Welcome to New York. Sorry to hear about your losses to the hurricane.

Gardening up here in New York is fun because we can grow some lovely plants that those guys and gals in the warmer zones can't. There are a lot of great gardeners on this forum, too. Everyone is so willing to help.

If you are in need of any seeds to help you start over, please email me. I have tons of extra seeds I could send to you.

Good luck and welcome!

Tracy

Here is a link that might be useful: My website

Hey Jen and welcome,
I am another southern transplant but not due to Katrina. I have been up here for several years. Although I grew up in Louisiana, I lived in Biloxi for 3 yrs and still have lots of friends down there. The biggest difference in gardeningup here as opposed to gardening along the coast is the shorter growing season. I don't know what kind of plants you grew in Gulfport but you are more than welcome to check out my exchange page and if you see anything that interests you let me know. If you are looking for something in particular feel free to post it here or email me. I also do winter sowing for most of my seed. If you haven't checked out the wintersowing forum, please do. It is a must for frustrated gardeners who like to play in the dirt all year (especially great for us southern transplants). There is another member over there that had to relocate to Colorado from N.O. due to Katrina so she is in a very similar situation to you. Any way we can help you in this time of transition we will be happy to. so feel free to ask.

Penny

Hi Jen,
After riding out hurricaine Wilma and having seen the aftermath of that I have a new respect for those who have been thru one. I am so sorry for all you lost and glad you were able to relocate to the great northeast. Gardening here is wonderful as is this forum. Please tell us about the space you will be gardening in , does it already have a garden or are you starting with a clean slate?
I second Penny's suggestion about the winter sowing, you will really get a feel for nature in the NE when you WS.
Glad you joined us. Kareen

Here is a link that might be useful: Our pond and gardens

Welcome to the area! You're arriving at a nice time of year. (What?? you say, The weather is horrible right now!) If you're a compulsive gardener, think of winter as a forced vacation. You can get to know your property and do a little planning before doing any work. Zone 6 gardening isn't too different, it's just learning to use different plants. And realizing that with these shorter growing seasons it takes longer for everything to get big. Stay on the forums, and in the spring some plant swaps will be organized. Going to them will give you a bunch of plants to get started (for free!) and introduce you to some great gardeners. Go to any nursery and get The Upstate Gardeners Journal (free) which will tell you about local nurseries and gardening events.

Welcome!

Hi,
I'm returning (by choice, not circumstance) to upstate NY after 3 years in GA. I missed "home" very much, but realize that I did get a little spoiled about some things in the south: azaleas, lantana, and GIANT tomatoes, peppers and other warm weather crops flourishing... Here are some things you will NOT have to deal with in the north: fire ants!! scorpions, cottonmouths and copperheads... garden burned to a crisp by August, and more. I plan to re-educate myself about growing in the northeast. When we moved to GA I found GardenWeb, and became very active. In this way, I learned more about gardening than ever before. I am sure you will find the same to be true. Good luck!

Carolyn in central NY state

Hello and welcome to New York. I would suggest checking out Month By Month Gardening for New York State. That book will give you an idea of what needs to be done at what time as well as what plants grow well here. I found it very helpful.

Jen39503,
Welcome to Upstate New York! Dansville is a great place; I went to college at Geneseo, and drove through/around Dansville countless times. Check out Stony Brook Park and Letchworth State Park - wonderful for picnics etc. (The Wolf Creek overlook in Letchworth is particularly nice - they have a huge stand of white trillium grandiflora, amazing when it blooms.) And Sand Point Park at the north end of Conesus Lake is wonderful for stargazing.

I love the turn of the seasons in the Northeast - I hope you'll come to enjoy the seasonal circle too. I plant for year-round interest, even if I can't get year-round bloom. I value foliage, bark, and plant habit as much as flowers. I love spring bulbs because they give me early color before the perennials get going. Last year I learned how to winter sow - a great inexpensive way to try LOTS of plants. Check out the Winter Sowing forum!

Welcome!

Laurelin