gc

leafy, for me my garden is a haven. It doesn't matter how I'm feeling when I walk outside, I begin to feel better and at peace. Its always been this way for me. The past 2 1/2 years (the time I've been away from home) I've taken on this plot of land that had a little garden in the front filled with a few plants and lots of weeds (my husband's garden) and one potted plant and a couple of trees out back and am turning it into a garden. Most of the time I've had no idea what I was doing or how to go about making it look attractive to me. But I do know that working in my garden has kept me sane and at peace! With being so far away from home, friends and family, there are times I have really hurt for missing them, and all the changes I've dealt with, all I have to do is walk outside and I begin to relax. The weeding, raking, sifting, planting and slug hunting, I love it all! gc

Rum, that is too cool! I don't understand how it happened, but I'm glad it happened for you. :) gc

Hey Kimberly, The fuchsia is doing pretty good. Two of the three plants have made it. I check on both, like you check on a baby, everyday to see if there are new leaf buds ;) The section I've made into a standard seems to be stronger and it looks like there are two young shoots comming up from the roots, which really surprised me. The second one, which I put into my herbaceous bed, is not doing as well as the standard. I'm hoping that it is just taking a little longer to sprout leave buds. Both seem to have at least one branch that is completely bare still. Fingers crossed! gc

Happy Birthday Roy! I hope you are doing well. God's blessings to you. gc

I do love alpines. I have a purple flowering one growing over a garden wall and a beautiful white one out of a pot of heather. An alpine meadow must be beautiful! leafy, I'm almost ready to plant out my tomatoes. I've grown two types this year, one is called Money Maker which is supposed to do very well in the garden. I can't remember the other seed I bought, but it does better in a green house, and ok in the garden. Rum, I don't think you mentioned what you are growing this year? gc

Hey Rum, when I move back to the south I'll have to ask you what to do with bulbs. I'm know I'll remember that something can be done, just not what can be done. Thanks! Bramble, Is it absolutely beautiful living in the Rockies? I can't image! gc

Bramble, which bulbs do you have in bloom? I love bulbs, put them in the ground and the following year they are up and making a show :) In the South of the US I had trouble with most bulbs, if they bloomed, then they would rot before the next year. My tulips and daffodils gave me a beautiful show this year and my lilys and irises are greening out nicely. Sorry to hear you just had snow, when is your last frost usually? gc

Mister P-Mosh, I saw the nutella on the shelves here. I'll have to pick some up and try it. You aren't the first that has suggest I try it. Thanks! gc

Twinky, I think the chard is a good idea. if I don't grow it this year, then definately next year. I've had loads of insects flying around my yard also, but not wasps. At first I thought they could be hoover flies, but not that either. Between the bluebells, tulips, violas, cherry blossoms, flowers on fruit bushes, violets and primulas they are having a hayday! I have to watch my dog with the flying insects, he is the fastest fly catcher around. No idea how to get rid of them without killing them. gc

At last, I have my first vegetables down in part of my raised bed! We aren't finished filling it with soil, but did manage to fill 1/3 of it. So, in that 1/3 I planted some parsnip and beet seeds (or beet root, as my husband says :)), lettuce, yellow onion and spinach. All of my young cabbage have died and most of my cauliflower too. Even my brussels sprounts had a tough time of it, I lost two of those also. On the other hand most of the broccoli has done well, but in anticipation of loosing that too I went ahead and planted more of all four. They have sprouted and are looking good and healthy. I'm almost tempted to grow my tomatoes inside, there are times I would love to have a greenhouse. The bell peppers are healthy, but I hate to condemn them to death by eventually putting them outside. gc

I like that shrub! :) Not it though, both the flowers and leaves are different. When it blooms I'll get a picture of it, though it really resembles a fuchsia in leaf and flower. gc

I looked around the net for the particular shrub but couldn't find it. It looks similar to a fuchsia, but its evergreen and only flowers once, which is a shame. It is similar in flower to your pretty trumpet vine but isn't a vine and hangs more like this fuchsia. I do have a fuchsia that has smilar blooms and my neighbor says its is indeed a fuchsia, but I don't think so. me too! gc

Twinky, are they flowering shrubs you are putting in that border? I'm guessing they are, so what kinds are they? I've just widened my border also. I have a rose bush, 2 young Helleborus and one shrub that the flowers look like a trumpet flowered fuschia (not a fuschia though). I've put in a small sage and another rose which is only a year old, grown from a long stemmed rose a year ago, which is hidden behind the tulips. Once the tulips are finished I want to put in a few flowering perinnials, not sure what else yet. That rain was very gentle here also, but did you get all that wind too? It knocked down my Peris about 4 times and ended up breaking off two young branches. Everything got a wonderful soaking! RumRunner, the copper I was talking about is a copper tape. It doesn't poison the slugs it give them an electrical shock without killing them. gc

Kimberly, maybe that is why my corn was knocked down by the wind, I didn't build up the base of the corn stalks. It rained all weekend for me. But, I still managed to get the small section of my raised vegetable bed filled in and ready for planting. Since it rained and it plans on raining through Tuesday, the bed will be well watered. Metcheck says there will be sun on Wednesday, which will be perfect for planting YEA!! I have white onions, green onions, lettuce, spinach, courgette, beets, parsnips and Tomatoes (third try is the charm, right?) growing and ready to go in! Of course not all of this will fit into the small section, but it will be wonderful to get some in the ground. Next weekend we tackle the large section. I can't wait Then onto our next project! Has anyone every tried copper to keep slugs and snails out of your borders? leafy, I WISH there was room for chickens! My husband and I are talking about getting a hedgehog for the garden. gc edited to say something to leafy :)

Sounds like a plan :)

watered garden, they are beautiful shrubs, even the leaves are pretty! waysider, :)

waysider, That isn't the shrub I have in the picture, BUT I'm rooting a few pieces of a pretty flowered bush that I snagged from a neighbor's yard that looks like that. It has small pale pinkish white trumpet shaped flowers all over the bush when its in bloom. I wondered what it was called. :) I think I found my white flowered shrub. I believe it is one of the Sprieas. Leafy, I'm originally from the New Orleans area and its not a windy city, normally. But a couple of times a year it is not unheard of to get a very windy day. One time the wind was so strong that it bent my car door back on its hinges and it wasn't hurricane season! Where I live now the wind comes straight up the hill into our back garden and sometimes it is a gale force wind. gc

Leafy, thanks for the link :) The first time I grew corn the stalks were blown down by wind. I was so disappointed! Some of the corn was harvested before the wind blew them down. They were beautiful standing so tall in the middle of my back yard. and they were so delicious. Neighbors used to stop and ask me about it all the time. gc

Bramble, What is the deal with the three sisters hill? I've never heard of that before, and it sounds fun and interesting. How's it doing and do you have a picture of it? I'd like to grow corn here, but the wind is horrible. I thought of staking the stalks, not sure if that would work. I've done a similar thing with my back garden; replace the grass with raised beds. One of mine is a perinnial bed, it has fruit bushes and the hope of asparagus for next year. I've only done this to one side, the other has lawn and a border. My dog likes the grass, my husband's cat likes the clutter :) It would be nice to see how your back garden looks with the raised beds, fruit bushes and wild flowers, or is it still a work in progress? gc

Thanks! :) I've always loved stone walls and they are all over the place in England. So, I tiered the top part of my husband's slopped back yard and built the stone wall. I'm very proud of it! I am going to tier part of his front garden next and build my second wall soon :) Kimberly, I have no idea what that shrub is. A couple of years ago I helped someone clear out some raised beds, my payment was that I could take any of the plants I wanted. This shrub was part of the payment. It has branches of beautiful white flowers with yellow centers every spring. gc

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Rum, Thanks for the info. I think my soil/drainage is good. I've got them in a couple of places and both spots have clay soil mixed with top soil, bark and a multi purpose. I think the watering is fine since I'm in rainy England. "Gardener's World", one of the gardening experts here, said to plant the garlic toes in December, which I did. Southern Devon, where I live, is much milder than much of the UK since we are on the south west coast. I think I'll go ahead and plant out those six garlic plants I had in the house. Thanks again.

It sounds confident, not a bad place to be. So, since you are confident, maybe you can give me a bit of advice on something. I'm growing garlic, and its my first attempt. I decided to grow some outside and some inside, don't ask me why. I have been know to do that with certain types of seeds to see what they can tolerate. But anyway, I'm going to move the garlic outside into one of my borders. Do you think I'll have problems with it and if so what type of. Thanks:) gc

rejoice, how is the herb garden coming along? gc

WG I love planting from seed and when they start pushing through the soil, its just a delight! I've got a packet of beets, I've never grown them before. gc