Todays Project.

Patti, love the picture of Pren with his "collecting" bag - note to self, next time take larger bags! LOL No problem with the non-gardening rant nor your comments ge1836, that's exactly why I'm finding it so tough to actually hire someone, it's difficult to find responsible workers! On top of being a glutton (sp?) for punishment, I'm a true Scorpio and find myself just a little obsessive about getting the job done "right"! LOL

wha, your rock wall was great inspiration for me to get involved with rocks again :) I had plenty of experience working with rocks in my Maine garden but the primary reason I hadn't played with rocks here much is because VA rocks stink! I was fortunate to live close to a gravel pit in Maine where rocks were free for the picking. A quick ride on the lawn tractor down a narrow jeep trail provided plenty for the gardens (photo). By the time my youngest son was old enough to drive the tractor he was making regular trips for me :)

Carrie, thanks for the link! I've spent the entire morning researching moss gardens :)

I was given permission from my DH yesterday to use the plants he purchased from Asiatica at a conference in January in my new garden! The three Arisaemas I purchased have already been planted but these plants were supposed to go in his woodland garden. He's pleased with my newest project and thinks "his" plants will look better there :)

Coptis japonica var. major
Coptis quinquefolia
Diphylleia sinensis
Jeffersonia dubia
Paris polyphylla
Peltoboykinia watanabei
Pteridophyllum racemosa

Now I just have to figure out the best spots for them!

Your gardens are beautiful.

ge, thank you...they "were" beautiful - that photo is about 15 years old of my first gardens in Maine. Another scanned photo with rocks from Maine :)

There are 2 things in Maine we have an abundance of.....
TREE'S & ROCKS!!!!!!!

Where in Maine Debbie?

This message was edited Mar 31, 2009 6:55 AM

No abundance of weeds?

pixie, grew up in Bangor but lived my adult years in Winterport where these photos were taken :)

Love Winterport...nice little coastal town. To give you folks an idea of this little town...the population was 3,602 at the 2000 census. lol

Patti, you are so right about this generation! My son has 2 girls and started them young on them helping to fix things and putting things together. Now that they are older they see their friends don't know what a screwdriver is! One is in college for horticulture, since I did the gardens, I decided she needs to get her 'hands on' experiences. So have ( and it is hard on me to sit back ) let her do the yards! She does have an achy back and finds gardens gloves are useful! Also that what is in the books don't always work out with plants, zones and shade! She is a survivor and know she will appreciate the 'actual' labor in gardening when she gets her degree.

Went to HD Sunday. They are in the garden section. A girl had a shovel and was trying to put some mulch in a bed. She did not even know how to use the shovel.

Walked away shaking my head.

Amazing that some people don't know how to use a shovel or screwdriver. What's this world coming to? We will become a nation of idiots and slackers. Too sad.

Karen

Guess I wont bother to ask plant questions at HD

Not unless you got to the one where Sherrie works!

Karen

No chance of that,too far.
7 hours drive.

Well Jo maybe you might get lost and I can help :-)

Today I HAVE to get the Green House preped, no ans, ifs or buts, Time is ticking fast.

everything looks great rcn!

Debbie, great list of plants. I don't know some of the genus at all. I only planted one of them last year, Peltoboykinia watanabei. I will check them out tonight. I know your new gardens will be as stunning as your Maine one was. Good luck with finding some good help. It is so hard and sad that so many people don't know how to "work" anymore.

If screw drivers or shovels had a fancy brand name where colorful or black and a big price tag, they would become tres chic and the kids would flock to it like they were a new iPhone, and learn how to use them in a heart beat.

One of my friends teenage daughter's was sitting in a dark room, when her dad asked her why, she said the lamp was "broken". She had no idea that the bulb could be changed and that they had a whole shelf of new bulbs. Duh! She thought you just bought a new lamp. Father was embarrassed to admit her lack of knowledge, but it was too funny for him to not to pass on. Sad.

geraldine87, love the fact that you have inspired your daughter to pursuit horticulture. And that she is doing the garden. Pictures at some point please. Patti

Maybe someone could make shovels and screwdrivers with iPod docking stations and earbuds in the handles. LOL

LOL, Cat, great idea!! And my two leave the lights on constantly - they know how to turn it on but not off?

Nice work, Debbie.
Patti, there is nothing like hands on experience.
I once worked at a large home and garden store. They asked what department I felt most qualified for. I said gardening, painting and general merchandise. They put me in plumbing.
Todays project was limited by the cold. It was supposed to be nice but the sea breeze came in and made it cold. I only finished raking the sweetgum seeds from the front lawn and cleaned 2 more beds. One flower bed and the veggie patch is all that's left. I got the tomato and pepper seeds planted in flats yesterday, a week late.
BTW, if you re-use old pots and flats be sure to wash them with a mild bleach solution to kill fungus and diseases. My favorite flats are 10+ years old. I have limited window sill space, I'm not setting up lights and warming trays. Those cell trays take up a lot of space, flats work best for me. Tomatoes and peppers can be replanted into old yogurt cups when the weather is warm enough to spend the days outdoors. They harden off nicely this way, too.
I dismantled my cold frame last year, it was valuable when I was starting a lot of seeds but I'm only planting veggies early now. Perennials can wait for a few more weeks to get planted in flats outdoors.
Andy P
PS, I have a couple extra year old cuttings of grape 'Reliance' for the taking. You'll have to come get them, I'm not shipping, lol. Read about Reliance at www.millernurseries.com . A red seedless that is so sweet it gets your hand sticky. D-Mail me if you're interested.

Andy, what does it take to turn a year-old cutting into a producing grape vine? How do they turn into year-old cuttings - what's involved with that? (Deciding how interested I am.)

Carrie, a year old cutting is one I snipped off the main vine last year and stuck in the ground to root. It's what you would get from a mail order house.
It will take another 3 or 4 years to give you fruit. An 18 inch plant can have 3 foot long roots. You will need to be ready to plant it ASAP in a suitable location. They get BIG growing 10+ feet per year which you must prune severely every winter after year 2.
It will need a substantial trellis by year 3 or 4.
The only real pest is the grape moth that eats new spring growth and Japanese beetles. I have not found anything to control the moth other than hand picking, the beetles are under control.
Grapes are not like pretty Day lilies that grow without much attention. They need a big space, yearly pruning, pest management in spring and bird netting in September if you want to eat anything. The mail oder houses will not tell you that, lol.
This was year 5 of mine. Still a baby by grape standards.
Andy P

Thank you, Andy. DH adores grapes the way I do chocolate , ie very much, and we even have a spot which could use a trellis and a plant. We haven't got a trellis, though ... this merits some discussion. Thanks bunches for the information.

PS, this vine went into a spot where a cherry tree struggled. I moved the tree and planted the vine. My house lot used to be part of a sand & gravel pit, nothing is easy here. Rocks, you want rocks? There's 2 inches of top soil on top of back fill. I have 4 flower beds, a veggie bed, a berry bed and a few fruit trees. Each was a labor of love that took effort to establish. I can't even pound a fence post into the ground without multiple tries. Rocks, rocks. The builder burried one the size of a Volkswagon.

Debbie, Very beautiful!

Andy, I love that corporate logic! I don't know about your general merchandise experience but I've seen how much of an assett you would be in gardening or paint.

I'm familiar with Miller Nursery, They are in the heart of the grape region.

LOL, "rocks the size of a Volkswagon"! I've come across a few of those myself :) Beautiful photo of your grapes Andy, I've never been tempted to grow them. Maybe one of these years I'll try but then I'd have another project - a structure to grow them on!

Added another project to my "list" yesterday - the endless stream is going to be on hold for now :( I tested the soil yesterday for digging a hole deep enough to include a small water feature to the right of the steps under the pine tree! Found just the right size I needed at Tractor Supply http://www.tractorsupply.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay_10551_10001_28472_-1______14602%7C14604%7C28472?listingPage=true&Special=false There's an electrical source close by so I can finally use the Dragonfly Dripper I've had for two years just waiting for that special spot :)
http://www.kineticfountains.com/dragonfly-dripper-fountain.asp

Love the dragonfly dripper!!! Someday, I'd like a millstone water feature.

I could picture the VW sized rock.

I would like to try these even though they are troublesome

www.onestoppoppyshoppe.com/servlet/the-7/poppy-seeds-poppies-flower/Detail

Edited: I have to pick myself in the keister and decide what and when I am going to germinate. And what and when I am going to plant the 300 green bell peppers that are waiting patientley.


This message was edited Apr 1, 2009 9:13 AM

What is the bothersome part of the himialia blue poppy?

If you read it says it is troublesome- I guess it is sensitive and not for the beginer gardner? So I dont know just what I read.

I had heard it's fussy about where it grows.

Oh, but it's awfully pretty. Not that I've ever seen one in person, mind you! Good luck, Sherrie!

I've tried once, no luck. I have some seeds and will try again...

DH brought some back seed from BC for me. I failed too. Patti

Meconopsis grows well here - when you can get it to grow, as it is particular about its siting. Not easy to grow from seed, in my opinion: I've yet to be successful.
I finally bought plants and they've returned yearly, although it's an annual guessing game, as slugs love to eat them. Baiting with Sluggo or Corry's has proven the best method.

Well, I said on the 28th that I was going to make a thread about my work on my Secret Garden project the next day, but I didn't get a chance to do that until today. It's finally started, and done for the moment, but I will be adding more as I continue to work on it and as things continue to grow and bloom there. Here is a link to it: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/969870/

Karen

You know, I think that blue poppy would look great in my secret garden area. It has the right conditions. Hmmmm......

Karen

Go for it - it's the most striking blue and well worth the trouble.

I should definitely try it out.

Karen

Andy!!!!!! how are you??? long time no see you!!!!! hey, I am finally planting some seeds of the hibiscus you gave me... I hope they make it!

my big project is to plant pansies on a strawberry vase... last year I did it and it was great... and clean up some things! so much work to do...