ooooooooooo! that looks like a book to have!

gg5 said:Not holding breath! But can't wait to see! So come on...get a going! Oh yeah and photos! Remember we're the photo hungry "mob"

gg, I envy you Seattle.
I love the place!

Can't "get a going!" here - there are several inches of snow everywhere.
And some still flying too!
But it's supposed to give us a short warm streak in the coming week and I WILL be out doing winter chores - repairing my fence (again) has priority.

Crittergarden do you live right in Pittsburgh? I was there many years ago, and found it charming, yet needing a cleanup, then I visited 5 years ago and again its charming and was much much cleaner!! I love the hills coming right down to the roads, so many houses with views because of that (similar in a small way to Seattle - due to the hilliness)
Snow is also very pretty but I'm a light weight as I get older - moderate temps for me!

I moved here from California in 2003, so I missed the heavy pollution years.
Pittsburgh today is surprisingly green.
Yes, I mean environmentally green, not the color green (although as a hilly city it ids that, too).
Google "Phipps Conservatory" for a green blast.
The building itself is LEEDS platinum.
Our convention center was also cutting edge - a decade ago.
There are lots of little green things happening around here, too.

But Easterners do litter more than Westerners.
I'm still not used to the litter - tho it HAS improved since I got here.

I live on the hill you see in all the sports coverage - the one that towers over downtown.
But I'm not where the view is - just a 5 minute walk tho.
The neighborhood is working class, family oriented (in a way only Pittsburgh can be - GENERATIONS live on the same street, branching out to other houses on the street or at least in walking distance as the kids grow and parents age.) and quiet.
I'm happy here.

Sounds nice! I was surprised that the city had some environmental (green) thinking

Hey now, I resemble that remark about procrastination.

Okay, I just ordered the book on Amazon. Got a used one for under $9.
Can't wait for it to get here. Just the list of plants in the Index is amazing. Connie I didn't see a photo of the table, wasn't it in that book when you showed us last year? I read one of the reviews that talked about growing a garden on his cement driveway.

Jill it is so good to see you back. I have really missed you. Okay there are three of us that need to get on the ball and finish a project this year. It sounds beautiful where you live. You'll have to post photos of things growing in the neighborhood once the weather is nice.

I am feeling so much better now, I really think I will be able to get some great projects done this year. I still have all the fixings in the garage to make hypertufa, this will be the year.
I did add some new plants to my little succulent wreath last week. I also potted up some new sedum that came yesterday. This is going to be an exciting year.

I love the idea of taking over an unused driveway and planting out with alpines and mosses and large rocks!

I'm telling you, I for sure can't wait to get that book in my hands. Wonder if they will notice the road narrowing in front of our house?
And we don't need 3 spaces for cars to park in the driveway.

Dang, everybody is getting my book and all my mysterious secrets will be out. Drat!

Soooo... you could say my neighbor in the rental has a garden on pavement, errr... I mean weeds growing on top of the pavement. He needs to mow the driveway!!!!

Ohhhhh, I think I am hurting now.

I'm laughing with you Connie, not at you.

I promise I won't tell the secret. Only you, me and Chris will know. I don't think any one else will see what you posted.
Besides every ones interpretation would be different.

Trust me, this book opens a new world of garden projects. If it weren't that they are used books Timberpress should give me a kickback for each one!

Off now to my grandson's 4th birthday party .

Tell him we all wish him a Happy Birthday.

Aw Happy bday to him Connie! You could sneak in some other types of seeds with his grass/weeds - california poppy, etc
Can't wait to see what people come up with for projects! Its a total motivator for me too!
Lynn just don't "semp" over the cars! (hmm not a bad idea, I wonder if anyone did that in honor of Ed Skrocki - semped over a caddy!)

No covering up the cars with semps. I can just see them flying off every time I go to town.

You'd be spreading the Sempervivum love though! I can just see it, you'd be telling you hubby - "slow down honey, we don't want to loose any semps!"
Anyway, off to the theatre, a friend is returning to the stage after a 7 year hiatus, it should be good, a comedy (of course!)
Cheers

Take note Greg. I love a good comedy.

gg5 said: I love the idea of taking over an unused driveway and planting out with alpines and mosses and large rocks!

Me, too!

And I was also surprised about the green-thinking here.

I requested the book from Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh (another wonderful thing here) and should have it in hand soon.

What I'm planning seems less secret-worthy next to all these things, so I'll spill: A previous homeowner planted some little former xmas trees right smack up against the front of the house, too close to the foundation. They're getting 5-6 feet tall and I'm going to cut them out.

the one by the front door will be replaced by an evergreen perennial and my fragrant tall lilies. The one at the corner of the house will be replaced with a fabricated conical (mimicking the tree that's going) semp structure. My original thought was to use a tomato cage. But I think I might want it taller, in which case I'll use some pipe. Either way, line the inside with chicken wire then landscape cloth and fill with soil.

At Phipps Conservatory here, in the children's garden, they have two chain link panels sandwiched around 6-8 inches of growing medium to make a green wall. I LOVED that - I'm short and it was just over my head. I can picture someone with a larger yard really making use of it!

Those sounds like great projects! How tall are you thinking of making your conical semp structure?

And I love the fragrant lilies too. Actually I love all lilies!

Well, the tree I'm removing is 6'.
For that reason only, I'm considering going that high.
As that is, I'll have to climb a ladder with soil to fill it....
UNLESS I can get sturdy enough pipe to stuff it most of the way horizontally and then stand it up (OUCH, my back says just thinking of that).