What have you bought so far?? Pt.5

Wow, we are on #5, that means the Northeast is keeping the nurseries in business! LOL
I have limited filling my gas tank to once a week so I can have more money for plants. $50 in my gas tank or $50 in my garden? hmmmm, not a hard choice here!!

Hate to say this but at my age I rarely drive more than three days a week.My sympathy to those who Have to git up and out everyday.
My artist cousin lives in Maine and the tourist art business is slowly drying up,not to mention other businesses that depend on tourism. Motels, B&B's etc. The trouble is there isn't enough of a manufacturing base for tourism people to go to.
Her husband works on a boat that takes tourists to Monhegan Island, guess he'll be at home this summer.

Email confirmation, gazillion, Khlems is tentatively arriving this Wednesday! Another maiden voyage for me...

I am at a stand still. I have no potting soil till Friday unless I go buy it at WW or HD - doubt that. I don't pay much for the compacted bail I get. Ho Hum. This is round 2. I want it to warm up at nights as I want my kitchen back !

Wow - my bale was $26.99!
i am just out of time - i wish i could get that at HD!

Last year was 16.49 for 3.8 cubic yards I belive. The kicker with it is you have to wear a mask as the dust flies.

It sure does - i was transferring some of it into a big rubbermaid container last week. When i was done, it looked like i'd been hosed down with dirt...

Just ordered Ferns from Hallson Japanese painted and Dr.Dres

you guys buy the bails at a garden center?

oops that's dres dagger

I usually get mine from a small country garden/tool place. The store is a True Value "mom and pop" type of a store. I remember last year the average bail was about $25. I went to my local garden center (less than 1mile away) and picked my first bail up, GULP, $38! I paid, but was like...???? Went to the True Value place, it was only $31? I didn't question it. I'm going on bail number 3. And, after I purchase all of my annuals over the next couple of weeks, will probably have bail number 4. I filled all of these pots up, using the largest sized bag of MG, and I believe I used over 15 or 16 bags. It's a lot to add to the compost pile every year.

What I get is dry, compacted and has no fertilizers in it. Its cheaper but more work. I guess that is why it is professional products. In the end the consumer pays more money for the plant. It is the money chain reaction. That is why I got the GH I did not want to pay money for plants anymore but it is more work.

ge, is this your first order from Hallson? I love their stuff, just wish they had a bigger selection. i got Lavender from several different companies. The plants I got from Hallson are bigger and healthier than all others.

This IS my first order. I liked their fern selection.
Building a 35X6 bare garden, some sun mostly shade. I had promised myself not to buy anymore but my credit card closed for this period so I have a blank slate there.

thanks... I do have a true value here... will have to go check it out

I will pick up mine at Agway in Keene, cheaper and no tax and we have to take the truck off island to pick up a ton of other stuff. I will have to check what we paid in 07 for 6 bales. I put in an order for more plants from Big Dipper. some are for my shady endless stream garden. I like their site, but the shipping is 22% of the order. I shall report my experience on the Garden Watchdog. Patti

Buddleia d. 'White Ball'
Gaillardia x grandiflora 'Dakota Reveille’
Alchemilla erythropoda
Caryopteris 'First Choice'
Crocosmia 'Mistral'
Digitalis 'Spice Island'
Eryngium planum 'Blue Hobbit'
Eucomis comosa 'Tugela Jade'
Farfugium japonicum 'Crested Leopard'
Geranium x r. 'Mavis Simpson'
Geum 'Mango Lassi'
Ligularia x h. 'Gregynog Gold'
Phlomis russeliana
Phygelius x rectus 'Moonraker'
Solidago canadensis 'Golden Baby'
Aconitum 'Lamarckii'
Athyrium filix-femina 'Encourage'
Helleborus foetidus 'Miss Jekyll'
Lavandula stoechas 'Snowball'
Asclepias incarnata 'Ice Ballet'
Ceanothus americanus
Dryopteris lepidopoda
Asplenium scolopendrium
Actaea pachypoda

I raked out my shade garden today--either things died, or they are slow to break dormancy----I see only one fern--autumn fern--& it looks great. Only 1 brunera is up, I should've had another, & the pink bleeding heart is walking out of the garden onto the wall--the white one stayed put. Also corydalis is once again growing by the wall--I never planted it--seed must have been in something else I purchased, but it has been coming up for about 5 yrs. This is a dry shade area & hard to get things to grow there--even Bishop's weed peters out.

Dry shade is the toughest garden condition.

Yep, its tough alright, I have a 20 x 30 space next to my garage in dry shade. I put in a drip system in and use misters in the summer when the trees fill out and it becomes shady, add sandy to boot and I really have a challenge! First thing I did was grow grass in the area to retain the moisture, then added native bushes to LI like Sand Cherry, Potentilla and hardy geraniums. Last year I added forsythia, as soon as the weather gets warmer I'm adding Caladiums and Heucheras, along with a few other small shade/ drought tolerant plants I just recently got @ home depot... it's taking shape little by little but it's a long process... ☺

regarding dry shade - would it work to do some sort of bog garden in an area with those conditions? I have one spot that is a bugger. Thought it might be possible to sink a few non-draining pots into the ground & add a small amount of water, filling the rest of the way with soil. But not sure if this would work. Thoughts, anyone?

Only if you will constantly replenish the water. I'm not one for fighting an area. Better to find plants that finally work. There are some. Just google 'dry shade plants' and you should get some ideas.

Ok..more confessions.
I bought a bag of Dahlia's at HD......they were lovely looking and I couldn't resist!
3 'Le Baron' and 3 'Minnesota'
4 'Kevin Floodlight' and 2 Salmon coloredones with no name.
3 Hosta 'Minuteman'
3 Hosta 'Hadspen Blue'

Won't most of the "woodland" type of plants do well in dry shade? I'm asking, and tentatively suggesting: Jack in the Pulpits (Arasiema...sp?) Mayapples Epimediums Trout Lilies Ferns

I'm almost jealous of that "type" of garden condition. I have no story trees near/around my property. My property is completely open, the only shade I get is from the home, or that I've created with small trees/shrubs.

I think woodland conditions have more moisture. They are usually dappled shade, not dense, and are rich in organic matter which helps hold moisture. Few ferns can take dry shade. Of course, you do have the option of adding the crystals too.

I am constantly amazed that I see plants listed that do well in very moist or dry shade. Patti

Here are some I came across yesterday on Big Dipper Farm

Achlys triphylla ssp. triphylla Surprisingly drought tolerant but loves a moist site.
Adiantum capillus-veneris Prefers moist soil but can tolerate dry-ish conditions
Bergenia 'Ruby Elf' A dry shade tolerant evergreen.
Cyrtomium falcatum Very long lived and moisture-loving but also drought tolerant.
Epimedium g. 'Lilafee' is able to tolerate most any soil conditions even dry shade
Epimedium pinn. ssp. Colchicum same
Epimedium cantabrigiense same

Then I found this http://www.longacreplants.co.uk/woodland.htm

Many of those in that list will take dry shade when they are well-established. That's the tough part and can take years. Epimedium are well-known to take it. I have had hellebores struggle in dry shade. Ferns too.

I have the ones you mentioned, Victor, and many hostas and heucheras along with a number of others. They're not covered by the irrigation system so they get watered when I clean the terrace or when it rains. They thrive so it's the "getting established", as Victor pointed out, that's critical.

There's a fern called Dr. Dre? Really?
Celeste - i almost bought some Kelvin Floodlights for my DH - we both work in lighting, so it was kind of a giggle.

Must be nice to name floodlights.

Amethy--- I made a mistake NOT Dr. Dres don't know why I thought of that!!!.
The fern is Dre's Daggar

Now we know what music you're into, Jo Ann!

'In the garden or on the street, homeboys all will say, dis me once, Mr Fern, and I'll blow 'yo fiddlehead away!'

LOL Victor. I like almost everything from Beetovan to U2 and even had some Neil Young burned for me,nice pirks when you live with the grandchildren.I was a femenist in the 70's and Bruce Springsteen was a fave. Also folk music, wore Birkenstocks tie dye,the whole works. Now if I don't have arch supports I cant move. Sucks to get old.

heeheehee - does amethy rhyme with Timothy?

amy
*

Strawberry Wine?

huh?
BTW, nice rap Victor!

Strawberry Wine - song back in the 70's along with Strawberry fields - that was the Beetles ugh 1966 ughhh!

i remember Deanna Carter's song "Strawberry Wine", but that was a lot more recent.
i also remember Boone's Farm Strawberry Hill wine, but that's another story...

Cheap - like 1.00 a bottle.

AHHHHHH Boons Farm Strawberry wine.
My daughters had a lot of freedome notl ike "the internet ,stay in your room playing HALO and talking on XBOX3. "It was before thecnology.
hardly ever knew where they were and certainly suspected they were up to no good as the phrase goes.
One day I saw my second comming home from her friends house weaving slightly, she got as far as the neighbors bushes and lost everything. I figured the hangover was punishment enough.Later she told me she had been drinking Boones Farm SW.

The bottle was a quart not like a 12 ounce............... Yikes