[trekguy]

Gardeners!!!!

Just 2 1/2 weeks ago, we had snow and cold, and gray and blah.... and now we have sun and blue sky, green grass and leaves!! Isn't spring amazing?

Because of the exceptionally nice weather, I have the yard mulched, the perennial gardens cleaned out and dug.... and the veggie garden is all in. Earliest ever.

Also, I'm starting all over with raspberries... the old June-bearing-only-bears-on-second-year-canes-and-you-have-to-clean-out-the-dead-canes-and-it's-hard-to-keep-the-stupid-boxelder-trees-out-of-the-patch ones are gone, and I got 40 new plants in today... Heritage cultivar. In the fall, you just mow 'em flat, and they grow and bear the next year on the new growth. Sweeeeeet!

Going to try again with another apple tree (Honey Crisp) this year... not having good luck with them surviving. A couple have been chomped by deer (my fault for not getting a fence up before winter), but a few others just didn't make more than a couple of seasons... not sure why? Anybody have some sure-fire tips for apple trees???

[telecom69]

A couple of pics to add a bit of colour ....

First Rhodo flowers this year

The Clematis Montana in almost full bloom

Havent a clue what this is,its in next doors garden,looks good though....

[ymfoster]

Hi Lu,

It will be nice to sit in the garden in the sunshine whilst you supervise someone doing the hard work for you



Beautiful Clematis Bob

the other shrub is Ceanothus .......

http://www.gardenaction.co.uk/plantf...ia-lilac_1.asp

[telecom69]

Hi trekguy, looks like you have had the instant switchover to Spring the same as over here,cant believe how well it has gone,everything is well in advance of what it normally is only problem with that as far as I can see is that it will finish that much earlier Ive got quite a bit of stuff out in the garden that I wouldnt normally have at this time of the year,simply because its grown so fast,just hope that there are no late frosts or else I shall be racing about having to cover it all up....had no rain hardly for coming up to 4 weeks now so am doing quite a lot of watering ....I used to try my hand at apple trees also but for some reason I never did any good either,in the end I just gave up,I think it must have been down to the soil....these days I just grow my own bedding plants for the front garden,plus Tomatoes I grow just for the hell of it I give most of them away and also runner beans up 8 ft canes .... happy gardening,see you later

[telecom69]

Originally Posted by ymfoster

Beautiful Clematis Bob

the other shrub is Ceanothus .......

http://www.gardenaction.co.uk/plantf...ia-lilac_1.asp

Thanks Yvonne, had an idea that you might come up with the answer,was using you as my plant finder

[ymfoster]

Originally Posted by telecom69

Thanks Yvonne, had an idea that you might come up with the answer,was using you as my plant finder

LOL I don't mind being a plant finder,
our neighbour used to have one but I'd forgotten the name, but google found it for me

[eggplant43]

Good morning gang. It's been raining here, so I'm having to hold off planting, which has me really antsy. But that's spring in the Rockies.

I've had challenges with apple trees as well, but they're worth the challenge as far as I'm concerned.

Happy gardening everyone.

[telecom69]

Got this below today in an email from my Daughter in law who is always sending me jokes but never any text in them apart from the joke, Ive often wondered about this and she must have read my mind and sent this below,I know its off topic from gardening,but I was a little bit touched by it,so thought I would share it,hope you dont mind

This explains why I forward jokes.
>
A man and his dog were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the
scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead.
>
He remembered dying, and that the dog walking beside him had been dead
>for years. He wondered where the road was leading them.
>
After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall along one side of
the road. It looked like fine marble. At the top of a long hill, it was
broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight.
>
When he was standing before it he saw a magnificent gate in the arch
that looked like mother-of-pearl, and the street that led to the gate
looked like pure gold. He and the dog walked toward the gate, and as
he got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side.
>
When he was close enough, he called out, "Excuse me, where are we?"
>
"This is Heaven, sir," the man answered.
>
>Wow! Would you happen to have some water?" the man asked.
>
"Of course, sir. Come right in, and I'll have some ice water brought
right up."
>
The man gestured, and the gate began to open.
>
"Can my friend," gesturing toward his dog, "come in, too?" the traveller
asked.
>
"I'm sorry, sir, but we don't accept pets."
>
The man thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and
continued the way he had been going with his dog.
>
After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, he came to
a dirt road leading through a farm gate that looked as if it had never
been closed. There was no fence.
>
As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree
and reading a book.
>
"Excuse me!" he called to the man. "Do you have any water?"
>
"Yeah, sure, there's a pump over there, come on in."
>
"How about my friend here?" the traveller gestured to the dog.
>
"There should be a bowl by the pump."
>
They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old-fashioned
hand pump with a bowl beside it.
>
The traveller filled the water bowl and took a long drink himself, then
he gave some to the dog.
When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who was
standing by the tree.
>
"What do you call this place?" the traveller asked.
>
"This is Heaven," he answered.
>
Well, that's confusing," the traveller said. "The man down the road said
that was Heaven, too."
>
"Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates? Nope.
That's hell."
>
"Doesn't it make you mad for them to use your name like that?"
>
"No, we're just happy that they screen out the folks who would leave
their best friends behind."
>
Soooo...
>
Sometimes, we wonder why friends keep forwarding jokes to us without
writing a word.
>
Maybe this will explain.
>
When you are very busy, but still want to keep in touch, guess what you do?
You forward jokes.
>
When you have nothing to say, but still want to keep contact, you
forward jokes.
>
When you have something to say, but don't know what, and don't know how,
you forward jokes.
>
Also to let you know that you are still remembered, you are still
important, you are still loved, you are still cared for, guess what you
get?
>
A forwarded joke.
>
So, next time if you get a joke, don't think that you've been sent just
another forwarded joke, but that you've been thought of today and your
friend on the other end of your computer wanted to send you a smile.
>
You are all welcome @ my water bowl anytime

[MightyQueenC]

Hiya

I finally got at the garden a bit today. Last year's neglect coupled with un-handimen un-handiwork left it pretty much in ruins so I've got my work cut out for me. It may take a couple of seasons or more to sort it.

BUT !

The periwinkle and lungwort have survived. Was there ever a nastier name for a plant than lungwort?

Happy gardening everyone.

Oh and if anyone knows anyone with a strong back ... send them my way.

[Bush Lady]

It's hard, sometimes, to find someone that want to do any hard work. We have someone that moved into the neighbourhood, that is exactly like that. They are jealous in he summer when they see all the vegetables growing in the garden, but do not want to do anything themselves.

When they are young and can work, they don't want to work. Then when they get older, they wish they had done more when they were younger.

It has been dry enough here to cultivate the garden. The cultivator works real good, but the soil has to be dry. Next weekend will start planting onions and carrots. Maybe even peas. Don't have to start peas to early, because they mature fast. And I can't forget the potatoes, they will also go in next weekend.

I also will need a strong back to hill those potatoes.

[MightyQueenC]

Maybe we could find one strong-backed (young, dark, handsome, half-nekked) dude and share, BushLady. He can till and put in your peas and potatoes and whatnot and then you can send him down my way.

[Bush Lady]

QueenC, sounds like a good idea. Have to see what we can do about that.

[MightyQueenC]

I was out in my claygarden, BushLady, minding my own busylizzy's, when upon my front gate came a neighbour taking pity on poor me. He's put in about 4 hour's work, so far. I'll let you know when (if) you can have him.

Oogling gardenerdude's aside, I got quite a bit done, as well today and uncovered many more survivors.
I may have managed a tan, too. On my hands.
Here I am bundled up in sweaters and my hoodie (an Ontario Spring gardener's attire), trying to train and tame an unruly Virginia creeper that grows on a metal arbor. One vine had traveled over 50' towards the back of the yard before I discovered it. It took 2 years to establish, but now I know to keep it in check.

Enjoy your gardens, everyone

[Bush Lady]

There is one thing that I don't like about this time of year, hear, is the those black flies. When I am putting my seeds in the ground, they are out in full force. And black flies crawl under your clothes that you have one. So even if you have long pants on you still have bug bites on your legs.

If anyone has any problems with these pests, just take one of those bug spray containers and put diesel fuel in it. Spray yourself with that and the black flies will say away.

The weather forecast is sunny weather all week, so next weekend I will be working extra fast to get back inside so those dam black flies don't get to much of my blood.

[franca]

Loads of bottle

IT can be really hard keeping container plants moist in hot weather and if the compost gets too dry and shrinks, then the next time you apply water, it just runs down the inside of the pot and out through the bottom.

You can use an old plastic drinks bottle to avoid this problem and allow the water to soak slowly into the dry compost.

Cut a hole in the bottle bottom

Test to see the water flow

Use a bulb planter to make a hole

And half unscrew the cap before placing the bottle (upside down) into the compost.

Pour water into the bottle

When you pour water into the bottle, it escapes slowly from around the screw thread and gradually soaks into the compost.