Critter, I probably won't make the swap since I'm going to be in NC Sept 7-15 but I'm just up the road and we have tons of vinca. I'm happy to share it.
Interest in fall swap in Frederick?
Thank you! I want to put some in my parents' front yard, under a maple tree where grass simply will not grow any more (we gave it one last over-the-top effort this spring). It tends to come up with just a few little roots when you pull it from a bed, so I'm thinking it might be better to pot it up or plant it in a sheltered little spot over the winter and then bring well-rooted plants to my parents next spring.
It's too bad my folks don't like pachysandra (too hard to rake out fall leaves)... I pulled out enough to fill a garbage can from my MIL's beds down in NC, and it just about killed me to just drag it all to the curb and throw it away, but with everything else we had going on last week I didn't think I could manage to box it up and send it out for postage.
Jill,
Are you talking about the ground cover Vinca with the small, blue flowers? Vinca Minor, I think--as opposed to the trailing Vinca?
Here's my sob story.......
That old Spruce I have in my front yard. For years now, I have been trying to establish a Vinca ground cover under it. I have fussed and planted etc, but it just does not want to take. The "upper" part of the bed is OK, but the rest of it is just too dry and is doing nothing. I believe the soil is too dry and the ole, dying Spruce is just sapping up every drop of water. Might help if I watered it now and then, but I do not......I think I have already given up on it without knowing it,,,,,,,
SO! I have reached a point of "I give up!". The round bed is now filled with Oxalis weed, other weeds and sap dripping down from whatever is killing the top of this Spruce. I just cannot keep up with it. I think by now that a nice layer of mulch will look just fine--until I spend the $$ to cut it down.
It was a house-warming present to us in 1969. It was then already 4 or 5 years old. I have lived here for 38 years+ 5= 43 year old Spruce. I would NOT even blink at cutting it down, except for the money and that it has been a towering "bird-Condo" forever! Nests everywhere!
I tell you this because I am NOT just going to bury that Vinca! I will dig it up and maybe pot it up (not sure on that) and take it to the Swap. Of course, I will trim off some of the long runners.
Are you interested? Gita
Oh, I know it's hard to say good-bye to a tree, even when its time has come! Of course I'd be delighted to have the vinca if you decide to clear it out of there.
I have some spots in my own beds for Vinca minor, but I think that the fast-spreading Vinca major with its long runners might be just the thing for my parents' front yard. I know it can grow pretty wildly, but there are some surrounding hard surfaces to keep it in check, and I think they'd rather have an agressive spreader than their current nearly-bare surface.
We have some of the variagated vinca major, if you want some. I'm constantly pulling it out . . . .
Critter, I think you got both Vinca Major and Vinca Minor from me and I would be glad to send you more.
You know I can bring more vinca...THAT I have...LOL Been yanking it all over the flower bed as it's trying to consume the valarin (sp?) that I got from Flower Scent this year....ugh
*whew!* Thanks. Now I won't feel so bad when I go out to that bed and see all that crispy brown vinca. I had it under row cover to help it acclimate and to protect it, but that backfired since nobody looking out at the garden could see that the plants weren't getting any water. :-(
Critter,
Where in NC does your MIL live? Just wondering...
Susan
Susan, we've spent the last week down in Winston-Salem. They keep trying to persuade us to move down there (DH is pretty much tied to his job here though), and we keep telling them how much they'd love Frederick... hey, it's still south of the Mason-Dixon line (if just barely), and they'd be within easier reach of their other son (and grandchildren!) in Boston!
I can bring you another big batch. Joyce has it growing all around her yard and she hates it. She'd let me bring a truckload if I wanted. LOL
Gita- you can always catch a ride with 'Sally's Adventure Tours'
I even KNOW how to get to Frederick, (Catoctin, Cunningham Falls) been there couple times without wrong turns
I guess virtually everyone that has Vinca major, has 'too much' Vinca major, myself included..!!
This message was edited Jun 29, 2007 12:07 PM
LOL @ "Sally's Adventure Tours!"
I think you're right about people having more than enough Vinca major once they've got it. That's why I'm figuring that I won't have to shell out real $ for groundcover flats of it! I'll see what I might have available to trade closer to the swap, and maybe I'll find somebody willing to pot some up for me in advance so that it has good roots, although I'll have a couple of weeks to get it started here before we head out anywhere again.
My folks will be doing some traveling this fall... Does anybody have a guess as to whether it would be better to try to plant (hopefully well rooted) vinca in Pittsburgh toward the end of October, or if I would be better off putting it in here somewhere and transplanting it in their yard next spring?
I definitely vote for planting this fall. Totally. It'll give the roots at good change to get settled.
Critter, I would imagine the stuff will root like crazy in water if you want to do that before you plant it. Or I could get some and keep it in a bucket until it roots before bringing it.
OK! Good advice, I'm sure... Thanks! Vinca major is a plant that I just don't have experience with simply because I don't really have any area where I'd like it to run rampant. (For that, I have mints! LOL)
Critter, you have plenty of offers for the Vinca Major. Go ahead and plant it this fall and then fill in any that didn't make it over winter with new in the spring. It does root easily in water just keep an eye on it sometimes it will rot if not watched. Also give it a good haircut before planting. The variegated Vinca Major is "not" always hardy in our zone. Depending on the micro-climate it will do great or not and by planting some of it now you will get a chance to see how it does at your Moms.
I'll be home the end of October and depending on your travel plans I could possibly meet you and bring plenty of well rooted plants.
BTW and a little off topic. I wanted to let everyone (and they all seem to be gathered here) know that the plants I got at the swap are doing great.
Hi again - I know I am horribly late with posting the pix I took - but anyway - here are some :-)
Nxt one
another one
Chickens :-)
next one
Thank you! Those bring back great memories!
I am trying here - seems to not want to post some pix
Yep, That's a pic of Sally and me. I knew I was just as tall and thin as she is. Why we're practically twins. If I get her a hat like mine no one could tell us apart. ;} LOL
Thanks for the memories Bec.
Last one :)
Fun photos, and what a gorgeous rose!
Holly, I looked up Dover, and you're closer than I thought! I head up that way every so often to go to That Fish Place in Lancaster, so I'm sure we can intersect sometime. Thanks!
OK, I have a confirmed date for the swap, Saturday, September 8.
Does noon to 6 pm sound like a good time frame? I have no problem with folks staying as long as they'd like, but LMK if anybody needs the swap to start earlier in the day due to scheduling issues.
I'll start a new thread soon for organizing this event, and when we get closer to the date I'll start threads for food and for plants. Meanwhile, here are some initial thoughts that have occurred to me.
We live at the end of a short cul-de-sac that's not well designed for parking a bunch of cars, so I'm thinking that I might ask folks to drop off & pick up out front but to park during the day over at the community center, which is a short distance away (not more than 2 city blocks, I'd estimate).
As people have already commented, there was an overwhelming (but delicious!) amount of food at Hart's this spring. I'm thinking that rather than having a designated meal time for lunch or dinner, we should think more in terms of appetizers and finger foods or sweet goodies so we can just "graze" all day, having a nibble here and there whenever we're inclined. I have a long island counter in the kitchen that I think will work well for setting out goodies, and it's pretty convenient to the back door leading to the deck. We could set up sweets on a separate table, and maybe we'll put a cooler just outside on the deck for drinks if it looks like we'll need more than we can easily fit inside or next to the fridge.
Although I have a few chairs and a bench on the landing on the deck, I think extra chairs will be needed... it worked out pretty well at Hart's to have people bring folding chairs and tables for their plants, so I thought I'd ask people to do the same. If you don't have chairs to bring (or space in your vehicle for them), no sweat, just let me know and I'll round up a few extras.
We'll ask smokers to please go out front... As many of you know, I get nasty migraines, and cigarette smoke is one of the worst triggers for me. There's a grassy "island" with a maple tree in the middle of the cul-de-sac that might work as a smoking corner depending on how many neighbors are out and about... if it's a day when everyone is out on the street, then we'll set up some chairs in my front yard (I don't think any of my neighbors smoke, either).
I've got a few other ideas in my head, but they're only about half-baked LOL, so I'll see how things develop.
Questions? Comments? Confusions?
:-)
Jill,
I think the idea of appetizers/finger foods is a great idea. That is all anyone really needs! We had so much delicious food at Hart's, but it was just too much! All the cakes that never got eaten!
Just as an aside---the best wedding reception I ever went to was one of my niece's in NJ. There was NO sit down dinner. Just appetizers served all night by the servers--OH! but decadent ones!!!
That is my kind of a party--as I do not like to eat a lot at any one time.
Bringing own chairs and tables should be obvious!
Sounds like you have most things under control......
Gita
LOL... the illusion of organization!
DH commented that maybe this will spur me to *finish* some of the half-started yard and garden projects. We'll see! With any luck, there will at least be a "real" path through the garden, with stepping stones, so that I am not the only one who knows the route through the plantings.... usually, a walk through the garden looks like a game of follow-the-leader!
That rose is the Dr Huey rootstock that survived after the Heritage rose it was attached to died. LOL I planted it there before I learned about juglone killing roses and I wasn't about to uproot any rose that could survive the black walnuts. I think it's pretty but it only blooms once.
I was just so worried about starving out here in the hinterlands, Critter! Thirty miles to the nearest McDonalds! LOL
I'm sure nobody will starve here either... but Domino's does deliver, LOL. Don't mistake my meaning, the food was *wonderful* at the spring swap, but there was enough to feed 5 times the number of people we had... I think we were all trying hard to at least taste everything, but I know I missed some good dishes!
Cool, we can have a Tapas swap! You know you can count on me for anything you need Jill. And I'm planning to trade lightly too so I can talk with everyone more. And Hart, you can put your fretting aside :-)
I've got a few goodies in mind already, things that would be quick easy to put together the day before.... BlueKat will vouch for my Krab Spread (her ex's family ate it up at a gathering she invited me to, while largely ignoring the wonderful plate of *real* crab he had put out, and I don't think he ever forgave me for that, LOL). Trader Joe's makes a roasted pepper spread that's fabulous when you mix it with chavre (soft goat cheese). If we can get some good local apples, I have a gizmo that'll core and slice them quickly so we can dip them in caramel sauce. I've also got a big, compartmented dish that'll hold veggies and 2 types of dip, and if somebody will volunteer to bring baggies of cut up veggies I'll be happy to make a couple of dips the night before -- the prep work is in doing the veggies. :-)
Yeah, so I'm getting ahead of myself with the food thread not started yet.... but if I can't babble on my own thread, then where can I babble? LOL
Oh Jill, even your brain is working too hard! We'll be happy just to see you! No worries about all this cooking.
Hey Jill,
We just got back from dinner in Greensboro which as you know is not far from your parents...LOL Was our Annv. yesterday so we went to the Olive Garden today and just looked around at some places to see if they had anything diffrent in plants... So next time going to visit parents let me know and if ya want we can do lunch...
Please put Kevin and I down for coming and if Mike can get off he may want to come.... You know I love this... I really enjoy meeting and just having fun.... If you need anything from this end please just let me know.....
Susan
Ah hah! You missed the point where I'm not doing any actual cooking, just mixing a few things together. I like doing this sort of thing, and I promise I won't be up half the night that Friday getting everything ready!
Bobbie, you know we are going to beg for your wonderful cilantro hummus again, and I'm hoping Gita will bring some more of those great garlicky pickles. Hopefully I'll have some fabulous fresh tomatoes from the garden (they're looking good!) and we can indulge in bruschetta... I've generally got a big container of it going in the fridge through August and September (if you put whole ripe tomatoes in the fridge, they seem to lose a lot of flavor, but that's not true once you've turned them into bruschetta and added the balsamic vinegar, so it's a good thing to do when you have just a few more ripe tomatoes than you can eat that day).
Oh, and if anybody can think of things that would be good with hot sauce on them, I have a whole array of homemade ones to try, from the barely-hot "Hopping Bunny" (with bulgarian carrot peppers) to "Chortling Chimp" (with banana peppers, of course) to medium-hot "Leapin Lizard" (tex mex style) to "Dancin' Dragon" (Caribbean style with habaneros) and "Djumpin' Djini" (with extra habaneros). Maybe we'll just put those out with a big bag of chips and some sour cream in case of over-indulgence.
I really wanted to drive back through Greensboro and see if we could have lunch or coffee with you, Susan, but DH needed to high tail it home (work stuff). I'm glad you had a good dinner with your sweetie! HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!
Ahhh...you've made me hungry...oh wait...maybe cuz it's past din-din time?
Oh Jill trust me I do understand... Sometimes things just cant be.. But who knows maybe next time... :-)
We had a wonderful time and good food also... We went to homedepot as we dont have one here yet in Danville but we are getting one very sooooon.... They really did not have anything diffrent then we had here so I did not get any plants.... I did go to our Lowes today and came home with a banana plant... not a tree a plant.. It has leaves in the shape of little banana's .. to cute.
Well going to read for a few then think it is going to be an early night....
Susan
Cute! I saw some dwarf banana plants in W-S, possibly when we were wandering around the Lowe's or HD garden department... we chased all over town trying to find vole deterrants! (We never did find any Repellex tablets, but we found some pumice-type gravelly bits that both improve moisture retention & drainage and discourage digging varmints.)
Frederick has *two* Home Depots -- and a Lowe's! And there are a bunch of great nurseries and garden centers in the area.... So if you do decide to come up already on Thursday or to stay until later in the day on Sunday, we'll be able to put together a list of fun destinations for you!