what have you bought so far? part 4

I'm so used to calling it "fat food" instead of "fast food" anymore...Paul dislikes pretty much all of the fast food places, and calls them fat food places...It's just stuck in my head now...lol.

I think that this one rose bush is going to bloom in the next couple of days! We are expecting SNOW on Sunday or Monday!!! egad, I thought the white crap was done for the season, I don't know what it thinks it's doing rearing it's ugly head like this.

i'm with Paul on that one!
Though i have recently become addicted to Dunkin's egg and cheese on a croissant. Which i am certain has no redeeming value. It doesn't even fill me up for long. But, geez, it's good!!! (and cheap) Definitely Fat Food.

wha, nice trees, but I envy your 20yds of dirt more. I could use some good dirt, but I don't see it happening this year. I do have 25 yds of mulch coming the first week in May, plus 2 hired guys to help me spread it. Today was a banner planting day. I got all my shrubs from ForestFarm, Fairweather, and a few things from Bluestones planted and caged until they get tough enough so that the rabbits and deer don't destroy them. Long day. Here is the planted list for today.

Lagerstroemia indica 'White Chocolate'
Viburnum acerifolium
Viburnum dilatatum 'Asian Beauty'
Viburnum dilatatum 'Michael Dodge'
Viburnum rufidulum
Viburnum x juddii
Viburnum setigerum
Viburnum x burkwoodii 'Anne Russell'
Clematis fargesii (potaninii)
Syringa josiflexa James Macfarlane
Syringa meyeri Palibin
Syringa vulgaris Albert F.Holden
Syringa vulgaris Sensation
Viburnum bodnantense Dawn
Viburnum cassinoides
Viburnum dilatatum Erie
Viburnum hillieri Winton
Viburnum opulus Xanthocarpum
Viburnum sargentii Onondaga
Viburnum trilobum Wentworth
Viburnum plicatum toment. Lanarth
30 phlox subulata white (coop)
Clethra alnifolia Hummingbird
Forsythia viridissima var. koreana Kumson
Hydrangea Cityline Paris Hydrangea
Hydrangea paniculata Swan
Vitex agnus-castus

Viburnum edule (2 not planted yet)
Fothergilla 'Red Licorice' (not planted yet)

I am in bed already for the night, just watching the game Sox and Yankees. I am too tired thing about food, but that egg and cheese thingy sounds good. My DH has never had a McD. or any other fast food. I would to put that on his head stone, if he had one. He just said he is actually going to bring me dinner in bed , a hot turkey sandwich on from a bird he made a couple of days ago and on bread he made last night. Great leftovers! He finished cleaning the shed, pruning the rosa rugosa and picking up all my raking piles, then helped me make the cages and install them, so he should be tired too. Very sweet of him. Patti

Wow - full day, Patti. Get some well-deserved rest!

Patti, I have several of the plants on your list and wish I had the rest, but most of all I wish I had the ability to do that planting myself. good for you!

grampapa, I am barely moving this morning. My rose orders, Dan's coop and Chamblee, haven't come yet as expected and I have one small order from Avant with a few shrubs to arrive. That will be the last of the new big stuff to do. I do have a couple hundred lilies to plant, which I must get done this week. DH will help me do those with the auger. The rest will be small stuff, coop plugs, Green Mt Transplants, Rick's, my seedlings and new impulse buying on visits to nurseries. and can be popped in anytime. We have some rock work to do around the new endless stream. I emphasize the "we". DH is helping me on that. Oh I forgot the box that came from Brent and Becky yesterday, but it was small. I guess, I had better get out and plant these plus a few things not done yesterday.

I can't wait to see your roses this summer around that delightful pool. My dream, but never to happen as long as the ocean is so close. Patti

1Hippeastrum 'Mont Blanc- Greenhouse/container east porch
5Astilbe - Obergartner Jurgens - Dell south bed
5 Caladium 'Moonlight' - Greenhouse/container west porch
10 Crocosmia - masonorum -Slacker bed
10 Crocosmia - x crocosmiiflora 'Meteore' -Hot bed south end
1 Eryngium - alpinum Blue Star - Narrow Bed middle
1 Hypericum 'Brigadoon' - Narrow Bed west end
10 Ornithogalum - thyrsoides 'Alaska'- Greenhouse/container west porch
2 Penstemon - Red Riding Hood - Hot bed south end
2 Spiranthes cernua - odorata 'Chadd's Ford' - Dell iris bed

Omg I'm tired just reading your lists. There is no way on this green earth I could plant that much here. It takes me an hour just to dig a decent size hole, remove rocks and old roots or most of them, then get one shrub planted. You must be a much better digger than I am or have better soil than the gravel rock infested packed down stuff around here. Hats off to you and DH for getting so much done already.

Ngam, Lucky for me, no rocks, but lots of roots. I had already dug some of the holes during any thaws we had since Jan. But I did need to amend the soil as I dug. A few went into beds, so those were easy. I was a planting fool yesterday. But always a fool to buy too many things. I am out to finish up and move on to the next project which is finish some pruning of sweet fern and the clean out the last bed. Though a few of the newer beds need some serious hand work. I may get nothing done as there appears to be rain coming sooner than I thought. I will work in the Green House and transplant seedlings. Patti

I understand the rocks..... and some roots but not too many.... go through many trowels each year

Patti - that was an impressive list and long day. I'll also have the 20 yards of mulch as soon as I get the dirt moved or most of it. Goal is before May. Today the plan is fertilize the lawn, grubx, lime. expand some beds and get the rototiller going to amend the soil, tansplant three shrubs and a tree, and move dirt as needed. Figure out where to plant the jp's. Rain or shine. We'll see what I accually get done.

Both rocks and roots here! Never easy. Just received some columbine yesterday. And I keep adding to my second Fairweather list. Added two varieties of fothergilla, including Red Licorice - thanks Patti - now you're hooking me! I know that feeling Bill. A few years back I had about 25 - 30 yds of mulch dropped.

Today I planted clematis Sunset, verbascum Carribean Crush, & geranium Sweet Heidi--I was too sore from the last few days to do more--plus I had to clean the house--having a houseful tomorrow to celebrate hubby's birthday & also my cousin's----Patti, it sounds like you have a winner bringing you a meal in bed & baking bread! Mine has not made a thing in 35 yrs--maybe brought me a glass of ginger ale when I had the flu.

Robin, I do have a prince. Today he laid down a lot of good old Vt cow manure for me, then came in when the rain started and got out the iron and some wax paper to take some wax off a rug that had dripped onto it during our last power outage. I was very impressed with his house hold hint. Worked perfectly.

Victor, I am afraid to look at the Fairweather list again, but think I must. Don't you think so? I am thinking fall. Patti

Patti, I am another Fairweather Fanatic. Go for it!! Fairweather and Rarefind are two of my favorites. (I am a bit more partail to Rarefind although Victor might disagree)

Rarefind is nice, but generally plant by plant comparisons seem to show (to me) bigger sizes for lower prices at Fairweather. It must be nice to be within driving distance of both!

I read Victor's reviews and never saw one for Rare Finds, but a not so great, in fact bad for another company that I was thinking about ordering from. I like to follow a gardener that I can trust from words and pictures, even if he is a bit of a con man. I assume Victor is still doing time and wearing orange, one of my favorite colors. I neeeeeeeed Witch hazels. I haven't even looked at Fairweathers perennial list. Patti

I like to post a review only after two or three orders. I believe my recent order with Rare was my second, and first in many years. I've checked their site a number of times.

This is really late, but this is what to expect from a Chamblee's order:

Was it sent potted?

Thom, which roses did you get????

I just received a message from Amity Roses saying my order was shipped today:
I should be receiving these... I cant wipe the grin off my face. :~)
~Intrigue

~ Judy Garland

~Wise Portia

Love everyone of them, particularly Wise Portia--are they shrub roses? How hardy? I'm a sucker for roses, but get very bummed when they freeze out.

Victor-Yes, they come potted up. Main reason why shipping was so darn expensive. I bought 4 roses, each was roughly $9 bucks a pop...shipping was almost $23. lol. They also ship FedEx, or UPS...one of the 2.

Kassia-These are going in one end of the new bed that I'm creating, in which I'm trying to keep all colors in the white/lav/purple color scheme. I ordered 1-Lagerfeld and 3-Icebergs!

Also, I searched for and wanted to buy "own root" roses. In which the 2 varieties I received are. I have heard, and have been told that "own root" roses tend to do better in this crazy climate of mine.

They are all floribundas, hardy in Zones 5/6, and they are also fragant.

i can't believe the shipping from Annie's Annuals. i was looking at all these pretty, reasonably priced plants ($5 - $7) - then i looked at shipping, which STARTS at $27.
imean, i know they are in CA, but really...

Just recieved two pks. 20 bulbs crocosmia "hot mix" from Willow Creek everything looks good but it's bulbs,- - -how can it go wrong.

Amethyst I know exactly what you are saying. Those shipping fees sometimes are outragious, that's why before i get too excited about an item i check those fees. And the fact that they are in CA is not a big difference, some are here in the North Coast and still have high fees.

We can all get ideas from places like Annie's and then buy the seed and try growing our own. Not all are as easy to grow as we'd like.

When I send a plant package to CA it's always much more than I thought it would be. Most are in the $25. to $30. range.

Pirl that is also true. I was at Lowes on Sat. And I saw baby Lupins, they were selling them at eight dollars a pack of two. I have winter sowed those and now i have the first true leaves. I was so glad I have winter sowed so many varieties that sometimes are not found at local nurseries or for high prices.

Witth the price of gas added to the cost of verything It'll be a wonder if the prices for plants doesn't reflect it.
We need to keep our eye out for bargins.
I worked in a greenhouse one winter. The oil burner to keep the plastic house warm ,ran constantly.

Shipping is certainly rising because of it.

absolutly everything comes and goes in trucks.

Or planes.

I have heard many greenhouses will not make it through this summer due to the high cost of fuel, trucking, gas, etc.

I'm not surprised, it's a fragile business, akin to farming.
I used to take "bread and butter" jobs and working for this greenhouse was one. The owner had two houses with peaked plastic roofs where he raised geraniums and while I worked for him he built an "Olmson" type with curved ribs and plastic over attached at the side with lath and nails. We finished putting up the house the day the Rinunculas and Fucia came. Hundreds of them. The roof blew off in the the middle of the night, a March storm and destroyed everything.

What a pity! God bless farmers and all involved in gardening. It's such a rough business.

The owner said "second highest rate of suicides after dentists"
This is too grim- - - -
Keep an eye on the pocketbook. I almost ordered more plants today inspite of my reminder.
I'll wait until my orders from Bluestone and Seneca Hills Gardens come, then decide.
Nite all Jo Ann

A couple of trucking outfits here in NH have 'parked' the majority of their trucks, and are limiting those that they still wish to run to trips of less than 150 miles. Diesel costs even more than Unleaded per gallon!

It IS scary.

PS ~ Can we have another thread for this, please?