|
Post by casimira on Apr 29, 2020 20:23:43 GMT
Hoping you can come...
Yeah, I'll have plenty of seeds and then some come October. Count on it.
I will also put aside some different salvia seeds too if you want.
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Apr 29, 2020 22:05:58 GMT
Well, pick me up a nice new bra while you're at it, as I kind of have to smuggle that stuff into the country.
|
|
|
Post by mickthecactus on May 2, 2020 16:38:18 GMT
Pack them in a couple of empty coconuts then.
|
|
|
Post by casimira on May 14, 2020 2:20:13 GMT
just now seeing this. Had a helper today and really went at it. Some tree pruning, a lot of weeding and thinning, dividing, transplanting, mulching... A very productive day.
|
|
|
Post by mickthecactus on May 15, 2020 20:37:50 GMT
Planted my sweet peas today.
|
|
|
Post by casimira on May 16, 2020 11:55:44 GMT
And, I'm just starting to have to pull mine out...
We cleared a nice area out in the back that was all citrus. A few of the lemon trees were not doing real well and taking up a lot of room.
This area gets a lot more sun so it will be put to good use for a variety of plants.
I acquired a young Bay Laurel sapling which will go in there. They can get huge, like a tree. I plan to not let it get that big which will require some vigilance. That being said, the branches that I prune will go to good use as I will send them to folks up North as gifts. A lot of people have never seen or used fresh bay leaves and they go mad over them.
There's also room for some blueberry shrubs.
Its like having a blank canvas to put in some plants I can't grow elsewhere despite the size of my lot. The sun that it gets is precious.
|
|
|
Post by bjd on May 16, 2020 12:39:26 GMT
Those bay laurels grow like mad here. They reseed or something -- lots of little ones that I have to keep ripping out. When we bought our house in Toulouse, the laurel bush beside the house was about 8 metres high. We cut it down quite a bit, but still had to prune often.
My neighbours here also cut back theirs last fall -- this spring we finally had a nice look at their magnolia tree.
They don't actually need that much sun, Casi. In Toulouse ours was on the north side of the house and only got sun during the summer.
|
|
|
Post by casimira on May 16, 2020 12:49:02 GMT
I had one years ago up until someone I hired to help in the garden "accidently" ripped it out.
I think the person got it confused with a Cherry Laurel which reseed like mad here and volunteer all over the place.
I do keep 3 mature ones that do grow well in the shade as an understory tree. They are growing along one of the fence lines and serve as a nice privacy barrier. The birds love the berries. The volunteers are likely the result of the birds pooping.
|
|
|
Post by mickthecactus on May 16, 2020 12:53:26 GMT
If only we had some pictures...
|
|
|
Post by kerouac2 on May 20, 2020 17:13:53 GMT
I, too, have a bit of trouble imagining some of these scenes.
|
|
|
Post by mickthecactus on May 22, 2020 19:58:09 GMT
I went to the Garden Centre today for the first time since it reopened as I was very short of supplies. It was seriously scary and I got out as fast as I could.
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on May 22, 2020 22:53:11 GMT
Mobbed, Mick?
|
|
|
Post by mich64 on May 23, 2020 1:07:58 GMT
I went to the Garden Centre today for the first time since it reopened as I was very short of supplies. It was seriously scary and I got out as fast as I could. I felt the same way the other day Mick. It made me quite sad for the rest of the day, the garden centre in May is usually guaranteed to make me happy but it was a little frightening. I am going back but I am going at about 9:00 a.m. on Monday or Tuesday, should be less people as many people have returned to work. I also have a new fabric mask courtesy of my mother-in-law's neighbour. We filled two new large pots on our deck today with some grass plants, begonias and impatiens, they look lovely! Pink and fuchsia with some white mixed in with multiple shades of green leaves in a copper/black pot. We bought new hanging deck boxes, they are black and the flowers are just brilliant against the black.
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on May 23, 2020 1:33:38 GMT
Wow ~ that sounds gorgeous, Mich!
|
|
|
Post by casimira on May 23, 2020 1:36:33 GMT
That sounds lovely Mich. Always nice to have some cheery flowers in bloom to brighten the mood of a space.
|
|
|
Post by cheerypeabrain on May 24, 2020 12:50:40 GMT
Intrepid explorer Mick! well done. 2 of my sisters and my brother have been to GCs but I'm not going yet.
Today I planted some snail food (sunflowers) and Jeff got me some big plastic storage boxes down from the loft so that I could stand my young plants in outside...hardening them off without them being blown over by the wind.
|
|
|
Post by lugg on May 25, 2020 10:46:32 GMT
I have not been to the GC yet but needed a pesticide that's not harmful to bees etc as my honeysuckle is being eaten alive by pesky greenfly - I had tried the soap and water trick - no impact whatsoever.
So yesterday I decided to try a Neem oil spray - I use it on one of my horses and had read that it was ok to use on plants - so will wait and see. Just checked it this am and still alive and looking very shiny too ! Has anyone else used it ?
|
|
|
Post by casimira on May 25, 2020 11:43:23 GMT
I have not been to the GC yet but needed a pesticide that's not harmful to bees etc as my honeysuckle is being eaten alive by pesky greenfly - I had tried the soap and water trick - no impact whatsoever. So yesterday I decided to try a Neem oil spray - I use it on one of my horses and had read that it was ok to use on plants - so will wait and see. Just checked it this am and still alive and looking very shiny too ! Has anyone else used it ? I have used NEEM for years Lugg and swear by it for just about any pestilence. Years ago I had "something" on my citrus (I can't recall now what it was) and I used Neem and it eradicated it. I have also used it on roses with good results. Be mindful that because it is oil based, you have to apply it very early in the day or in the evening. You don't want the hot sun to fry the foliage. This time of year it would likely not cause any problems. I always associate it with use on plants. Out of curiosity, what were you using it on the horses for?
|
|
|
Post by lugg on May 25, 2020 17:47:55 GMT
Be mindful that because it is oil based, you have to apply it very early in the day or in the evening. You don't want the hot sun to fry the foliage. This time of year it would likely not cause any problems Thanks for the heads up - its been blimey hot here today but I put it on last night so fingers crtossed. Great to know you have used it with success. I use it on mny old boy in the Summer as he gets a kind of dermatitis on his legs - only in the Summer. never got to the bottom of what it is but Neem works wonders on it. Also this year I am making a Neem spray to use on both the horses as a fly repellent . It was this that I adapted for the garden.
|
|
|
Post by cheerypeabrain on Jun 13, 2020 13:04:48 GMT
A nice warm day atm...looks like it may rain later tho. I watered in the greenhouse then oiked the huge aloe polyphylla out of its huge terracotta bowl and planted it in my old butler sink...which had been full of mint plants until I pulled them all out the other day. Refreshed the soil and added plenty of grit. It means that the aloe will have to take it's chances in the winter, but I'm going to ask Jeff to make a big glass cover just to keep the wet out of the sink in the winter...I think that they're pretty hardy...just don't like being waterlogged.
|
|
|
Post by cheerypeabrain on Jun 13, 2020 17:42:59 GMT
My aloe..hopefully it will be happier in it's new home.
|
|
|
Post by casimira on Jun 24, 2020 15:34:25 GMT
I think the couple weren't quite sure of what to do with the space which is understandable for the simple reason that not everyone has garden skills like we do and were daunted and stymied because of this. I encountered that all the time with clients of mine. Some of them were utterly clueless. I enjoyed working with some of them in presenting different ideas. Others were absolutely maddening to work with. They would have seen a garden in a magazine or an actual garden here in the city and want for me to "instantly" recreate the same exact thing in their garden space. (some of these gardens had mature shrubs and trees along with seasonal plantings) I used to get so f'n frustrated especially after going round and round with them, they still didn't "get it". Plants that were currently blooming they wanted for me to magically make them appear not taking into account that plants need to be started from seedlings and bulbs etc. and have to be planted during a certain time of year in order for them to come into their own like the pictures they were showing me etc. Added to that was the problem of the availability of certain plants. Oh, I could go on and on... (T. and I still laugh at some of the messages I would get on my answer machine. One woman would call me and say, "I want color C., I want color now! I'm having a party next weekend and it has to be done by Friday!") GRRRRR!!!!!!
The other reason for having waited to have a garden installed may have had to do with the financial aspect which it appears was resolved by the parents generous offer to fund the project.
|
|
|
Post by cheerypeabrain on Jun 24, 2020 16:29:41 GMT
I'm not a huge fan of 'instant gardens' I get cross when the presenters shove totally unsuitable plants in the raised beds or cobble together appallingly clumsy structures that are obviously going to be pulled out as soon as the presenters leave. I've seen incredibly expensive exotic plants rammed into summer borders knowing full well that they require at least some shelter in the cooler weather. They throw down decking without preparing the ground with weed suppressant membrane first, Some structures are massive...huge pergolas cemented in place. swings at 90° to each other so that if both were in use the swings would bash together...the owners usually want a 'low maintenance' garden and probably won't know how to look after the plants.
Paths made out of compacted gravel are popular on the show, they're a quick fix that will break down and the garden owners will be trailing gravel dust through the house within days. I could go on...
Ground Force was the original one, with Alan Titchmarsh. The only reason I liked some of his gardens was that they threw a LOT of money at them, so they had spectacular features and beautiful plants...in the Charlie Dimmock show the garden owners spend their own money.
|
|
|
Post by casimira on Jun 25, 2020 12:55:48 GMT
I always try to encourage people about the concept that one's garden should be one that is ever evolving. A garden is never "finished" in my book. A woman I knew years ago and became friends with had come to see my garden. When I asked her if I could see her garden sometime she got this panicky look on her face. She went on to say "oh, but it's not finished yet". I went on to tell her that mine wasn't either although, when she had seen mine it was in a state of looking fairly neat and orderly. It's not always that way and, like a room in one's home, we add things and get rid of others. That's how and why I love to garden, the possibilities are endless and the creative process that evolves prevents it from being static. I shy from putting in something that I may tire of. Especially trees and shrubs that are going to grow into larger features and take up valuable space over time. Permanent features, structures, and the like, I may enjoy and utilize initially but, over time I may come to resent it being there, or, it's growth habit went awry, it may invite pestilence, etc. Then, because of this, removing it will become a major project in itself. My pond is a good example of this. I could have put in a pond that was concrete or raised, in a shape that could not be changed. And so, I would have become stuck with it as opposed to putting in a pond that should I so choose I can do away with it all together and use that space for something else. As it stands now, my garden space has only the bare bones of two very large Live Oak trees. There is nothing else that is permanent. I hope to put in a swimming pool at some point in my lifetime when we have the money and I am still in a state of actually being able to utilize it. I have fantasized about doing this ever since we bought the property and I can't even begin to tell you how many different shapes and sizes, locations, etc. have been developed in my head. I have a whole folder, almost a book of all these. (I am sure my husband in his own fashion has his as well but, that's a whole other topic...) Someday it will happen but that's for a whole other thread providing this forum is still in existence when it does.
|
|
|
Post by bjd on Jun 25, 2020 15:45:06 GMT
I would love to see some pictures of your garden, Casi.
|
|
|
Post by mickthecactus on Jun 25, 2020 15:49:52 GMT
I would love to see some pictures of your garden, Casi. Wouldn’t we all....
|
|
|
Post by casimira on Jun 26, 2020 13:25:52 GMT
Kind folks, you really would not want to see it in it's current state. It is quite overgrown at this time and I have not been able to get my regular helper over here for quite some time now. She is being very wary of contact with others which I understand and respect. She was exposed early on and has lost some people from the virus.
As she is Afro-American and comes from a very large family and, she was exposed to the virus early on due to having been in close contact with large groups of people. She was also a regular participant in weekly second line parade gatherings where she sold beautiful wood crafted items made by her brother who is the state prison here in LA. (I have one of the walking canes he carved and his work is amazing. Very intricate and detailed geometric patterns carefully carved covering the whole piece from top to bottom.) A sizeable swath of her community was hit hard with the virus so, she is not only being cautious, she is dealing with the psychological aftermath and grief of losing so many people.
Anyway, I haven't had her over here in likely 3 months or more. I have a substitute helper that I do use but he is not always reliable and works a second job. So, as a result, the garden is in a state of chaos and I try to keep up with so much of it the best I can but my stamina, energy level and physical limitations only allow me to do small sections at a time. The rapid growth rate of errant invasive vines and many other difficult to eradicate weeds are overwhelming.
Hopefully, when things settle down a bit, whenever that will be, I can get the garden back into some semblance of order and be able to share it with you.
|
|
|
Post by bjd on Jun 26, 2020 15:03:35 GMT
That's okay, Casi. My husband always accuses me of liking "jungle gardens". All these years he never gardened, unless I needed help to dig out some huge root or something. Now he spends time every day with secateurs in his hand, going around looking for something to cut. It drives me crazy. Before I know it he will want to do topiary, or else want a neat and tidy (boring) French garden.
|
|
|
Post by casimira on Jun 26, 2020 16:11:10 GMT
My husband does help out when I ask him to do certain things bless his heart. But, I am keenly aware of how the chronic neuropathy in his hands (an ongoing residual after affect of his Guillian- Barre exactly four years ago) flares up after doing manual chores so I feel guilty and shy from asking him to do too much. I can see him wincing in pain at times and no treatment he has tried, and, he has explored all manner of them, give him relief. I'm the one who wanted a property to have copious space to do all the things I at one time did but, that being said we never think down the line that our bodies are not going to be able to do what they could thirty years ago. There was a time when I worked a full time job, and maintained this huge garden space along with maintaining a huge house and all that it encompassed. Be careful what you wish for young people I say but, when we are younger we believe we are invincible and will never be unable to do everything we once did. I get overwhelmed, daunted, and depressed very often these days just looking around and thinking about it. "Youth was most certainly wasted on the young" as they say...
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Jun 26, 2020 16:21:02 GMT
He's French! Hide those secateurs and for heaven's sake, don't let him know about loppers, pruning saws, or *shudder* any motorized garden monsters. The French have contributed so much to the world, but nothing will explain their fondness for brutal pollarding. Maybe you could let him have his own hedge somewhere, so he could give vent to his bent for tidiness. These plants apparently all grow faster than box, offering daily opportunities for snipping and shaping.
|
|