Part gardening, part recovery post!

[parla]

Feel better Josephine ! I hate Mr C! You still got a lot done! Good for you!
Parla

 

[Jamie]

Gosh, Jo....I'd say that's a FINE day's activity. Hope you feel better!!!

 

[aretha]

Don't know how you do it Jo, when I get a visit all I want to do it go back to bed. We too have two Josephine clemmies in the garden and they are spectacular. They are just getting the flower buds on, but I hope they slow down a bit as it is really too early yet for them to flower, a late frost could see them off!!

At present we have a female duck visiting around 6.30 every evening. She flies onto the lawn, out I go with a bowl of corn and wheat, she eats her fill, comes over to the dog bowl full of water and drinks, then takes off over the house again from whence she came. Have no idea where she comes from, just really glad to see her, will try and get a pic next time to post. Last year it was two pheasants I fed, my husband seems to think I have a banner flying saying all waifs and strays welcome here, will get fed and watered! LOL:th_heehee:

 

[leenie60]

Josephine I am so proud of you! I'm not quite that far along although crawling underneath and scraping a sailboat bottom counts for something! Just started to doing some yard work this week but small doses for me. My back hurts doing that work more than my knee (actually the knee doesn't hurt)!

 

[Jamie]

Aretha, how cool that your have special feathered friends!!! Great story!

 

[PhoenixS]

I am still too far north for anything except crocus to be out, but my tulips and daffodils are shooting up and should be out shortly. As far as feathered "friends" I have a whold flock of the meanest turkeys. The Tom comes right up to us, turns his back, fans out his butt feathers and gives us a strut show. When that fails, he starts pecking at the car. I keep a broom just outside my side door to fight them off. This is why I gladly eat turkey. Mean birds they are.
I also have a "Josephine" out front,but it hasn't broken dormancy yet. Won't see it till after Memorial Day. My yard is finally greening up after looking dead all spring so far. The forsythias are in bloom, so I pruned all my roses back. Thorns. Nasty. I'm all scratched up.
I am lucky that the knee lets me kneel, but it isn't very keen on dividing Daylilies or Iris, or Hosta for that matter. It absolutely HATES raking ( boo hoo, so sad....:th_heehee Hubby has to do it.
Peas are going in today. The birds will be thrilled, since they usually get the seedlings despite bird netting.
Sandy

 

[11995533]

I am jealous....Northern Indiana has had a wierd spring....very cold...as a matter of fact, we had snow yesterday. But you have inspired me...I am a Master Gardener but I gotta tell you.....you couldn't tell from my garden. Soon enough though. Keep up the good work and if you ever get to Indiana please feel free to stop in and weed.

 

[Josephine]

My Josephine was in a spot outside my car port. I'd had visions of it growing and spreading across the front of the car port but it never did very well. I fact, the year before last it grew so little and had barely half a dozen blooms that died before they had matured, that I was ready to throw it out. Then I had my nephew build that flower tub and it had to be moved, so I parked it beside my front door in the middle of the conservatory. The growth on it this year is astounding! I have never seen it in such abundance! No buds showing yet but still early days. Then somebody suggested perhaps it didn't like the chill drafts and winds that blew down the side of the car port. Could be - I never considered that!

 

[DebR]

OK, you lovely ladies with the garden's. Question? I have a back patio that has very strong sun all day. I want to create a comfort zone around the patio. I live in New York, and my dirt is part shale. Any suggestions for plants, container or dirt that can withstand very intense sun most of the day? I love the look Aretha has on her patio. Very Zen like, and JO the planters are beautiful. I need to create my own little piece of heaven. I do ok, but anything you can suggest would be very welcome. Privacy is important so looking also for fast growing tall plants or shrubs. Thanks so much, Deb

 

[Jamie]

Take your cues from plants you see in public areas around your areas.

I suggest shrub roses for some privacy. They love hot sun and can take poor soil. Also, once established, they don't need a lot of care and they bloom all summer (bonus).

Put up a trellis of some kind and train a vining plant on it. Clematis can be nice if you can shade the roots....it can take hot sun as long as the roots are mulched well. You can plant some day lilies at the base of the trellis to help shade the roots.

In pots, Lantana does really well in the hot sun. So do the tropical hibiscus plants. Both are annuals, but these days you can usualy purchase them for not much money. We also plant Elephant Ear bulbs in the hot sun. All these plants do like plenty of water, so be sure you use nice big pots and maybe a tray underneath. I buy my large pots at Sam's Club in the early spring. They have GREAT fiberglass ones for $20-$30 each....GIANT pots!!

Also, if you don't have children or pets to worry about, you can plant castor bean seeds. Give plenty of water and they grow into huge tropical plants up to 8 feet tall in one season. But the seed pods are poisonous, so you need to be sure pets or children will not be around to eat them.

These are just a few suggestions....I'm sure others will have more.

 

[DebR]

Thanks Jamie, these are great ideas! I also have a Sam's club very near by. I have written the suggestions down and will be heading out this weekend to look for some. Again, thank you. I LOVE the idea of a trellis and vining plant. I have the perfect spot for that

 

[Josephine]

Jamie - oh green fingered one - we could use you on Gardeners Corner!

 

[Jamie]

Green Fingered One.....:hysterical:.....that's too funny. Maybe one of these days I'll feel like I have enough free time to play on a gardening forum......gotta sell at least one house first!!! Thanks for the compliment, though!

 

[aretha]

Thanks Jamie, your knowledge of plants is indeed great.

Today I took some photos in the garden of my acers which are really showing off their spring foliage this month, very early for them too. I have added some photos of my favourites, we have many!!! I also managed to take a photo of "Jemima" our duck visitor, she is getting so much bolder and even venturing onto our patio and coming very close to the french doors, only trouble being she does leave us a present or two each time she visits, so guess who has to clean up for encouraging her visits, but she makes little noises which sound as though she is really enjoying herself. Then she always stops, takes a good look around and takes off over the roof again. Would love to know where she goes, but only God knows that, and obviously sent her to me for a little TLC.

DebR, just to add a couple more suggestions to Jamies already brilliant list of plants, I would try the Yucca family, they love hot dry conditions and poor soil, as do the Agaves and Cordylines, and you can't beat them for structural plants either. The there is Adjuga, which comes in various colour combinations and is a great ground cover plant. There is also the plant called Obedient Plant which I managed to get a couple of years ago, its not out yet, but added a piccie off the web its really beautiful in bloom.

We have another plant which is one of my all time favourites called Eryngium, its common name is Sea Holly and when I started collecting the varieties someone told me a lovely story about the variety called Miss Wilmotts Ghost (Eryngium Giganteum). Apparently as an old lady she loved this plant so much - but like its name it prickles a bit and she couldn't get many people to give the seeds a chance and grow it. Apparently, in devilment before she died she took the seeds and used to take them with her wherever she went and would throw handfuls of the seed into any gardens she could where it would just spring up the following year, hence the name Miss Wilmotts Ghost! How lovely a story is that?

On the knee side mine is still a little stiff, but I think its because I turned the ankle on this leg a couple of weeks ago, and its still a bit swollen and painful which has prevented me going to my aqua classes, and I must be walking a bit funny because of it, so my knee is not getting all the exercise it was and is compaining a bit. Once the pain from the ankle has dissapated more I will go back to swimming etc. and work on it again. In the meantime I have more than enough to do with getting ready to move, etc.

More later...............

 

[aretha]

Sorry, the acers would not upload, I guess the file size is too great. Will try to make them smaller files somehow.

 

[Jamie]

Lovely photos, Aretha!!! I especially like your semi-tame duck! What a cutie!!!

 

[DebR]

Thank you Aretha, these are great suggestions. The picture you have attached is a really beautiful plant. I will be heading off to my local greenhouses and looking on line for the plants you and Jamie have given me.If I have success, at some point I will send pictures. Keeping fingers crossed!! Again, thanks so much for he help, Deb

 

[Josephine]

I decided to post a few pics of my garden

My front garden

and my back garden

My peas, beans and in the back by the fence, the soft fruit bushes

And my cold frame! But it's not staying there ....

 

[vcrdoc]

BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!!!

Ken

 

[JennyI]

Wow! Greenfingered I am NOT. I am more of an animal and bird person! Hubby is the greenfingered one. Great thread though as I do love gardens