Laurie's Garden Tour

Pixie......So.... maybe the crocus place could mail it to Laurie who could mail it to you? Sorry Laurie...you're our best contact over there!!!

Do they ship to Canada? Surely we have other members up there who might help with the plant/seed train.

I sure hope the sun comes out soon because you are all going nuts.

Amen Portland.

Well unlike you night owls I actually go to sleep right about now. I love to sleep. Good night. I know some of you will be dreaming about seeds!

Goodnight Portland.

Oh, I have a dear friend who lives in British Columbia, we get together every few months. Stuff she buys from companies in the states she has shipped to me and she get's it when we get together (saves quite a bit on shipping.) So if we needed a Canadian address for shipping, we've got one! Just say the word!

That would sure be nice! We can certainly hope. usually the case is that if they can't ship to one of us, U.S or Canada, then they can't ship to the other. They probably only have the certification to ship plants on just that continent. But, that's not always the case, so there's definitely hope!

Pix, I sent you a d-mail

Is there hope for helping her problem Laurie?? lol

You guys are so fun to read! What kind of seeds can you get in the UK that it's hard to get in the US? I've been trying to think of that because I have a friend that is over in the UK now and I can get her to send me some seeds before she comes back home to the US.

This is exciting!!!

OMG - an underground seed connection supplying seed addicts in Washington. Watch out for the Homeland Security folks.

Just had to post this - my sister sent me a bunch of pics of our guy with babies. So cute.

Great pic Portland :0)

actually, getting seeds are legal and you do not have to get those certificate, but there is a list of seeds that are not allowed in the country. If you label them well with their technical name, you will not have any problem getting them.

Free Seminar at Molbak's in Woodinville

Saturday, February 7th 11 - Noon
Seed Starting 101
Molbak’s Edible Garden Seminar Series

Want to start your own vegetable seedlings from seed? Willi Galloway, of Organic Gardening magazine and DigginFood.com, will demystify seed-starting by walking you through the entire process. You’ll leave this workshop with everything you need to know, including a list of essential seed-starting equipment, a step-by-step guide to seed starting and Willi’s recommendations for vegetable varieties that perform well in our cool, Pacific Northwest climate.

If it's a snow-free day, that's a great time to visit M's.
Wonderful selection of seeds...

I wish Woodinville was a little closer for me - that sounds like just what I need. Portland nursery here has classes but nothing that looks as comprehensive as that. I will look around this area more and see if I can find something similar!

Portland - if ou are looking for something in particular, i would be happy to find out if it's available up my way. M's carries (or used to-haven't been there this year, yet!) quite a number of seed companies and I have been able to locate seeds i could not find elsewhere.
Anyone else? Let me know - I loiter at nurseries...

ERYNGIUM PANDANIFOLIUM 'PHYSIC PURPLE' has been on my radar for awhile now. I'm hoping a source is going to come through for me. If so I'll share with you Pixy.

Zone 9 on that E?

I think I might need to go to seed starting class, if nothing else to learn what will grow best in my 'new' neighborhood. Thanks for the note. Just might have to take the truck so I can transport some plants needing rescue.

Thanks Katye - I don't know enough yet to want anything in particular. I have been looking through my A - Z for hours today and I am more confused than ever! There are so many things to choose from!!! One of my neighbors is a garden designer and I think I will ask her to help me identify what is already in my yard and then go from there. The book has so much info on gardening so I have a lot to read!

I think it is a zone 8 but not reliably so. I'm sure it would have been lost this year!
I should return from the roots in a normal winter. We are going to have a normal winter again aren't we?

Ohhhhhh.... Portland, can you take some pics and let us guess at what's in your yard please!!! It's a fun game of sorts!! So what do you think of a-z so far? worth every penny or not so much?

Refresh my memory, please. What is the full title of that book? .....A - Z I may have to look into finding it as well - as a reference book.

Definitely a reference book. American Horticultural Society A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants. It's a Big Book!!! But, well worth it i think. Sally and Portland just got theirs. They can tell us what they think so far.

I am absolutely amazed at this book. And it is heavy. As soon as I tried to pick up the box on my front porch I knew what it was. It wasn't the usual Amazon box because I bought a used one so before I picked it up I thought it was something else. It is packed with great information for a new gardener as well as you more experienced plant lovers. I've been reading about plant classification, etc. Actually, I have accomplished nothing else today because of this book! The pictures of the dahlias, the roses and some others are captivating, to be sure. Thank you so much - whoever recommended it!

Right now my garden is all bare but when it seems like things may be recognizable I will take some photos and maybe you can tell me what stuff is. I know there is a beautiful rhododendron right outside my dining room window and another by the front porch. There are a few lilacs in the back yard as well as a wisteria. My son & I planted an area in the front with camellias, blueberries, and a few other things that I forgot the name of. The rest of the plants - I have no idea! Oh, and there are a whole bunch of irises along a stone wall by the sidewalk.

A - Z has been a good distraction from listening to the news about the economy, which has put me in a funk the last few days. I am thrilled with our new President but I hope whatever plan is approved actually works. It's all a little scary.

Portland, since you're an architect, maybe you want to do a to-scale drawing of your yard. Put in the plants you know. take a picture of the drawing and post it. Of course, that's if you want ideas from people.

Outtamygourd did that awhile back and it was fun!!

I may have to check out this A-Z book . . .

Linda - if that's the eryngium Pix has been talking about and you have some, then you have a GUARANTEED helper at transplanting time, this year or next. LOL

I love eryngium and grow it every year, but the light lavendar just doesn't have the impact that that physic purple has. That would really stand out with some of the deeper gold/yellows like coreposis. Gorgeous.

Oh, and I LOVE that you have a secret source for seeds. Just goes to show that seed acquisition isn't the tame little hobby that everybody might think. Heh heh.

Whew! Workwork took me away for too long! Rachel, you know you are always welcome to come with your trowel. All of you are welcome to come with your trowels.

Thistle, ...... AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH! I'm sure I have some incredible seeds to trade you, probably from England, if you get those Physic Purple seeds. Is that not an awesome plant??? where did you see it first? I saw it in Marina Christopher's book, Late Summer Flowers (forward by Dan Hinkley, who is now writing a column for English Garden magazine.)

Last year I started E. ebracteatum, but I lost them to the cold spring and my usual 'hurry up and get them out there' attitude. This year I will do better. I refuse to lose that many plants to cold and wet conditions again.

Yep, Katie, that's the plant. Isn't that color fabulous??

If any of you are looking for that darling heuchera 'green finch' that Laurie has and is not available here, Chiltern's has the seeds. I am currently in mid-drool with a very, way too long list of seeds I am wanting from there. I believe I have made it through the letter M in their catalog.

yes, soferdig, I believe it is true. Seed mania has set in. It's a disease.

Kathy, funny you should post about taking a photo, drawing on it, etc because that's how I'm working out my latest idea for a garden work room. This is the rough sketch. I'm doing Little and Lewis walls. I'll post on my own thread for feedback, though.

(Psst, Pix, my heuchera is 'Brown Finch' - doesn't come true from seed, only offshoots/cuttings - green finch is readily available)

One of my favourite seed sources

http://b-and-t-world-seeds.com/carth.asp?species=Eryngium%20pandanifolium&sref=401706

Is this your eryngium?

OOH, thanks for correcting that. Yes, Brown Finch, indeed. Better take that off my list, then. Yes, that's the eryngium, but not the cultivar that Physic Garden has. They are the only ones that have that particular shade of purple. The regular species is much less colorful. Too bad we're not an 'institution', although many times it seems as though we are!

Wow! What a thread! I've just spent the past few hours reading the posts. A most enjoyable time, and all the more frustrating since we just got a foot of snow last night, everything is canceled, and we're pretty much stuck indoors. However, it is sunny, the power didn't go out, and this is the first winter that we can enjoy our new sunroom, so it's not too bad.

You all sound like great gardeners, big and small (gardens that is). We certainly have many common purpose and desires in life!

Question for Laurie... Do the British call copper beeches "copper" because of the red leaves or because of the fall color of the foliage? Reading your posts, you mentioned that your purple-leafed beech (what Americans would call Purple Beech) does turn copper in the fall, which got me to wondering. I've read that there is a cultivar 'Cuprea' aka Copper Beech that is a tree with leaves paler than the true Purple Beech. Up to now, I've thought that British refer to what Americans call Purple Beeches as Copper Beeches.

Every bit of your property is fabulous, house and gardens.

John
Danville, IN (near Indianapolis)

This message was edited Jan 28, 2009 1:59 PM

Here's a pic of last night's snow to help all of you in gentler climes feel good!

At least we didn't get the terrible ice our Kentucky neighbors did.

John - what a pleasure to see you here.

I have been keeping apprised of the storms hitting you all and am happy to hear that you were minimally affected by this last one. And I'm with you in hoping that our Kentuck DGers made it through the ice storm without too much damage.

The Farmers Almanacs did say this year that the west would have a mild winter, but we've had our share of cold and inclement weather so far (though not nearly as bad as yours).

Kathy

Hi HoosierG, Welcome to another hoosier. I was born in Sullivan and lived in Carlisle, IN. My family was there since the civil war.

Hello to you all too.

The National Weather Service predicted a "milder than normal" winter with "normal precipitation". So far, we've had really cold weather (down to -12º a few weeks ago) and now lots of snow. Oh well... to live in the Northwest is my yearning! However, gardening in England must be heaven!