Hey, I didn't know this forum existed!

Wow - that's a good one, Janis. The quicker picker-upper!

LOL

LOL Yep that would get your attention alright.

Bat guano is the only thing I found this plant to respond to. A tropical shade lover it's probably found on the jungle floor, in moist surroundings. I took a hint from it and started giving it to my Swiss Cheese Philodendron. ☺

Nice.

how did the word bat come about.. i wonder..??

and Kassia- i thought I wrote a note to you this afternoon on this thread, but it didn't post... hmmm but i was saying that i'd love to come a see your roses sometime! that i get down that way often to visit my sister in concord- then once in a while head to framingham to go to garden in the woods or to russells garden center.... that must be somewhat near you...thanks so much for the invite

bat
Function:
noun
Etymology:
probably alteration of Middle English bakke, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Swedish nattbakka bat
Date:
1580

had a feeling you'd come up with an answer!

I was going to say ball was already taken!

Hi Everyone.......and I'm glad to meet you, Sarah and Mark! I'm currently spending the winter in south Fla. and have been pretty busy out in my gardens now that my countdown to the Return to NH has begun. I haven't posted much on DG since my flu episode, but I should be getting back to normal jabbering soon!

Sarah, Keene is pretty close to us, so I am very happy to have another neighbor join us here in the NE forum. We have a few of us from the "greater" Keene area! One thing I haven't missed this winter is that horrid death defying new roundabout on Winchester Street in Keene. My goodness - quite a huge number of accidents there since it opened up. I avoid it like the plague.

I must say that I've sure missed being in touch with everyone! Polly - do take good care of yourself with that flu......the one down here was pretty scarey! If it's the same strain, you have to rest, rest, rest! I found that hard to do with the garden calling. I've just now gotten my weeds back under control.

My last additions to the gardens here are 2 yellow mandevilla vines that will climb our new cedar trellis and a second Brug given to us by some fun neighbors. I planted them all with crystals in hopes that they will make it through the dry period after we're gone until the rains come.

Hope you all stay well!!!

hi donniebrook- sometimes i think it would be so nice to have a warm place to garden in the winter. Keene is warming up slowly- I hope it stays slow, actually, so I can watch spring unfold rather than explode. sarah

People probably kept asking for a bat when they saw one and the name stuck. ☺

hee hee WC!

When I was little I had long hair, and a baby bat got tangled in it. I was about a block from home. I'm scared to death of them. But I do understand they are out to get the bugs, and really bats are the good guys.I still get spooked at dusk when they are flying around though.

Wow - can't blame you.

you guys can have all the bats... none for me please!!!

Sarah, please come... garden in the woods is not far from my house...

Louise, are you bringing any plant with you???

Welcome, Sarah!

I wish I could chime in more often, Maybe I should tend to fewer plants? Right!!!

I thought I could gab, but my goodness... I can't keep up w/ everyone!!!!

Sarah, I waved at you when I was in Keene on Monday from Jo-anne's fabric buying buttons. I will be going back up to that nice little nursery soon, Maple Hill on the Swanzey Road and then over to Wilton to the place called House by the Side of the Road. Love that place. I was at our Vt house thinking I could do some spring yard work. All I found was big piles of snow in Williamsville. No bare ground, yet. DH said skiing was great. Welcome. Patti

Hi Patti- hey, small world! I was probably across Jo-anns at Hannafords.. I have some other favorite nurseries near here, too.. but I have to admit, I like MA nurseries so I often travel! Maybe the grass is always greener.... If you come from VT. do you stop at Walkers on Rt 5? thats a fave...

Hi Jax- Now and then chiming is good too!

Sarah, I love Walker's and the Newfane Greenhouse as well as Olallie Daylily Gardens, which are all very close. I love Bay State Perennial in Whately, Ma., but I will stop at any independent nursery or grower. I have been wanting to go to one over in Mason NH (Mason Hollow Nursery) and promise to do so this spring. It is suppose to have great shade plants. I will try to get to Kassia's RU. I love Garden in the Woods. They have a plant farm called Nasami Farm Nursery which is out near Whately which I intend to go to this spring. I just checked their hours which are Thursday through Sunday as of April 17 through June 8 and then again in the fall. Patti

Yes yes yes- to all those places- Mason Hollow is really hard to find, but a great stop! and she has an increasing number of really cute little woodland plants along with her hostas... I'm going to have to find Nasami Farm too! I like to do several Boston area visits- Blanchettes is fun too...I wish I could make the RU! next time.

you guys can come for a RU anytime... Deb, Laura and Sue live close enough!!!! see I will summon some friends!!! and we can have fun!!!

My best friend lives near you guys in Brattleboro. She's a painter. Here's her website. We visit Newfane Greenhouse all the time!

http://www.danawigdor.com/

Your friend had a show at my bookstore/cafe in 2002. It was the last show we had before selling the business. The new owners killed the business and it is now gone. Sad. I love her work. Patti

Kass - yes, I do plan to bring some plants......not sure what kind yet.....it will depend on what I can dig up and what cuttings I can pamper through the trip back up. It will also depend on how full the car is since we will be going elsewhere the same weekend. I plan on bringing some Lily of the Valley plants as well as misc. other stuff. I'll know more once we get back up to the farm and I can see what's what!

I forgot to mention "last time" that I brought some of my seed heads from my Red and White Luna hardy hibiscus's up at the farm. One germinated and I now have a nice fat plant with 3 flowers about to open.......not sure if it will be red or white......all my seeds got jumbled, so I didn't have a clue what this one was until I recognized the shape of the leaf. I 'm so excited. Also, all 5 of my gumbo limbo tree "sticks" that I stuck in the ground from cuttings now have leaves coming out on them.

Sarah and Patti - I love reading your list of plant places near Keene......those will be fun to check out......perhaps we can blast Candyce and Anna and anyone else who's around and all meet at one of these??? AFTER I get back up there....OK??

DonnieBrook, Sounds like a good plan. A Nursery crawl. No designated driver needed, just fat wallets. Patti

I would love to go to some NH nurseries, and if I see a moose along the way, yeay.

Deb - the more, the merrier! Patti - where is Mason, NH in relation to Keene? That's the only one that didn't ring any bells with me.

Harper - your friend's work is very nice!!

Part of me doesn't want to lose a single minute of the New England summer, but part of me wants to fast forward for a bit........When we get back up "north", our NH house is going to be torn apart to replace some sills (about time, I guess....they were placed there for the house to sit on in 1763). We will lose our guest room, storage room and the front porch for awhile until my DH can put the porch back on. That's where we eat lunch every day, so I'll be working on building patience, I'm sure!! Trying to get our vegetable garden in at the same time will be an interesting taffy pull for awhile!! LOL

Mason NH, is on the Mass border just west of Groton and north of Townsend off Rt 119. Your house is an old timer. Must be great. But having it torn apart is a drag. We just went through that with the car driving through the front of our Vt house last winter. I doubt that that was an issue back in 1790 when it was built. But dang it was strong. Most modern houses would have just collapsed and ours just bent. I still need to redo the kitchen, but that has been put on the back burner for many years now. We don't spend enough time there to warrant the expense. But the plans are on paper. I just need some green stuff to pay for it. Patti

Darn it Patti! why didn't you say you'd be in Keene? I'd have met you for coffee, or invited you in for coffee.

Louise .... I'm claiming dibs on those Lily of the Valley, so I hope you bring plenty so I don't take them all.

I agree that we all need together and 'run around NH nurseries'. What a blast that would be!!

Candyce, I was in Keene briefly for buttons, then I had to rush off to Burdick's in Walpole to have a cup and a bit of chocolate with an old friend from Westmoreland, NH. But next time for sure and if it is before the RU, I could bring you Lily of the Valley too. Patti

Patti! That's so cool that Dana had a show at your bookstore/cafe! It's so uncool that the new owners killed it. So a car drove into your house? Yikes! That must've been scary.

Welcome to all you newbies out there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Flowerjen

Thank you..............................

Mark

Mason Hollow is also quite near Pickity Place- which is a sweet place to have lunch...in case there is a plan brewing to rendezvous- (it could be a RV instead of an RU)... Sarah

Sarah ~
I'll rendezvous almost any time, as long as I can bring my little granddaughter, who is just a year and a half. Our travel time is limited because of her age.

Greetings all! I finally beleive Spring is coming! We had a sunny, pleasant 64 today, and it was amazing! I too, did not know about this thread. But, glad I found it. Will be back often. Have a great evening!

Jax

Welcome Jax! Nice photo. Fee free to join us any time!

Just jump on in Jax wherever and whenever! (we don't check RSVP's at the door), Welcome!! ☺