Bunny, I would love some hanky panky! My rose garden is mainly pinks, with a dash of red thrown in for good measure, so those hanky panky roses would look great in it! You were talking about the roses, right? LOL!!!

LINDA!!! How was Altoona???

Ummmm....I sure hope so, Dan.... If not, I'm in BIG trouble... :P
Are you good with cuttings? Cuz I sure ain't. I've never gotten a rose cutting to root. *sniff*
But if you're good with them...or at least want to give it a shot...I can a few. Is Hanky Panky the only one you want to try? I can get some (giggle...snort...teehee...A-HEM....)from celebrate life, cherry hi & popcorn right now. MAYBE from x-rated & overnight sensation... but I need to check before I make promises.

Let's just stick to the roses, shall we? LOL! We can't get into trouble with that, or can we? ***Seems like we're always getting into some sort of trouble here on the gw, sigh***
I'm okay with cuttings, and I've got a small willow "bush" (can't call it a tree, it's less than 3' tall) which I can take some cuttings off of to help the roses root. After playing with all those grape cuttings, I've decided that the plastic bag method works the best for cuttings. At least, that's the best one for me... results may vary ya know. LOL!
Hanky Panky would be great to get, but, if you're willing to send more (c'mon, let's enable Dan some more... I hear you!!!) then can I try the celebrate life, cherry hi, and popcorn? After looking at some pictures online, I'm going to stay away from getting an x-rated overnight sensation from you...RMAO!!!

Don't Forget! Get Your Giggle On Everyone!!!

-Dan

AHHHHHHHH!!!
After all this hanky panky, I've caught Mark's virus!!!
Well....ok....maybe not HIS virus, but definitely A virus!
ARRGGGGHHHHH!!!!!

*smacking computer repeatedly with yardstick*
(it is the closest thing handy)

I'll be back when I can glue the computer pieces back together.

*.....running off....hands in the air....screaming.....*

Hmmm, sounds like Bunny has caught a CTD!!! I had nothing to do with either!

On another note, here's a little something I just received from garden gate magazine. I subscribe to their e-notes, which are filled with a lot of helpful tips and such. And, since the wee marigolds are blooming and setting seed, I thought I'd share...

saving marigold seeds
Did you know that you could save seeds from this years marigolds for next yearÂs flowers? Marigold seeds ripen easily on the plant if you donÂt deadhead all of the spent flowers. Once the heads turn brown, break a pod or two open. If the seeds are dark brown or black theyÂre ready to harvest. Gather heads from several plants to get a good blend of colors. Plus, itÂs insurance in case one plantÂs seeds are not viable.

Lay the pods in a dry place to continue to dry out  it could take two weeks. If the seeds are too moist, theyÂll rot during storage. When theyÂre dry, break the heads open and gather the seeds. Store them in an airtight container in a cool, dark place until spring.

If you only grow one cultivar of marigold in your garden, it probably wonÂt change much from the parent. Pollen from other marigolds in the area can create your own "hybrids." The color can change from the original, as can the height and spread. However, if you prefer a row of marigolds that all match perfectly, itÂs best to buy seeds each year.

Ok gone a few minutes and Dan is having hanky panky with bunny and our lil bunny has an std. Lili looks gorgeous. knew she would. Dan pass one of those brownies please. welcome ptilda we are all about making new friends. I love my mini roses I propagate by putting cuttings in pots under a blue plastic kids pool with a circular sprinkler that i turn on once a day 100 per cent rooting success. haven't done any this year me gotta get some going. are the lil black things in the axis of the lilly leaves bulbs ?

LOL! Carol, she doesn't have an std, she's got a ctd (computer transmitted disease)! LOL!!! I think anyone with as many kids as Bunny has knows how to NOT get an std, don't you? And I'm not saying ANYTHING more on that subject! LOL!!!
Have a great day everyone! We're having a happy, rainy day here!

Oh my! Didn't you guys learn anything in computer class! You need to use protection!

I was going to go to school and work on my classroom yesterday (I moved to a different room this year) but the weather was so great that DD and I decided once she got to my house we'd take the grandkids to Grant's Farm! Had a wonderful time.

Is the July swap finished? Has everyone received thier boxes?

I've got my little pea brain in overtime trying to get something together for the August swap.

How about "end of Summer" swap for August? Just another idea thrown your way.."L"

Duck, Becky.....DUCK!!! Linda's throwing stuff again!! :P
(hopefully, it's brownies...although...those hurt when she's chunking the ones with nuts...)

My computer is mending....slowly, slowly, sllllooooooowwwwwlyyyyyy. I think I gave it every anti-virus program I had in my closet. UGH. Oh, well...After all that, AND resetting the system, everything *seems* to be going OK. Time will tell, though. Hopefully, the anti-virus programs don't start fighting each other...although, I TOLD them not to. Threatened 'em, really.
But then....that stuff don't work on my kids, either.
OY.

Anyway. Dan- I'll have some cuttings in the mail to you today, hopefully. I'll just toss some of everything in there. Do you think I could trust a bubble mailer?? Or should I go with something sturdier? They're just tiny little things.....

Bunny, I just hope your pc isn't allergic to all the penicillin you're throwing at it! LOL!
Now, without seeing the dear little cuttings, I don't know what to tell you to use. I can share with you one of my own philosophies though, when in doubt, go sturdy. Have you got one of those little flat rate boxes laying around? That, or something similar, would do the trick I think. Sometimes a bubble envie can get tossed around and smushed a bit.

Now, it's been raining here for about the past 36 hours or so, so I'm reading today online about hostas, the good and the bad, before putting in some more of them in my stone circle. I've got a few, but I know some of you seem to absolutely droolingly nuts when someone mentions the word "hosta", (LOL) so I thought I'd share something with you that I found in my research. It sounds a bit scary to me...
"Many hostas are turning up that are infected with a virus called Hosta Virus X (HVX). The most commonly seen ones are plants of 'Gold Standard', 'Striptease', and 'Sum and Substance', but other common varieties are being reported infected in large numbers. While this disease does not kill plants, its primary danger lies in its proven ability to spread prolifically. Because symptoms may take years to show after infection, HVX has infected hundreds of thousands of plants and is at epidemic levels around the world. If a batch of hostas contains any individual plants that show HVX symptoms, the whole batch should be considered infected and should be destroyed, as individual testing is impractical and not a guarantee.
If you are a gardener, do not buy plants from batches that show even the slightest markings on even one plant. If you have these plants from batches that show symptoms at your home, dispose of them immediately. If you are a grower or vendor, learn what the signs are and contact the supplier if you see them in your stock. This virus is widely spread at this time in the above plants and others (see table of infected cultivars) and the source nurseries are still learning about the problem as of 5/06. Only testing with the specific ELISA kit for HVX can detect HVX. Very large numbers of HVX-infected plants are still currently being sold at all levels.
This virus is transmitted primarily through cutting the plants. Contact of the infected plant's sap with sap of a healthy plant will infect the new plant. This can happen whenever cuts are made and the instruments or hands are not disinfected afterwards. Dividing hostas, removing bloom scapes, removing leaves, stepping on them, even accidentally running the lawnmower over them can and will spread this virus. It survives only in living plant tissue and dies without a host. Plants in pots may be simply disposed of or burned. Plants in the ground should be dug carefully as to get as many roots as possible, and the spot should not be replanted until any remaining roots have died and rotted away."
Now, this kind of makes me think I'll just stay away from trading for any new hostas. What do you guys think? Anyone ever have to deal with this?

Hi everyone! Just wanted to pop in and say hello and sorry for my long absence.

Dan, that is excellent info on HVX. As a shade gardener I have been aware of it for about 2 years now. I have seen it at my local garden center and spoke with their horticulturalist. They had a large selection of "Sum and Substance" that was exibiting some severe symptoms. He was not very familiar with HVX and had been a bit concerned about them because of the odd markings on the leaves. As soon as we spoke about it and I confirmed his worries, he grabbed a cart and immediately pulled all the hosta out of the display area and was planning on contacting their distributor who was Willoway here in Ohio.

HVX is bad news. I haven't traded for many hosta over the last few years. It is a very scary disease with no treatment to illiminate it yet. The test strips are great tools for diagnosing. Hostalibrary.org has some good pictures to help in determining if you have possible infections and links to bring you to the test strip site. Some of the signs are tissue breakdown of the leaves, it might look like dimpling but also appears as if the leaf is bruised. Colors may bleed from what used to be clearly defined edges in coloring. Holes will appear in more advanced cases. The holes do not look similar to slug or pest damage.

Great info Dan!

Hugs to all!

Tracy

Dan~ I sent your cuttings in a bubble envie this morning. I think they'll be fine, since they are so tiny. If they were full sized roses, I would've went with a box. I also left cut them larger than you'll need, so that you can trim them up when they arrive, give them fresh cuts and all that. :O)

Here's a (not-so-good!) picture of "Celebrate Life". I'm not great at picture taking (I would blame it on the camera, but it's ALL me...I stink...LOL), but I wanted to show you how many colors you get from just this one rose. She's gorgeous! Starts off deep orange, then lightens up each day- getting pinker from the inside out, until she's nearly white.
There's a new bud in the middle, the one on the far left just bloomed yesterday, far right is 3 days old, the one above that is older, the one on top is nearly done now. Cool, isn't it? :O)

Now, that's just awesome! I'll put the new roses in a "Bunny" corner in the new rose garden. Thank you!

Wow, thanks for the info on the hostas. I never had hostas til we started our new gardens here and a friend gave me some of hers. I have also picked up some at the local greenhouse. I will have to research the signs of the virus. I was planning on entering leaves in the fair this year and wonder if that is such a great idea.

Speaking of viruses, has anyone seen Mark around? He should have received my box the first part of the week but I have not seen any posts and he has not answered my email. Another virus on his computer??????

Linda, have your heard from him at all about your box from him?

Lets hope his computer isn't sick again. I know it would drive me nuts not to have my computer.

the last time i heard from him was about a week ago..he was making plans to mail my box to me. Hope everything is okay with him!
I have your box abot readyto go , Margo..it's that "one more thing" syndrom!

CA - By the time I got your box packed today, the P.O. was closed. Is it ok for me to ship tomorrow? You would probably receive Monday. It is a perishable box. :0) Please let me know.

Thanks,
Joan

Joan - works for me! Sorry I've been out of touch. Too much travel!

I should have yours in the mail Saturday.

~CA

CA - just back from the P.O. Conf# 0306 2400 0003 0183 4473. Have to say, I'm a little nervous about this box. First time I've sent one like this. I figure you'll either REALLY love it, or REALLY hate it. Hoping for the best. It should be there Monday.
Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Joan

Margo, there will b a slight delay...I have to find a bigger box....."whistling and looking up at the ceiling"...

Margo, be afraid. Be. Very. Afraid.

Linda, don't forget to put the airholes in the top of the new box! You want them to still be alive when they get to Margo! And this time, include some food and water for those little critters! I didn't give it away, did I?

I don't know how Margo feels, but I think needing a bigger box is a good thing, especially when plants are involved!

I mailed Joan's box this morning. The conf# is lost in the car somewhere. I'll post it when I find it, if the box hasn't been delivered by then.

~CA

Okay, tonight, for a little over an hour, I've been listening to cats (yes, that's plural) crooning in my backyard, looking for love by the moonlight. Moaning, groaning, crooning, and sad to say, getting no satisfaction. Now, this has my two on full alert, knowing that something is going on, but not being able to do anything about it. Stella wants to know what all the fuss is about. Bump just looks at me and keeps asking for a bellyrub. Personally, I think I'm going to go have another bottle of wine. The first one just isn't helping. In the words of the great bald one after a session at Lucy's, "AAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!" And yes, that's a direct quote from Charlie Brown.

Now, where's my corkscrew?

*giggle....giggle....snort....guffaw.....*

Oh, Dan....if it isn't YOUR cats, it's someone ELSE'S now, huh?
You poor, poor feller....

*....tee-hee.....*

I received this from Mark's wife today. I toldher to lt him know to take his time and take care of his Mom.

Hi Linda

This is Roberta, Mark's wife. His mother fell down a flight of stairs and got hurt pretty bad. Mark went to take care of her for a couple weeks. His mother is old school and does not have a computer and his laptop does not have dial up.

I finally found out how to get his Yahoo mail. Mark sent a box to you but it came back opened. The post office messed it up. He wants to send you all new fresh plants when he gets back on the 31st. He said sorry. I forgot to tell him the box came back last Tuesday. That is my fault.

Roberta

Good grief. Mark has had a really rotten month so far! I sure hope things turn around for him pretty soon. I miss seeing him post!

Dan & Tracy~ Thank you for posting that info about the hosta! We are adding a shade bed, and I have been looking at the hosta pretty hard lately, thinking they'd be great for it....but wow. I don't know now! I probably wouldn't recognize the signs of a diseased plant until it was too late, and even then I would probably blame the damage on our over-abundant slug population! lol And I'd hate to put all that time & money into plants, just to have to destroy them. Yikes.

Hmmm. Maybe I'll stick with rocks. Rocks are kinda pretty. And disease resistant, even! :O)

Becky~ Have you decided on a theme for August yet? Enquiring minds want to know! :O)

Bunny, you're welcome for the info. I thought I would post a link to some pictures of what HVX looks like in hosta's for everyone to get familiar with. There are several pages of pictures that you can get to from links at the bottom of the page on hostalibrary.org.

I have been adding hosta to my shade garden regularly but only get them from trusted vendors whom I know to test and use safe measures to grow their tissue cultures. One really great resource is Hallsons Nursery at http://www.perennialnursery.com/ They are very active in the fight to stop the spread of HVX.

If you are still a little nervous about adding hosta to your shade garden you might want to consider heuchera and astilbes along with some pulmonaria. They are awesome plants in the shade. I have tons of each in my garden and they are so interesting at all different times during the growing season. But then again, nothing beats a rock for being disease resistant. :O)

Tracy

hmmm...I"m going out in the morning tomorrow and check my hostas...I think hostas in our plant exchanges should be banned for awhile....what does everyone else think? I think if I got a hosta in a trade I would probably dispose of it unless I really really knew the person!

Banning hostas in further trades gets a "YES" vote from me. Good idea Linda.

And on another note, a sad note, I'd just like to say I wish diene all the best and a very fond farewell. Diene, you're always welcome wherever I am. Peace, my friend, peace.

Banning hostas? It's a good thing. :O)

Saying Bye to Diene? Not good! :O(

Diene...I hope you know how much we'll all miss you. *Hugs*

Joan,
I finally dug your conf # out of the car. You shoud have the box tomorrow: 0309 1140 0000 7997 7038

~CA

Tracy, thanks for the link. I will be checking it out as soon as I am done here. I think I would be nervous receiving a hosta from some unsuspecting gardener. I have several new ones I have planted and if they are disease free, I wouldn't want something to happen to them.

Linda, not to worry. I am not complaing on a wait for my box. I know that bigger is better.

Ok, what should I expect to find in my box Dan? :) I think I will wear rubber gloves and one of those slip over your head bee keepers hats we sell at my store. I am sure it will keep me safe from any surprise. Can never be too careful.

I received a similiar note from Marks wife. She planted up the plants I sent to Mark so he could take care of them when he gets back. I thought it was nice of her to let us know all was ok with him although I am sorry to hear his mother took that fall.

Hope everyone had a good weekend. I know I did. We took a trip to visit my son and my new daughter in law, (haven't seen them since their wedding). I shared some of my plants with them to add color to their garden. We did some trimming for them as well.

I just received another WONDERFUL box from Cheryl Ann! She sent:
red daylily
red gladioli
achillea - Strawberry Seduction
All for my new "RED" garden I'm working on!
Also, pink geranium. (Must have been reading my mind! I've been unable to locate any good looking geraniums this year locally.)
Amsonia hubrichtit & spanish bluebells - both blue - can't wait to see them bloom next spring!
2 great sounding recipes - her gazpacho & Brunswick stew (a true Virginia meal) - I absolutely LOVE TO COOK, so can't wait to try.
Then a whole can of Virginia peanuts - well, it WAS a whole can. ha
AND, her own special Virginia barbecue sauce - YUM!!
Seeds - for fall planting! = lettuce & wildflower mix.
Plus, a wonderfful card explaing all!
I truly feel like I've received a little piece of "Virginia heaven" thanks to CA!
Thank you soooo much for everything!

Joan

I would be fine with not trading Hosta. :)

Joan,

I hope your box is sitting on my doorstep right now. I'll know in a few hours.

I'm glad you lliked what I sent. Did you see the D.C. item in the plastic baggie? I was kinda proud of that.

Oh, and a hosta ban works for me.

~CA

Joan, there also should have been a packet of herb seeds in there for the gazpacho - I hope they made it into the box!

~CA

My box from Joan did arrive today - yay! - and she sent: dinner!

First the plants:
Bellis perennis Tasso "strawberries and cream"
an unidentified ground cover (Joan: does this like sun or shade? I think it looks like a shade plant, but want to confirm)
Cannas (red-orange blooms)
Coleus
Cypress vine

and the seeds:
honesty
amaranthus
dianthus superbus 'crimsoniana'
oenothera 'lemon sunset'
stachys coccinesa

non-plant items:
roasted almonds (yum!)
jute twine
a patriotic patterned oven mitt and wind sock
ortho 'all about perennials' book

regional items:
local honey
a map and visitors guide to Joan's home county (is that an invitation to visit? ;) )

a recipe for parmesan okra

and VEGGIES! actual veggies from Joan's garden!
a bag full of okra to go with the recipe
a bag full of banana peppers
white patty pan squash (2)
orange zucchini
better boy and early girl tomatoes (4)

The patty pan squash, orange zucchini, and tomatoes became my dinner this evening: sauteed with an italian herb mix and served over pasta. yum!

Thanks for everything, Joan!

~CA

Margo,
I found a bigger box....yours will go out tomorrow..."whistling and looking up at the ceiling"....

Uh-oh.
When Linda gets the bigger box, it usually means she's giving "it" room to multiply!

Margo....I hope you've had your tetanus & rabies shots....

Last time Linda sent me a "larger" box, I wound up releasing it into the wild out on my fathers farm, where it still howls at the moon every full moon. Thankfully, the doctor says those scars I received from it will eventually fade away.....

Who hasn't received their box yet? Since Mark is unable to be with us at this time, I'll step in again and provide a bit of hosting for y'all.

And how's the August swap coming along? Are we ready to announce it yet?

When the box arrives, I will take it way out back before I open it. There is plenty of space for things to roam.
I will take anything that doesn't move or growl back to
the house.

Thanks for the warning everyone. :)

You really think you'll make it "out back" with that box? LOL!!! Now, that's funny!!!

Just remember, if it's ticking, growling, purring, or silent, it's dangerous.

Now, I have just one more question... Is your life insurance paid up? It might be a good time to update your will also.

Priscilla, please check your e-mail. I just sent you one. Thanks!
-Dan

think about it guys...my box from Mark DIDN"T MAKE IT THROUGH THE POST OFFICE!! Now remember Mark is a science teacher...should we wonder if his "experiment" hatched a little too soon?.."pondering"...

OOh, this reminds me we still have to go to our lawyer to sign an amended will. We switched guardians for out two youngest from my bil to my oldest son. I should do that before I open the box. Would it be a good idea to have the dog sniff it out first? Should I worry about the mail carrier, after all she is a nice lady. Oh, what to do, what to do. Maybe have a fresh raw steak handy and ready to throw in another direction while I run with the plants.

LOL! I wouldn't worry too much about your mail carrier! Instead, worry about the forklift operator who will bringing the box. And yeah, a few raw steaks might be a good idea. You can always throw any leftovers on the grill.

As far as Mark's box goes, well, we do have certain regulations about hazardous materials.....

Margo,
It absolutely POURED today..so I didn't get your plants dug up. HOwever, they are nicely refreshed and will be dug up and popped in the box tomorrow....the rain didn't bother the..errrrrr....OTHER contents of the box..so all should be well..."coughing"....

Margo, what Linda really means to say is that she POURED herself way too much of that tea (it's alcoholic content tends to hover around the 180 proof mark), and she wasn't able to stand up long enough to do any digging. But don't worry, as soon as she sobers up, she'll get your plants dug and your box mailed out.

Tsk, tsk, tsk. Linda, what are we going to do with you? Here, have a brownie...

hey, what's a little Bailey's in the tea among friends?.."hic"