"Where have all the PNWers gone"

Have lot's of garden/plant pics - husband is a camera nut. What do you want to see?
Here is a picture of flowering red current and redtwig dogwood from last spring.

Oooooooooohh . . . . Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Waiting for my currant to flowre. Needs more sun, methinks.

Re- "what do you want to see" - how about ALL the ones you like?
We are jonesin' here for all things plants, so you drive & we'll be your very attentive passengers. Deal?

Sheri - duly noted.
And, what's up with "no Wand"?????
who made that rule? - someone into order, no doubt... =:0)

Hello, and welcome new Katie - your garden looks great, and you are absolutely right about 'what it teaches you is research', what a great result!

Hi Katie In...

Welcome by all means, the pictures we have seen are so inviting. Please keep them coming.

We are all a little obsessed with our plants and animals on this sight and are so glad to embrace others like us.
Love the flowering Red Currant and the colorful chairs, they add so much to the garden.

Looking forward to sharing,
Carla

Oh my - passionate gardeners and a passionate photographer . . . how wonderful is that? And it means WE get to see!!!

Welcome Katie, love the chairs! Rachel

Hello all,

I am new to this web site and I must say that I am a little overwhelmed. I stumbled upon it by accident. I received an email that said something about the best and the worst mail orders and since I have had such bad luck ordering from the mail I thought I would check it out and ended up signing up.

I am in a house with my fiance and for the first time I have a yard that I have free reign over...with one stipulation, no annuals allowed. I don't mind that though (he digs the holes for them plants and I do the rest.) I am a full time nurse, in the National Guard Reserves and I am a full time student for Criminal Justice. I don't have a lot of time to be replanting each year. So truthfully, annuals really do not work for me.

I love roses and put about 40 different kinds of them into the yard last summer as well as another 40 or so perennials. I am looking for more this year, but do not know which websites are the best to order from. I got burned last year and ended up with a bunch of plant s that I had to guess at how to plant.

I ordered 24 Rosa Rugosa's thinking they would be established plants like you buy in a store and I got bare root plants that looked like twigs with a few roots on them. They did green out before fall but then they turned yellow and I am not entirley convinced that they will come back.

Oh well. I guess we live and we learn.

I look forward to chatting with you all!

Amber

Hi Amber - welcome!! You'll love this site - so much information and really good and kind people.

Rachel (rachierabbit here) and other friends of mine absolutely love Heirloom Roses in Portland. I haven't been there yet, but we have been talking about some field trips this spring and summer for the Pacific NW group and the Portland/Vancouver area is one of our targets.

We love pictures, so thanks for sharing. I love the color of that rose - what is it? Don't give up on your rugosas - they are tougher than you think, especially if they're in the ground. Ordering bare root is a great way to extend your gardening dollar.

There is an informal plant exchange coming up in March in Redmond, WA and we have a thread going for ahead of time planning and plant reserving. Be sure to check that out. The exchange is called the Green Elephant.

Katie

Hi ! I've had good luck with bare root roses.... but I'll admit, I don't have alot so am no expert. Do you have Jackson & Perkins catalog - they have some beauties.

Amber, we have so many fantastic nurseries in western Washington and Oregon, why would you buy plants from a catalog and pay shipping unless it's so unique you can't find it anywhere else?

Roses? Jolly on up to Gig Harbor and check out Raft Island Roses. You'll go dizzy from the sight.

In the picture: Meadow Rue 'Lilac Mist' and Ligularia 'Rocket'

It is sometimes fun to buy things mail order -- it gives you something to look forward to in the mail. And if it saves you money, why, that's just more money to spend on plants!! LOL

GigHarborKatie - is that your meadow rue? I don't have any that have gotten that tall yet. The conditions must be perfect for it. It looks like the spot might get some sun, but your ligularia seems to be doing pretty well there, too. Nice!!

Hi Katie59. I have had many of the thalictrum ot meadow rue get almost 10 tall. There are also some shorter varieties. I know of some landscapers that go to raft island roses. I have heard they have a huge selection.

Hi Heidi. Yes, these two have been in place for six years and they do get 10' tall (my husband measured them after I bet him).

Shame you're so busy in the spring and summer that you don't get to visit other places.

I'm another one who gets a huge kick out of ordering from catalogs or from the Internet. But it doesn't stop me from visiting fabulous nurseries either (like in Kingston, WA!).

Amber, so glad to have you aboard - you are definitely one busy, busy lady!!

Welcome Amber
We have allot of fun on this forum and share Ideas, thoughts, plants, seeds and love the field trips and get to meet each other. I love roses, I got some bare root stock once, they started growing nicely then my horse step on them or ate them?
I don't have him anymore, so I ordered some last year and have been happy with them, They still have nice green leaves even after all the cold we had.
Injoy
Tills

This is Candy Stripe

Hi Amber & Welcome, too!

Bare root is always a great way to go with roses as long as you buy from a reputable source. I have been buying for years from Heirloom Roses - haven't had any problems with them or the stock they sell.
I prefer to grow roses grown on their own rootstock, as they perform better for me. However, this requires patience. You might want to visit their website to read about what Heirloom does & why. There are other nurseries that sell potted own-root, but they are more expensive: you're paying for the soil, labour, extra packing & shipping.
If I had drier weather, I would still prefer own-root to grafted, but I would probably grow both.
As far as annuals are concerned, you might want to consider those that self-sow. Start from seed, let them grow & they'll reseed for future plants. Just a thought...
I am not into annuals much either, but I do make use of them in a limited fashion.
Is there anything else you are interested in growing?
We can make our individual catalog & nursery preferences known to you, at which time you should plunge headfirst into plant acquisition. We have some serious plant addicts here, and we do love to share!
Let us all know what you're up to when you've got time/energy.
It sounds as though you could use another several hours in your day!
Take care - Katye

Amen to that

Welcome, amber! Nice to have someone from my neck of the woods. I'm just down the street in Lakewood, Close to Lakewold Gardens.
I'll bet those rugosas come back for you. It's hard to kill a rugosa.
Being the completely serious plant addict that I am, I order from mail order nurseries all the time. But that doesn't stop me from going to the ones here. It just opens more doors of opportunity!! Be sure to check out the garden watchdog to see ratings of mail order nurseries.

While I am at it, I would like to recommend to you a product called "Messenger" for your roses. You have a lot of them. Messenger is a completely organic product that enhances the plant's own natural defense system against disease. It works great and your roses will be loving you for using it.

KatieinWa, what's the secret for great meadow rue? That's one plant that doesn't like me very much, but I remain determined.

Outta, it's likely that you DO see a bit of Order in KatieinWa's garden, but recall that you are a beginner and she is currently in the 'very very advanced' class. Don't skip ahead! But who told you that you had to be wandless? What kind of fun is that? remember tilly's rule: if a plant doesn't like its home, move it. How're you going to do that if you go around wandless? The very idea of gardening wandless makes me want to put on my bumblebee boots and commence to testifyin'.

Honestly Amber, if you are prepared for addiction, this is the thread to follow - and Pix is our plantaholic leader! Largely because its her turn for the bumble bee boots - when I get my turn.......whoa teddy! We are going to wheelbarrow like mad gardeners!

Bare root roses - I know they are a tad shocking the first time you order them - your description is absolutely spot on - sounds like an okay purchase to me! Can I ask what your soil is like - that could be why they yellowed up so soon (and besides we will need that information fairly soon if we are going to overwhelm you with plant choice), you may have to do a bit of amending. But like the others, I'm fairly certain those rugosas will be out and about in no time.

Excellent news that you have a helpful digger in the household, extremely useful. Keep him well fed - you are going to need more than a few wholes by the end of this summer. A greenhouse would be handy too, and a limitless budget, endless hours, and one of those headlamps so you can garden in the dark. That should do for starts. Welcome aboard - next stop gardening heaven.

Oh, Laurie, nice job! And you completely NEED bumblebee boots! What ever will I do when they wear out? Boy did I get the stares today! Rachel came by in her mantruck and I was all decked out in my woolies, bumblebee boots, blue wool hat, and pink gardening overalls, already covered with dirt as usual. It's just normal for me and I don't even notice it. But she gave me a ride down to the corner so I could show her this wild house where these two elderly gentlemen who have been in a 'relationship' for many years are remodeling/landscaping their small property. They have a lifesized statue of Michelangelo's 'David' in the backyard. (I didn't say that they had good taste.) Anyhoo, I got out of the truck to walk home and she drove off. These guys have a cadre of Mexican nationals working for them. I guess they are not accustomed to seeing middle aged american ladies covered in dirt wearing yellow and black striped boots, etc. Hey! Maybe they found me attractive or something! (Or SOMETHING!) But they really had their mouths open in surprise as I walked away, waving nicely at them. What a hoot!!


Oh, and speaking of 'hoots', the Great Horned Owls are doing their mating rituals right now. There were two in the yard tonight, one in one fir tree, one in another, hooting at each other in that special way that owls have. I was so lucky that I saw them flying from tree to tree!! What a sight! They are so incredibly lovely.

This message was edited Jan 25, 2008 10:16 PM

PIX, please please please - I want two photos - one of the interesting re-do of the house with the Michaelangelo! Oh, pleasssssseeeee. And also can we see your outfit? It does sound like the decking out of all of our dreams - to turn the heads of a cadre of Mexican builders - how cool is that - I want inspiration!

Our owls keep a bigger distance from those of us who are grounded - but we do have a magnificent peregrine falcon who comes and sits on our fence post (now if she would eat the bl#~dy rabbit that has found a hole.....)

Laurie, put a terra cotta dish of bird seed on the ground - your rabbits will leave your plants alone! (Well, maybe not - but I was surprised to see this little guy chomping on the seed!)

Pixy, I too want to see your new get-up . . . you'll soon be in the latest gardener's fashion magazine!

Oh a Pergrine falcon!! You lucky lady! They are so incredible.
I will try to be subversive enought to get a photo of the house. It is just hysterical, and also extremely expensive. Everything these guys have costs tons of $$. They hired a carver to carve the wood trim for their house re-do. Hand carved!
I'll do my best with the outfit. It's not a new one. And it looks it. But those looks I got were completely worth it! Murmur, I assure you that I will never grace any kind of fashion magazine! LOL!

pink overalls, you should get an award for that alone! ** Would love to see that house, HAND CARVED TRIM - now that is insane!

cute little rabbit :)

Pix - I'll bet the guys would love to have you photograph their house. They love it, so why shouldn't everybody else. Good for them to exercise their creativity in just the way that suits them, eh? I'm looking forward to seeing it.

Pix left a few things out of the story. Here goes. "David" is still dressed in his "New Years" garb. Diaper, sash and earrings! He is huge, let's just put it this way, he dwarfs the house! This house is just around the corner from Pixy's so I turn the corner, Pixy jumps out and the jaws drop! She gleefully waves to the men and I slowly drive by in the mantruck trying to get a better view of "David!" These guys can not figure out what in the "he%^" is going on! It was hilarious! Pixy looked adorable in her gardening gear, loved her hat it has little tassels on the top!

Oh yes, David definitely dwarfs the house. These guys used to own a home on Gravelly Lake Drive, right down the street. For those unfamiliar with this area, Gravelly Lake Drive is a 'posh' address and there are many multimillion$$ homes around the lake. The 'David' graced their garden there and because the property was very large, it was not out of proportion (I said nothing about taste). This is an exact replica, mind you, and it's made in Italy from marble. The house they live in now sits on a small plot, but they've tried to keep the same number of ornaments in the yard. The 'David' lurks like Goliath in the corner of the backyard. I'm sure the neighbors are loving it.
If it is not raining tomorrow I will try to get photos. I really do not want them knowing it because they have had things stolen from their property and may be a little skittish about people being too interested. They have 4 Italian marble statues representing the 4 graces, each worth many thousands of dollars. They are probably 8 feet tall each. One of them was stolen out of their driveway. They ended up getting it back because a woman called and said that she had 'bought' it at a garage sale and then saw the article about it in the newspaper and wanted to return it, but she wanted her money back. The guy who brought it back just happened to have been part of a work crew at the house a few months ago. There was no way to prove it, though. Now everything is bolted down, which is good because they have bronzes that are apparently just sitting out by the road. Not a good idea anywhere, much less in Lakewood.
They sound like really interesting guys. I'm hoping to meet them sometime, but I will likely not wear my gardening gear the first time we say hello.

These guys sound like hoot!! Party at their house? Do you think they'd mind?

oh how fantastic !!! they sound like a lot of fun

Hi KatieinWA and Amber-don't think I've said Hi to you yet!

This is going back up the thread a little. I saw these when I was in Dallas and couldn't help but think of Dottik, K59, and Laurie.

There they are - in Texas of all places. I really think of them as needing our cool, wet weather. Thanks for thinking of us, Susy. Hope your trip to Texas was fun.

Great picture ! I'm kinda sorry I planted mine in the ground.

What did you do in TX - do tell and share some more pics.

Hi RTP, I just went out for the weekend with DH, who had to be there for a couple of days this week. Saturday we went to the Dallas Museum of Art and the Nasher Sculpture Center. Sunday we spent the afternoon at the Dallas Arboretum. It was sunny, but cold both days.

I was using DH's camera and it was being fussy, so I didn't get as many pictures as I wanted, but here's one from the Nasher Center. The trees are crape myrtles.

Here's another from the Nasher Center, kind of looking back the other way.

It's funny, but I didn't realize until later that most of my arboretum pictures were of individual things and plants, not vistas. So, again, not lots of good pictures for posting. Course, it is still winter, even in Texas. Although, these were in the ground and blooming. Recognize the Ziva paperwhites?

I thought this trellis and arbor was really neat. This is one thing that shows up better in the winter.

Here's sort of a vista. All the trees are crape myrtles.

To the left, you can barely see some red pots. That's their container trial garden section. There's a fountain at the end of the walk that has some cool sculptures. I'll post those next.

Here's the sculptures. There are four of them.

In the summer they squirt water to the sculpture in the middle