whidbey garden tour. Likely something like that will be arranged for next year.

I'm redoing plant beds as well, and I'm into big leaved plants like you. If you don't have an ornamental rhubarb, I'm going to be having an extra one. I grew some from seed and now I have too many. The ones I have are Rheum palmatum var. tanguinicum (is that spelled correctly?) I've done some of their leaves with cement and they turn out quite nicely. haven't painted them yet.

Hi All!!
Pixy, I don't have a ornamental rhubarb as yet. Are they easy to grow from seed? Is that what you used for blue garden art? If so, I need one.
I was wondering if anyone would be interested in going to Bloedel reserve in Bainbridge and than go up to Port Townsend to see "Troll House"? Both are quite interesting, and if you've never seen the troll house, you're in for a big treat. We could do it in mid-late June when the Blodel reserve will be blooming.
Take care,
Kathy

That would sound good to me, although I'm wondering if doing both in one day wouldn't be a bit much just because of distances? If you consider it a 'round up', you should start another thread in the spring.
The rhubarb is easy from seed, but I'll give you one of mine if you like. The leaves get very large. The blue cement leaf is a gunnera, but I did some rhubarb leaves, too.

Welcome Doxiesmom. I am in West Olympia but love going to Gig Harbor by boat and stopping in at the Tides for fish & chips (and of course beer). Do you live near the water?

I, too, am a fan of Gunnera, but I killed my ornamental rhubarb this summer. I don't know what happened, but I vow to try again next year! I love the photo of your concrete leaves - they are gorgeous. We have a great nursery down here - Bark and Garden Center - that carries a wide variety of out of the ordinary things. I bought two kinds of rhubarb there last spring. They will even order for you if you have an unusual request. It's horrible to have to drive by that place every day...the money just gets sucked out of my wallet as my car automatically steers straight into the parking lot! I did promise myself a moratorium on all bulbs this year. So far not a one has made it into my bag.

Hi All,
I just joined this forum so I hope I'm posting correctly, HA!

I see some live pretty close to me (like Doxiesmom) as I live in Port Orchard, WA. Really like your water jar. I keep trying to figure out a good place for something like that in my garden. Do you run that off of a battery or is it plugged in?

Can't remember who asked about getting together to visit different gardens but I'd sure like to be in on that too. I'm always trying to come up with ideas for my yard. I have different gardens around the property. Some shade, some are part sun/shade, as well as a veggie garden . I have a huge fir tree in the center of my driveway and need to figure out what to plant under it so it looks nice. Being that I have animals I have to be careful what I plant where.

I do like to plant things that attract the wildlife such as birds, butterflys and bats. I love having lots of flowers around. Some of my favorites are lilac, peony, rose of sharon, lavender, honeysuckle, poppies and most any kind of old fashion type of flower. Plus my shady areas with hostas and ferns, impatients and the like.

I've attached a picture of my house. Thought I had a picture of the driveway and fir tree but couldn't find it. Any ideas are appreciated.

Does anybody have trilliums in thier shade gardens? I use to have some but they are gone? I've tried transplanting them from the wooded area of my property but that didn't work out well. I never see them in nurseries though?

Guess thats enough for now.

Oh boy, I knew I shouldn't have got on this forum. Now I can't get away from it, LOL!

How do the "round ups" work? Who organizes them.

Doxiesmom, LOVE your cement leaves. Those are wonderful. I bought a cement leaf table from the Gig Harbor Farmers Market this summer. I really like it but would like to learn how to do it.

Several years ago I tried to go through the Bloedel reserve. Didn't realize you needed a reservation so couldn't get in. I haven't been to the Troll house in Port Townsen either. I go up to PT fairly often too. I'm usually with my husband on the harley though so he won't stop at places like that. :O/ Gee, I really need to get together with some of you gals, HA!
Lynne

Welcome, Lynne...I adodre your house!! I used to live in Port Orchard....back in the dark ages....well...during WW2...I would love to see the town again. Jo

Hi Jo,
Thanks. Well Port Orchard is a lot different these days I can tell you that.

Lynne

Doxiesmom, I'm in Port Orchard. welcome to Daves Garden. hostajim1

Doxiesmom, the Long Lake garden club I belong too tours gardens, a lot, they meet on the 3rd Wed. of each month at 930am, if you are interested d-mail me for more info. hostajim1

Hi All!!
Oh so fun to see others near me!
Yes, my doxies are very hard headed, but such clowns, gotta love them! :)
Galega, oh yes the Tides, such a fun place especially in summer. I live off Henderson Bay, 5 min. from water, so don't have to pay those taxes. lol Gotta quite reading about new garden centers for now, hubby has hid my card.
TTouch, no jar is hooked up to elec. I also like my birds and wildlife, cept for tha dang rat who moved into our hottub shell. Haven't seen him do backstroke yet, so quess it's safe.lol
The Blodel reserve is a great place to tour, they quide you and it's so pretty and calming there. I love your house too!! My dream type home, cept now want 1 level, stairs getting to me. Trilliums I have and they do have them in nurseries at times.
I could set up a tour to Bloedel for early June or so. Would need a head count before we go.
Email me at KattinsAngels@comcast.net
Hostajim, I'll email you about the garden club. Hope ya don't have to be master gardener, cause I don't know names of my plants sometimes, just know I love them. :)
Take care all,
Kathy

Kathy, I would like to be included in the Bloedel tour but June is a long way away to know for sure. But I will definitely mark it on my calendar and check back with you.

We are currently putting in a hot tub. DON'T tell me they attract rats!!!! eek. Being that we also have horse/donkeys that could be a reality for us. Dang.

hostajim, what do you folks do in the Port Orchard garden club? You can email me directly if this isn't a question others are interested in. iluvbmds@wavecable.com

Lynne

Doxiesmom and Ttouch, FYI you might want to reconsider putting your email address on a thread like that. It's something another member shared with me when I was new. Anyone can pull up these pages, not just members. You can always dmail another member to share your email address.

I think I would risk the rats for a hot tub. After all, that's what cats are for!

Hi!!
For those interested in touring Bloedel reserve in June, what day of week is best? From what I hear they get booked early for June, so I'll book soon.
If anyone interested in going to Troll House, we can do it another time and do lunch in Squim at Oak Table, great place to eat.
Let me know days plese.
Thanks,
Take care,
Kathy

Mondays and Tuesdays are best for me, or weekends. And my DH's bday is June 23, so that weekend would not be good.

Welcome Doxie

I moved from So Calif in 91 and never looked back or wanted anything from there but my family (they both moved here) A big change in gardening but went from a small track home to a 10 acre place and good thing I did because I decided to open my own business. Of course it is gardening.

Live in Lebanon, OR so quite south of you but you will love it here. Get used to the rain, that is what makes this state sooooooooooo perfect and beautiful for 75% of the year.

D