Yeah - we even managed to fit roses, perennials, annuals, trees, shrubs, all sorts of glorious
gardens, riotious color, and chickens & cats too under this umbrella. Sure am happy here as
well. I think this suits my style quite well. LOL
Suzy - so sorry about Mr. Clean's SUV. I knew the ending to that story the minute you mention
"Mr. Clean's" SUV. A clean car & a gardener just don't mix. I really like the idea Honda has with
the Element. You can hose the entire car out. I ended up getting the CR-V so I could carry around
five passengers but boy that hosing out the inside sure still has me thinking about trading it in
for an Element! Anyway.... I've found those car wash vacuums are no where near as good as my
own - did you try vacuuming it out at home yet?
Tam
Favorite Plants in the Cottage Garden
Tam, if you didn't get the floor mat for the back of the CR-V, you need one! It's a heavy duty rubber thing that lifts out so you can hose it down... not quite as good as being able to hose out the whole car, but still quite useful. :-)
my kids (who all drive now) refuse to use my Element....they say they think stuff is sprouting in there..maybe it is.. i should get out the hose at least to water it...
I didn't know that about the Element -- you can hose it out? LOL! I had a VW beetle years ago, and you could hose it out, too. Not sure they planned for you to do it, but it worked just fine as long as you took out the blocks of ice from the side pockets when winter came LOL.
I didn't want to use the vacuum at home -- it might leave too much trace evidence LOL! (I don't think our vacuum is as good as yours -- the one at the car wash is far superior to the one we have at home, and I wouldn't have to drag it up from the basement with an extension cord and then put it all back...the little squealer, er my 18 year old h.s. daughter, would have squealed on me in a heartbeat!)
Suzy
I have one of those plastic trays in the back. But I'm always needing more space than the back and having to
fold the seats forward or putting plants on the floor in the back or something.
And I hadn't thought about the ice pocket problem! I think they have drain holes so no water gets stuck in
places but maybe Sarah can confirm for us.
Kinda fond of Zinnias, Benarys Giant most of all. List of 'favorites' is too long to post. Is it Spring yet ?
wonderful stand of zinnias, balvenie. and the rest of the garden hain't bad neither LOL
I love that pic balvenie!
that picture brings back summer! just got through a thunderstorm here, and temps to drop some 30 degrees by tomorrow- wierd, that's for sure... concerning my dear car- must have holes somewhere, the water disappears! which actually comes in handy, not because i clean my car often, but in the summer i carry around a lot of cut flowers in buckets..and they do spill now and then..
My favourite plants in a cottage garden are Delphiniums and Sea Holly..........................
The Delphiniums for their size and amazing colour and the Sea Holly for their gorgeous texture!!!!!!!
Mark
Mark, it appears there are a number of sea hollies... which are your growing, not that I could do the same in the desert, but wondering.
I found several links that show many varieties and you're right (duh me) about the texture. WOW.
the good news is they're perennial....... yippers!
Jude, cottage gardens are built from perennials.................... only use annuals in the front of the border to fill in any gaps!!!!! Cant remember what the sea holly is called exactly but here is a pic!! If you look in plant files i am sure you will find it................. I just adore the beautiful blue colour!!!
Oooh Mark, I just love thistles of all kinds. They're so strange! Are they easy to grow?
They look alien in a way, but also like I want to reach out and touch them, soft is my anticipation but who knows.
Yes perennials, more and more until the beds can't hold any more. I want to be in the position of having to thin my plants in about two years, then with seeds collected too, I should be able to offer back to those who were so generous to me and got me started. (Or I could have my therapy bill split amongst them as I fight this addiction . . . . . just kidding.)
Mark, does the sea holly self seed? it would look so pretty coming up wherever in the garden against the other colors.
It's not lavender, not periwinkle, not really blue in the pic but whatever color it is, I really like the softness (even if it's only visual) and am definitely going to find some.
Jude
Prairie girl..................... yesssssssssssssssssssssssss very easy to grow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There are several subspecies of eryngium (sea holly), including several N. American natives. Digging Dog (http://www.diggingdog.com/pages2/eryngium.php ) has most of the garden-worthy cultivars, including Eryngium giganteum which is pictured above.
Picture is Eryngium giganteum from the Denver Bot. Garden 9/30/2006. It blooms around August in this area.
Jude.....................
Thats it girl, you are getting the idea..................... just keep putting in perennials until you cannot fot anymore in!!!
The good thing about perennials is you can always move them around if you dont like them where they are!!!!
Sea Holly, i dont know for sure wether it self seeds, i assume it does................. i will send you some seed of it if i still have some!! If you want of course.....................
Would you like some seed for this plant in the photo??? LOL
Its called Belamcanda Chinensis..................... looks like an orchid but is very very hardy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jude.................... another one of my favourite plants!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I just got some for postage, waiting to see what it does. What do you have planted nearby?
I
Oh that toad lily is gorgeous! Does it grow from seed?
The Toad Lily..........I dont think it does Prairie............................ I dont bother much with seed!!
If i like something i just buy the plant.........................
The belamcanda.................... i dont have anything planted nearby, its in a pot against my house wall........... never seen one before so it was basically a trial that i grew from seed!!!
Really my speciallity is crocosmia...................... I have 245 different varieties!!!!............
Have a look at my site............ http://www.simplesite.com/CROCOSMIA/
ASTRANTIA................................. another excellent cottage garden plant!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mark - You certainly have great taste in plants. I peeped at the website, will return later. Love the snow flakes, very festive LOL. I didn't know there were so many crocosmias! Interesting being a taxi driver, you must meet a lot of foreigners. I want to work in horticulture too when I grow up LOL. I am a student, it takes forever when you have a husband and family.
Hahahahahahaha yeah i thought the fakes were festive too......................... dont forget to sign the guestbook Prairie!!
Hardly meet any foreigners at all actually........................ except polish................ they seem to be flooding into our country!!!
You are a student...................??? So am i...................... I dont have any wife or kids though, so i can happily do what i want.....
Hey, maybe i will get you to love crocosmia?????????????????????? LOL
Do you guys know the story of Miss Wilmott's Ghost? Sea Holly? I think Miss Wilmott lived in the 1800's
but with my bad memory I could be wrong. She apparently loved this plant very much and would take the
seed with her and drop a little of it into her friends & strangers gardens. It would appear like a ghost
where ever she went.
Tam
ASTRANTIA is just lovely Mark. and the toad lily is a beauty, I mean the purple one
Anything but orange for me. I guess I just had my fill of orange gwoing up with a mother who favored it everywhere and wouldn't have pinks and purples for anything. Her one deviation was to 'brack turips' as spoken by the Japanese gardener, black tulips (parrot style) which were better than more orange.
I did order seeds of the very deep orange california poppy but will use them sparingly. the old fashioned daylily orange is the one that I can't stand. everything else is going to have a home if it will grow here.
I have several varietyies that promise to be tall, others that are supposed to shorter. I'm not planning on only tall in the middle and shorts at the edges. Let them all join forces and help fill in, help shade each other, grow happily in a profusion of colors, textures and I seriously doubt that I will end up moving anything around much. If they make the firt year, they have a permanent home here.
Mark, your website is a wonder. Once I got past the snowflake (which made me dizzy) the information is great, plentiful and most interesting.
I've bookmarked it for reference and will be returning often.
Tam
I think you are referring to a plant called Geum 'Miss Wilmott'.....................
Quite a pretty little plant, i have lots of it in my garden!!!!!! I love all Geum!!!!
Mark
You are making me weak in the knees....LOL I forgot to sign, I will when I get back, okay? Interesting about the Polish. Last time I lived anywhere else but here was Seattle, there were a lot of Japanese moving into the area in the early 90s. So many pagoda style houses being built I thought they were restaurants, was very disappointed. LOL
Mark - I think its the giant sea holly: Eryngium giganteum
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/2666/index.html
Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwww thanks Jude.......................... yeah the snowflakes drive me crazy too, but hey its nearly christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL........... hope you signed the guestbook Jude??
So, i cannot send you anything that is gonna be orange..................... good job you said that!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh believe me you will move stuff around........................ i remember saying to myself thats fine as it is, but then you start looking and thinking and before long you have moved half of what you planted..
Mark
Tam
Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo its not that one hun!!!
Mark
Yes the neighbors must think its odd, but I can't resist tweaking.
Mark - It appears that you have Eryngium alpinum, its bluer than Miss Willmott. Here's a link I found with the story that Tammy was referring to.
http://www.killerplants.com/whats-in-a-name/20030307.asp
a touch of orange is a nice boost of color. what I grew up with was orange not only outdie but as a dominant color inside as well, ergo my aversion to the color.
yes, I signed the guestbook, with a note.
My living room is terracotta orange, you wouldn't like it. LOL
I think we all love tweaking Tam......................lol............ its all part of the fun i think!!!
I will find out exactly what it is Prairie and let you know............... i think somewhere i have the label for it!!
Yes i found the story too on google!!!!
Awwwwwwww thank you Jude, you are a sweetie.............
I promise i wont send you anything that will be too orange!!
The only thing i have that is terracotta is some plant pots....................!!!!
Terracotta orange living room?????????????? really??????
Yes, it looks very pretty.
Mother's passion was orange chintz prints, orange living room carpet, orange tweed in the den,orange clothing for herself and both daughters, (our skin looked ghostly) orange flowers brought in to adorn tabletops. I'm becoming ill remembering it all, must stop thnking orange.
Personally I love the colour.........................would never have thought of doing my living room in terracotta!! hmmmmmmmm maybe one wall would look good!!
you got a pic of it Prairie?? (what is your real name???)