A place to post and chat about plant pics...

Discussion in 'Conversations Forum' started by The Hollyberry Lady, Jun 14, 2009.

  1. Dana09

    Dana09 Active Member

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    I do see plants Katalina! The lonely little shrub in the snow. It doesn't seem that deep. Has it snowed more?
    Imagine the manager of a gas station telling me that they were not responsible for keeping their walks clear, that the city is (totally untrue), when I made a point of asking about their thoroughly dangerous walks. I think they cater to motor vehicles- yes? Can't afford to shovel walks maybe, poor souls.
    We've had lots of rain overnite and I won't be surprised if we have reports of flooding today.

    I often hope our big earthquake won't come during winter months.
    Wish we could easily send the Haitians some of our wonderful water.

    D
     
  2. Nath

    Nath Active Member

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    Hi Katalina,

    It is pereshing, where in Lancs are you as I was brought up for a while in St Helens, went back a year ago and didnt recognize a thing after 30 years so sad!!
    If New York lives up to its rep from when I lived there its probably under 2 feet of snow right now. 6 more weeks and it will start to warm up. Do What I do and buy and prepare your seeds indoors now for as early and as pretty a display as you can for this year, I have an unheated greenhouse and conservatory and I have already go my Mexican Black Corn up to 3 inches high in 5 days. I have a whole mess of Passiflora seeedlings ready to prick out too. My Tomatillos are growing and I should have some earrly green tomatoes and my favourite since I broke my arm playing football in November my Comfrey root I was given before we fleww to Mexico has lots of new growth and long leaves and I have finally started to cure my arm without the doctor!!

    There is so much we can do even with the snow.

    Take care!

    Nath
     
  3. Nath

    Nath Active Member

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    Dana I have been in quakes in Mexico up to 7 on the Richter scale and they are frightening and make you very tremor aware, we always know when we have had one here before the news tells us and its horrible that such a loss of life in Haiti has to pay for mans greed in using substandard building materials but it happens all over latin America, we have tough new laws in Mexico but they are only as good as the coorupt judge who rules on each case, Lets hope they can help those people who need it with the relief effort. Its not just water that those poor guys will need, believe me I know!!
    Maybe we should start a Gardners get together relief effort of our own and give some sort of support if anyone has any ideas. Its hard to make sure that real relief reaches where its needed though!

    Nath
     
  4. Dana09

    Dana09 Active Member

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    Nath,
    When I saw one of your lovely pics, that one of the stone building, it made me think of how homes are constructed in places like Haiti. Our homes here are mainly made with wood frames construction and are supposed to flex thru quakes rather than crumble like the one in your pic likely would.

    I just read that credit card companies benefit from their 3% fees on every donation transaction, tsk.

    Are you using the comfrey as a compress?
    I once had a vet ask for a clump from an old garden I had then as she wanted it for her practice. I heard somewhere that some places it is illegal to grow comfrey??
    I wish the white convolvulus was forbidden for then I would have my neighbour arrested !!! She won't keep it to herself.

    Since day length has increased I see new growth on some plants I am keeping indoors this winter.
     
  5. Katalina25

    Katalina25 New Member

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    A few miles from St Helen Nath,

    Preston being the absolute nearest town to mine.

    Its not much the snow now but the ice thats compacted under the snow..thats the danger, broken limbs and some deaths...today a child.

    You cannot walk in this stuff its treacherous.

    Dana, that shrub is not mine, I hate those, you know the one? Big flowers, lilac or redish through to blues dependant on the soil, they make big shrubs...yack!

    Just before we got our snow America got a very bad blizzard then it snowed here all day like big old pennies Nath. Its so unusual for us.

    I can't wait to get sowing seed Nath but I got word to look at a new bungalow in another town this morning.

    Great idea about the aid.
     
  6. lorax

    lorax Rising Contributor 10 Years

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    I've been in up to a 6.7 here in Ecuador, and it made me very very glad that the country leads the world in earthquake-resistant sustainable architecture. It was one of the scariest things I've ever experienced, largely because it seemed to go on forever, and even with all of the structural precautions we take, stuff still fell over.

    The best means of getting releif into Haiti at the moment seems to be through the UN programmes - they're the ones that are actually making it into the disaster zone. Many other aid agencies have been stopped at the Dominican border due to the terrible state of the roads.
     
  7. lorax

    lorax Rising Contributor 10 Years

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    Hydrangea, Kat. I hate those too! Ooh, so ugly, especially here where they make small trees out of them....
     
  8. Liz

    Liz Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    30C sunny and clear here even had a scrap of morning mist, like an autumn moring. They promise a scrap of rain tomorrow. Apart from the few really hot days 40+ the weather has been very nice down here.
    Liz
     
  9. Nath

    Nath Active Member

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    Irinically Dana those buildings are more than a 1000 years old and built by the Maya to last and are still standing today, they pop up all over the Yucatan Peninsular and Quintana Roo state and will probably outlive us all. I have been in a big earth quake in Mexico City in 1991 that was 7 on the richter scale and it was no fun I can tell you breaks your confidence in anything solid, I was on the 5th floor and we heard a rumble like thunder getting nearer and nearer and then we were thrown everywhere, i still swear I saw the corners of the floor curling upwards and inwards in a kind of ripple. Mexico City is built on a dry lake bed crust and so is very susceptible to quakes, I am just glad that as a family we live closer to the southern edge of the city and unless one of us is working i n the centre that day we will be safer, having said that the second most frightening quake I have been in was here in Nottingham in the UK a year or so ago when we were woken up in bed and everything was shaking, it was only about 5 on the scale but it felt worse than the one in Mexico as it was an oscillating quake quite a shock! Still life has to go on and if living in a fragile city like Mexico DF has taught me anything its that people are incredibly resiliant and buildings can be rebuilt very quickly indeed, its just lives that take longe to put back together. There are now some very pretty gardens and parks in place of where tall buildings used to be in the city.

    Lets hope that the people of Haiti can bounce back too, though its no consolation to think about what they are suffering at present.
     
  10. Nath

    Nath Active Member

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    Katalina I hope it works out for you if you decide to move, though its always a challenge to start work on a new garden. Stay in till the ice has gone rather than risk broken bones, its starting to thaw so another day here and there shouldnt be too long to wait. Meantime I am planning what additional plants to put in the beds this spring. I brought back some more Mexican Marigold seeds that grow to 3 foot tall so I will need to start them off soon, my maize of course and Photpro would be proud of me, because the citrus and the Yucas I planted outside a year ago are all thriving despite the frosts and snow, I checked today and there arent any problems proving that trees from warmer climes can indeed adapt here which is something I have always maintained. I succumbed and bought a big bag of Lillium bulbs today to replace any lost ones with the weather, so I am now hoping for an early spring. I hope the new Bungalow has a beautiful garden though its possibly not the best time of year to view it. Good Luck!

    Nath
     
  11. The Hollyberry Lady

    The Hollyberry Lady New Member

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    Great, that people are chatting here again!

    : )


    I just popped in to post a couple shots of my Plumeria today...


    I sent the pics in email to the friend who mailed me the cutting in the first place, and he tells me that I have a flower bud!!

    : o

    I had no idea.

    I took a close up of the bud in the 2nd pic. First shot shows the 1st leaf that's now formed. I can't wait to watch as it develops. Will show more shots later, of course.

    Sorry to interrupt...

    : )
     

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  12. ShearMe

    ShearMe Active Member

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    Woo-Hoo! That's gonna be a nice addition fo' sho'. ;)
     
  13. The Hollyberry Lady

    The Hollyberry Lady New Member

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    Thanks...I'm excited too Zac...I could see this plant easily becoming one of my favorites!

    : )
     
  14. Katalina25

    Katalina25 New Member

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    I realised a long time ago Lorax how cruel nature can be, not just in wildlife, goodness knows thats bad enough but them Hydrangea..I feel like taking the back of the shovel to her plant...argeeeeee!

    I love dainty, like my Violas etc, anything thats more than 8ins high is a no no except Acers.

    Talking about your 6.7 earthquake Lorax. I was in bed a couple of years ago when I thought I felt a shudderjust as I was nodding off, it felt really weird. Made more than me think did the earth move for you...hahaahahha But I live alone.

    I would not like to feel more than slight shudder though and its terrible seeing people scattered both dead and alive on the pavements and we must do something for Haiti.

    Hi Liz,

    My warden is flying to Aussie on monday, I just looked blank at her and said ' do you even realise how far it is ? She laughed and is looking forward to getting there.

    Hi Nath,

    Nothing definate till I view it next week.

    Main thing is Lorax knew I was in waiting to go to town once the lane clears. It should be fine maybe tomorrow to post certainly if it only rains now till monday then that could be the next available day.

    No post moves here on sunday.

    Lorax, how long about does it take to get any posts to you?
     
  15. ShearMe

    ShearMe Active Member

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    It's nice living in Texas, the only thing we get is weather that constantly changes in the oddest of ways. :D

    I need some advice! If I could only do one of the following to a flower bed this year, should I: 1) dig out poor clay soil and replace with more nutritious and better draining soil, or 2) lay down a layer or two of compost to 'fix' the clay soil as well as heavy mulch to prevent weeds, or 3) lay down thick cardboard and use the space for hot and bright direct sunlight to selected potted plants that I can't get elsewhere on the property.
     
  16. The Hollyberry Lady

    The Hollyberry Lady New Member

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    Our weather is pretty mild right now...loving it.

    I suppose it just depends on what you want, but of course it could be done any number of ways, Zac...

    I personally like to work a bale of peat moss into clay type soil, which breaks it down over time. I would definitely work in some good compost, or whatever you prefer.

    Yes, if you're not into weeding, growing in pots is always a plus. I like removing weeds from the garden though when they're young, so there's nothing to them - except to just pull them. Older, more mature weeds are so much more difficult, because the roots can go so far down, and they just keep growing back!

    Good luck Zac, whatever you decide...


    By the way:


    Here's my orchid this winter...it will bloom some time in February

    : )

     

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    Last edited: Jan 15, 2010
  17. Liz

    Liz Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    We are relativley stable here our earth quake activity is over in NZ when it decided to drift off. However having said that 3 times in the last 25 years or so I have felt 5 pt something jolt. First time it happened I thought my big dogs were wrestling on back porch and had hit the wall. (cedar house) After that I thought truck accident down on main road and 3rd time I was sitting in car waiting for the courier and it sort of felt like the car started. We have one or two areas in Australia that are active and one is about 40 km from here as the crow flies. The one about 20 years ago in a New South Wales town really shocked us as there was a fair bit of damage and some life lost. We tend to worry about fires and cyclones (1974 Darwin was totaly trashed by Tracey) re building codes. The new ones that have come in for bushfire prone areas are very strict. I am just glad my rebuilding met most of them.

    Haiti is a total disaster and reminds me of the sunami (sp) and our bushfires. How people can come out of these tradgedies is a miracle in itself. I hope that the country will be able to yet again rise and this time living and politics will be better for those that lived.

    Liz
     
  18. Liz

    Liz Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    Isn't it funny how we look at plants. Here in Oz Hydrangeas herald Christmas and they are every where looking stunning. People cover them on hot days and really love them.
    I have a lot under some apple trees and because they got a fair bit of rain this yr they are happy again. One old chicken and hens (lace top???) has not been pruned for several years and now has used the apple tree as a trellis and is flowering up in the branches like a runaway rose. I really am going to have to get this ferral bad hair day garden under control. But it looks nice from the windows.

    Liz
     
  19. Liz

    Liz Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    I would be working the clay and building it up with compost etc. Clay is a good soil it just clings a bit tight. I am on red Basalt clay (acidic) but boy you ought to see it now. Stunning soil. The yellow one is also ok just work it. While you get it up to par use your pot idea on top of it but sink the pots a bit so roots don't get cooked.

    Liz
     
  20. The Hollyberry Lady

    The Hollyberry Lady New Member

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    All this soil talk is making me want to get back out into the gardens!! I am so excited about Spring I can barely contain myself!

    I've been perusing through some seed catalogues this evening. It should be against the law to tease a gardener this way...

    : o

     

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  21. Nath

    Nath Active Member

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    Shearme it all depends on what type of plants you intend to grow in that bed, some plants like a clay soil other need a nice moist soil tha the roots can break up and extend in easily, but its always worth while adding in mulch and compost especially if its compost you have made yourself over the last year to improve the soil and enrich it. Good luck with whatever you decide to do and grow there.

    Nath
     
  22. lorax

    lorax Rising Contributor 10 Years

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    Katalina, the last time something came to me via Royal Post, it took about 2.5 weeks. I have no idea what it will do this time! On the other hand, an envelope made it from me to Croatia in 1.5 weeks, which amazed the socks off me.
     
  23. Dana09

    Dana09 Active Member

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    SHearme, and All,
    Pots in the sun are ok if they are placed into decorative pots as a shield against very hot sun cooking the roots. Even baskets will shade the pots from the fierce heat. It's likely just a matter of time before you dig the clay bed isn't it? Some rocks on the cardboard would look good to me too;
    as do the hydrangeas so many seem to hate.
    Many years ago I used to dislike Rhododendrons and white flowers but they have now grown on me, ha ha. And I have a little white garden now as well as a couple of rhodos in my garden, plus two different sorts of hydrangea in a hedge where they provide a screen in summer along with some colour and some white in the lace cap formed flowers of one which also has a different growth form giving interesting shapes with its branches in winter.
    I think any well grown plant is worthy of note, if not a place in my garden. May be a sour note at times!
    I hope to downsize my house and am getting it ready to sell this year, a slow process with little money, and so I wonder what my next garden will be like; whether full or bare, this zone or that, as I only have to go up the hill a little and I am in another zone.

    And living in an earthquake zone, our schools are now being retrofitted with proper quake proofing, an expensive proposition. Many have been built using cement blocks which I was told would crumble like mini bricks toy structures by someone in construction who said he would dive out the window rather than remain in such a building during a quake.
    Those Mayans knew something about building didn't they?
    And AHA! There's a restaurant in town that is donating all cash they take in on Sunday to Haitians, so I will likely go and just give what I can and get a burger for Rolland.
    Here's a bit of hydrangea for U
    Ta Ta,
    D
     

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  24. Dana09

    Dana09 Active Member

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    Oh Yes,
    And just how much did it rain?
    Yesterday I was a bit startled when it got light out there and I saw this!
    Basically only the lawn area gets this wet, not very often and the beds are all raised above this water line.
    All gone now.
     

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  25. Katalina25

    Katalina25 New Member

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    That sounds about right, where you live Lorax is million miles from Lancashire. lolol

    The girl was Pakistani and asked me is Ecuador in South Africa? I was not much help, she was looking at the SA.

    On way anyway so enjoy when they finally knock at your door.

    Dana,

    It blew gales all night, poured buckets till about 9.am the we got some sun.

    Garden is in ruins as far as it goes...time to sow.

    I am looking forward to Pennywenny's Poppy, also HBL's Calundula, also her Geraniums.

    My soil in the lawned area is clay but I did a cut out for a boarder and if you put lots of compost in then its possible to grow nice plants. I got a small cutting off a friend last year and at summer end it was covered in pearl drop white flowers. It grew three strong branches and measures at a guess four feet...in part clay, part compost.
     

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