They told me it should be free of obstacles to 15" from the unit on all sides. I think I could get away with some nice ground cover though I had sweet woodruff there, which I chopped up to make room for the unit and planted little patches about. This location is on the north side of the house so it gets all the rain. I have an ostrich fern there too but that is about 2' away. I put smaller rocks in front and behind so nothing will grow there.

I just dug up the scrawny Forsythia growing near our compressor and planted Vinca minor in its place for now (it was free and easy). I have Ostrich Fern growing about 2' away as well. I'd like to plant something else there, but I want to figure out how much direct sun that area gets first.

Probably a good idea. That forsythia would have eaten the compressor in a few years.

It actually didn't grow at all, maybe because I never watered it and it got very little sun. Come to think of it, I don't remember ever having to prune that shrub. Maybe I should re-think putting anything but Vinca and ferns there.

I asked about the air space clearance because a number of my newspaper customers have installed trellises in front of theirs to hide them. after they removed overgrown shrubs that over the years blocked them. Could work...I've heard no complaints for this remedy so far.

Forgot to add that some clearances are for the benefit of servicing the unit!

Well, the original plan for today was to get my erythronium in the ground. But with the rain, things are a bit soggy and I'd be afraid the soil would compact as it was being worked. So, I did the next best thing... they're in pots! I had several bags of reclaimed soil from pots this past season, so I just reused that. It was damp, so there was no fear of it compacting. Once everything was potted though, it all got a good soak from the hose. I left them on the racks to they would drain freely all winter. With any luck, I'll have several dozen to put around the woods come spring.

Now on to the second dilemma...Brent and Becky's clearance sale. Right now, I have close to 100 hyacinth bulbs sitting in the cart. I can't decide if I want to go ahead and get them, store them in the shed and pot up in March, or if I should just skip it. (It would so much easier to decide if I had a paycheck. )

RickM,
Honey, buy the big load of hyacinth bulbs. I'll buy a heap from you.

Ok, I bit the bullet!

Item Description Item No Qty
Hyacinthus - orientalis 'Yellow Queen' 26-0118 20
Hyacinthus orientalis 'Dark Dimension' 26-0140 20
Hyacinthus - Peter Stuyvesant 26-0124 50

Yellow Queen is supposed to be a more reliable yellow that Queen of Haarlem.
Dark Dimension is super dark, almost black.
The Peter Stuyvesant are dark purple. They're an old variety that isn't offered much anymore.

I should have picked up some more Jan Bos, Woodstock and Carnegie, but I had to draw a line and they're still readily available.

I was rooting for you to get at least the Dark Dimension! Glad they had some left.
Will you be potting up or planting in ground or on racks? What are the 'racks' you are using by the way? Also. where did you get your Dog Tooth Violets?
The woods where I grew up was full of them along with Spring Beauties and Trillium.

Oh Rick, should have mentioned earlier but I have had several fenced in areas primarily to eep deer from browsing certain plants. One 10x10 area with a 4' fence was filled with up potted perennials and covered over by a layer of leaves. Guess it looked like just another yard cause the deer cleared the fence and munched new growth come Spring as there was plenty of clear landing area inside boundary. A few tomatoe cages or tree like dead branches or....? might deter them from your hosta farm!

Mornin' Judy!

Are you familiar with the 'greenhouses' sold by Big Lots? The have two sizes in the spring, a small and large. I tend to buy a couple of them as soon as they are marked down.



My 'racks' are the small ones, minus the plastic cover. Right now, I have the erythronium pots on the 2nd from the top shelf. I'll be moving them to the bottom shelf before the first snow.

Right now, I have:
- 2 sets under the kitchen window on the sunny side of the house
- 2 sets in my bedroom with my orchids and cactus on them. Come March, I'll add more lighting to it and start some seeds or something.
- 2 sets outside near the carport on a shady side of the house.

I generally don't use the plastic covers on them unless I need the extra heat/humidity.

I tried using one of the larger walk-in types, but it wasn't on 100% level ground and had a definite lean to it! Now that I have the pen set up in the back with solid footing, I may set up a large one in the spring. Time will tell.

As far as the pen and deer are concerned, I think I have it covered. there is a 4' plastic fence that encloses it on all 4 sides. In addition, one long side is against a forsythia hedge, so they can't come that way. the other 3 sides not only have a least one tree along the side, but I also added some handing panels from the top rail to block jumping access.

Last, but not least, I placed some nylon netting over the tops of the plants before piling on the leaves. So, even if they do get in, all they'll get is a mouth full of nylon. (It even looks like it's deterring the squirrel!)

If you don't use the plastic covers for your greenhouse racks, how will you keep those outside plants from freezing in their pots and trays? How many years or seasons do those racks hold up set on the ground?

of course you of all people would have comprehensive deer exclusionary plans for you hosta pen!

All of the hosta and fern were moved to the 'pen'. The only thing on the rack is the erythronium in pots. Since they're a perennial bulb, they should be ok. I may bury them under leave too, but haven't decided yet.

I actually don't have the racks directly on the ground because of leveling issues from tree roots. I set them on some of those 12x12 concrete pavers. The racks themselves are made up of plastics and metal tubing. Each level has a plastic retainer on each end and three metal tubes between. An open wird mesh shelf is then placed on top. The levels are separated/joined by a metal tube in each corner. This will be the 2nd winter for one set and the 1st for another. (The others are indoors.) I keep meaning to take one of the plastic retainers to HD to see if I can get PVC tubing as replacement pieces when necessary. Or, some reasonably-priced facsimile. (Copper would be nice... and expensive!)

Got some more work done today! Sorry for the poor image quality.


Got the tricky curved path in, and the perimeter of the right bed (except for an opening to cart in more dirt). This weekend I'm hoping to get that bed finished as well as the mirrored bed on the left. On the outer edge of each bed will be a hedge of Evergreen Huckleberry (which I already have), but there will be leftover space about 1.5'x7' in each bed in the center along the path that I haven't planned yet. After these two are done, I only have the long bed along the left edge of the property to do this season. Luckily that one will be straight forward and easy compared to the brick work I've been doing. Side note: I'll never again make the mistake of buying so many plants at one time

That is really impressive! I once thought of growing Huckleberry...cool shrub!

Famous last words!
"Side note: I'll never again make the mistake of buying so many plants at one time"

Few or many plants still get planted one at a time. Congratulations on your progress undaunted one!

EvergreenMike said:. . . Side note: I'll never again make the mistake of buying so many plants at one time

Yes you will ! !

RickM said:


Yes you will ! !

Looks great Mike!


Does anyone know where to buy (online) a Staphylea trifolia (American bladdernut)?? Forestfarm is listed as a vendor but they have no stock and neither does Prairie Moon, unless I want seeds. I found a place in Ontario but I don't know if they sell do the USA.

http://whiteoaknursery.biz/see...
https://www.possibilityplace.c...