Vikings:Hosta is so hardy you can hardly kill them....they can be split up at almost any time as long as they don't get tpp dry after transplanting.  Water them well and they should be fine

Foxy Lady:  We are just getting colder nights now...leaves are just beginning to turn.  Even though we are just a few hours driving distance apart, Long Island is in a different climate zone than Ithaca, I think.  We don't have as severe winters as you do.  I spent some time in Wisconsin this summer....man, do they have brutal winters.

Bernice:You are so lucky to have summer when we have winter, and virtually no winter at all for you either
Dolittle:  I guess you are living up to your name by not planting at all  LOL
Foxy:  How are the babes? I hope winter doesn't hit you too hard this year.
Tuesday: Thanks for the compliment...Did you ever get those curlers out of your hair?

Time to plant BULBS, everyone!

I have been absent from this board for a while because of work but will check in more often now that it's getting toward winter
How did everyone's garden grow this year?

Bernice:

You might want to cut off some of the flowers in order for the tree to stay symettrical and allow the fruit which remains to grow to fruition

Foxy Lady:
Are you talking about those cute little lucky bamboo house plants?
They don't need much at all
A little food now and then and lots of water
What I was talking about earlier was some variety of woody bamboo which is prolific and spreads better than any screen I have ever seen.  But you can't plant it near buildings.  You'll have big trouble.

Rednaz23: There may be something in powdered milk which affects the ph or the potassium or the nitrogen in the soil
I don't think calcium would help tomatoes. They're not bones!  LOL

It's an interesting idea
I'll check it out

skipinnz:

We have some brush killer we could use but I am reluctant
Is your woody weed killer safe for the water table and surrounding plants?
It doesn't really matter in this case because we had to stomp all over the peonies and creeping phlox and bulbs to get this stuff out.
I have to replant the entire area anyway but how long would it take for a weed killer to kill the weed and still allow new plantings to survive.  I know I didn't get it all

Foxy Lady:

You are quite welcome Foxy
I spent most of the worktime hours digging up bamboo which I unfortunately planted too close to the greenhouse 5 years ago
Darn but those roots are deep and spread like tentacles under the building and the sidewalk.
I am feeling a little sore tonight due to the use of pitchfork and shovel

BerniceC:

I am glad that I could help
The flowers are beautiful  and look like peace lilies

BerniceC:

Hi Bernice
What you have is an anthurium  They prefer tropical climates and low light...they grow wild in rain forests due to the shade and abundant humidity....but do not over water it in your house.  The lack of humidity somehow makes them need less water in a home...unless you live in a green house.  I repeat, let it dry out slightly between waterings and cut off the dead blooms as soon as they wither. Feed it like any house plant but do not put into direct sunlight as the leaves will burn.  These types of plants prefer to be pot bound. That promotes flowering.
Good luck

Foxy Lady:

NO NO NO SNOW!
We are getting rained on heavily for the next week, or so it appears.

Good for those May Flowers!

Foxy Lady:

April showers bring May Flowers


What do Mayflowers bring?


Pilgrims...     a dumb little kid joke

Foxy Lady:

Please keep it to yourself up there, Foxy !!!!!
My daffodils are trying to open

BerniceC:

I understand how many varieties of Oxalis could become a pestic plant in certain locales.  It could not survive the winters such as we have in the northern USA.  It is typically sold in the USA as an ornamental houseplant, especially around St. Patty's Day.  I can imagine though that a field of them could be quit lovely to see, however difficult they are too kill off.  Much like bamboo.
In Maine there are certain varieties of lithrum which are considered weeds, but purchased here in NY by avid gardeners for their beauty and hardiness.  In Hawaii the verbena and impatiens that are naturalized there are pulled out as weeds.

nobleheart:

http://www.easytogrowbulbs.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=13&gclid=COjG9pC-gosCFQstUAodiGDwEQ

Turns out Shamrocks (Oxalis)  are a bulb
We buy them in from other wholesales and don't grow them ourselves

Hope the link works

nobleheart:
Sorry to answer so late
We sell a plant around St. Patty's Day which is marketed as Irish Shamrocks
It is called Oxalis and it has large clover shaped leaves and tiny little white or bluish flowers
The leaves can be bright green or a deep red
I'll try to find a picture

Foxy Lady:

Did it melt all the snow and ice?

nobleheart:

It sounds like a little prayer and is adorable
I am impatiens for spring, myself

Foxy Lady:

You all upstaters got a lot more snow than we did here
It's mostly just ice here now, but we are above freezing finally for the second day in a row!

I am very lucky to be working in a greenhouse
Here in NY, USA we just planted our crop of Geraniums and New Guinea Impatiens in 4 inch pots and hanging baskets
It's so nice to walk in and see the little cuttings in the soil and smell the air.
Even though the ground is covered in snow and ice, you can tell that spring is not that far away. 

Gr☺uch☺:
You have hair?

Mousetrap:

Cats are smart enough not to jump into water even though they can swim, if necessary
They prefer rooting out little rodents in dark places because they can hear them and smell them. 
They have the patience of, well, cats, to wait for hours for their prey to come out of it's hidy-hole.

You are better off making friends of the alligator than to try to hide from a cat, my little mousy friend.  LOL

Mousetrap:

Over my dead body!

☼ajtgirl☼:

Gosh
I just remembered that this is the gardening fellowship
We are supposed to be talking about plants, and flowers and crops, etc!

Foxy will be MAD!

Mousetrap:

LOl those cats will easilly breed faster than the alligators or the mice and you all will have a huge problem on your hands.
Unless you import some pirhanna

Mousetrap:
a most excellent idea
Throw some ducks  and fishes in to feed the alligators...you could create an entire ecosystem
Mice from time to time, if necessary

"Snoopy":

If you had told me that you have local sobs sitting against the side of your house in the beginning,
 I would have given you better suggestions.
Such as: ANY THING with thorns would do, eh?
How about a man eating plant?
They can provide great entertainment

"Snoopy":

How about azaleas?
Or rhododendrons?
They both flower and grow fairly quickly and are easy to care for.

Those look like snowdrops...some type of bulb that blooms in early spring
I don't know their real name

nobleheart:

Did you ever see Edward Sissorhands?  LOL

Rose:

Hi Rose
There are hundreds of varieties of sunflowers.  Some grow short (3-5 feet) and are branching, meaning they have many flowers from one central stem.  Others can be 12 feet tall with one giganting flower at the top and smaller flowers coming out along the stem below.  It just depends on what variety you have.  We have planted some called sunbeam, moonbright, sunbright, Van Gogh Mix,  Italian white, and lemon, just to name a few.  They can have all different colored disks and petals

Fiona:

I just read your question and I'll tell you what we do at my greenhouse.  We grow hundreds of sunflowers for making bouquets amd we cut the heads of any flowers we don't use and put them in our boiler room to dry out.  In the spring we shake out the seeds that have dried and replant them.  It is very easy to propogate new sunflower plants with last year's seeds.  A lot of our plants reseed themselves in the fields, just by the seeds falling to the ground in the fall and wintering over in the soil.  You don't need to freeze the seeds, just keep them dry and cool.  The same process is used for morning glories, which also reseed themselves, of course.

BerniceC:

Sounds like you have a good thing going with your man
I hope he appreciates you, too
You go, girl

BerniceC:

I think it's nice that you have a man in your life who you can relax with in the spa!
Way to go girl!

Mousetrap:

Sorry Mousy
I't didn't work for me

Time to plant BULBS everyone!
I bought some Tahiti Daffodils, Forbessi Blue Chionodoxa, Gladiator and Ivory Queen Allium,  Muscari and Anemone

It helps me get through the New England winter knowing I have something to look forward to in the early spring.  It's like a little gift when they come up.

Toofer:
I would assume so but so far no one has mentioned them by name, as far as I know

BerniceC:

A report I heard on the radio stated that the e-coli comes from the manure that the spinach was grown in.
E-coli is apparently an animal by-product, meaning it comes from the intestines of the animal which the manure is used to grow the crops.
Gross!
Where I work we use horse manure all the time but it is steilized at extreme temperatures for many weeks to kill all bacteria.
Perhaps these food companies weren't taking that extra step

It's interesting to me thjat we haven't heard the name of the producer of these bagged spinach products yet.

I am guess it's a big manufacturer and they are being protected so far by the media

Foxy Lady:

The sad thing is that the only way to buy fresh spinach is in bags most of the time
It's pretty hard to find around here any other way, except frozen which is yucky, imo

Bagged salads are so convenient but I guess they're risky now too

spicieangel:
Well then just do it
You can't go wrong
I wish I could tell you what it is but without a photo I am in the dark

spicieangel:

They sound a little like a polka dot plant but I have never seen them flower, ever
Perhaps it is a variety of Rex Begonia
No, now that I re-read your last message it cannot be a rex because
their leaves are large

Tell me about it's root system

Mousetrap:

LOL of course, silly
I meant more pics of your garden

Mousetrap:
That is a tomato plant
Give me more pics

I'd really still like to know if anyone here can tell me more about the flora in southern Texas near Corpus Christie

Thanks for the info
I'll look into it  skipinnz!

skipinnz:

Why do you think grevillia would do well there?
I believe it is part of the gypsophilia family (commonly known as baby's breath)
Can it withstand extreme heat, high humidity and very little rain?

Mousetrap:
You are correct
I actually grew up in West Texas where they grew cotton, corn, sorghum, and cattle  LOL

But southern Texas is very different.  It's practically tropical and arid and I wonder if one can grow daffodils and tulips there at all without the dormant winter period.

Also, what type of ground covers thrive in that heat?

My sister has just bought some property in Rockport, Texas near Corpus Christie
She has lots of gardening questions that I cannot answer
Does anyone here know the area well?

BerniceC:

Ponds are so peaceful with the trickle of the water going in the background.
I'm sure you will love it.
Invite Mousetrap over sometime and he can use it as a swimming pool!

Foxy Lady:

My grandfather owned an apple orchard in Missouri and we spent summers there waiting for the apples to ripen.  They were great right off of the tree.  He also had an apple press for making cider.  I can still smell the workroom where the laborers sifted through the apples to ship out or keep for making cider.