Oh Lord, I just read Appropos of nuthin and I didn't check no boxes and I ain't going to feel bad if I get too busy to log on for a couple of weeks or something. Dang. Dang, say.

Just for the record: Willy had posted an invitation to his garden party weeks ago so Tom wasn't really stepping out of line by making new G'Webbers aware of it. There were no individual invitations sent.

We're all just gardeners and friends here - no need to try for anything 'colorful'. The plants, butterflies and birds are our colorful characters.

I have to admit, s&s, that I can't really tell from your post if you are serious or if you are angry about something. That of course is the downside to text communication - there's so much you can't see. Hopefully, we haven't offended you somehow. Usually, if you want to thank someone for a response you would do it in the original post so the poster would have a better chance of seeing it. Not many of the people from the Discussions page come over here to the Conversations page (although I like to see that they do). Your audience on this page is pretty small.

Hi Kate,
As I read in Appropos, people can misinterpret anything they put their mind to.
However, as you've been touted as the warmest hearted, most generous,etc. I'm surprised to read that you "can't really tell from ...."
The phrase "thank you" appears 3 times.
The phrase "thank you very much" appears once.
lol appears in the paragraph of most questionability for just the clarification one might need.
And the Appropos follow up was to say, good god people need chocolate around here or something, OR in other words: don't be getting sensitive about my writing because as it ALSO said: "I ain't mean" (that's colorful for I am not a rude person).
My gardening is peaceful and without pettiness.
I won't have to explain this again.
That's because I learn quicker than I used to from other people's mistakes.
Congratulations and Happy Gardening!
Chris

Hey Chris, thanks for the thanks! LOL I Just remember when I first came outta lurking I felt like a real dweeb, then this lady Ambersky talked directly to me-at me and I went WOW!!! So get out here and talk about what you are doing in your gardens and we will talk back atcha! It is a wonderful group of gardeners. Good luck and happy gardening. BTW, what are you planting?

Hi Chris! Nice to meet you.Glad to see new people on this page. It was started a couple of years ago when it seemed liked we had a new hurricane threat everyday. The moderator of the site at the time, Spike, started this page for all the non-gardening stuff we were all talking about, like how to keep your house from blowing away!lol Since then, it's been a good place to share stuff and ask questions about things other than gardening, like books, pets, etc.

Welcome and keep posting.

Julie

Thanks Julie and Cindeea.
Signed stimulus or no, I feel like I should be planting a 4 acre Victory Garden. Of course, I'd need 4 acres,lol.
Why isn't anybody talking about what they're planting, Cindeea? From my prior zone 7 experience, here near the beaches we're in mid spring because the formosa azaleas are blooming. If it weren't for that earlier spring frost - make that freeze.... But still, it's spring!
I enjoy Ill Mannered's blog and so I know there's been a whole lotta planting going on there. But aren't folks planting seeds and stuff?
Chris

Chris, I have been very cautious with new plantings and seeds. The frosts burned about 30 heirloom tomato plants for me and I am being cautious about starting any more new seeds. That being said, I did plant out two(from seed) tomato plants today in their permanent pots. An Eva Purple Ball and a Pink Ping Pong. The other day I up planted into containers 2 Druzba tomato plaants from seed. NOW I hear it is gonna get into the 30s again on Friday! YIKES, this has been a cold winter, but weird. I remember cold rainy winters that were chilly for a month or better, but never any freezes. This was not really the coldest but with the most freeze/near freeze nights in the 32 years I have been here. I am afraid for my cuke, radish and lettuce seedlings and once again, my new tomato plants.

It is spring and it's hard for many gardeners to ignore the urge to start their gardens. But some of us have learned the hard way that freezes can happen anytime up to early March in z9. I recall a couple years when I had to cover some things and haul the orchids around pretty close to March 15th. That's doesn't happen often though and I think it's safe to start adding the tender stuff by March 1st. Some of the hardier gardeners here get started earlier and are willing to do the extra work to keep their tender babies warm. Their gardens will be glorious when the rest of ours are just getting started!

Kate

All that warning stuff being said...I got more seeds today in the mail! But they are warning it will be another cold front weekend starting Friday...sigh, I want to plants the rest of my seeds!!! Instead, I'll be turning the twinkle lights back on the vanilla orchid to keep it's new flower buds warm.

Are you planting anything, Julie?
Cindeea, great to hear.
Folks, I'd like to read about what folks are growing and planting on the main page, but I'm afraid to start a thread because I do know that there is a separate post for seed starting and growing, but they don't seem to be in Florida. I think they're all under lights in frost land.
Sharing in the excitement of other people's plantings is a vicarious joy.
And simple is fine by me. Take for example California Poppies - I've never grown them and can't remember ever seeing them. Very easy from seed by all accounts, but they didn't sprout for me last spring. When they came up when I October sowed, folks two counties over heard me exclaiming "I've got poppies!" All I have are tiny little poppy plants these many months later, yet I'm still every bit as excited about that.
YOU are a tease, Cindeea. "got more seeds today" Uh-huh.
I'm not interested in what seeds you got. No, not me. Probably nobody else either. No, I'm pretty sure that wouldn't be even remotely....
OK, so that didn't fool ya.
What did you get? Huh? Huh? What? Come on!! What?

Sandandsun please don't feel afraid to start a thread on the main page. You will find many topics from other forums repeated on the Florida forum because things here are so different than in other parts of the country. I know there is a page for vegetable growers and yet we always have post for veggie growers on our own forum. Take the plunge and start your post.

Thanks trinigemini!
Cindeea: I just found and read Corrie's tomato thread (diary) - so I don't need you to be redundant.
Fascinating! And fun! And scarey too: whiteflies. They'll probably genetically modify the tomatoes to kill the whiteflies or maybe they already have. Hopefully, what kills whiteflies won't harm us...
Way before grey hair, the seed companies used to have test gardener programs. But I guess if all those tomatoes are being grown down there, they don't need us.

Shhhh S&S, we do not mention that bug they get!!! I do not want it for sure. To answer your question....yep, I got more tomato seeds!! I am not just a GardenHoe I am becoming a TomatoHo!! Did you see my latest tomato photos?? and yes, Corry is full of words and totally delightful, humorous and informative! On the tomato forum she even questions the BIG GUYS!! lol

I don't plant any veggies. I'm strictly a flower person. I just started eating veggies, besides corn & potatoes, a couple of years ago, so give me some time!lol We are mainly meat & potatoes people, but we're trying different things now.

That said, I have a few spaces for some new perennials and I like to fill in with annuals, but we are so dry here in Pasco that I'm holding off for a while. My lawn is dead and I don't have a sprinkler system. I hand water the plants and I'm only doing that once a week. We've had 3 brush fires in a week, so I hate to be wasting water on flowers. Veggies are edible, so they need the water. We might not have drinking water soon. I'm on county water, no well, but people I know on wells have run dry and had to drill deeper. It's not a good situation. I could smack every idiot I see throw a lit cigarette out a car window.

Julie