Something is awakening

Heidi, I like all of those, I will take a look when you open, will they all be potted up? I bought 5 different Arisaema last year. not sure if they made all it. for some reason when I buy the dormant bulb, they don't all break dormancy. A. Griffithii was the hardest. any suggestions? I don't have any Aralia. I have 1 asarum, that definetely sounds like a good one. Jim

Just catching up on this thread - don't cyclamen's look like faeries on stalks? Just love them

Hey Cocoa
a boxwood can turn into a tree to, I did it to mine just forgot to prune it down.
Thats it in the upper right. I think?

Carla - I think that all Witchhazel gets to be 12' or so, but they are slow growers. You can just tell your DH that it won't be VERY big . . . . (with your fingers crossed behind your back). You will both love the way it looks in weather like this.

Tills, I just love finding your cats in your pictures. They always turn up somewhere, usually doing something interesting. They're almost like those "Find the hidden thing" pictures.

Can't go any where without them or at least one or the other shows up. mosty
"The Queen" Sassy. Its a good thing they don't like cars or they would be going to work with me.

Hi Tills, I have two small boxwoods, waiting for growth...

Hi Katie, I will have to watch for that one then, do they sucker? I guess I will let my fingers do the typing...off to google.

No suckering. They are pretty well behaved . . . well mine has been so far.

I concur. I find them to be very well behaved as well. I do have one that suckers, but that is from the rootstock and gets pruned off immediately. It's a grafted variety. I've had mine in the ground for about 5 years or so. I'd say they grow about an inch or two a year. No more than that. If you buy a small one, it will be small for a fairly long time.

Heidi, I will need to stop checking out websites like Asiatica. What a candy store that is! I don't know how you chose the plants, There are too many interesting things to choose from!
I just pottted up tubers from these:
Arisaema Fargesii
>Arisaema flavum
>Arum creticum
ARISAEMA propinquum
I got them from JLHudson seeds. They are small, and I hope they are true to name, but the price was right and they looked nice and healthy when I got them.

Laurie, it's getting hard to keep up with these threads, isn't it? We're a talkative bunch in the NW forum. I can't keep the threads straight anymore and I am watching way too many of them.
I love cyclamen. I just got a little pot of C. hederifolium at a local hardward store. I got these because the leaves were really a nice pattern on them. They are going in the same bed with the witch hazel.

That will be a very nice winter combination. Approved, stamp.

I also got the tubers from JLHudson. They are in the fridge and I need to pot them up. Just got edelweiss perennials cataloge. They have great things I ordered ffrom them last year. And I'm almost through with arrowhead alpines.

I will check out gardeners supply. I thought I remembered seeing them somewhere. Thanks heidi

Laurie, you crack me up! I can just see you with your little stamp pad endorsing all of the winter combinations! Maybe you are the winter fairy queen?

I love Edelweiss perennials. I always buy from them at the garden shows when they are there. .

this year I put in an edgeworthia chrysantha next to the front door, hoping for winter bloom and fragrance. The buds are coming. It's just a matter of time! The primulas underneath them are already blooming so I hope it hurries up. It's certainly not much of a plant to look at when it's in leaf, so I hope it will earn its place by the front door during the dreary months.

stamp pads - you know, DH adores a good stamp and stamp pad - he is odd. Perhaps it is contagious.

and I do like being promoted. Thank you. no extra pay required (although I would like a few more days off workwork).

I have a big edworthia out my front door and the dogs just slit a huge brach chasing the stupid racoon. I think I will try to wrap it back up to see if it grow back together

Laurie, it's so nice that you will enjoy the promotion and extra responsibility, but which part of the word 'queen' are you failing to understand? You are the winter fairy QUEEN! You live in England for heaven's sake, land of many Queens of history! If you want days off, just take them! This is one of the benefits of queendom. There is no permission required. The queen doesn't even know what the word 'permission' means in reference to herSelf. It's completely outside of her frame of reference. You better get used to it. Oh, and don't forget to inform your DH. He might need to know about your recent change in status! LOL!

Heidi, BAD DOG! Definitely wrap that poor thing up and let it heal. Sometimes I wonder if my dogs actually SEE my plants or if they are completely blind to them.

Okay. The sun is shining over one part of the yard and it is raining over the other part of the yard. That's so wierd.

Yes m'arm. Keep repeating "I am queen, pixie has annointed me, I am queen, pixie has annointed me....". Let me think, do patients understand this premise that I have variable days off? Not. Their egos (and I know this is going to veeeerrrrrryyyyy hard to believe) are considerably hungrier than mine.

GARDENING DEFINATELY CALLING - I'm out. xo and tiaras.

(oh, I just have to tell this, I am sure all of you need to know - my Penquin dictionary has mitre: to confer a mitre on (somebody) and thus raise them in rank - excellent - I have been mitre by Pixie, I am queen, I have been mitred by pixie.....)

This message was edited Jan 31, 2008 8:11 PM

Keep repeating Laurie!

still going Rach - when can I stop?

You can stop now, I think it should be well engrained in your psyche now, wouldn't you say? You are the pro here, so it's your call girl! Hope you are enjoying your glass of wine and some seed catalogs!

Sigh. Laurie, again, you are the QUEEN! You decide when you stop. Remember??
You are getting it, though. The xo and tiaras are absolutely the thing!! You're a natural! Soon, your clients will just assume that occasionally you need a day off and it will be fine with them. Let me know how you accomplish that. I'm right behind you!!

I prefer when you are in front. That way I can follow in your nice little bumble bee steps.

No no! After you! I insist!! After all, the queen should never be bringing up the rear. LOL!

The queen gets to go where she wants - full stop.

AARRRGGHH!! Caught in my own logic! You win!

Thank you. I'm off to do a bee dance - buzzzzzz.

Now, back to the awakening gardens - these are the parent plants which gave me the seed Helleborus Slatey Blue (one of Helen Ballard's plants)

And look what I have now

almost 100% germination - sowed 20, have 18 babies. tickled pink I am - but then I am the queen. Pix's says so.

This message was edited Feb 4, 2008 6:06 AM

Wonderful Laurie,
wish mine would do something, still think I did something wrong.

I doubt it Mary, I think it is just too early. You might try sticking them in the greenhouse if you have a bit of space and warm them up now - might just give them that bit of wake-up. But with Hellebores, patience pays - I left the remains of my Miss Jekylls from last year (I only got 5 plants out of 10 seeds) - and amazingly 3 more have now come up. Patience with seeds pays off.

I can always send you more this spring.

I guess I didnt think it would take them 6 mos or more to germ. and they are in the GH but its cold in there, maybe bring them in the house?

If they are in the GH, I'd just leave them be - 6 months is short for Hellebores! If you look at some of the packages they say germination 180 to 360 days! Patience pays.

Just to eager I guess.

I know - I just did some sowing on Sunday, and I am counting on everyone of them to be up and blossoming by time I get home on Thurs night (when I will be out there inspecting with the torch!) Outside now - days a wasting! go dig, I'm envious of you just starting the day - it dark here.

Laurie
this is the 5 gal. Hellebore I bought last spring.
Is that what I think it is, flower buds?
This is my first Hellebore, not sure what to look for.

The look of spring, Tilly's got buds!

Haaaaaay
Heres a differant kind of bud.
Lizzie, my grandniece.
Visiting today, injoying the baby, gald its not mine can send her home when I done playing.

Oh, she's a little rosebud, isn't she?? How fun to have a visit from a wee baby and then send her packing home with mum!

You'll probably get blooms on that hellebore, Mary. But you need to cut the leaves off. Those are from last year and see that black spot on the stem? You don't want it to spread. So cut them off all the way down to the crown. Also it makes the new growth that much better viewing.

Thanks Pix I didnt notice that before had to go back and look, I didnt know you had to cut the leaves off, on my way to do it.

So cut all the leaves off or just the damaged ones? Hee hee. I cut them off last year in a little fit of immediate gratification inducing behavior because they were hiding the blossoms - just couldn't stand it. I'd like to do it again.

Little did I know that it would be okay . . .

You can do them all, or just the damaged and affected ones. It helps prevent the spread of botyris, that nasty black stuff. Truth be known, I only cut the ones that look bad, or the damaged ones. I like to leave a few on and it doesn't hurt the plant. After all, who cuts the leaves off in the wild? Must be the same person who deadheads all the wild rhododendrons in the forest, eh? My hellebores have been fine, but some of the peonies get it each year. Probably I should just pull those that suffer from it out, but I generally keep it under control by cutting the affected parts off each year. I wait until late winter to do it. Some people do it sooner.