OMG a white hosta..I'll have to take a trip to Brandford Greenhouse to see some of their more interested plants this weekend...that'll cost..
Wasn't the best long weekend...Sat/Sun rain and yesterday, lordy I went out for a few minutes and almost froze...
Will take time to read your posts when I get to the city this morning...
Although I could not play in the garden yesterday, I was thinking 'flowers'...finished another floormat..
G'morning all .. well Thunder Bay seems to be stuck in the cool flow as far as weather goes .. no rain .. a bit of sun .. but temps not expected to reach much more than 55 ... AND, as always, the wind from the northwest !!
Love the mat Betty .. sure would brighten up an area :-) and the white Hosta is something else ...
Hope ya get yer energy back Fancy .. I think, too many times, we pile our plates high with tasks and after they're completed and we feel zooed .. we realize that we shouldn't have DONE so much :-) but ... I totally think most women are built like that :-)
Enjoy your greenhouse Diggin .. they sure do come in handy for seedlings .. my poor house has something 'on the go' in about every room !!! Between that, the renos and company arriving for a 2 week visit in early June .. well .. lets just say 'my plate filling has sarted' !!
Off to Hospice .. take care everyone
~M~
Chilly here on the east coast as well, it has been a solid week of rain, gets rather depressing. I just checked and the long range forecast is another week of rain....grrrrrr
We seem to be lagging rather far behind the rest of the country. My tulips are up but it will be a few weeks before they open while there are no signs of perrenials like bleeding hearts & peonies making an appearance. Shouldn't complain, summer will be here before I know it.
Cheers
Barb
Diggin - did that white Hosta come from Veseys? I've seen it listed - only place in Canada that I have, but I'm a bit afraid of buying Hostas from them because of Hosta Virus X which is really prevalent in non-Hosta specialty places and some of them have been affected by it as well.
Betty - if you buy Hostas there - ask them what they are doing to prevent selling plants with HVX. A lot of stores aren't even aware of the virus. I've seen masses of infected Hostas at Canadian Tire and Sandy has seen them at Walmart. The floor mat looks wonderful. Do you paint all those flowers? What a talent.
We are supposed to have a mix of sun and cloud today. I hope so because I want to get as much in the garden as possible so the neighbours don't have to look after too many unplanted seedlings while we are away. Am busy this morning and have to play a concert this evening. I guess there's always tomorrow, but I need to pack sometime.
Ann
Oh it's so cold again here today, might even get frost tonight, not so sure we didn't last night...
Guess we're toooo anxious..
ViolaAnn, good luck with the concert..
Keep hearing about the hosta virus..how would one recognize it??? HVX, will have to put that on a slip of paper and ask before I buy..now I'm going to a church plant sale (fundraiser they have each year) should I be nervous about buying any there...
Barb, quite a few plants/shrubs I purchased last year aren't doing anything so far, think we're all behind weather wise so growth will be late!
"M" I can usually work from early morning to night so it's discouraging to only make mid-aft. and need a rest..shucks I just turned 60 so that shouldn't make the difference I've always been a go/go/go person..maybe the tests they are taking will come up with something..
Thanks for nice comments on my mat..finished the one for a swap, and one for my outside front deck..another 4 coats of finish and they'll be usable...
Betty - do a Google search for "Hosta Virus X" and you'll get all sorts of links. There are very good pics on the Hosta Library site and some of the others as well. The most common symptom is a bit (or a lot) of "ink bleed" along the veins but there are others as well. And there are some varieties such as Halycon which have a very high rate of infection but don't show the symptoms.
The Hallson site has a whole forum dedicated to it as well - http://www.perennialnursery.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=63&sid=d85942250e18f6145cf4634a67060131
Learn which varieties have a very high rate of infection and don't buy them, or if you do, ensure that the nursery is testing for HVX. This is a leaf from my Gypsy Rose which I found infected last year and shows the "ink bleed". It came from Hosta Choice nursery in Ontario - unfortunately no longer in business because the owners both died last year, but it was a VERY knowledgeable place and it still got by.
Gold Standard is one which is highly infected. So is Striptease and Gypsy Rose is a sport of Striptease. I would be leary of any sports of highly infected varieties too.
Finally, once you know about HVX, keep an eye open for it and tell the sales people about it as most won't know a thing about it.
Ann
Jeepers .. thanks for all the great info Ann .. am going to look carefully at the Hosta I have awaiting planting ..
WELL .. we had a few flakes of snow here today .. and it was C O L D !!!!! The fencing guys arrived at noon and Lilly's fence is 7/8s done :-) More than half .. less than 3/4 .. tomorrow they'll be back to do the gates (3) and some work along the bottom .. so .. ONE MORE DAY !!! Lilly was totally puzzled by the fence .. and Smokey is BOGGLED !!!
DH called me at work to give me a 'heads up' .. glad he did as it is NOT something I find 'aesthetically' pleasing .. it's a necessary thing for protection and ease of care for Lilly .. but .. I am gonna have a bit of a mourning period ... I'll post a pic when the deal is done ..
Busy day on the unit .. come home humbled and thankful ..
Off to work a minor culinary miracle with MOOSE meat !!!!!
~M~
YIPPEEE !!!! My bud just dropped off 7 'HENS & CHICKS' .. not poultry .. the perennial :-)
Does anyone have'em .. I think Betty mentioned she did .. haven't a clue as to sun or shade placement .. my friend has them in both .. I would like to put them in between some rocks .. full sun ..
Gosh they're cute :-)
~M~
What a lovely job you did, on your floor mat Betty.How long did it take you to do this.
Marilynne, Thanks, I can save you seeds of the bleeding heart, if you want. I'm now on the hunt for the yellow variety, and the climbing one. I'm hoping, it will grow here.
Digging, I also love that hosta, I've seen it in vesey's, and was tempted to buy it, glad Ann mention that disease. I will watch for it too.
Fancy, hope your not coming down with something, but glad you had a good nap, that will surely help.
bluecow, The weather is so frigged up. We hear of snow in certain area, where it's suppose to be very warm this time of year. Sorry about the crummy weather your having, but when the Sun finally show it's face to you, watch out.
We did get rain yesterday, and some showers today. They say we're going to get some more tomorrow, it's going down to 2 tonight, will have to cover my Brugs and seedling. Can't wait for it to warm up at night.
Hosta Blue Cadet
Marilynne, here is some info on it. http://landscaping.about.com/od/plantsforsunnydryareas/p/hens_and_chicks.htm
Quote: "Sun and Soil Requirements for Hens and Chicks: Grow hens and chicks plants in full sun to partial shade and in well-drained soil. In the South, hens and chicks can profit from partial shade; but the requirement for well-drained soil is a must in any zone!
Care for Hens and Chicks: The "hens" will die after flowering, but by that time they will have produced numerous "chicks" or "chickens" to take their place. To propagate, simply split off the chickens from the parent plant and transplant them. Providing contact with the soil should be sufficient for transplanting, since hens and chicks root readily.
Uses for Hens and Chicks in Landscape Design: As drought-tolerant succulents, hens and chicks plants are rock-garden perennials par excellence. My tutorial on how to build rock gardens illustrates how nicely hens and chicks complement other rock-garden components. Hens and chicks plants are also deer-resistant."
A nice day for gardening- coolish, overcast, no rain yet although they keep saying it is going to rain. Ground is really dry so I got out an old sprinkler and watered most of the day ( have to do a section at a time) Got a few things planted and started to clean out the wood mulch and plastic sheeting around the Shubert Chokecherry so I can cut back all the suckers.
Couldnt find my trowels so had to run to Cdn tire to buy one!
Feeing much better today - but my hips and knees are certainly showing their age - cant do things anywhere near so fast as I used to! Getting up is tough - always need something nearby to hang onto!
I have an extra dog for 2 weeks - boarding an exfoster while family goes on a cruise to Alaska. He's a nice fellow and easy to look after although we had some nervous moments for a couple of days when he met the cats. My cats are not really dog friendly and always have to lay down the rules to new dogs in the house!
Burn .. Beauty Hosta !!! Have never heard of a Yellow Bldg Heart .. hope you can find one .. I mistakenly bought a WHITE one several years ago .. the plant tickets got switched .. when it flowered I was pretty disappointed as I had put it in an area that really needed PINK ..
Thanks everso for the info on the Hens and Chicks .. gonna try to get'em in today after the fencing guys leave .. I'm still INTERNALLY 'grousing' about this fence .. but am trying to weigh the 'pros and cons' .. the pros are winning so I'm just picturing sweet peas and Morning Glory climbing up it :-)
Fancy .. I have found that my aches and pains and crackles and snaps seemed to be reduced when I started taking 'Glucosamine'. I had been taking it once a day .. but when speaking with one of the docs at work .. he suggested I take 2 to 3 times a day, so, I take 900 to 1000mgs in the morning and before bed .. takes a bit to KICK in .. but long about 2 weeks you notice that when you get up from a sitting position , or you go to bend donw to do something .. the creaks are less apparent :-)
Hope your Doggy Sitting goes well :-)
Nice and sunny here today .. BUT .. it's cool .. I would imagine a high of 50 will be a miracle !! The wind seems to have calmed down just a bit today ..
Everyone enjoy your day :-)
~M~
Back to the rain and gloom - and it's the last day I can get in my garden before my vacation. Guess I'm gonna get wet! Wish I'd had more time yesterday as the afternoon and evening were quite pleasant. Got into the garden for a bit more than an hour.
Hope the weather is more agreeable where you are.
Ann
Not much more Ann, when we arrived in the city this morning it was 38 degrees..almost have to get the winter garb back out..so your concert went well last night? How often do you play for the general public, know there is a lot of practice time involved , but actual concert time???
Dropped into Walmart on my way home last night, nothing in search of but did go visit the outdoor plants and they had many 'hostas' on for 5.97...young gentleman had no clue as to the virus, I check the leaves and they seemed as though they had mold than the bleeding of veins, anyway, didn't bring any home...
Think I asked this before but a lady a few streets over asked if I wanted a 'blue hosta' what are the chances that these could be infected or are they just nursery type grown hostas???
"M" how come they did not replace it with the same type as you had before the you had all the problems? What you could also plant is a few 'hop' vines, my goodness they grow like crazy..some years up to 30-40', good way to hide the fencing and you can also add morning glories to the area so the can intertwine.. so many pretty options..
Both the dogs and I take Glucosamine/Condroitin mixes although I tend to be a bit hit and miss - got to get back to every day use. I use a lot of NSAIDs too,
Started to rain last night - report is it will last several days.Well I wanted wet but not quite this much! Probably wont be able to get back in the garden until the weekend. Unless of course I want to play in the mud!
Having a load of compost delivered and of course it is coming today! They phoned last evening to remind me and say I better have some tarps and weights available!
( which I do)
Saturday is Plant Share at the Hort. Society - looks like it will be a wet one.
Ohhh Plant Share, how much fun..I can't wait until the 31st..local Church has it's annual Plant Sale..good opportunity to stock up..lol
It's so cold here today you'd think snow is about to fall..
better get those newbie plants all covered...
Betty - yes the concert went well. There's a review at http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/arts/story.html?id=c1221db4-f807-4273-981a-0d4910077c60
The Ottawa Symphony is graduating from "community orchestra" status to professional and pays fairly well now. I think there is just one person not in the union and his wife is head of fundraising; so he's got a secure seat as long as he wants it. We do a series of 5 main concerts each year and some years there are several extra things such as the New Year's "Salute to Vienna" concert. It's a big orchestra - 95 or so depending on the music demands and performs in the National Arts Centre. We do 6 rehearsals plus a viola section rehearsal over a two-week time frame for each concert.
The other orchestra in which I'm principal viola is a community orchestra. They pay me too for the concerts, but I pay it all back to them. Works out well because I can count it as music income and tax deduct car expenses as well as my music and instrument maintenance expenses and DH take the tax receipt for the donation back to the orchestra. They also do 5 concerts each year, but this year I will be out of town for the early June concert. They rehearse weekly between concerts.
Individual practice time varies with the program. The concert last night, fortunately, required very little individual practice. The biggest challenges were counting many, many bars of rests, sometimes in irregular meters and coming in at the right time. But some of the others this year had me putting in an hour or more daily in the 2 weeks before the concert just to try to meet the technical demands.
Well it doesn't look as though it is raining at the moment. Must get into the garden.
Ann
An afterthought - is there anyone here who uses a Canon colour printer that uses the 3e ink cartridges? I have an S400 that is dead and I've got a lot of the ink cartridges. Would be willing to send them to someone for postage.
Maybe I'll open a separate thread for this.
Ann
NO rain here .. just WIND which makes temps lower ..
Fancy .. the glucosamine HAS to become a daily thing and constant or else the levels fall off and then so does the effectiveness .. I can hardly believe how crummy I feel when I miss 2 doses ..
Ann .. I'll have to ask my friend .. but .. her neice is currently in 'music school' in London England .. her instrument is the Viola .. Jordan is about 19 .. and the school is pretty intense .. they only choose a certain few .. who's to say you won't cross paths one day :-)
Well .. i took pics of the 'finished fence' .. we have never had a fence .. but saftey is a big concern with Lilly , as she's a terrrier .. once her nose gets 'in gear' .. well .. she'd be GONEZO !!!! The fence is .. a fence .. wood would have cut down on our view ..ergo . .. chainlink with 3 gates ..
First pic ....
~M~
Next pic .. same fence :-) Lilly is in the left corner by my clothesline pole .. now she can help me hang out clothes !!!
~M~
As you say, it's for safety purposes and Lilly can enjoy her time outside without a mishap..before you know it, it will be covered in vines, looking ah so pretty...now get out there digging...
It's pouring rain here right now, trees are blowing from side to side..yuk I even have my micro furnace on here in the office, I'm chilled..sure wish I wasn't teaching tonight..would have enjoyed putting my fee up tonight..
Just 2 more .. I have tried to make'em small ..
This one just shows the gates .. the one at the entrance to the yard is 'spring loaded'
As you can see .. because we snow blowed paths for her over the winter .. the grass is deader than dead .. not quite sure what to do about that now that Lilly will be out there most of the day .. maybe just try seed ??
~M~
Yup - I can see *LOTS* of vines in your future :-) I'll bet Lilly loves the freedom though, and that's gotta make it worthwhile.
Lilly after a BALL GAME without a tether .. :-)
Vines and MORNING GLORIES !!! :-)
~M~
Am sure she thinks she's died and gone to heaven with so much freedom...worth having the fencing..
Oh lots of space to grow clematis and other neat things!
Why not just leave the paths as paths - you will probably need to blow them again every winter anyway. I find that even though I reseed dog pee spots they are always dead again the next spring because they always use the same area and the new grass just is not well enough established before winter comes again. I keep saying Im going to fence off a corner on the side of the house so they are forced to go into that area when I open the door but have never done it yet. So half my back yard looks pretty ragged until about mid July when it does start to fill in. Most years I dont bother about them.
Everyday I think I see grass creeping into those 'DEAD SPACES' .. course .. me being me .. I would LOVE to have that area Lockstoned .. DH about CHOKED when I said that !!! Eventually, like you say Fancy, weeds and grass will encroach ..
Nuther cool one here in TBay .. wind is still doing it's thing from the NORTH !!! Tried to sit outside a bit yesterday .. but sitting out wearing a jacket seems kinda 'odd' .. even thought about trying a bonfire out back .. but the wind was just WAY too strong, as well, I hadn't gone up to the Municipal office to get a fire permit.
On with VCARS today .. there was a drowning overnight so MAY get called to deal with the fallout from that.
Off and running .. enjoy your day :-)
~M~
Am off in a few hours to Arizona. I'm not packed (but the stuff is piled around the suitcase that is gonna go in it. The hard part is deciding what goes in it.) Still have to put a sprinkler under my trees where the rain doesn't penetrate much. Supposed to be showery today, but the day is dawning sunny.
Will likely be limited in Internet time over the next couple of weeks.
Ann
Enjoy your trip! Hopefully you won't have to deal with any of that 110 degree heat like they've been having in Tempe.
Enjoy your trip Ann..by the time you return we should have spring...
"M" have quite a few spots as well where the dog does his dribbling..still waiting ofr my 2 loads of topsoil, will have to give him a call and see what the holdup is, if it's not soon I'll be picking up bags from Canadian Tire or nursery...
Although it's so cold here, sky as dark can be and raining they are calling for higher temps for the weekend..let's hope..I've many things planned to catch up on seeing I didn't get them done last weekend...
Now at the airport. DH travels so much we get lounge privileges. For better or worse, the garden is in the hands of a neighbour. A bit of rain will be easier for them. We DO expect warm weather in Arizona by the weekend.
Ann
Enjoy Ann .. we have been to Flagstaff several times (have pseudo relates there) as well as Sedona .. just gorgeous ..
If ya go to the Grand Canyon .. say HI for me :-)
POOEY .. it's like October or March here in Thunder Bay!! Poppets of sun and that WIND .. guess I'll suck it up and go outside in a jacket ..
Fancy .. my bud bought 6 'Bird's nest Spruce' .. I told her about your anut problem .. says she'll be vigilant .. I am thinking they might look kinda nifty INSIDE the fence as they only grow to maybe 4' .. have to look up a pic :-)
They're on sale at a local greenhouse .. $34.99 with 10% off ..
Ciao
~M~
Rain, Rain, Rain! :-(
Marilynn I really like the BirdsNest Spruce. I had them on either side of a large piece of Rundlestone rock in my fron t sidewalk marking a step down. heres the one that is till alive!Im not so sure abuot the ants - dug it up yesterday but didnt really seem to be many ants underneath but it was raining and I didnt take a good look - will check out if there is a lot of sand once this rain stops - next week sometime!
We arrived safely though our luggage has not yet done so. We left Toronto a bit early but were late arriving in Denver due to a storm system we detoured around. We made a VERY fast sprint through that airport from terminal A to B and got to the lfight, but the luggage didn't. Should arrive soon, but with a 3 hour time change, we are really looking for it.
Tomorrow we make our way via Sedona to Flagstaff. We stay there two nights but get to the GC on Saturday. Memorial Day weekend and Flagstaff was about as close as we could find a place to stay.
Ann
Can anyone say 'HUMIDITY'? Well .. I just came in with Lilly and we HAVE it .. AND .. no wind from the NORTH!!
Looks like it's going to be an awesome day here in Thunder Bay ..
OH ANN!!! I am envious :-) As above .. I have been in Flag and Sedona many times .. gorgeous places .. most especially Sedona .. one of my relatives works out of Flagstaff with a company called "Arizona RIver Runners" .. they take folks whitewater rafting down the Colorado River at the bottom of the Canyon .. trippy stuff .. am glad I did the 10 day trip when I was YOUNGER LoL .. it's an amazing experience, if you don't mind a bit of sand in your food :-) .. lots of vista and what is referred to as 'slot canyons' .. but HEY .. I even just enjoyed sitting on the edge of the Canyon from one of the Scenic Overlooks .. can't quite explain the feeling ya get when you take that first initial look at the Grand Canyon .. made me feel SMALL !!! It is... quite literally .. breathtaking.
Sorry to hear about your luggage .. hope it catches up with you sooner as opposed to later !!
Fancy .. I am SO trying to figure out what to put on the INSIDE area od the fence to make it more aesthetically pleasing !! I will plant Morning Glory .. and most likely a Clematis or two (even though I have NEVER had luck with them) .. but 'low growing shrubs' may be just the ticket .. course, that said, here's hoping Lilly doesn't turn into a 'Plant Bandit' !! Last year at this time she was just a wee puppy ..
TGIF everyone :-)
~M~
Good morning everyone, and what a glorious morning it is! Sunshine and warmer temperatures moving in. Should be a wonderful gardening weekend.
TGIF indeed :-)
--Ginny
Good morning. We're up good and early, being on eastern time. The luggage arrived. But, they had SNOW in Flagstaff yesterday and the GC was belowfreezing last night. Go figure. I learned from friends in "Coffee" that there was a tornado in Denver. That was the weather system that caused our detour. I expect from what I heard on TV, that there were airport delays in both Phoenix and Denver which is why the luggage didn't arrive before we went to bed. I had almost a completechange of clothing in my carry on in addition to PJ. DH didn't. (I learned when I was 5 days w/o luggage in Sweden 8 years ago.)
Ann
Oh my goodness it is not raining! And the sun is peeking thru some clouds! Dont think it will last - suposed to rain thru till Monday but lets hope they are wrong!
Marilynn I would try Group A clematis on the fence - blooms on old wood so you dont prune annually. Group C which is more common is pruned annually but might not do well out in the open on that fence - they generally need to be grown against a wall here in Calgary at least.. But a variety of evergreens would be nice too - I would 'mix and match'.
Morning as well, cloudy today, can see just a touch of blue sky..let's hope by the time I leave work and head north that it will be sunshine, warmer temps (lordy I hate wearing a coat again) and that the weatherman is correct in saying 2 nice days ahead...
This morning was checking out a piece I painted that I got a frame for (Christmas gift) trying to determine what color of stain to purchase today and look at the cleaning I have to do to craft room..lol.had 2 helpers watching over me..
GRrrrrrroooooooooooAaaaaaannnnnnnnn ... Road the BIG BIKE for Heart and Stroke tonight .. ya know .. I think perhaps we should have done a STRETCH first !!!! All in all it was FUN :-)
Glad you got your luggage Ann :-) Had heard it snowed in Flagstaff .. never really lasts though ...
Am going 'shrub shopping' tomorrow ... if I can WALK :-)
BEDTIME FOR BONZO
~M~
