what have you bought so far? part three

It's always the idea of no preparation, no cooking and no clean-up that appeals to me. Plus, if I want the chicken salad (with bacon) but he wants a burger it's no hassle. I do love to cook but now it's more of a winter or rainy day hobby than wasting sunny hours in a kitchen. That's akin to drudgery.

It's getting close to Crock Pot weather!

Anita - it's really nice to open a cookbook and look back at prior parties and dinners along with the comments. I did have to rip a page out of a cookbook and save it with my other Baklava recipes so I could eliminate the book since it was the best recipe in it.

Anita:

I use a marvelous program called living cookbook, which you can download at livingcookbook.com. I can add ratings to each recipe I enter into it. Plus, it helps me keep track of my grocery inventory and my shopping list and meal planner. It's an invaluable program to me.

Pirl, that is a great idea for the cookbook. It would bring back a lot of memories.

Chicken salad with bacon. That sounds good.

Candyce, you are wayyyyyy organized, how nice!

Diners have many healthy options now. Ours has some real tasty ones.

You are making me hungry! I do have lots of Easter eggs for egg salad & ham--looks like our menu is set! Found 2 crocus yesterday--that's it--nights are waaay too cold. Also went out to pick up branches--our spruce tree had a banner year for cone production--picked up dozens, & many more left!

I toss all the pine cones under the hydrangeas as a constant mulch.

love that candyce.. going to have to check that out

I never heard of doing that with the cones--I do spread pine needles over all my acidic loving friends--never thought of the hydrangeas! I do have heath or heather blooming now (I'm never sure which it is), but it has tiny white bells--I know that's an acid lover.

Thanks for the compliment, but I am not nearly that organized ... merely always strapped for time, so if I can find a computer program that makes every day stuff easer, I use it!

Great idea with the pine cones, pirl. I never woulda thunk it!

We just have so many. I pick up or toss 300 at a time. Then my back gives out.

I can vouch for Arlene's chicken salad..yummy!!!
Candyce, I usually scan in if it's from a magzine or save as a pdf if I've found it online. I just need to organize into categories. I will check out the program you are speaking of though. Thanks.

just in case you missed this list on my other thread.... don't want to be accused of hiding things i bought

:)

me, my mom and my bf's mom split these from north carolina farms

COLSA 100 COLEUS SUN SERIES ASSORTED 42.00
PETA 100 PETUNIA TRAILING ASSORTED 44.00
SN 100 SNAPDRAGON TRAILING ASSORTED 50.00
COLU 100 Z-URC COLEUS TRAILING ASSORTED 8.00
IPATU 100 Z-URC IPOMOEA ASSORTED TIP 16.00
LOBWU 100 Z-URC LOBELIA TRAILING COMPACT WHITE 14.00
JAU 100 Z-URC WANDERING JEW ASSORTED 7.00

took some pictures of the shipment... very securely packed

http://picasaweb.google.com/AllisonNJ71/FlowerShipment

WOW! Teaches us all to watch out for the quiet people! What lovely plants. Good luck with all of them.

Anita - thanks but that was probably one of the worst I ever made since I had no kitchen counters at the time. We'll try it again this June - July if you're willing.

wow Pirl I think you are the first person EVER to call me quiet.... but thanks

the plugs will be fine under my lights... if I can get 1/4 of the cuttings to root I will be happy

700 plants at once is impressive! I bet you'll get more than half to root. From those you can take enough cuttings to make up for any losses.

My cuttings from the new dahlia growth are all rooting!

Ok...I got my Forest Farm order in. I need to leave them feedback, and add all of the pics to my journal. What I'm doing, and I'm not sure if people on DG have done something like what I'm doing, is posting pics of orders as they arrive...outside packaging, inside packaging, individual plant/tree/shrub packaging. In my journal I have it under, What to expect.

What I ordered in 1 gallon pots are the following:
Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Mariesii'
Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Lemon Thread'
Cryptomeria japonica 'Knaptonensis'---Thanks Victor!
Thuja occidentalis 'Mansdyke Silver'
What I ordered in their tubes:
Betula pendula 'Trost's Dwarf'
Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Plumosa Albopicta'
Euonymus alatus 'Little Moses'
Picea abies 'Pumila'

For the individual pics, they will be in my journal. Didn't want to hog up the thread with all of the individual pics. lol.

The last pic was of the 4-1gal sized trees that are in the box, that was inside of the box...lol. Forest Farm really does wonders with shipping!

This pic here, is of the 4-tube sized trees that I ordered; again, the box, that was inside the shipping box.

yeah for the dahlia.... well 300 are rooted already.... it's the other 400 that worries me... I wasn't even sure how to root the lobelia... but I put them in dirt with root hormone rather than water... water just doesn't seem right for those... but not sure

after my honey wakes up this afternoon I have a ton of cleaning up to do in that room... dropped the root hormone on the floor twice... LOL... OOPS

I am just glad the test tubes were easy to fill with water... I was worried about an air pocket forming and the water not going in... but they filled up quickly

got to love someone who knows how to pack plants.... i will check out your journal later on.... but they look great so far

It seems to me you're doing the right thing with the lobelia.

It's quite odd with the coleus as the same plant can be used for cuttings and some will take while others fail. Still, there will be so much more growth before the end of May that more cuttings can be taken.

I took tons of coleus cuttings at the end of the season last year... and brought some whole plants in to overwinter... I would say most are doing very well... even the original cuttings look so good I might just plant them out with the new ones I took in feb

Looks great, Thom!

this arrived today... It amazes me every shipment with parks.... a bit early with the shipment don't you think?... considering it might be snowing here on sat.... guess that's what you get for $10.00... glad I have the means to hopefully keep this alive for a few weeks

http://davesgarden.com/community/journals/viewentry/181781/

Thom - I just read that you got 2 roses... I am so proud of you!!!!! good buy!!!!

I can't wait to get them actually. I just have no idea where I am going to put everything as it arrives. I have a butt load of 1, 2, and 5 gallon containers from previous plants that I've bought...I might have to recycle until the bed is completed!
I'm still in shock over the size of the plants I got from Forest Farm...can't wait for Khlems, and from Chamblee's!

I think all these places are going nuts. Received my order for Rozanne geraniums from Big Dipper today! I didn't want to plant them this early.

Victor, Thom, onewish1, Do you give them a shipping date? Nantucket is zone 7, but we have a very late spring, so I usually request a mid April delivery. I am hoping not to see my plants just yet from Forest Farm, Avant, Fairweather, Bluestone, Brent and Becky, Viola, Chamblee and a few others. I have been getting lots of lily, canna, caladiums, calla bulbs, but those are fine as I will just keep them cool and dark until I am ready to plant. Patti

I sometimes do. Usually I let them ship at 'the best time for my zone'. It's always been okay in the past, but this year they are shipping a bit early.

Global warming?

I am with Victor... the best ship date is usually pretty good... not this time

I've been really good and not looked at garden catalogs all winter, because when I look I buy. I grabbed a couple this morning to look at while working out on cardio machines - and now I want a few things. Walked the aisles in a local nursery this morning, and I'll be back there often.

See - you shouldn't have gone back to the gym!

heehee

I went to the local nursery this morning, and they won't have their stuff in for another three weeks. Neither will good ole HD or Wal*Mart.

Darn! I've got the fever today, for crying out loud!!

Oh yeah ... speaking of crying out loud ... we are supposed to get 6 or more inches of snow overnight!!! Victor, close that window so you don't hear me screaming!!!

Oh no!!!!!!!

Oh yeah.

On my abbreviated 'garden walk' today, I saw the primrose with two new leaves, the allium up about three inches, and several tulips, daffs, and crocus all about an inch tall and just at the edge of the snowbank. I'm heartbroken.

Candyce, that's where my bulbs are at. They are all poking their heads out, or are about 3-5" in height.

In regard to the plant deliveries...I usually ask them to be delivered for the right planting time, with Forest Farm, I jumped the gun. So I had them ship to me as soon as possible. I believe Khlems is not shipping to z5 until, it's either the middle of April, or middle of May, and for me, it just seems like so far away. I usually have my hanging baskets up and out by the end of April, sometimes earlier. I usually, if the place I'm buying from gives me the option, have them ship the first or second week in April.

Due to the nature of the valleys, swells, and mountains to where I live, it's really strange gardening. Last year, I had my hanging baskets out, and they were thriving, meanwhile, the garden center that I worked at (about 10 minutes away) had ice in their bird baths.

It's a reason I can't stand hardiness zones...lol. The garden center is considered z5 also!

I hope everyone that is getting things in the mail is having great luck!!!

So far , so good. Just have to take care of them while waiting. I'd rather have them planted. The zones are way too general - not local enough and they don't take microclimates into effect. You are the best judge of your garden.

Yep I noticed that too, they are shipping early this year. Lots of big outfits also started a heavy advertising campaign right after Christmas. Usually they advertise light, (with 'previews'), and go heavy in early Feb. ☺

Mid-April to early May is the ideal time for my deliveries. I don't want to be cold outside while tending to them and the garage is getting too full with rose standards.