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    marye
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    So after getting a fairly gratifying amount of long-overdue yard work done over the holiday weekend, I am getting a big kick out of the fact that decades' worth of chance-acquired plants are starting to look like they belong together. And then in another topic JurassicBlueberries was holding forth on the care and feeding of blueberry plants, and what with one thing and another, I bet we've got gardeners here. Let's talk! (PS: Folks, this should probably go without saying, but if your gardening efforts involve the cultivation of plants illegal in your jurisdiction, please do not post about them here. For all practical purposes, everyone in the world can read what you post here, and that definitely includes your local law enforcement. Or your not-so-local law enforcement. Or your mama. Silence is golden.)

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  • Mr. Pid
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    My apple tree went sproing!
    It's a vision of pinkish-white loveliness I can enjoy for a few days. It's just too bad that the abundant quantity of very small fruit it produces it utterly useless to me. But at least the birds, bugs and bees get to have a field day. Go, Nature! Conversation is always more interesting than recitation, so speak your mind and not someone else's.
  • marye
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    yes....
    this is a good place to be. Just spent three days at a conference in Monterey last week, which was lovely. In other news, we're supposed to get some rain tonight in Oakland, which will be good for the incipient garden. Though I must remember to bring the weed whacker back in. And in still other news, regarding the bumper crop of baby maidenhair ferns about which I posted many months ago, several have survived and are now half an inch tall. Meanwhile, a whole new crop is turning up in other plants' pots, most recently the newly transplanted ficus cuttings. That'll be interesting... Oh, and the apricot colored foxglove I planted last year is about to bloom. Woohoo!
  • BobbaLee
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    Funny thing about crocs
    The native crocs were endangered but now have nests as far north as Broward County. They are shy and try to stay away from people. Alligators are aggresive and every year kill a few people in Florida. I love Captiva and Sannibel heavily damaged by Wilma alot of structures were destroyed.Many of the islands south of there have been overrun by water monitors and pythons released by idiots into the wild. Marye the time I spent in Muir (?) woods was one of my lifes highlights.You are lucky to be so close to Monterrey. Muir and Yosemite and the wine country. And the road goes on forever.... BobbaLee
  • marye
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    sounds great...
    I've never been to Miami, but I'll never forget my trip to Sanibel and Captiva. More about wildlife than plants, I suppose, but so beautiful. And so unlike the California clay. With gorgeous shells strewn on the beach like litter! I don't know that I'll ever have occasion to go back, but it sure was gorgeous. How often does one see alligators AND crocodiles in the wild on the same day?
  • BobbaLee
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    Spring time in miami
    Yes this is the spring. It means cool to warm tempatures low humidity and everything is putting out new leaves. In about a month the tempature will rise to the upper 80's and humidity of about 80-90% all day long. I know I know everyone thinks Miami is Palm Trees and sand. Well the palm trees you are thinking of are coconuts and not native to Miami. Miami Beach is man made (mostly). They dregged the bay and made islands. Covered them with sand and hotels. Most of Miami a 150 years ago was called Pine Rockland. Which is tall pine trees with palmetto bushes, hard rock and a few other plants like coontie etc.the pine is called Dade County pine and is one of the hardest woods in the world. The Everglades kind of started where our airport is today.In fact at one time there were rapids along the Miami River that were demolished in the 1880s to make way for farm land. Miami is not a jungle. It is in fact a pretty dry place most of the year because we cannot store water-it drains through the limestone into the ocean.Yes it may rain alot but it goes swiftly out to sea. Miami also had very beautiful hammocks and mangrove areas. It is home to the largest variety of rare plants in the world. In my yard is the southernmost Sugar Hackberry in the United States plus other rare plants. I belong to the Native Plant Society which is dedicated to restoring yards and habitats to the original ecosytem.I have a small amount of grass however most of my yard is covered with ground covers,bushes and trees that feed birds, bugs and butterflies.Today I counted over 40 butterflies in my yard plus numerous snakes,lizards and birds. I don't fertilize or spray anyhting in my yard. If you want to see what Miami used to look like visit Bill Baggs state Park, the Everglades national park and Shark Valley. And the road goes on forever.... BobbaLee
  • Ami
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    it's all coming up...
    pea pods. I usually don't wait for the May 15th frost-free date in PA, so I end up covering some areas in clear tarp overnight, but it seems that everything is doing well to date! i have 5 big perennial flower gardens that the squirrels seem to have finally left alone this winter. A friend suggested planting a few daffodil bulbs with each cluster of other plants since they are poisonous to the little critters. I have small tufts of daffodils everywhere which is pretty and then to boot- all the other stuff is coming up for a change. The veggie garden is all planted and ready, so we'll see what comes up well. last year everything did well, this year I put in a few things from plant rather than all seed. I got peppers and 2 kinds of eggplant plants because peppers never grow for me from seed, despite adding sulfer... i also put in some romaine from plant, last year it took so long for the plants to get to size. The topsy turvy idea looks good, I think end of summer last year a varmint or two got to the squash and tomatoes. so here's to what hopes to be a good garden year. Ami
  • Hozomeen
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    topsy turvey tomatoes
    Last year I got my vegetable garden tilled and ready, got all my tomato cages and stuff gathered up, and I even got all my seeds started, but then something happened and I couldn't get everything put out. My vegetable garden was about a thirty minute hike from the house. I needed to do something a little smaller in scale that would be closer and easier. I had seen advertisements for these topsy turvey tomato planters in catalogs and online. Being the busy body I am, I couldn't just go out and buy one, so I got to thinking and came up with something that worked out pretty well. First I got a couple of 4x4 posts and bolted them to the front of my potting table. I had a couple of pieces of aluminum angle iron...I guess that would be angle aluminum...funny, I always call it angle iron no matter what it's made of, usually its made out of steel...so I took these pieces of angled material and ran them side by side across the tops of the 4x4 posts to make a flat ledge with a gap in the middle. This was step one. Next I took some big terra cotta planters. I had my seed starts ready and pick out some of the healthiest ones. For tomatoes I did a cherokee purple, jersey devil, and a stump of the world. I also did a squash plant, a white half runner bean, and some peas. Each start was in a peat pellet. Turning each planter sideways I inserted the tiny plants through the drain hole in the bottom of each planter. Next I balanced the planter on the potting table while I added compost on top of the plant, leaving only the tiny little seed start sticking out the bottom. Finally, I placed each planter along the ledge with the starts dangling through the gap in-between the aluminum angle pieces...this part I wouldn't recommend, I tried to pair each plant with something that would compliment it, like basil or spearmint or something to just hold the soil down on top. I found that they were competing for water and nutrients. This would work well if you could set up a drip feed system and give them a steady diet of compost tea I suppose, but for me, watering by hand, it was cumbersome. I wished later that I had just used some moss to hold the soild down. It turned out great. The plants tried to grow up, but when they got heavy, especially with fruit, they hung down nicely...and best of all they didn't touch the ground. I think the squash did the best. The peas didn't do so well, but I will say that if you wanted to do a whole slue of peas or beans like this that it might do good with some planning and preparation, neither of which I ever seem to do despite my best efforts ahead of time. The tomatoes did really well also. The half runner beans weren't as happy. They still wanted to wrap and cling, and when I would train them down the post they would stop growing that vine and start another one up toward the main plant. The same thing happened with the peas. The tomatoes and squash needed no training, twine, wire, or cage, they just hung in there. If anyone is interested in doing this and has questions let me know. I am going away this weekend, but when I get back I will check to see if I have any photos to show you. I think I have a video of something else that has it in the background. I also did some cool things with lavender and sewer tiles that turned out better than I expected...but that is another story... Put your good where it will do the most. -The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test
  • Sunshine-daydr…
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    Spring
    It is very confused here none of my bulbs are through yet, but the wild spring stuff is starting to flower, Orchids, buttercups, Poppies, catkins on trees. etc Bob - - - - - - - - - - - - - - http://spanishsunshinedaydream.blogspot.com/ http://www.facebook.com/photos.php?id=633338979 Spanish Jam
  • heathaafeathaa
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    playin in the dirt
    been doing some yard work its been nice since i got back from mass.seems like spring,from snow to spring.hummm,quantiumleep...just cleanning out old weeds some flowers are popping threw.daffodils,first sign of spring.
  • c_c
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    Dragon Seeds
    http://www.chili-seeds.com/products.asp?cat=10&pg=3 I am not sure about the soil in Spain, but the Thai Dragon seeds might work. then again, you should start them off in pots anyways. here is some advice: http://www.chili-seeds.com/growing_chilli_plants.asp by the way, I have never used that site for ordering/buying seeds; I just found it when I searched for Thai chilli. if you are not in a big hurry, I can probably mail you some seeds that I can buy in Thailand in a month or so. peace.
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So after getting a fairly gratifying amount of long-overdue yard work done over the holiday weekend, I am getting a big kick out of the fact that decades' worth of chance-acquired plants are starting to look like they belong together. And then in another topic JurassicBlueberries was holding forth on the care and feeding of blueberry plants, and what with one thing and another, I bet we've got gardeners here. Let's talk! (PS: Folks, this should probably go without saying, but if your gardening efforts involve the cultivation of plants illegal in your jurisdiction, please do not post about them here. For all practical purposes, everyone in the world can read what you post here, and that definitely includes your local law enforcement. Or your not-so-local law enforcement. Or your mama. Silence is golden.)
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Well, actually it does have a pretty good climate; about the only things that don't thrive here require fairly extreme heat or cold. E.g. tulip bulbs--it doesn't get cold enough to give them the freeze they need to come back year after year. Roses, hydrangeas, wisterias, honeysuckles, flowering fruit trees all do great here. However, I have learned the hard way over the years that there is no point arguing with the plant as to whether it likes it here, as it will make up its own mind in the matter. I have been trying without success to encourage the pale yellow and pink nasturtiums to take over, but the vigorous orange ones grow like weeds and drive them out. Just planted a rosebush my neighbor decided she didn't want any more. As I recall the flowers are sort of burnt orange (the name is Hot Cocoa). So far so good...
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I love gardening and live in southern California, so the growing is pretty easy!Under normal circumstances.... My back yard is dominated by an enormous avocado tree and underneath it is a large dirt patch. I wasn't sure what to plant there since it will receive no sunlight at all, but my friend convinced me to try putting my potted aloe plants under the tree to see how they would do. Aloe is a plant that I always assumed needed lots of sun, but all of my aloe was pretty sunburnt, so I took my friend's advise. Lo and behold, the aloe appeared to be growing beautifully under the tree, so I decided to transplant out of the pots and into the ground under the tree. Then I come home to find my golden lab had dug them all up and made a mud bath in their place...grrr.... I scolded her and replanted. 2 days later the same thing happened... After going through the same routine a few times, I finally had to give up! The dog beat me... I thought that aloe would be uncomfortable enough for my pup that she wouldn't try to make her bed there, but obviously my hound is smarter than I am... My only consolation is that maybe the dog is giving the tree some added nutrients. Still looking for a good place to plant what's left of my aloe.
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there is also no point arguing with the dog in these matters. I've been pleasantly surprised at how various cacti and succulents are thriving with fairly minimal sun, as that's mostly what I've got for 'em.
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every year i plant scarlet begonias on the front porch-this year's are the best. trying to get some magnolia to grow-we'll see next year. yes, there is a theme to my gardening. anybody think of some lyrical botanical i may be missing?? nothing left to do but smile, smile, smile
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they have Shakespeare gardens--what would be in a Grateful Dead garden? A weeping willow, of course. And a river, most likely.
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thanks stellablue!!! i do plan on doing some nice rose bushes in the spring of '08. nothing left to do but smile, smile, smile
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wonder if they have St. Stephen statues for the garden.
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....they're turning orange now. My wife planted one for the first time ever at our new home and it went crazy. We have 13 nice sized specimens now, with possibly more on the way (I may insist we keep only 13 - just kidding). I plan to spend all Halloween night waiting in the patch for the Great Pumpkin. "All energy flows according to the whims of the Great Magnet. What a fool I was to defy him."
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gotta be a sunflower there ...and a china cat to go with it
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i have the sunflowers, first seed born(LegaL) plants i ever succeeded with. but is there a connection of the pumpkins and the dead that i am missing, or do u just like pumpkins and charlie brown?? nothing left to do but smile, smile, smile
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No sweat gypsy soul, there are several references to GD but none are songs. One is very obscure and I wouldn't expect most folks to "get it". Give it a try first, then I'll reveal. Don't make me add Impatience to my list of flowers to plant. "All energy flows according to the whims of the Great Magnet. What a fool I was to defy him."
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'High green chilly winds and windy vines in loops around thetwining shafts of lavender, they're crawling to the sun' How beautiful would that be, but can you count chilly as chile? ’to lay me down with my head in sparklin' clover’ this is fun
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Underfoot the ground is patchedWith arms of ivy wrapped around the manzanita, Stark and shiny in the breeze. This is gonna be one heck of a garden!
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Going to plant a weeping willowOn the bank's green edge it will grow, grow, grow The Dude Abides!
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I can't spell it but do you mean IMPATIENS, i have them too, lavender is coming next spring, as is the ivy. still thinking about the pumpkin thing..... nothing left to do but smile, smile, smile
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...homonym of the pronoun, impatience. You are correct. I was trying to be funny not intelligent, which is one of the few acts I can accomplish without effort. "All energy flows according to the whims of the Great Magnet. What a fool I was to defy him."
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All the leaves turned to watch him die. He had to die. "All energy flows according to the whims of the Great Magnet. What a fool I was to defy him."
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i appreciate your humor. ok are we talking about the great pumpkin, peanuts, pig pen connection??? nothing left to do but smile, smile, smile
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Yes!!! You are correct!!!! (I wish I had a prize to give you). In addition (of course) to the total Halloween - Dead connection. I mean the holiday seemed to be OURS, if you know what I mean. It was a stretch, I'll admit but you guys were just talking about him in another post and the origins of his nick name.Anyone want to try the other GD reference? "All energy flows according to the whims of the Great Magnet. What a fool I was to defy him."
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Everyone must understand that Golden Road is a Mog; half man, half dog. He's his own best friend. Opps, I should've posted this over in the movie section - sorry. You're not wrong Walter, you're just an asshole!
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So I think I'll drift for ol' where it's at, where the weed grows green and fineAnd wrap myself around a bush of that bright, whoa, on Oaxaca vine. Yes, it's me, I'm the Pride of Cucamonga, I can see golden forests in the sun. Woops, better leave this one out unless you're into being incarcerated
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All around the garden grew scarlet and purple and crimson and blue.She came dead and she went, and at last went away, the garden was sealed when the flowers decayed. On the wall of the garden a legend did say, no one may come here since no one may stay. This is too much fun, I better get back to work
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Life sucks for me at the present time. Three months now since she's been gone... I just heard 'Never Trust a Woman' resently and I think I'm going to take it's advice... I'm going to New York and hopping on the Rat Dog Tour in Oct. and following it till Unemployment runs out ( 25 weeks)or my car dies.... Love.....
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alright, i have some golden sage growing already. i will add the rosemary, can't do the other "herb" mentioned-oaxaca vine sounds like it may not do well in my climate, but i will look into it. next summer, i will share photos of this family effort. thanks for all the suggestions and keep 'em comin'. and hey jaimealphamale-sorry dude be safe on the tour. still thinking about the other pumpkin reference. peace all nothing left to do but smile, smile, smile
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haven't got a garden now , but the roof terrace always has a Scarlet Begonia Bob - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Spanish Jam
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Glad you said that, Bob, about the begonias. Means I can have some on my balcony. What else grows well in a pot in southern Spain, and looks nice? Are orange trees on all of the streets of Sevilla, so perhaps a small citrus tree would work? Lemon? José said that all of the wild Sevillian oranges are sold to Britain to be used in bitters.
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two in one from mountains of the moon... Hey, Tom Banjo hey a laurel, more than laurel you may sow. More than laurel you may sow. Hey, the laurel, hey the city in the rain, Hey, hey, hey the wild wheat waving in the wind. there's a member calling himself Tom Banjo somewhere out there I seem to recall........
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mountain laurel just happens to be out state flower!!! i don't know if i can grow wheat in my yard though! nothing left to do but smile, smile, smile
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Geraniums and Carnations The seville oranges are used in making Marmalade A citrus tree would work fine Bob - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Spanish Jam
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Hey Gypsy Soul,Know is not from Dead lyrics or anything, but lavender planted amongst rose bushes is a wonderful non-chemical pest repellant. Helps with things like aphids. The color contrast can also be really lovely, depending on what color roses you wanna plant, AND the combination of odors is like some wonderful natural perfume!
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Skippin' through the lily fields I came across an empty spaceLily's are nice. I believe these were already mentioned. And yes gypsy soul, you are probably correct that oaxaca vine would not do well in your climate, especially the present legal climate as it is a reference to the "herb" grown in that region of Mexico.
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are so dull. How about bourganvilla (sp?)? Have seen it growing all over Lisbon, so perhaps would work in Spain too? Think I will have to do some internet research.
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We have parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme in our garden. And the Dead connections could be that Scarborough Fair is a folk song, which Jerry and Bob played lots of, probably even this one at some time and. Made famous by Simon and Garfunkel and I read that Jerry states that Paul Simon was an influence on his songwriting. Do I contradict myself? Very well then I contradict myself, (I am large, I contain multitudes.) Walt Whitman-Song of Myself
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gypsy, as I recall health food/smoothie places have wheatgrass growing in flats for assorted healthy concoctions, so you might be able to obtain some and let it mature...
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The big trailing carnations you get here aren't boring bougainvilleas grow really well here Bob - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Spanish Jam
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I report a startling development among the houseplants. Suddenly two of the pots (a chinese evergreen and a pothos, both rooted cuttings from a few years back) are awash in what I first thought was moss but are, in fact, dozens and dozens of baby maidenhair ferns. Maidenhair ferns are, at least in my experience, not the easiest of plants. I've killed every one that I've bought. But about five years ago, one sprouted spontaneously in the pot of a zygocactus, is now good sized, and I guess it's the parent of all this hopeful progeny. I find myself walking over to the pots, looking at them, and giggling. I can't believe they'll all make it, and if they do it'll be a long time before they're anything but fragile babies, but what a hoot. I am consumed with envy that carnations grow well in Sevilla. I love carnations, especially the old-fashioned ones that haven't had all the fragrance bred out of them, but haven't had much luck growing them.
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Maidenhair ferns are a favourite of mine too.. but I have also killed off more than my fair share. Near my house there is a deep shady place under a crumbling limestone cliff in the forest where little maidenhair ferns flourish in the cracks and crevices. I have so far resisted the temptation to take some home, because I know what would happen, so I just visit them now and then. If they have found their way to Marye’s place, they must really like it there!
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I will miss my tiny little pond and waterfall that is in a sunny corner of my garden. The pond that was so much work to make, but has brought so many hours of enjoyment. Have spent some wonderful evenings sitting in the yard listening to the waterfall, and summer afternoons enjoying the waterlilys that thrive in this pond. Have made gallons of tea with the water mint I planted, and spent hours on my knees with the kids, watching tadpoles turn into frogs, or dragonflys slip out of their cocoons, or water irises bloom. Has been a 6 year battle with algae and mosquito larvae, and probably about 300 hours explaining to the kids why is not a good idea to sail boats in this pond, and major battles with the dog's mad desire to jump in, in hot pursuit of a frog, or arguing with the neighbor about how the frogs croaking at night are a natural sound and NOT noise pollution; but has all been worth it. Digging and filling and planting and populating this pond has been an amazing ongoing microcosm/biology/botany lesson for the kids that can't be beat.
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on rereading, noticed that I misspelled waterlilies. Damn!
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you won't believe this. They've turned up in another pot. I'm actually kind of freaking about how to avoid killing them, since I'm not at all sure what it is they like at this stage or why, this year of all years, they're going nuts. Sort of between the Scylla and Charybdis of letting them dry out too much or having them succumb to the dread Damping Off. They're growing in pots that have been regularly watered with the coffeepot-rinsing water (which definitely agrees with most plants) but at this stage I think that's way too acid for them... In short, I'm rapidly becoming an anxious plant parent.
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I love 'em. I feel your pain, TigerLilly, because if I had to leave one behind I'd be very bummed. My folks have a really nice fish pond with koi and goldfish at their house.
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You can always go out into Donana or to the ocean Bob - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Spanish Jam
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...blossom's blooming She's got everything delightful She's got everything I need Rolling in the rushes down by the riverside She's got everything delightful She's got everything I need A breeze in the pines in the summer night moonlight Sunshine daydream Walk you the tall trees Going where the wind goes Blooming like a red rose Breathing more freely Light out singing I'll walk you in the morning sunshine Sunshine daydream Walk you in the sunshine Oh yeah! "All energy flows according to the whims of the Great Magnet. What a fool I was to defy him."
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Marye All I know is that Maidenhairs like limestone soil and that all ferns prefer rainwater......I collect it for mine whenever it rains.....but I suppose with so many you could set up some trials. Where did the compost come from that is in all the pots ..from the same source? we have a nice piece of land, but most of it has only 0-6 inches of soil over limestone. Its not so much gentle gardening round here as rock farming! Planting anything large requires 30 minutes with a pickaxe, but once things get going they can push their roots though the rock. We have an old ash and a walnut over 40 feet high..I do not know how they do it. But the wild limestone plants are amazing (four species of wild orchid in the garden and another 15 species in the area) ..so we are trying to encourage them. This year we rebuilt 20 metres of dry stone wall and inserted all sorts of ferns as we went and they are all doing fine. Now we are going to get some haybales from flower rich meadows and scatter them over our place for the seeds. We want a pond too, but will require rock drills to dig it and then we would have to line it as water just disappears through the limestone I tend to work on the computer for 2 hours and then do 30 minutes in the garden all day long ..its a great routine all round...feel so lucky
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the soil in the pots is more or less what I threw in the pot whenever I was potting what was in it, which in some cases was three years ago. I think the likely vector is the spore-laden parent plant's proximity to the pots in question -- one with the Chinese Evergreen, one with pothos cuttings, and one with a motley assortment of whatever I put in it to root (that one is fairly heavy on vermiculite) -- but why this year, when they've been in more or less the same spot for years? Go figure. The parent plant itself is no doubt the result of a surviving spore in the recycled soil of some fern I killed, because one day it was just there with the Christmas cactus, which is descended from cuttings I just stuck in there... My favorite of the serendipitous pots is the one outside where, again, I stuck some Christmas cactus when the pot it was in broke. Soon the spider plant had moved in, no surprise there. But a few weeks ago I went to water the pot and it had half a dozen baby oak trees! The squirrels here are very inclined to bury acorns in the flowerpots and then forget about them. I wanna see a picture of this garden of yours...
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Me too! And lining a pond is expensive, but works well. Had to do that too, as the ground we have is all sand, under the dirt. Marye, can second badger that ferns like limestone soil. A couple have taken root on the little hill we built for our waterfall, and this hill contains ALOT of rubble from the old farm building that is right in behind the pond. The wall surface is crumbling, and this wall consists of sandstone bricks, and a lime coating. The ferns seem to like this place, as they are thriving, as I said,came on their own, and seem to like the moist air from the waterfall. Will be crossing my fingers that you keep some alive, 'cuz sounds like a small miracle. Am slowly under the impression that ferns are very free-spirited and independant plants. Really cool!
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although poisonous( i did try to eat a berry before i knew what it was), i have a bunch of Poke (or polk) salad growing in the back. also known as inkberries-taste terrible. didn't think that it grew in the NE of the US. not dead related, but it does have a song named for it POLK SALAD ANNIE. PEACE nothing left to do but smile, smile, smile