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kimberly
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OK - this post has nothing to do with your gardens - just a marvel at plants.

Over two years ago I had some shrubs and bushes removed...previous owners didn't plant them properly nor raise them properly on the lattices and I needed surgery and could not provide them decent care either.

For TWO years nothing happens - all ripped out - then - somehow - a couple of sprigs push up from the dirt - this from plants which do NOT replicate from root trailers (Bougainvillea, miniature roses and more).

A) Way too cool for my simple head

B) I get to raise them from scratch properly

While I detest movies, TV etc; and I hate to sound trite; I can't help but remember a line from the first Jurassic Park movie (yes I have children - although all "growed" up now) where the fellow says, "Life will find a way."

That is my favorite line from that movie.... and I love when plants regenerate on their own unless it is a weed or some such!

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I just thought I would point out if those are the roses coming up you may want to rip the new shoots out.. those are coming from the root stock and may or may not be the miniature roses themselves but whatever they grafted them on to... (maybe wait to see what they are and then decide) which could be okay in itself if you like tea roses. but they will be a medium size bush instead of a small one

The bougainvillea will be fine.

Edited by leafytwiglet
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Thanks Leafy - I am not a big fan of bougainvillea - so - uhh well while I admire it's growth it isn't going to stay. The roses I am going to give a fighting chance to. Personally I can't say I've ever seen an ugly rose regardless of its root stock.

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Several years ago, at a previous house, I set a large container of rose hips outside and forgot about it over the winter. The following spring, I discarded the container in a fallow spot beside my garage. I didn't give it another thought until, two years later, the entire area erupted in an onslaught of Rugosa. When they were in bloom, the aroma carried for at least a hundred feet after the evening sun set. Quite a pleasant result from a forgetful gesture.

Rosa_rugosa_alba-c.jpg

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Rumrunner I happen to love tea roses as they are the red version of Waysiders Rugosa... but some people want a more refined looking Rose I will go take a photo of ours that came from a rose that was moved and the rose didn't make it but the root stock lives on and is quite pretty.

Waysider MMMM beautiful and how fortuitous to have it to perfume the night air.

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Rum, your post has everything to do with our gardens. "Life will find a way" says a microscopic crack in cement.

A friend needed a ground cover. On a whim she planted Bougainvillea. What an astounding stand of beauty.

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Rugosas are the best!

For a while we owned a rental property and when we attempted to rid ourselves of an unwanted rose, it sent up shoots from its roots that were very prolific but never flowered. Again, this happened where we live now, more recently, but this one produced small, very very dark red single blooms with yellow centers. Very pretty.

Occasionally around here we still see wild roses; I think there are some back in my neighbor's woods.

Baby beans in the garden, too, now with baby corn!

WG

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I just thought I would point out if those are the roses coming up you may want to rip the new shoots out.. those are coming from the root stock and may or may not be the miniature roses themselves but whatever they grafted them on to... (maybe wait to see what they are and then decide) which could be okay in itself if you like tea roses. but they will be a medium size bush instead of a small one

The bougainvillea will be fine.

Well now - it tuns out that you gave me excellent advice. They were originally a pair of miniature pinks but it is clear now that at least one of them looks radically different than its predecessor. Thanks for the heads up!

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RumRunner you would probably like "The Fairy" a nice rose with little clusters of tiny pink blossoms. Fairly hardy, too. We have a lot of wind here and while even some Knockouts bit the dust, "The Fairy" is the rose that refuses to die.

We planted about 8-10 beautiful roses when we first landscaped. Barbara Bush and Princess Diana were the first to go. Even Double Delight and Mr. Lincoln eventually succumbed. An added problem is the incredible number of Japanese beetles that swarm here the end of June, first of July. And the lousy soil, but that is getting amended rapidly. In fact, the former rose garden has been vigorously amended and that's where we are planting tomatoes this year!

WG

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Thanks WG. I confess that I am no connoisseur of roses. I just think that in general they are pretty. I am also into low maintenance plants these days since I had hips replaced.

Nonetheless thank you very much for your advice.

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Well I finally got busy in my garden.

I have sown runner beans, radishes, lollo rosso, mixed salad leaves and beetroot.

It has been horribly bakingly hot for weeks, and the garden has been a dust bowl. I had to water my garden before I could plant, last weekend, but thought I couldn't leave it much longer before getting seeds in. Last night it finally rained just a very little and today has drizzled all day. The ground was parched. But maybe something will start shooting up with the now damp soil.

About 4 weeks ago I sprinkled my lawn with weed & feed, to kill the moss (mostly) and the dandelions. Then about 2 weeks ago I had to rake all the deadened moss (all black) out. This is very hard and tiring work. (Good for working on the suntan though, out in shorts and skinny shirt and not much else.) I have been sore ever since. Lately my wrist has been very tender. Turns out that I have given myself tendonitis (tenosynovitis) and so now I have a wrist brace which I have to wear for a week or so until my wrist stops hurting.

Just shows. Gardening can be bad for your health.

Lawn is looking nice, though. Well, it will be if the new grass seed (in the ex-mossy patches) ever gets going. Which it just might, with the dampness today.

I have 8 fine courgette plants grown from seed. Too many, two is enough. Will have to find some swaps.

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I love the garden section... the only barbs are from the weeds!

This is a totally unrelated to plants sort of question

when you guys are out working in your garden do you feel really at peace inside even if you are having to pull weeds or dig a hole or raking?

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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

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Well I finally got busy in my garden.

I have sown runner beans, radishes, lollo rosso, mixed salad leaves and beetroot.

It has been horribly bakingly hot for weeks, and the garden has been a dust bowl. I had to water my garden before I could plant, last weekend, but thought I couldn't leave it much longer before getting seeds in. Last night it finally rained just a very little and today has drizzled all day. The ground was parched. But maybe something will start shooting up with the now damp soil.

I have 8 fine courgette plants grown from seed. Too many, two is enough. Will have to find some swaps.

Twinky, it must be cooler in Plymouth. We've had a couple of days when I could wear shorts, but mostly its been too chilly out. I have 8 courgettes too and I'm keeping all of mine. 5 for the slugs and 3 for me! I'm determined that this year I WILL get more than 4 courgettes off my plants. :) My mouth is watering for zucchini (courgette) bread.

I looked up the lollo rosso and it looks beautiful. I've got some Oriental Salad seeds if you want to do a swap :)

gc

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When I am working in the garden or flower beds, I feel like I am in one of the few places I can really make a difference.

A couple of afternoons ago, I got out and painted straight Roundup on the leaves of some very nasty weeds, the kinds of thistles that have long, long roots and cannot be killed by ripping them out. The roots go down several feet and will just regenerate in a couple of months. Genesis says thorns and thistles (3:18) are part of the curse and I believe it! :(

wg

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I looooove working in the garden.

Gardens have always been a part of my family life. My father worked shifts and sometimes came home and dug a few rows in the garden, if he got home at dawn. As well as our very large garden, he also had an allotment. Most of our family veges were home-grown.

I've nearly always had a bit of a garden, and if not, then a selection of growbags or pots on windowsills.

I used to have a high-stress job (the stress came mostly from the manipulative boss) and I would go home and garden - by the light of the local street lamp! It was so relaxing, after dealing with that b***'s games all day.

Now I have a long garden and love playing in it. I can lose myself for hours, tending this and that. It can be hard work. But it is so rewarding to see your little plants thriving. Even better when you get to eat from them.

It's a time I get to talk things over with God and he teaches me stuff. Once I put in 35 sacks of horse manure. As I loaded it on and forked it in, what I realised is that sh1t happens in our lives too, but God can turn all that badness and difficulty into something that makes our lives abundantly fruitful and he sort of de-natures the evil and makes it productive.

When removing weeds - well, we all have those in our lives. We need to uproot them before they get too big.

For me, gardening's a way of sort of "giving" without reward. The plants cannot say thank you for protecting them, watering them, guarding with slug pellets... They may reward with fruit (veges) at a later stage.

Then you get the blessing of having a glut of (whatever) and being able to give away what you can't use or preserve.

Not that I'm spiritualising everything, you understand... LOL.

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I looooove working in the garden.

It's a time I get to talk things over with God and he teaches me stuff. Once I put in 35 sacks of horse manure. As I loaded it on and forked it in, what I realised is that sh1t happens in our lives too, but God can turn all that badness and difficulty into something that makes our lives abundantly fruitful and he sort of de-natures the evil and makes it productive.

When removing weeds - well, we all have those in our lives. We need to uproot them before they get too big.

Then you get the blessing of having a glut of (whatever) and being able to give away what you can't use or preserve.

Not that I'm spiritualising everything, you understand... LOL.

Twinky, very cool to hear that God teaches you while you are in the garden. I too have had God teach me there. I've always had a hard time with sudden and/or drastic changes and God showed me that sometimes its very necessary and healthy. I was weeding in my front garden in Louisiana when I realized that some plants weren't doing well where they were. I began to move some about so that they had more room to grow or so they could get more light or shade or what ever the need was. By the time I was finished my garden looked better, was healthier and I realized that it was ok to make those changes in my life that were needed and I was easier for it. Thanks for sharing your story! :)

Sorry if this is :offtopic:

gc

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Okay ya'll, I am busted. I must confess my drug of choice is dirt. Yes, I do dirt!! I am addicted to the euphoric/peace induced state resulting from gardening, weeding, raking, digging, sowing, sweating, watering, mulching, mowing, pruning, seeding, transplanting, composting, harvesting and canning.

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Kimberly, what about slug hunting, is that on your list too? :)

I'm thinking about sowing some seeds for a fall harvest. I going to get pots ready to be sown into in early June. I'm traveling home in the middle of June, Yeah!!! so I want to get some seeds potted up before I go. By the time I get back to England those pretty little head will be poking out of the dirt.

We had hale yesterday, but thankfully its not the size I'm used to where you end up with roof damage. It did little damage. My brussels sprouts still look poor. I might just replace them with my surplus plants. The slugs have eaten 7 of my courgette plants! I only alloted them 5, I guess they didn't realize ;)

My runner beans are looking good. I've put up a teepee in the pot, its going to look pretty when they are up tall and flowering.

How is everyone else doing with their plot?

gc

p.s. Did I tell ya'll I'm going home to visit??? I'm flying out on June 13th, I can't wait! I can't wait! I can't wait!

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Let me tell ya'll how courageous I have become. For some reason I have always been intimidated by roses. Remember, when I was going to put in the pond and then it was the fountain. I have all kind of crazy ideas. I decided the fountain would be the center of my mother's rose garden. I have yet to figure out how to build the form to pour the concrete for the pool of the fountain. Anybody on GS experienced in this? I saw one of those plastic baby pools and said that is the perfect size for the pool.

Anyway, I told my children I wanted a rose bush from each one of them for Mother's Day for my mother's rose garden, get it??!!! I wanted red, pink or white. I have been studying on this rose thing. A woman up the road has about 12 rose bushes and they are always so healthy and beautiful. I consulted her expertise.

For Mother's Day I received two pinks, a red and a white. One pink is a Double Knock Out. The other pink is a climbing rose. I planted it by the fence. I forget the name of the red. The white is a Bob Hope.

Since, I have put the fountain on the back burner until I figger how to make it you will never guess what I put in as the center piece for the rose garden.....the cucumber tripod trellis. And heck no, not a fancy store bought one. Just 3 sticks put together in a tepee style. That should be a sight to behold!!! I hope roses love cucumbers and vice versa.

A week or two ago I almost posted, "I never have problems with slugs." To tell you the truth I think I have maybe seen a couple in my entire gardening life. Well, because our late winter and spring has been sooooo wet, what do you think my plague has been? Yep, the sluggard. I have never seen so many. They dined mostly on the outer leaves of the lettuces. Yet, because of all the rain this is the best lettuce crop ever. I had much to share.

Even after it snowed my snow peas were a total flop. My broccoli had large beautiful leaves but no broccoli heads. So, I worked wood ash into the soil. It takes very little. Imagine the ash from burnt tree wood is what produces the most prolific blooms. Go figure. Ain't God smart......

gc, welcome home.

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Here is how to get rid of slugs. You take several shallow bowls, about 4-6 inches across and set them in the garden so the lip of the bowl is almost level with the soil. Fill these with beer that is very fragrant - plain old Budweiser is excellent.

At night when the slugs come out, they will slide right down into the beer and drown. And you don't have to feel bad 'cause they died happy! They do! I've seen the little smiles on their faces!

WG

(Seriously, this works).

You can also sprinkle them with salt and watch them slime themselves to death, but this seems cruel, plus I had a dog once ate a salted slug on his way out the door. EEEWWWW!

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