Hi Annette,
I would hope that one of the reasons there is not much interaction as this time is because we are busy working in the garden lol. Some of us have precious little time to spare, being busy with full time jobs, growing families and BIG gardens or all of the above. In my case, I try to seek answers to my questions by reading the existing threads and if everything fails, then I post. It is not for lack of interest, on the contrary, it is a question of using the already existing material available for me. I truly appreciate the wealth of information that knowledgable members provide for people like me, who loves gardening but have not too much experience and lose some of my plants due to ignorance.
Nevertheless, I must agree with you that wonderful friendships can be made by checking the forums and see what other people are up to. I joined GW earlier this year and just yesterday I had the priviledge of meeting and chatting over a cup of tea with another GW memmber from California.
It is also wonderful to notice that even if we are anonimous for the most part, there is a common denominator that unites all of us: We all love or have a keen interest in gardening and plants.
Annette, please keep on shaking us so we realize that this is a great place to come and give our two cents with our contributions.
Thanks!

consentida
well said....
that's all..
cheers

Annette, I agree with you and there are perhaps other matters we can discuss.

Ianna

Well I've began a conversation on hobbies and invite people join in.

One other topic of discussion for those interested is that of health and possibly weight loss??? Anyone interested in such a discussion, perhaps diet strategies?

Good stuff Annette

Me as well an older gal. Sometimes hobbling around. But can't wait to get out in the garden every morning.

Once I am out there, I even feel better. Don't come back in until I need to use the bathroom.

Love to go out in my pj's even , but can't get away with it so much at the house I recently purchased.

I seem to have more ideas then I ever did , good ideas of things to do around the place, but takes me longer to get the work done

I need to send pictures on line but have not done so.

Today I was at an old cemetary out in the country.

We where just driving by. I noticed this 'tree' and thought perhaps, from the road, it was a rose of some sort

We stopped and opened the gate. walked over to the 'tree'
It was a hydrangea in bloom Some blooms pink some white and some a combination of both
Fragrance was just lovely Mild, summery, unusual

It is almost 100 years old

My daughter did take pictures of this and I must get her to post them

Did take two cuttings of it, but perhaps is to late in the year for them to take

Diane,

If it's a woody cutting, it will still root. Don't use the water rooting method but the soil and soilless mix method. & when it's in winter, keep it in a cold frame or a cloche outside in a sheltered area.

Ianna

In zone 8 where I am we can just stick the cuttings right in the ground, no fuss, very easy to root here. Ianna has given you good info on how to root them in colder climates.

Annette

What are you doing in your garden these days?
I am busy getting last minute perennials in the ground and also planting bulbs.
We golden oldies gals must keep this craft going as many younger people are too busy to keep it going.
I am trying to remove all the grass from my yard and replace it with wild flowers and other subjects which do not require mowing. Eventually I want to replace one wildflower patch on a slope with an alpine garden.

Caroline (Calgary)

Right now I'm trying to get all the plants still in pots into a holding bed for the winter, general cleaning and tidying up.
Collecting and cleaning all the gardening tools is high on my list this fall, putting them away all in the same place for a change :o).
Today I'll be giving my greenhouse a good cleaning as I have a lot of tender stuff to bring in for the winter.
Next month it will be Tulip planting time.

Annette

Hi all ladies

Thanks Ianna for info on hydrangea cuttings.

I have created a small area of very lush soil and it is sheltered

Have started several plants from cuttings in there the past two years.

I put the special Hydrangea cuttings in this spot. Now it may be to late in the year But I actually laid them horizontally more so, with just the tip sticking out of the dirt

The cuttings where not hardwood, which I know would have been better. If they do not take, I will get better cuttings myself, in the spring when I return from Florida.

I as well have been potting up things to bring inside. Need to give my solarium a sprucing up as well so as I can put things in their.

potted up lots of Calla lilies, One of my favourite.
Brugmansia have finally began to bloom, which makes me ever so happy. Just love to smell them at night.

So many of the plants look terrific I hate to bring them in yet. Hoping to wait til after Thanksgiving as I am having all the family, home for the occasion.

Yes we older gals have to keep at it But the going is getting a little tougher. More ideas, great ideas, is one of my problems. Always more and more to do next year.

Love doing so, as long as I am able.

Hello Dianne,

That might be problem. Any green stems tend to die out in winter. If you will notice any regular hydrangea shrub, the green portions do die back in winter. Same thing with greenwood cuttings.

If you plan to return to get more cuttings just know the following: Spring cuttings would not take. Take semi-green/semi-woody cuttings for early summer cuttings. These will root within the same season. For late summer/fall weather cuttings, take hardwood cuttings -- will root the following season.

I just discovered that I can root my favorite lavender. My great accomplishment this season

Ianna

I attended the Huronia Rose Society meeting just last week

And they had a speaker, whose name I do not recall talking about Lavender

Every so many kinds of lavender and of course she just loves them

She as well was mentioning that is can be easy to root lavenders, some in particular, more so.
She showed us photos of lavender fields in Quebec, France, Ohio and I just forget where else. California perhaps.

That would be a good topic for garden forum, "my great accomplishment this season"

I had quite a few good experiences this summer

My second year in this garden and much of what I planted last year did well.
I really worked on carefully making soil to suit the planting areas, last summer.
In the fall I gathered from the neigbhourhood bags upon bag and more bags of leaves

My poor car, looked a bit rough after the experience. Well the trunk. I put down in some areas more than a foot of leaves and I am going to do it again this year

Some plants, did not make it through the cover of leaves, but most did. They did come up a little slower of course, but that was fine.

Was a good experience. Now if I this year chopped them up in a garbage can or something that would be better
But usually I don't have the energy
There is a lot to do to clean up, in the fall and then I am kind of in a hurry, once it gets cold to get on my way to Florida, for the winter

Apologies for the long notes Most people do not seem to write to much at a time

I just get a bit happy I guess thinking about gardening

Diane, That's an excellent suggestion. Why don't you start a new thread with the topic of our great accomplishments here.

No need to apologize about the long notes.

I learned about lavender rooting only this year when I came across an article about the subject this summer. What's more I learned that in France, the growers would simply stick in cuttings in the earth and it roots easily. So I gave it a try and it worked.

Re the leaves -- I do recall mentioning to you that leaves need to be broken up in order to rot faster. It might be easier if you have an electric lawnmower that can go over the leaves and then bag them up in black plastic (perforated). Since you will be out of town for a while, simply leave them in plastic bags still you return the following season. They will turn to excellent leaf mould by then.

Lucky you to be returning to Florida. I'm no where near retirement but sure wish I am now. Perhaps you can give me tips on how one goes about retiring there...

It's good to see some interaction on this thread, I've told a bit about myself over on the conversation side, Ianna's thread on Hobbies and other interest. I find telling just a little about oneself kind of breaks the ice :).
I have done numerous cuttings by just sticking in the ground, Hydrangeas for one. I also have a cloning machine, grow lights and a green house so I've got lots of options.

Growing tomatoes here on the island has been very challenging for the last few years as we really haven't had decent summers but this year we had a bumper crop. Ever wonder what to do with prunings and garden waste that takes forever to break down? This is what we did, I had my DH build a raised bed maybe 4'x4' waist high. I dumped all the stuff I didn't want to put in my other compost boxes in until it was a couple of feet from the top, then we topped it up with a bale of Sunshine mix No.4. This grew the best tomatoes we've had in a long time. I expected the whole thing to sink some but if it has I haven't noticed. Next spring I'll top up with another layer of No.4 and weather permitting grow tomatoes there again.

Talking about Hydrangeas we had a wicked winter here, one of my hydrangea froze to the ground, it has come back but no flowers this year, I shouldn't complain too much because we're having an awesome summer, were still hitting 26, 27, when this time of year it's usually 18 or less.

Do any of you grow collections? I've done the Fuchsia thing at one time I had about 350, Michaelmas Daisies upwards of 60, hard to believe but this winter did a lot of the daisies in.
Now I'm into Echinaceas, Double Decker doesn't impress me, nor does pink poodle I'll give them one more year, but some of the other new intros have really done well for me.

Do many of winter sow, I have never done this but thought I might have a go this year, any hints you'd care to share :o).

Annette

Hi Annette, I was trying to get people over to the conversation side, but I guess no one is that interested.

propagation is so much fun. Been doing it for years and many of my plants are derrived from either cuttings, root cuttings or seeds. I think there's a bit of freedom that comes when you know how to start new plants. There are some propagation techniques I've yet to do - and one of them is using a long black plastic strip, lined with sphagnum moss. Line up the cuttings which were treated in rooting hormones and start rolling the cuttings like a rolled up sod. secure with a rubber band. Stand it on a plate and set aside. Water. -- It's supposed to save you the space and sphagum is supposed to keep the moisture and deter disease. This works with woody types of propagation.

Does that method work for roses, ianna? I have been trying to root some cuttings from a specific rose for several years, and they do not take. Always interested in trying new ideas. ;-)

Ianna

What do you mean trying to get people into the conversation side

Is this another forum.
Propagating sure is fun and free for the most part.

I have had such a busy week with family this week, not got a darn thing done in the gardens.
Weather has been so terrific as well

Today is Thursday but to early to get outside, Just after five am and still dark

I am going to try mixing a bag of cement. In the wheelbarrow

Have the form ready, under a new arbour. Bought some green colouring stuff to mix in with the concrete.
Just going to pour a square slab and then push some nice leaves into it for pattern

The biggest problem is, as I see it, before having began the work, is lifting the bag of cement

Sure is heavy not sure how many pounds the bag is

I tried Fuschias at one time and do like them so much Not more than half a dozen at a time Sometimes they do seem to overwinter, indoors but have to survive for me with no care what so ever til spring.

My greatest efforts over the past few years has been with Brugmansia. Just love them and the fragrance.

I don't know any tips I could give you for Florida, in particular, but I sure would not want to miss, winters down there in all that sunshine.
The weather is gorgeous in the winter. Locals just love winters in Florida

Not humid, but mostly everyday is sunny Sometimes there is rain. They need the rain and the odd day, even in Fort Myers, where I am, we might get a touch of frost

Of course they make a big deal about it, and it is a big deal as there are crops of tomatoes, eggplant etc. upon which many people make their living.

We up here in Canada, here about any cold weather in FLorida affecting the oranges, but that most often is not a factor, at least not to great of a factor.
Oranges seem to take some cold, unless it is actually the blossom that gets hit.
The greatest financial loss , in the ten years I have been down there, comes from frost on tender crops, as mentioned

Florida is not a gorgeous place to live, as some spots on this earth are.
But you can not beat the sunshine, and often even a little breeze with the day. And for folks like ourselves, you can garden, year round.

Hi Diane,

Yes there's a conversation forum for off topic discussions. Don't you know the (switch to conversation) option in this forum? Anyhow I thought perhaps people might like chat about hobbies or other things of interest. I for one, enjoy handquilting, crafting and baking, slow cooking, etc... Too many hobbies in fact.

By the way, do be careful about that heavy bag of cement. Don't break any bones now. Take a shovel and gradually take the cement that way.

I love the idea of leaf impressions on cement. I have 2 cement leaves made by an Amish lady who sold these things and I use them as a fountain in my pond. let me tell you something else I did when my daughter was still a toddler. I made a mould and filled it with fine sand and then I pressed down sea shells and my daughter's footprint to make an impression. Then I poured in the cement and let it dry out completely. It made a relief. You should give this a try when you're out there in Florida.