Stepping stones

I went to my "garden" e-mail folder and opened the one from "Touch of Nature" which had a pdf file attached. Opened it & there was my invoice with shipping date and the list of items I ordered. After I saw my order, then I remembered where I wanted to plant the iris, crocus, & arum bulbs. See, my computer's memory compensates for my lack of it.

I had given up on crocus bulbs years ago when the squirrels dug them up and replanted them in the neighbors yard. Following Spring, I had no flowers, but the neighbor's yard was in full bloom. This year, I"m putting down chicken wire. I always had daffodils, but learned that they're poisonous so the critters don't bother them.

I received my tulips as a going away present (what else do you give a gardener?) from a job that I left 12 years ago. They've bloomed every year & are still growing.

Equil, I'm glad that you're getting help with the stones. Maybe you'll be able to share some photos later.

lol greenbrain. couldn't you have just thrown some crocus bulbs on the neighbors lawn and seen if the squirrels would plant in your yard??

Ms. Equil, the low tonight for here is to be 38, frost possible.

Egads, 38! Be back! I forgot, thank you.

I've been planting the emporers at 8" to 9" which is a little deeper than what is called for but our summers are very hot lately. I use a bulb auger and I put a piece of tape at the 9" mark so that I always know how deep to drill. I've done a little checking on this and the fru fru tulips such as what I have been planting aren't exactly perennials per se. The Parrot tulips I planted wasted out in one season. I probably should have dug those up like you would a gladiola. The tulips are in a raised bed that doesn't get full sun because it is in the shadows of the home so I'm ok there.

Actually, an excellent idea that I will use when I begin putting down slate chips for a path in another area. I have a neighbor who has a tiller that is about 2' wide that goes through anything and I borrow it every year for my little vegetable garden and I never thought of using it to help loosen up this packed down mess. It's a tad bit wide to use for the area where the stepping stones will be set more so because I've got plugs in too close of proximity to where I placed the stepping stones. This is one of those deals where I should have put the stepping stones in first and then the plants but hind sight is always 20/20 and where exactly were you with this great idea to use a tiller back last spring when I was tossing around the idea of paths to keep people out of plants? Just teasing with you. Your advice is sound and I'm really glad you mentioned using a tiller becaue that will definitely work for the paths I will be putting in next year on the other side. Thanks Len.

I planted crocus right into my grass in a few areas. I need those plants for my mason bees. They're the only plant up and perky early enough for my bees. Well, the skunk cabbage is up but I've not seen many bees around those in March. Crocus is another plant that I need to add more of from time to time. I only have three spots of those in the lawn and they fizzle out after a few years just like my tulips and the hyacinths. Chicken wire is a wonderful thing to foil squirrels and the crocus will bloom right through it. Good choice greenbrain.

Squirrels are a swear word around here right now. I've got to make a chicken wire enclosure in a frame for some special plants to keep them out. Oaks are masting this year, the squirrels are in full swing.

Mrs. R, I had taped a note to my mirror about the possible frost so that when I brushed my teeth there was no way I could forget. I forgot about the note on the mirror but better to get the plants that need to come in now rather than after I've brushed my teeth and am ready to go to sleep. Thanks for mentioning it the frost earlier today. I would have definitely lost plants. I'm not used to having any tropicals. This is new to me.

Where is sempervirens? We finally get to see the white of her eyeballs and she disappears again!

I'm here Equil, but I usually post in the morning, you guys are the night owls, I'll be the morning lark.
Thanks for the link to the "turf" driveway. That's a very interesting possibility that my dogs would greatly prefer. I like the picture you paint of the unexpected driveway lawn and the elimination of the regular lawn,. Hey, wait a minute, I'm halfway there. You would laugh to see how much lawn I have left. In the front, on the sidewalk strip, one section left 2' X 6'. Just enough room for 1 car to open the passenger doors when parked. In the back I have a section maybe10' X 16'.

The Morning Lark and the Night Owls. What a nice mix if you really think about it.

Yes, I like the driveway too. It will be a very long time before we make that kind of an improvement over here but it seems so fitting, doesn't it?

No, I wouldn't laugh at how much lawn you have left, I'd applaud you and be motivated to get rid of more of mine. I hate the time my husband has to spend mowing the lawn every week. Less time for him to spend with us and that's not even taking into consideration the cost of running to the gas station to get gas for the lawnmower or keeping the lawn mower running so that it can cut more grass. Someday soon, I hope we are reduced to a few strips of lawn that could easily be cut with a mechanical push mower.

For a path Ms. E, why would you want anything but compacted soil underneath whatever object or stones you use? I'm not following the logic in that.

As I told you yesterday, I've never heard of anything but a "perennial" tulip. Buy a bag of them Lowe's and see how they do. I had great luck with a bag of red ones from Wal-Mart. Oh, back to the "perennial" part of it......I know in warm areas, like in the humid hot south, tulips do not come back every year, because they require the cold that happens in the upper states. They do alright in zone 7 TN, but they could be better. It's just not cold enough for them to really flourish like they do up here.

And I keep forgetting. Mrs. R would be my MIL, I'm simply Terry. Call me anything you wish, just not Mrs. R....and you know why!!

LOL. I will definitely call you Mrs. R now! Just kidding!!

Ohhhh, you are so right. Forgot about that. Ickie pooey.

pepper, I'm not well today. I've never been well in the head, but today is worse. Don't make me come slap you upside the head. Lauren, I changed my mind. come get me and lets go get pepper and I'll slap her upside the head and you can use your cast to slap her upside the head. Just please don't ask me to navigate, I need sleep.

Terryr, the reason the ground under the stepping stone should be loose is to settle the stones in until you get them level, THEN compact ground is great. Compact ground that is not level will simply break the stones when they are stepped on.

This is a brutual group (threatening to slap people upside the head). I should be counting my blessings that I am a LONG way away if I tick someone off!! LOL

LOL. Come on down!!

A brutal group.... you'd have to meet us all in person ;)

Meet you IN PERSON huh? Would I find WORSE than brutal??? My sister and I verbally spar together all the time, people that don't know us sometimes wonder if we don't like each other!!! The truth is, there isn't anyone I love more than her (except my husband!! but Marie actually knows me better!)

Oh goodie goodie goodie. You understand us. We're pretty much all milk toast but quite a few of us knew each other before we started using DG and then we brought personal friends over to sign up at DG and you know how that goes. I've got a relative here at DG that I never run into at all because she doesn't share the same interests as me. I literally never run into her anywhere I go but she's here and if I ran into her I'd give her a ration for good measure and she would reply in kind and people would be left scratching their heads. Once you're here and registered, it's only natural to find yourself running into the same people. Like attracts like (what does this say for you psychw2- tee he). Over the course of the years we get to meet each other by attending round ups or by arranging local outings and such. I know that when I am getting ready to go on vacation I check out who lives close to where I'm going to try to connect and lots of other people do that too. I've also had 4 DG members fly out specifically to stay with me which was neat and I flew out specifically to stay with 3 other DG members. So, these relationships build over time where a person is no longer just a user name on a screen and we humans have a tendency of taking cyber liberties with each other because of that familiarity that I suppose we shouldn't take. It leaves people wondering if Nurse Diesel forgot to medicate us or something. We're all ok, honest (head twitches and lip quivers while hand shakes reaching for the new catalog that came in that has some really neat native plants that need to be ordered for next spring).

OK everyone, the coast is clear. We can cyber slap psychw2 up side the head if we ever need to.

Yep, I understand you... and being a gardner, I think it is NORMAL, the twitching thing!! And my counsel about not overspending and other excesses do NOT, I repeat, DOES NOT APPLY TO GARDENING!!! Every so often, I look at my hands before going into a counseling session and realize that I should have done a better job with the nail brush!

I really wish I could meet up with locals either HERE, where I am, or back in my hometown. I visit there regularly since my grown sons, sis, brother & parents are back there. I once told a friend to let anyone know if they wanted to divide day lilies, that I would give my labor to have a few. She hooked me up with a Master Gardener that same day and she sent me home with a car TRUNK full!!! I also went back later and gave her a cement birdbath I made her as a thank you. It was wondeful!

You guys would NOT be the first one to cyberslap me!
Pat ;-)

Have you found the regional gardening forum for gardeners from Idaho yet? That's a place to look for a good Round Up that you could attend. I go to the Upper Midwest Forum every once in a while and I've been going to the RUs that are planned by Jodi and have been having a blast. We had around 30 people this year and I suspect more will come next year.

Well, now that we've all sniffed each other out... will you admit to something really stupid you have done in the gardening arena so we can cyber slap you? Try to stay on topic- ha ha ha! terryr gets first dibs at you because she's the... well... no other way to put it but- The Voice of Reason (music to Jaws plays softly in back of the thread).

Hummmmm well I'm sure there are SO MANY TO CHOICE FROM!!! Last year my Sister held all my Costco bulbs hostage from me so I would be sure to get my Exams passed. When she finally allowed me to have them, I missed one sack of them in the trunk of her car... poor babies never got planted when they should have.

Uh oh... ya... I got it. The dumbest thing I ever did was plant Glads when I thought I was planting crocus. It was 30 years ago and I had never planted bulbs before and they were given to me with no instructions. THESE huge tall plants came up where I had expected petite flowers! Oh well... it was a rental house and I left that mistake behind!
Pat
PS. I might have made even BIGGER mistakes along the way but I try to remember my SUCCESSES!!!

terryr, will you kindly do the honors of slapping this woman silly for us. The bulbs in trunk isn't slap worthy, I think everyone's forgotten where they stashed bulbs before but the gladiolas is a classic.

Here's one for ya. I planted a couple hundred Caladium. I lovingly dug each hole individually that fall (didn't own a bulb auger back then) and plopped a nice plump Caladium bulb into each hole and gently covered it and patted it down. Something like 240 holes into gravely clay with a tiny little hand spade. Next spring I'm waiting for my caladiums to come up and they no-showed. Helps if you read the packaging where the zone hardiness is listed when you live in zone 5. I did the same thing with gladiola bulbs. Duh! Slaps self over the head before the Voice of Reason appears to do it.

Consider yerselves all slapped upside the head! pepper, you get it double just for being you....lol.

Well, I'm gonna agree to disagree with somebody I just slapped upside the head. To loosen the soil up, then set them down, will cause the loose soil to sink sink sink, till I need to step down to get to my stepping stones. Call it a been there done that. To get them level, you simple skim off dirt from the sod you've already lifted and pound that in the area where it's not level. Yep, we're anal and we use the level just make sure........so there!!

LOL. I always get slapped for being me.

Edit: I usually ask for it with my scartastic remarks. hehehehe

This message was edited Sep 13, 2007 7:31 PM

Beggin for a slappin are ya pepper?

My ground is too compacted for it to sink such as what you described in the area where the stepping stones will be set. From what I can see, my husbands (decided to go with only two) have to use the pick axe to break up the ground to be able to dig out the area for us to be able to get a 3" base of sand under them. We won't be perfectly level because we're following a deer path. The stepping stones will be set about 1" above ground to allow for any settling.

Now, I did set some other stepping stones in an area close to the foundation of my home for the meter readers and those would have definitely gone down down down down down.

We have deer paths every where at work. Am seeing deer every day, everywhere. lol. We try to protect plants and young trees from them. We don't always win.

As for the slapping. Been at it all day and will continue tomorrow. I have some more payback to do. lol

It's too compacted if you use a rototiller over it? That doesn't make any sense. A rototiller loosens the soil all up........????

Here pep, have another slap upside the head!

RIght back at ya! LOL

I planted too many plants to use a rototiller in the area where the stepping stones are all laid out. I will be able to use a rototiller in another area where I will be using slate chips for a path. I think the rototiller will work great where the slate chips are going. It would have worked great where I'm having the stepping stones set but it's too to use one because of the plants I added.

The area close to the house where the other stepping stones are isn't compacted.

yes but i bet if you tilled where the stepping stones are going your new plants will probably grow like mad!lol

I thought rototilling was bad for your soil and caused the bacteria in the soil and whatever else, to become disturbed? I can't remember how it goes now. I'm still not right in the head.

Hey pep, have another upside the head!

Let me get this straight Terry, YOU can't remember the problem with rototilling and you give Pepper another whack upside the head... hummmmmmmmm I think YOU are whacking the WRONG HEAD!!!

yeah but if it's anything like crabgrass it will come back ina bout 2 weeks

I have heard also that tilling is bad but at the same time tilling allows the water to seep in better instead of running off. My dad was talking about that not too long ago. But we see both sides. I have heard more but my brain hasn't quite woke up yet.

Correct to the best of my knowledge but more so from an invasion standpoint. Once you disturb the ground, it is ripe for the ickies and nasties to come on in and set down roots. For me, I'll be rototilling before I add a 3 - 4" layer of slate chips for the reasons mentioned above by pepper. Not a good idea to rototill to avoid runofff if not combined with adding natives to the area or a decent mulch or you'll be inviting more problems than what you bargained for.

Equil, you gonna let psychw2 talk to me that way?? First we go to peps and smack her upside the head, then we head on to ID and smack psychw2 next!

As I've told many people, my brain is full. A no vacancy sign went up years ago. I feel lucky remembering half of what I do. Unfortunately though, I can't remember what I did yesterday or the day before. Can't remember what I walked into the room for...etc etc.

Ya, I'll let psychw2 talk to you that way. I'm not up to driving out to Idaho right about now. I'm also going to let Pep talk to you that way too because she lives 6 hours west of the Missouri Botanical Garden but maybe we could get greenbrain to post so we could try to find reason to have to drive down to where she lives to cyber slap her (she lives minutes away from MoBot) and while we're down there cyber slapping her... we could sort of stop in at the MoBot. What do you think? I still want to go there!

It's Len123 you need to cyber slap upside the head. But since you are not exactly up to par these days due to health issues... I'll do it for you. Len123- whack whack whack for the crab grass comments- consider yourself cyber slapped. On second thought... maybe we want to slap him in person. How far away from the MoBot is Adrian MO?

Terry,
Bill Crosby did a great show on growing old. He said he would forget what he entered the room but if he returned to the original room and SAT down he would remember... so he decided if he placed his hands on his butt and used pressure it would remind him what he went for!!! MAYBE that will work for you??? (Ducking and running... begging Eq to not BEAT me for Terry. When will I learn to keep my smart mouth shut... and I wonder where my kids get it from???)
Pat(ricia!)

Not a slappable offense. Is slappable even a word? I go into a room all the time and forget why I went in there. Seems perfectly rational to me to try sticking my hands on my butt and applying pressure to try to remember what I was in the room for without having to walk back to the other room to sit down to remember. Chances are the Voice of Reason wouldn't find your comments to be slappable either. Besides which, I don't think you have any really decent botanical gardens in Idaho... do you? Will somebody who lives near St Louis MO please post a really slappable offense so I can have company when I go to MoBot?

st. louis is on the other side of the state. 300 mi from me. is mobot the same thing as busch gardens??lol

Well, I've been really busy the past few days, but I'm back and ready to participate in "confessions of wildlife gardeners" or "wildlife gardening bloopers". Should this be a new topic?

I've learned that many of my mature shrubs were planted in the wrong location now that I'm paying more attention to that kind of thing. Since they've survived this long with too much shade or sunlight, where soil is too moist or dry, or out in open instead of sheltered site, I figured that I'd leave them alone. I've already tried relocating a 7 yr old rosebush for that reason, & it died. Of course, growing in an unfavorable site -- it WAS alive & growing for 7 years.

My rose of sharon (I may get slapped for having one) is in complete shade! My astilbe is in full sunlight. I think it's too late for the astilbe -- it looks fried. I have lamb's ear in shade. Cotoneaster on the north side next to the foundation behind a 100' pinetree. Drought loving plants where they get rain runoff & moisture loving plants in the high & dry areas. Got the picture?

I'm sorry, but that's the best I can do because I'm "tiredbrain" right now. Do I deserve a good SLAP? I don't live in St. Louis, MO. I just work there.

Actually Equil, it's only 4 hours or so to St. Louis. Direct shot. Takes hrs to go to Des Moines, IA too.