Growing/sharing/learning to garden: 2022

[Bsuds]

I used to like to grow roses, they don't seem to enjoy the weather here much tho

Then why can't I get rid of the ones growing where I don't want them?

[Lady tehMa]

Some of my roses have died off, a very few are flourishing, and about 3 died back to the root and the rootstock (not the graft) has come back determinedly.

normaM, that's gorgeous!

[normaM]

thanks, I am happy with how I trained it
I'll take some pix of the black lace later
My fav so I have many.... right now I am training the ones on the one side of the back.
If I had different sun and shade I'd do a moon garden
Love moon gardens, enchanting
I dislike most flowers and refuse to have plants in my home, will get orchids as long they double stemmed and only white
Only Oriental Lilies too.. white
Mercy, surprised I have a single friend
" oh thanks for the flowers, hate that riot of color
White poppies, I MUST have white poppies
I have a place they would enjoy
What kind of roses Sudsy?
BAck home I had like 50 rose bushes, PITA

[normaM]

Back home I got a iron gazebo, planted around it, second year it looked like this - lil girls came and had tea paries, it became massive and ppl had wedding photos taken in it
picture looks small, it was huge,

[Lady tehMa]

Wow, lovely!

Today I worked preparing a garden bed for planting.

Husband is having our front walkway and carport slab lifted on Tuesday. He told me I need to move plants, as they might die during the process. I was not pleased. I started around 10:00 am today, came in around 6pm. Got a headache and some dizziness from the sun. I did drink lots of water, had a hat & sunscreen & bandanna.

The bed I will be transplanting to is dug, now I just need to go through it and sift for roots. Then transplant, figure out the new water patterns for irritation, fertilize and cover with landscape fabric. I'm going to be busy tomorrow. And possibly Monday. I hope I'm done tomorrow, though.

[normaM]

when it hit the top it was fab. The girly parties inside were a giggle
I am looking when I walk baby to spot any white poppies I can get seeds from.
I read oone shouldn't use landscape fabric

Is landscape fabric a good idea?

Landscaping fabric generally works as a weed barrier for a year or less before its usefulness starts declining. In fact, and according to the University of Florida, its long-term use can negatively affect soil and plant health

[Queen K]

I invite Florida people to come see my jungle and all the landscape fabric I have all over the place. Great to walk on, sweep-able and I put my raised beds right over it. Worked for over 10 years before raspberry canes broke through.

Lovely idea for the trellis NormaM.

Also, if anyone doubts blueberries grow in the Okanagan I assure you this deal is the best! Loaded plants this year. It does take time though, a couple of years but omigod once they start coming in you got blueberries for decades. Minimal care too.

https://www.castanet.net/edition/news-s ... htm#372951

[Babba_not_Gump]

^^^
We had about twenty blueberry plants though last year they took a hit with the heat dome. Not sure how they're doing now but when we sold this spring it looked like most had new growth.

And now for my balcony garden boxes.
Wifey came home and as expected, not everything in them got the thumbs up.
Wifey: "Why so many flowers? We need food."
Me: "Because when I'm out on the balcony and you're not there, there's just no colour around. The flowers remind me of you." (It appears to have worked.)
Me, silently

And on a more serious note, I'm sticking a trimmed green onion in one of the boxes.

[rustled]

when it hit the top it was fab. The girly parties inside were a giggle
I am looking when I walk baby to spot any white poppies I can get seeds from.
I read oone shouldn't use landscape fabric

Is landscape fabric a good idea?

Landscaping fabric generally works as a weed barrier for a year or less before its usefulness starts declining. In fact, and according to the University of Florida, its long-term use can negatively affect soil and plant health

Like Queen K, I've had very good success with landscaping fabric that has held up for many years. The stuff that comes "by the meter" on a big roll (like flooring) from the landscape supply place, where they sell rocks and sand and soil. (Years ago, I tried the stuff that comes on small rolls from the hardware store, and it didn't last at all.) I don't know about the negative affects, though.

[rustled]

^^^
We had about twenty blueberry plants though last year they took a hit with the heat dome. Not sure how they're doing now but when we sold this spring it looked like most had new growth.

And now for my balcony garden boxes.
Wifey came home and as expected, not everything in them got the thumbs up.
Wifey: "Why so many flowers? We need food."
Me: "Because when I'm out on the balcony and you're not there, there's just no colour around. The flowers remind me of you." (It appears to have worked.)
Me, silently

And on a more serious note, I'm sticking a trimmed green onion in one of the boxes.

Those look great, bb49.

[Queen K]

^^^
We had about twenty blueberry plants though last year they took a hit with the heat dome. Not sure how they're doing now but when we sold this spring it looked like most had new growth.

And now for my balcony garden boxes.
Wifey came home and as expected, not everything in them got the thumbs up.
Wifey: "Why so many flowers? We need food."
Me: "Because when I'm out on the balcony and you're not there, there's just no colour around. The flowers remind me of you." (It appears to have worked.)
Me, silently

And on a more serious note, I'm sticking a trimmed green onion in one of the boxes.

Only one? ONE whole green onion? I had a client who lived on the 9th or 10th floor in Executive House. Wheelchair bound. She planted green onions, peppers and tomato plants on her balcony. Needed us to water them. Against IH rules UNLESS you split hairs because the actual rule is to not water houseplants. Me: balcony food plants are not "houseplants" as I poured gallons of water on them.

We had another 90 plus year old with a North facing balcony in an old apt. block. She says, "wanna see my Romas"? So I go out there and behold HUGE Roma tomato plants, loaded, three of them. Wow! Will/Way.

[Babba_not_Gump]

^^^
Okay, there are two. Do you know how big they get?

I only wanted to stick one in the dirt. I recall other years growing them, pulling them out in the fall and they're over 3 feet tall.

On another note, I also picked up some chives.
Sitting on the balcony the other day and my cat Misty is checking out the plants, sniffing every one of them.

She gets to the chives and starts munching away.
Hmm. I Google cats and chives.

No! They are toxic to cats.

I move the plant and the fight is on. She's persistent but I don't give her an inch. Pretty soon she's *bleep* at me. Runs into the kitchen and jumps up on the cabinets, where she's not allowed, and glares at me.

I had better pick up a grass plant for her.

[Babba_not_Gump]

Here's Misty, up on the kitchen cabinets glaring at me.

[Catsumi]

Promote peace Bb

Plant catnip. Everyone happy.

I never had good luck with the landscape fabric at any price….tore and ripped as I fiddled around…. weeds grew on top of it just fine in top of it even with no soil present….and mixed with rocks just made matters worse.

Gave up on rocks and landscape fabrics altogether, (got rid of them in night’s darkest hours.)

What DID work (I can hear you, “oh no, not this again”) was sheer nylon curtains. They will not rot or tear unless you are brutish with them. I created a new veg growing area where the truly hated wild morning glory had infested the soil. A hopeless case some would say. There is no other weed that sends roots from darkest side of hell to appear in your yard.

I dug out the soil onto a heavy plastic sheet, then placed sheers in the ‘dugout’ being sure that ends were slightly protruding (4”).

Then, shovelled back soil into dugout, removing each and every one of those extremely white roots of Morning Glory as I proceeded. You can’t miss them if you do this step with some care.

I grew lovely veggies, weed free, for 5 years. When I sold, this simple system was still functioning as before. Weed roots cannot penetrate the sheers but water, fertilizer, moves freely.

This does not allow for rototilling which is harmful to soil, but no need for it anyway…just loosen soil with a small spade, plant and water.

The reason for letting sheer ends show is so that you know where NOT to deep shovel. Semi-hide ends with a light cover of soil, edging, or in my case, lawn was the edging.

……

Grass hindering you from setting up a garden? Work-free method I used was old carpeting removed from house spread out on proposed new garden area. Cuts off the 3 major requirements of grass and weed proliferation. Depending on when you put it down I found that one year to 1-1/2 years killed grass , weeds and seeds, with NO work being done and NO chemicals needed.

The big trick is, do not remove the carpet for ANY reason as any light, water or nutrient will restart the cycle again.

With some thought beforehand you can cut down on “garbage” going to landfill without doing double duty.

Remay row covers, not much different from sheers, that are almost “free” by comparison, from thrift shops, do the same job

Everyone knows someone who is getting rid of old carpet…make it work for you before it hits the landfill. Win-win.

[alanjh595]

Have you ever compared the price of sheer fabric @ Fannies to the cost of landscape fabric?