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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.)
Oakland, garden spot of the world...
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...
The garden vs. the hound
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.
my greenish thumb
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
very true...
they have Shakespeare gardens--what would be in a Grateful Dead garden? A weeping willow, of course. And a river, most likely.
Pumpkins....
....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."
i agree, but what is the pumpkin connection
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
Impatience???
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."
more for the GD garden
'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
More inhabitants for the garden
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!
Weeping Willow
Going to plant a weeping willowOn the bank's green edge it will grow, grow, grow
The Dude Abides!
IMPATIENCE
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
Impatiens...
...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."
Escaping Through the Lilly Fields
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."
the great pumkin
i appreciate your humor. ok are we talking about the great pumpkin, peanuts, pig pen connection???
nothing left to do but smile, smile, smile
Pig Pen
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."
Yes, it's me, I'm the Pride of Cucamonga
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
Rosemary
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
Life sucks for me at the
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.....
ok this is good
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
Scarlet Begonia
haven't got a garden now , but the roof terrace always has a Scarlet Begonia
Bob
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Spanish Jam
Spanish Begonias
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.
got another one
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........
THANKS BADGER
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
Flowers in Spain
Geraniums and Carnations
The seville oranges are used in making Marmalade
A citrus tree would work fine
Bob
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Spanish Jam
compliment for roses
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!
Lily's
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.
Carnations
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.
Not a Dead Song, but
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
Carnations
The big trailing carnations you get here aren't boring
bougainvilleas grow really well here
Bob
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Spanish Jam
interrupting the flow of grateful dead gardens...
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.
maidenhair ferns
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!
Sigh
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.
badger...
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.
Sugar Magnolia
...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."
maidenhair ferns and limestone delights
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
badger...
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...
badger
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!
found another musical plant in my yard
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
is that the same as Deadly Nightshade?
Polk Salad Annie-great song, but I never knew what the plant was.