Silvia, I planted the sweet potatos slips you gave me at the spring garden party, right after the party. Do you think they might be ready for harvest about now? they are so taking over the garden.
Thanx
Carmen

Carmen

In the area where you put the slips look underneath for mounds in the soil, that is where the sweet potatoes would be fully formed. The other ones that are smaller would be on the new rooted plants at the ends. Have a good harvest!

Silvia

Hi All

This is a reminder for the party for those that are planning to come, don't forget to ask for the address if you have not been here before...

Zucchini is doing really good in the garden, I will probably make something zucchini related for the party.

We had a raw zucchini salad yesterday, it had herbs, meyer lemon, olive oil and parmigiano reggiano that Cheryl brought from NY when she came back on Saturday.

Silvia

my wife and i would like to attend your garden party if it's ok? was wondering if anyone wanted cuttings off anything? have quite a bit started, no veggies :(, but can start other stuff if needed. i know i'm a bit of an over-poster, but i really enjoy this forum! thanks.....m

Hi M

We will be so happy to have you and your wife at the party!
The Florida forum is so lucky to have you as a poster with the beautiful shots you take of wonderful ornamental plants.
Anything that you bring, I am sure will be very much appreciated but most important of all, it will be a pleasure to meet you and your wife.
Looking forward to see you All!

Silvia

I wanted to attend this year to met you and see your beautiful gardens but we will be in Isla Mujeres at that time. Things are calmer here and we need the vacation. I hope it is a huge success and that you post pictures afterwards.

Hi tom...sorry to hear you can't make the party....I will be in Tampa 10/15 on Usf campus..willing to transport plants to silvia.... Maxine

Hi Keiki

Sorry to know that you cannot come, but someday you will I hope. I want everyone to know that my garden is very small, still young and a work in progress... but produces a lot of veggies more than our family can eat it. Our parties are a lot of fun because we concentrate more on getting to know the gardeners and sharing food and the icing on the cake is of course the plants and seeds. Everyone gets excited!
All the guests are the stars here and we all can take pictures to share with those that cannot come.
Have a great time in Isla Mujeres!

Maxine - That is very nice of you to offer. See you at the party!

Silvia

Hi Syliva! I see you'll have a splendid turn out! I'm sad I won't make the party this time. There is just too much going on. I'll look for the photos later though to torture myself with what I missed. :) Have fun!

Tina

Man, even M is going to make this one, I'd sure love to be there :-(

Silvia - looks like you've found a new best friend with that zucchini ;-)

M - I'd love to have some Jacobenia if you've potted any of them up, but that would be contingent on anyone from the Tampa area bringing a few plants back for me.

Vqueen - thanks for the offer, send me an email. I have eleven avocados in one gallon pots that can make the trip if we can hook up, also five umbrella sedge and two Jewels of Opar, all grown from seed....

Sure sorry I can't make this one.... :-(

Tom

did cuttings today for spring, incredible plant, but prone to mealy bugs. still blooms spring and fall. sent you an email....m

Hi Tina - I am sorry that you cannot make it. Thank you for your good wishes. We will take a lot of pictures!

Hi Tom - We are going to miss you! I hope that the garden doesn't look so bad after all the rains that we are having. Even one of my zucchini plants was cut in half with the winds, but at least I already made pickles and savory zucchini breads...

Hope to see all the garden friends that are coming! and if anybody need the address, please send me an email.

Silvia

I meant to post on here right when you put up the date, sorry about that. My partner and I would love to come to your party. I have a bunch of suriname cherrie plants, as well as some other edibles that I can bring to share. Thanks!

Hi StPete Gardener

I am glad that you and your partner can make it to the party!

Anything that you decide to bring will be greatly appreciated by all and I hope that all of you bringing plants get some very happy trades!
First we will enjoy the food and the company.:)

I picked different beans today and also getting my first cucumbers, I got some sungold and sweet baby girl tomatoes ripening. The tasting table will have different banana and zucchini breads, also pickles and jams to sample, everything from my small garden.:)

Silvia

I'm still coming with the Mex dip although my wife might not make it. Ir you'd rather not post your address, you can send it to me at marjimk@cfl.rr.com.

Papa Jim

Hi Papa Jim

An appetizer or finger food for the party is always a good idea!. It will be very nice to meet you.

And to the garden friends that are coming to the party, I hope that you are getting ready for Saturday October 20 at 11 am. Looking forward to see you All!

Silvia

Hi Tom - We are going to miss you! I hope that the garden doesn't look so bad after all the rains that we are having. Even one of my zucchini plants was cut in half with the winds, but at least I already made pickles and savory zucchini breads...

Hi Silvia, your beans look great!

My garden is doing fine but unfortunately with the heat and humidity this close to the water I've had very little bloom set on my tomatoes. Surprisingly the two Monomakh's Hat plants is grew from seeds you sent me are setting very well, first time I've ever grow an Oxheart :-)

Looks like I'll be able to hook up with VQ Monday so I'll be sending over the plants I mentioned above.

I'd sure love a few slices of zucchini bread from the Parthenon seeds I gave you but I guess that will have to wait for another time :-(

Tom

Hi Silvia!

Your beans look incredible. I am just harvesting a few fortex right now. I don't know if I should have planted them closer together or how to make them look thicker and give more. What do you feed them? How close do you plant yours to your trellis?

Unfortunately I can't come to the party again. I do hope to come some day. I will relish looking at the pictures though. Thanks so much for the invite. You are so gracious to do this time and time again!

Anna

Hi Tom

Next time that I see you, I will have some savory zucchini bread for you to try and yes the Parthenon are very prolific, more than the Cavilli. In the spring I always plant the Costata Romanesco and the pattypan, so they will have competition then.:)

All my tomatoes are doing good and yes the Monokah's Hat always set earlier and are productive, but they are my favorite because of the flavor, I love the oxhearts so meaty and rich taste!

If your seedlings come to the party, there will be some lucky gardeners to get them, we will let you know...

Hi Anna

I am very sorry that you cannot come but I hope to see you next time that we have a get together , we will try to take a lot of pictures for all the garden friends that are not going to be here.

I am getting a load full of beans,lol. The garden is like that, some seasons this veggie or that veggie does very well and other does not for no particular reason. All the beans are doing great and I have maybe 12 varieties. Since my garden is very small and cannot rotate the crops, I rotate the soil. Almost everything is planted in fresh soil in small pots. I planted some beans closer than others and while the beans that are closer are fuller and producing more, the ones that I spaced them more are doing better health wise. I try to plant the beans as close to the trellis as possible.

For the garden friends that are coming, I tried to put names on all the vegetables so you can see different varieties and how they are doing. And I will be happy to answer any questions that you may have. If anybody need any seeds that I have, let me know so I can make some small packets before the party. You all know that after the party starts, we will forget things. Make sure that you all have tags with the names so we can remember who everyone is and like usual we will have some other garden friends and neighbors. It is going to be a great day!

Silvia

anna, would love to meet you....sorry you can't come. looking forward to this road trip, we really spend most our time in the garden. j's making pasta salad, that ok....plus a few plants to trade....m

Hi again Silvia,

I wanted to ask if it's okay if I bring my parents again. I thought they were going to be out of town, but they told me they will be here and they'd love to come to your party again! They would probably bring more bamboo canes again to trade. I suggested that they choose thinner more manageable stake-size canes this time instead of the very large ones they brought last time. :)

I don't know what I'm bringing for food yet, but I'll think of something. Also, I will be sure to label my plants this time! I've discovered the ease of using cut up window blinds as plant labels.

Hi M

Looking forward to see you and your wife...pasta salad sounds good! and I hope that everyone will be happy with the trades.

Hi Amber

Of course you can bring your parents, they are welcome in our house, looking forward to see them them and you again!

Silvia

Hi gardening friends

Yesterday Cheryl and I went to the spa near my house, those of you that saw the pictures that I posted in 2010 when I went would probably like an update on the place.:) After we were there I remember that I forgot the camera! the place looks so beautiful! every detail, floors, walls, ornaments and of course all the plantings. I did notice that they had less citrus than last time and more olives.

This is when took the pictures before, I think looks better now, the spa was gorgeous and very attentive crew.

And don't forget this Saturday is the time for party! See you all at 11am at my house, take the phone number in case you need directions.

Silvia

OMG.....What and where is the spa?.....I want to go !

Pam

Hi Pam

Remind me when you come to the party, to give you detailed info on the location and the services. We went the other day to the spa in Disney grounds and this is so much better! the place in itself is a dream! They had copper tubs to soak and I was so impressed with the walls, floors, ceilings, the whole experience! It is about 10 or 15 minutes from my house, they also have a restaurant. Cheryl is the one that makes the arrangements for me.:)

And for all of you that are coming to the party, before or after you will want to stop and see the decorations for the Halloween that one person in the neighborhood does every year. Even in the daylight is good, there are so many things to see. It is on the same street where you turn to come to my house, on the same side of the school and the fire house. Anybody interested will get directions from Willy.:)

Here it is from other year, every time he adds another thing...

Don't be scared, my house won't look like that! lol

Silvia

Hi, Silvia. I can't come to the party again--will probably be out of town that weekend, but I showed the spa pics to a friend who's moving to Windermere and is just crazy to find out where it is. Can you share the name, at least?

Thanks.

Silvia, is it Bella Collina?

Hi Sylvia
Any chance you have room for one more? It already looks like you'll have quite a crowd!

I just found out that I will be on the road Saturday to visit my Mom and Dad - and you're kinda-sorta on the way.

I don't have a lot for trading . . . just babies of the plants I'd received from swaps from years ago, like cannas, bananas, gingers, begonias. Of course, once I get out there and look around, I'll probably find more stuff.

I'll send ya an email.

Thanks
Susie

Hi Writersblock

I am sorry to hear that you are not coming, but I hope that some day you will.
And you got that right it is Bella Collina and the place is gorgeous! they have some financial problems I think...

Hi Susie

I am happy that you are coming! I sent you an email with the address. Feel free to bring anything that you want, food to share and small plants to trade. Anything goes in the garden party!

Looking forward to see all the garden friends on Saturday!

Silvia

Thanks, Silvia. Too bad they're having problems--it looks amazing.

Hi Silvia, sorry we'll be on our way to NC. Maxine did pick up my avocado plants, umbrella sedge and Jewel of Opar plants to take over there. She also requested a few sticks of Jeannie Moragne so I'm sending over a bucket sticks for those who want to give this plumeria a try.

Everyone have fun!

Tom

Hi Tom

Have a great time in NC!. Thank you for being so nice and I am sure the lucky recipients of the seedlings will thank you too for your generosity and the time that you spent growing them...Hope to get 1 umbrella sedge, 1 jewel and 1 plumeria stick to try it out.

I will keep you updated on everything that will go on the day of the party, pictures and all. We will miss you!

Silvia

To all the guests that are coming, here is the program that we will try to follow on Saturday.

- When the guests arrive we will give them a tag for their name, Cheryl will take care of the dishes in the kitchen, Carmen will be in the yard to take care of the plants that will be put around the tent to be ready for the swap, if they need to be in shade, I will provide some boxes if needed.
- Inside the house, we will have something to drink, appetizers and look for the sampling table by the door that is going to have sweet and savory breads that I made from the harvest and also pickles and jams from the garden.
- After we have settled and all the guests had arrived, about 12 we will have lunch...
- The group picture will come next before we will forget and after that will be the swap and all the gardeners that are bringing plants will take a turn to tell us what they have and then the trades will be made. Remember the trades are up to you...
- For all the garden friends that are coming please feel free to walk around the garden. And at the end of the swap if anybody wants to know anything about the garden, I will be happy to answer any questions and walk you around the garden. For the gardeners that are coming for the first time, don't forget that my garden is very small and that I have 3 dogs and one likes to play ball. I will be looking after her to give her a break.:)

It is already looking like a great day! See you all on Saturday.

Silvia

Have a great time in NC!. Thank you for being so nice and I am sure the lucky recipients of the seedlings will thank you too for your generosity and the time that you spent growing them....

Thank Maxine, this is all on her! I'm sure you'll get your goodies ;-) Sorry I'll miss this one but I need a few "chill hours" :-)

Tom

tom, your kaffir lily is potted and ready, also have another small one. just keep it in semi.shade, you'll love it. hope to meet you in the spring! looking forward to a road trip! big orchid sale in deland tomorrow, hitting it then the garden.

Tom - Thanks for reminding me to thank Maxine, she is being very nice bringing all the plants to the party. We are going to have a really nice weather on Saturday, that is great!

M - Looking forward to meet you and your wife on Saturday! and I am sure a lot of gardeners will want to see you also.

To all the guests that are coming - Don't forget to write a name on the things that you are bringing. That is what I am going to do before the party.:)

We will have a basket for free seeds, that was Doug's idea. Any seeds that you want to donate will be put there...Any seeds that you want to trade will be separate with your seedlings.

And remember if you don't have anything to trade, you can still come to share the food, meet other gardeners and have a nice garden talk.

See you All on Saturday!

Silvia

Hi Silvia...all the goodies from Tom are sitting on my patio waiting to go to their new homes.... see you on Saturday...we are going to have a wonderful time...Tom thanks for sharing we will miss you..maxine

Sylvia, is anyone from Jacksonville or northeast Florida coming? I sure am tempted to come on down if I could find someone to share gas! It sounds like it is going to be just wonderful!

Thanks,
Carol in Jax

Oh! the weather promises to be beautiful this weekend... we're sooooo excited for the party...

We'll be bringing Quiche(again)...something Mild and Wild

Also a few plants and seeds (including repackaged Orlando Eggplant) for the trade.....

I'm looking for seeds for some HungarianHotWax peppers or other interresting peppers ?

LarryInulover.....do you want more loquat seedlings?

""I went to a garden party to reminisce with my old friends....""

dougandpam

Maxine, tomorrow is the party! we will meet again to have a great time!

Carol, I wish that there was someone from your area coming but I am sorry. I understand is a long drive...Gardeners are coming from Tampa, South Florida, Deland, Inverness and around my area.
If anyone is coming from Northeast Florida please let Carol know?
And Carol the next best thing will be when I post the pictures and all that went on at the party for all the friends that cannot come.

Doug and Pam, cannot wait till tomorrow! Willy is singing the garden party theme now,lol.
I am going to look for some different interesting varieties of hot peppers that I have...
Quiche is always a tasty idea!

I also have two Orlando eggplants but I would recommend that the gardeners from warmer areas get it because it won't survive the cold, last winter was different.

And some of the desserts are going to be papaya, you are going to laugh when you see my papaya in a breaking pot and fruiting! lol

See you All tomorrow!

Silvia

Have a great time, everyone! I wish I could go.

Could I reiterate a plea that's been made here before? When y'all post your photos afterwards, could some kind soul include names so that those of us who never get to go can have some idea of who everybody is?

I am just back from Oklahoma City. I will be there and will probably bring the wife along.

I have a couple of pineapples, seeds, and garlic.

Not sure what we can bring as the refer hasn't been restocked yet.

Larry

Thank you Writersblock...I will post some photos but if I look ugly I am not going to say is me, lol.
Some guests are gardening friends and neighbors not on the forum...
At least I am going to be giving clues about the guests that are from the forum, that is a promise.:) Keep watching till tomorrow when the id's will be disclosed for entertainment purposes only. And if anybody want to be incognito I can do that too,lol.

Larry, is good to know that you are coming, bring the wife too, tell her that is always fun at the party.

I made a fruit salad that has pineapple and papaya from my garden. We will have 2 sampling tables, one for the savory and one for the sweets.

For those that are here for the first time, at the side of the house by the driveway, there is a gate to the backyard where you can bring big garden things or plants.

Don't forget to name everything that you bring if possible...

Silvia

Silvia

went to the orchid sale in deland today, you should make the trip! nice stuff, but pricey! orchtoberfest!

Sylvia, this request may come a little late for the out of towners but for us locals are there any parking suggestions or instructions?

Papa Jim

Papa Jim

There is a lot of parking available at the street where I live. And just to make the things run smoother, yesterday we let the Oakland police know about the party, just in case...

And for all the guests, don't forget to take the house phone number with you if you need any directions to the house. For those using GPS sometimes it show the address as Winter Garden, but remember it is Oakland, next town.

See all the garden friends TODAY!

Silvia

Uummmmmmm..........almost ready...............dougandpam

going to need a wheelbarrow, civic is packed to the gills...:)

Sylvia,
Looks like Terry and I will be able to make it today as his trip was cancelled. Sorry for the late notice!
Kathy

Doug and Pam, those quiches were so yummy! I just ate one piece now, the ham and cheese are probably my favorite! I had such a great day with all the gardeners at the party! I am still waiting on the pictures to post them...

Mark, you and your wife were the stars of the show! What an incredible amount of plants!!!I think that I just won the lottery!Everyone appreciated your generosity and knowledge.

Kathy and Terry, it was so nice to see you again and spend some nice time with you, we had a blast!

And for all the wonderful guests that came, thank you for coming and sharing all the plants and food, you were all great company!

As soon as I have the pictures, I will post them. I only have these shots before the party.

More pictures coming up, stay tuned!

Silvia