LOL Karyn, are you bored! They do have some beautiful plants.

Once it gets cold I don't venture outside unless absolutely necessary. Yes it's several months of boredom save for the time I spend in FL. lol

oh Karyn I discovered farming and gardening on Facebook roflmao

Is a lot cheaper and more fun. No bones hurt ha ha ha

Lucy

One day I'll check out Facebook. I did register a while back but can never remember my login. The last time I checked I had almost 200 invitations waiting for approval and pretty much all were from people I know. I hope I didn't offend anyone by not responding but I just don't have the desire to regularly check it out. My kids are on all the time and so are many people that I know. Just not for me but maybe I'll change my mind as the temps continue dropping. lol

Karyn, guess that's why they send out so many seeds/plants catalogs during the winter!

I too am on Facebook, but time is limited for me to be here, respond to emails, visit a couple other sites, and go to Facebbook as well. Maybe when I "retire" from my "volunteer" job of watching my 3 y.o. GD, lol!

My daughter signed me up on Facebook, but I don't like it. Also, you need to have a lot of time for it, which I don't have. I think I'm too old for this anyway.....

Ingrid

Well you know...I always just do as I have FREE time...meaning I either need a break from something...or I just can't do anything at that time and the computer is my choice of taking my mind of things lol

But I am not seeing this to tightly that I HAVE to do it

This is STILL my number one Place to chill :-))))))))))

Lucy

Karyn,
Do you grow any ginkgos? The leaves on those are so cool and the botanic garden in Fort Worth has a couple. I 'need' some american beauty berry shrubs too ;-)

I have 2 tiny ginkgos that I started from seed. I'll be too old to enjoy them by the time the're grown. lol I might eventually buy a mature tree because the foliage really is beautiful. Can you start a Beauty Berry from a cutting? If so I'll be happy to send you some if you let me know when it's the right time of year to take cuttings. I have loads of seed now if you want. Mine is the purple variety. I did get a couple new calycanthus over the summer. A variety called "Venus" that has white blooms. I love my regular one and hope these do as well.

Eloise I was looking at the online catalog. I haven't even opened the paper catalogs that have come in the mail, too dangerous. lol I initally looked at Whitman to see what magnolias they carried. Of course I found several that I want. Then I started looking at dogwoods and found about 4 of those that I want. Then I looked thru the other trees. There's so many beautiful varieties.

Here is a link that might be useful: calycanthus Venus

Whitman has some really nice things. Spicebush is on my wish list.

I am trying to root a couple dozen Beautyberry that I got in a trade. It looks like they might be getting nubbies.

Linda

Linda if you are looking for the Calycanthus floridus I can send you cuttings in the spring (I think that's the right time to take cuttings). I'm out of seeds. My C. Venus bushes are still too small. How are you rooting the Beauty Berry?

Karyn, guess you will open up the catalogs when you get tired of sitting looking at the online catalogs, LOL! I just peaked at the Blue Stone Perennials site you gave, and love, love, love the azaleas Mandarin Lights and Northern Hi-Lights!

Karyn, I'd love cuttings in the spring.

I just have the BB in water. They are about 4" long, semi to mature wood & have been there a few weeks. I didn't think they looked very promising but the girl I got them from said she started hers like that.

Linda

That calycanthus Venus is really pretty! How was the fall color?

I'm not really ready yet for the beauty berry, we have to relocate some huge boxwoods first, but I'm always planning for my 'finished' garden. Thanks for the offer though.

Do ginkgos take forever to grow? When my daughter lived in Philadelphia there was a huge one in the front yard...it was beautiful.

Pam

Unfortunately ginkgos are pretty slow. I'd love to get a female but most nurseries only have vegetatively propagated male trees. The female fruit and flowers are supposed to stink but I've never smelled them.

Trust me, you don't want a female ginkgo tree, unless you happen to like the smell of putrified vomit -- LOL!.

lol Dave...thanks for the warning

Lucy

Ugh, sounds charming :-)

Pam

I second Dave's warning on a female tree! When it sets "fruit" yuck, you can smell it hundreds of feet away! The botanical garden at UCLA has a large one and boy does it stink up the entire garden. You also do not want to accidentally step on the fruit because you carry that smell with you, LOL! I have a ginko about 4-5 feet tall, and hope it doesn't turn up to be a female because I will need to get rid of it.

If the smell is that bad and wafts that far from the tree I could plant it at the farm. I'm dying to try roasting ginkgo nuts and using them in some Chinese recipes. I've looked in all the Oriental markets and can't find any. I've also only seen male trees growing. Eloise if you got your tree from a nursery you can be almost certain that it's a male.

My preference has always been for broadleafed evergreens for the front of the house. This was taken in December. I love 'GREEN'. Can you tell? We planted two nice Turandot camellias on either side of the door. We'll shape then to conicals when they get larger. Happy Holidays!!

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Here were the Turandot's blooming last Spring!

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What a gorgeous color! Your house & plantings are attractive too.

Linda

I was glad you posted the link because I have been thinking about getting a ginkgo tree too. I like the variegated one they have, and that is a good price, the only other place I could find it wants $75. But they say it grows slow so I would probably go with a different one if I get one. I wonder how big they actual plants are (I know the pot is one gallon).

You have the prettiest camellias. The one broadleaf evergreen that I love is the magnolia, lots of varieties. My neighbor has a huge Southern Magnolia that managed to send up a volunteer in my yard. It really needs to be removed as it's only about a foot away from the side of the house. It should have been removed a long time ago. It's probably over 30' tall now. I was surprised at how fast it grew. I don't think it's been there for more then 12 years. I hate to cut it down because it's such a beautiful tree. I have a few more in pots that I started from cuttings. I'm just not sure where to plant them.

Karyn, did you want a ginkgo just so you could roast ginkgo nuts, LOL! I don't recall where I got that ginkgo from. It could have been from UCLA because they used to have a shelf where they would put free plants.

Dave, beautiful vivid red camellia!

Ooooh, I've got a bad case of plant envy! Growing up in Mississippi we had gardens on all sides of the house and big camellias all over the place.
Walking to my Dad's office after elementary school (those were the old 'safe' days)I had to walk past a lady's yard with a big Calycanthus Floridus (my mother told me what it was years later when I mentioned it). I can almost smell it now. I'll never be able to have either way up here but thanks for the nice pics and links which evoked wonderful memories.
Will