Messages

31

Pond Chat / Re: Random Non-Lily Pics

« on: August 26, 2009, 05:32:05 AM »

Ok, now those last 4 you posted are just really gorgeous.  That deep blue one is just . . . .

I need a bigger pond and fewer trees . . .

32

Pond Chat / Re: Meet the dauben's new pot-mate, Bob

« on: August 26, 2009, 05:29:09 AM »

That lily looks like Dauben to me and dauben is a vip so it fits.   Dauben is a very shade tolerant lily and the blooms are actually much prettier on shade grown plants than those grown in full sun.  The more sun the plant gets the whiter the blooms - plants grown in more shade have a bluer flower with the edges getting quite blue.  That first pic looks like a shade grown lily.

And did someone make that cover you have on Dude's vase? 

33

Pond Chat / Re: Random Non-Lily Pics

« on: August 24, 2009, 09:01:24 AM »

Love the butterfly pic - I finally have some frits and cats showing up. 

Also like the froglet pic  . . .

34

Pond Chat / Re: Anyone know anything about gambusia?

« on: August 24, 2009, 08:58:30 AM »

The dark spot on either side of the females, just above the anus, is called the gravid spot and does mean that babies are on the way.  It will get larger and larger until the babies are born.

35

Pond Chat / Re: overwintering hardies in northern climes

« on: August 24, 2009, 08:45:01 AM »

If you put the fish in the basement, is there some reason that you cannot put the hardies down there as well?  If it's cold, they'll go dormant, but they shouldn't rot. 

36

Chit Chat / Re: Would this bother you

« on: August 22, 2009, 06:59:34 PM »

I dunno about your state, but it's illegal in Georgia to have any structure (including a portable metal garage) that close to the property line.  And my suspicion is that the reason it's illegal is because of just such problems.  The crepe myrtle looks just fine and really shouldn't be trimmed while it's growing - should be dormant before you cut it back - so just cut what you have to on his side of the plant. 

And by all means - turn him in for having that stupid garage right on top of your fence because that fence is probably at least 6" inside your property line.

37

Chit Chat / Re: A Very sad day!!!

« on: August 21, 2009, 04:48:28 PM »

So sorry for both you and your daughter.  My teenage daughter just lost her cat (of 11 years) to breast cancer and I had hoped the little furry girl could hold on till the teenager went off to college in the fall, but now I'm not so sure that would have been a good thing.  Give your daughter extra hugs from those of us far away who are thinking of her now.

38

Pond Chat / Re: New Hybrid Hibiscus

« on: August 21, 2009, 04:39:58 PM »

Gorgeous colors on that flower - and I don't even want a cutting!

39

Terrestrial Gardening / Re: It's Passiflora Time!

« on: August 21, 2009, 04:36:57 PM »

I usually try to keep them from grabbing everything within 10 yards of them - I have about 20 different types and I try to keep each to it's own pot (or close to it).  This year, I've had such a busy summer that they've just gone wild.  The rhododendron near where the pots summer is abloom with many wild and wonderful flowers that it's never had before and the other nearby bushes are also covered with leaves and flowers and buds that usually are not there.  It's going to be a pain to try to get these guys back into the greenhouse this fall cuz they are all over each other and everything else. 

The ones in the ground I just let go where ever they want to go and they bloom and grow like crazy.

40

Chit Chat / Re: Our newest grandchild....

« on: August 20, 2009, 05:57:02 PM »

Gorgeous!  Guess the little darling figured the earlier she could meet and enchant the grandparents the more they'd spoil her! 

Congrats to all!

41

Terrestrial Gardening / Re: It's Passiflora Time!

« on: August 20, 2009, 05:47:40 PM »

Kat those are the Gulf Fritillary.  I love them so much that I grow two huge mounds of native passiflora just for them to eat.  Then I pay my children to pic the caterpillars off my collection and go let them go on the lutea and caerulea.  Usually by this point in the summer you cannot even go get the mail without two or three landing on you because the lutea grows all over the bushes by the mailbox.  I haven't had as many this year and the cats are just starting to get thick here so I'm thinking at least another 3 or 4 weeks before I have masses of butterflies.  That's actually one of my favorite things about growing passion flowers!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_Fritillary

42

Terrestrial Gardening / Re: It's Passiflora Time!

« on: August 20, 2009, 10:09:02 AM »

Some of the vines do stay green year round and others die back in varying degrees.  It kind of depends on how hardy they are.  I have three natives and one dies back to the ground each year but the other two don't.  One of the other two will die back to the vine in really cold years, but come back from the vine the following spring.

Some of the non-natives and hybrids are hardier than others.  All of the species and the fertile hybrids will set fruit, but not all the fruit is edible and of the fruit that is edible, not all is tasty.

43

Chit Chat / Re: Cat concern.....

« on: August 20, 2009, 07:00:10 AM »

One of my cats did that - suddenly lost weight and became much more sedate at about 15.  I took him to the vet and was told that the cat had arthritis and it's not uncommon for cats that age to self-regulate their pain by dropping weight.   We had that cat another 6 years before we lost him.  I hope your diagnosis is a good one.

44

Terrestrial Gardening / Re: It's Passiflora Time!

« on: August 19, 2009, 04:43:44 PM »

That's Star of Surbiton, Mike.  It was a gift from a member of this forum (thank you Kay!).  It's very pretty in real life.  Maybe I can root you a cutting - still owe you for some of the things you sent me!

45

Pond Chat / Re: A blue hardy, and I don't mean Rhonda Kay

« on: August 19, 2009, 04:38:50 PM »

The half & half is pretty cool - but I'd be surprised if it ever happens again.  The blue is absolutely not what I would call a blue and I sure as the devil wouldn't pay any more for it than I would any other pink hardy.  Just my humble opinion.

46

Terrestrial Gardening / Re: It's Passiflora Time!

« on: August 18, 2009, 02:40:26 PM »

Thanks all!  These are my favorite flowers - especially the fragrant ones! 

Mikey - they are ALL weeds and very invasive.  Some of them are tropical weeds, but they'd still manage to travel pretty far in one season.  I have lutea, cearulea and incarnata planted in the ground and they are all three all over the place.  I use them as feed for the frit caterpillars and usually have an awful lot of them by this time.

47

Terrestrial Gardening / Re: It's Passiflora Time!

« on: August 18, 2009, 09:29:28 AM »

And a couple more:

48

Terrestrial Gardening / It's Passiflora Time!

« on: August 18, 2009, 09:28:52 AM »

My passiflora seem to really like the late summer - I've got a ton of blooms right now:

49

Pond Chat / Re: A few blues.

« on: August 17, 2009, 09:37:44 AM »

Yeah, you know that I like those soft blues . . . .

50

Pond Chat / Re: Some of today's lily blooms

« on: July 29, 2009, 04:54:06 PM »

Hi Lou!  Beautiful pics as always!  Hi Tammie!  Miss you!

51

Pond Chat / Re: Pics - What is this?

« on: June 21, 2009, 06:56:28 PM »

Those are absolutely FROG eggs.  There are hundreds of different frogs and their eggs are as different as they are - and yes, some eggs are light colored.  There is no way that those are fish eggs - they are definitely frog eggs.  Toad eggs are usually in strings, not clumps.

52

Pond Chat / Re: Greasy water film in Turtle haven...what to do?

« on: June 21, 2009, 06:52:25 PM »

Two year old male turtles do not mate - they may make the motions, but they aren't mature enough to do the deed.  And in all my years with turtles, mating never caused any extra mess in the pond - not like it does with koi. 

53

Chit Chat / Re: Having Surgery Again..but not cancer!

« on: June 21, 2009, 06:39:53 PM »

Thank goodness that it wasn't anything to worry about - tho I'm sure that worry you will for a while.  I'm so glad that I popped in here today.  Know that you have our best wishes and all positive energy.  Take care of yourself.

54

Chit Chat / Re: We survived.

« on: June 21, 2009, 06:36:56 PM »

Congrats!  You deserve to celebrate - over and over and over.

55

Chit Chat / Re: Took these way back when it was sunny...

« on: June 21, 2009, 06:35:58 PM »

I want peonies so badly I could just kill someone for fertilizer . . . .

56

Chit Chat / Re: My Website Will Be Shutting Down

« on: May 27, 2009, 06:12:47 AM »

Speaking of Junko I miss seeing her around.

Yeah it's called Etsy. I've thought about it, and may give it a look and see. I don't really bead a whole lot now during the summer unless it is to awfully hot to go outside. So will keep the idea on the back burner till fall anyhow. The store is keeping me busy enough for now.

Junko doesn't do much on Etsy anymore tho she does still have her site there.  Mostly, she sells on Hyenacart.  She's been taking enough special orders to keep her busy. 

There is another new site for selling handmade goods - it's called artfire and it doesn't cost anything to list your wares there.  A lot of crafters are moving there from Etsy where you have to pay per listing . . .

You should look at starting a store on one or more of these sites Nancy. 

57

Chit Chat / Re: Braeden went home

« on: April 19, 2009, 05:04:09 PM »

Esther there is nothing I can say that can bring you or your family the comfort that you are already finding in your faith, but know that I'm thinking of you and Kevin and Dawn and all the rest of your family and praying that you continue to find peace thru your faith and that your faith remains strong.  Bless all of you for going thru this painful and difficult time and holding each other tighter instead of pushing each other away.  Knowing that Braeden is in a better place doesn't stop the pain and now you and Pete and Kevin and Dawn must help the rest of the young ones understand what has happened and help them deal with it.  Wishing you all the strength you need to get thru the next painful part of this journey.

58

Chit Chat / Re: Hey Joyce! Check this out

« on: February 08, 2009, 02:29:07 PM »

I will alter it and make the sleeves full length.  I haven't decided if it should button from the top all the way down to the bottom, but that's the way I'm leaning.  And probably not the toggle buttons but i dunno.

59

Chit Chat / Re: Hey Joyce! Check this out

« on: February 08, 2009, 08:10:18 AM »

I have two pairs of socks and a sweater for me on the needles.  The socks are all almost finished and the sweater about halfway but I so want to buy some yarn to make this sweater . . . . might just order some nice yarn for it cuz eventually I'm bound to finish what I've got going . . . .


This is the sweater I'm making for me

60

Chit Chat / Re: photos of my living room remodel

« on: February 07, 2009, 05:58:36 PM »

What a HUGE improvement!  You really brought it up to date and it looks so much better!  I think old wallpaper comes off better than the new improved variety, especially if they didn't add extra paste . . . but I know what you mean about the smells in it.