Deer proof would be great .. lots of shade in the front of the house.. sunny in the back.. hummingbird plants always a bonus .. we have 2.2 acres now .. if anyone has milkweed that would be awesome.. I only spotted 1 plant out there last year.. and my hubby maybe have gotten it with the mower

I can make my pasta antipasto.. always travels well

It's been a while since anybody has posted, but I know our get-together is in our thoughts as things start poking up out of the ground, saying "divide & share me!"

I'm getting a box next week from Ken (drdawg), mostly orchids but a couple other things. He always gives an NGA discount and also offers special pricing on a few plants if ordering 3+.

So, in a tiny sort of "group buy opportunity," please let me know by TOMORROW if you'd like Dendrobium Violet Fizz 'Luna' or a red pitcher plant (a tender terrestrial variety rather than a bog plant -- can grow as a houseplant in winter) for somewhere between $13-14. He's also discounting Shampoo Gingers, $6-6.50 purchasing 3 or more.

I picked up a very sweet little pussy willow at the Flower Show. It has slender branches and smaller, more rounded catkins -- like little bunny tails. I have it in a vase of water, together with Black Pussywillow cuttings that have rooted nicely and are more than ready to pot up. Hopefully I'll have both available soon!

Your black pussy willow survived the move btw.. woo hoo.. was so excited

hi, just checking in and reading what's going on. I hope I'll be able to figure out the swap tool thing... I'm going to try and add a few things I saw outside today. Harry and I finally started clearing out all the fallen tree limbs from the ice storm we had not all that long ago. What a complete tree mess we have. And, the Craftsman chain saw he purchased is not so good. We're going to have to bring it back and get another brand.

Jill, nice that you got to go to the Flower Show!! We didn't make it this year. We love hot peppers if you are growing them. I still haven't started any seeds but hope to do so ...finally!! tomorrow.

Anyway, when I was outside today I noticed that we can add to our list: sweet autumn clematis, climbing hydrangea and lace cap blue billow hydrangea

We're looking forward to coming!

I should have some climbing hydrangea as well. Going to have some good size colorful Hellebore this year as well as all the tiny babies that I usually bring. Did you propagate the lace cap blue billow hydrangea?

Diana, for quality chainsaws, check out Stihl. Early on when we first start needing tools to maintain this property, we went through several brands before we purchased Stihl. Now every single one of our tools - chain saws, leaf blower, pruner, trimmer, etc... are Stihl and we've never looked back. So glad you will be coming to the swap. I met you once before at an earlier swap, but not sure if you remember me.

Holly.... Please let me know when you add the hellebore. I'm always looking to add to my small collection.

@Critterologist
Jill, will you be getting any Hydrogel/SoilMoist?

I'm in the market for the Matteuccia struthiopteris Ostrich Fern. I'm pretty sure that those that I have are the Tennessee variety.

RickM I always have tons of tiny baby Helle's to go around. Of course they will take years to bloom but this year I am reducing the size of several of my very large Hellebores. I should have at least 2 of each color to give away and maybe more. I will post pictures of the ones that will be available as soon as I get good pics of them. The ones I took the other day didn't come out well at all.

Sweet!

Right now, I have 3 Black Onyx, 7 or 8 of some sort of white, 1 pink and one Golden Lotus. I bought a bunch several years ago at the end of the season. Unfortunately, it was a wet winter and they didn't get established in time.

I made an attempt with hot peppers a couple weeks ago but didn't get much germination. The seedling flat may have dried out too much -- need to try again! As with basils, I'll put peppers on the swap tool after they've been up-potted. Those tiny seedlings are just too iffy!

I've only filled a couple of light shelves the past couple of years, hoping to do more this year, but I'd better get rolling this week! So far, it's a basil year. I have 2 flats with the Italian basil, the "Hot & Spicy" thai type, and a few 'Blue Spice'. I have more Blue Spice to up-pot, as well as 'Martina' (a mild genovese type) and two compact varieties from Lisa. I sowed smaller numbers of Lemon, Lime, Amethyst, and a couple other varieties (probably Thai Siam Queen and Sicilian).

I'm a little late with sowing tomatoes, except for a few I started before Philly, but they should do OK if I start them this week. I inevitably have extra tomatoes, because I figure I want 2 of a certain type in the garden, so I sow 4 seeds... sometimes 6... and then to my surprise they all germinate. You'd think I'd learn! LOL

I do have some tiny specks of Lippia dulce seedlings just showing... the leaves are sweet, like Stevia, but it's a less well-known plant. I sowed generously, not knowing what to expect.

Rick, I won't place a new order this spring, but I may have some extra moisture crystals in the basement... I'll need to check what's there, but were you interested in medium, large, or a mix (I mix them 2:1, med:large)? Pretty sure I've got extra powdered crystals, too -- they make up into a slurry that's great for shipping trade plants and also for dipping bare-root shrubs or transplants before planting.

Rick, I too have moisture crystals you can have. Maybe half a pound.

Thanks Jill & Lisa.

Jill, is there a picture somewhere online where I can see the size difference between medium and large?

I'm thinking of mixing it into the soil in a couple of areas that are rain deprived. I figure that if I put the crystals in, then just a good watering with the hose will benefit the plants a lot.

On an unrelated note, we went over to Johnson's just to see what they had out already. Not much in the way of perennials outside. Inside, the had 4-packs of hyacinth in full bloom for $8, no real bargain there. But, I did manage to finally find an antifungus powder. Since I'm approaching hosta-splitting season, it would be nice to actually give them a leg up. Best of all, I was able to get my hands on a Hellebore 'Red Lady'. It's a decent size with plenty of new growth.

Medium is the all-purpose size, swelling about to the size of the tip of my little finger when fully hydrated. Large is good for trees and shrubs, and I like to use some in addition to the medium for perennials, as the larger size persists an extra year or two (maybe 5 years vs. 3 years, depending on conditions but you get the idea). I get mine at watersorb.org

I listed three Pelargonium Van Leenii on the Seed Swap tool, got them from Santa Rosa Gardens. I originally ordered two on sale, noticed the price had gone down further, called them to get an adjustment, told them I wanted 2 more, ended up with six. They are about 12 inches tall already.

HollyAnnS said:I should have some climbing hydrangea as well. Going to have some good size colorful Hellebore this year as well as all the tiny babies that I usually bring. Did you propagate the lace cap blue billow hydrangea?

no, i didn't have to propagate the blue billow. I just had to cut the umbilical cord so to speak! We have several shrubs that I have been holding in spots from the main shrubs that had lower branches touch down and root.

Blue Billow is a really nice lacecap that spreads sideways more than up. Love those volunteer touch the ground rooting branches!

Jill, I'd be interested in Lippia dulce if you have extra - sounds interesting. I never heard of it