|
Post by Observer2 on Dec 16, 2004 0:35:53 GMT -5
Catbird,
How frustrating, about the car. I really don’t like how much the new cars have built-in “conveniences.” I find some of them pretty irritating! My car was stolen recently, so I have to deal with researching recent-model used cars – and most of them are way too *modern* for my taste!
When I do have a car to drive I’m pretty fortunate in having some very nice relatively natural areas for walking and birding close by. Right here in DC we've got Rock Creek Park, a strip of woods that runs through part of the city and connects with a larger park system in Maryland that runs far out into rural areas. Rock Creek Park has birds that range from red-tail hawks and barred owls to pileated woodpeckers and wood ducks – and, in spring migration season, sixty-eleven million warblers, none of whom will come down from the tree tops long enough to be identified. It also has deer; and driving through the park in the middle of the night I’ve seen red fox (both red and silver phases) and native grey fox... and once, just in this past year, I saw a coyote. Within easy driving range we’ve got a number of large wetland parks with boardwalks, and a couple of nice park systems that have extensive walking trails.
MelTex,
I’ve known a couple of people from Texas, from rural, semi-arid areas. They would have been more worried about being chased by havalinas than by chihuahuas! It sounds as though you may live in a more urban area.
I don’t know that much about Texas. Is it mostly semi-arid, or are there areas that get more consistent rainfall? (...as opposed to just a hurricane, every now and then...)
|
|
|
Post by Observer2 on Dec 16, 2004 0:41:51 GMT -5
.... I have already planted enough tulips to make Holland proud & plan for holly bushes along the property line .... so I have spring and winter covered for anyone's strolling pleasure. Any suggestions for summer & fall (autumn for Kahlia)? I have a budget! Metella, Well, for summer and fall I’m partial to repeat-blooming or constant-blooming roses. Many roses only bloom in the spring, but the China roses, and some of the hybrids that are based strongly on China roses, will bloom all summer and late into the fall. Colors range from white through yellow, orange, peach, pink, blends (some that incorporate a range of sunset colors), stripes (yes, really... stripes), bi-colors (for instance, orange on one side of the petal and yellow on the other),to deep reds and reddish-purples. I did a bit of research on heritage (antique) roses a while back, and pretty much fell in love with China roses and their hybrids. If you like a red rose with a strong, sweet scent (some people say it smells like raspberries) one of the earliest European varieties of China rose – called Cramoisi Superieur – is great. If you like the deep color, but not the intense, sweet scent, there’s an even older variety (a China rose that actually originated in China ), called Slater’s Crimson China, that has the deep color, but only a very faint scent that isn’t quite so sweet (some people think it has a lemony smell). Do you know what planting zone you live in? I think you’re probably in 5 or 6, but if you’re not sure you can check at a local nursery or garden shop, they can tell you. People who post on rose forums differ on how hardy they think the Chinas are – but they would probably take some tending (deep mulching and spraying with something called ‘wilt proof’ to keep them from losing too much water in the cold, dry air) to make it through zone 5 or 6 winters. Some hybrids, though, are hardy to zone 5, 4, and even 3 (Canadians have been working long and hard to get roses they can grow up there). Bourbon roses tend to be pink to white, but have good fragrance, and many are repeat flowering and hardy to zone 5. Rugosas, and some of the newer hybrids – Canadian Explorers, Mordens, English roses – also have varieties that are hardy to zone 5 and beyond. Rugosas, and most hybrids developed from them, are nice because they don’t need to be sprayed to protect them from insects and diseases – in fact, they don’t deal well with being sprayed, so they’re considered very low-maintenance roses. Some of the hardy roses are quite attractive in the winter because they have red canes (upright stems), so they add color even when they don’t have leaves or flowers. If you’re interested in roses, I have some links to sites that specialize in roses that are hardy to zone 6 and 5 (and colder), and some that specialize in own-root roses. Most roses are grown from cuttings that are grafted onto a root that’s from a sturdier type of rose. But in colder areas sometimes the rose dies back to ground level and comes up again in the spring. If the root is a different kind of rose than the one you wanted, that wouldn’t work very well, so it’s good to get roses that have their own roots. If you’d like the URLs to some of those websites, just let me know. Another nice color addition for summer and fall might be a Japanese maple. Most of them never get very large, and many have interesting-colored foliage that may start out red in the spring and keep some unusual color all summer – sometimes red, maroon or bronze. Most varieties turn a vivid color in the fall, giving a choice of nice maple colors without the size of North American maples. One in our area turns an amazingly vivid red, when the light shines through it it looks like stained glass. The trunks and branches also often have an interesting shape, so in the winter they still add visual interest, even when they’re not adding color. Native sunflowers and the cultivars that have been bred from them can add some nice late summer color, if they can handle your shorter growing season. I don’t know how far north they grow naturally, but starting them indoors in the spring might let you increase their chances a bit. Someone at a local garden store could tell you whether they’d have time to bloom before frost. The native-style varieties are much smaller than the giant sunflowers, and some of them now come in all the autumn colors – yellow, orange, bronze, red... They’re among my favorite flowers. Of course, marigolds are reliable for color in the summer, and chrysanthemums can be good sources of fall color. Both are being bred in more and more varieties, shapes and colors every year. Up until you have a solid snow cover, you might try winter-hardy pansies. The deep purple and deep gold varieties can be *very* winter hardy. In this area, I’ve seen flowers encased in ice, or buried under 3 inches of snow, and when everything melts the flowers are fine – they don’t even have to wait for new buds. The same, fully open flowers just keep right on blooming! Of course, in this area the ground almost never freezes solid, and snow rarely stays around for more than a day or so. They might not be quite so hardy further north. As you may have noticed, I tend towards the warm colors – yellow, gold, peach, red, copper – but if you want some blue/purple I ran across an interesting fall-blooming bulb – Allium thunbergii. It’s an ornamental onion. Don’t laugh. It’s really quite attractive. And they say it does well planted with roses. It’s rated for zones 4 through 9, grows in full sun to partial shade, and is said to attract butterflies and repel moles. You can see it at www.mtholyoke.edu/offices/botan/feat_plant/allium/Athunbergii.htmlOf course, there’s always fall-blooming crocus. You can even gather your own saffron from them, if you get the right kind – saffron crocus. Just don’t confuse them with the closely related – but deadly poisonous – fall-blooming Colchicum, which, just to keep things interesting, has common names such as autumn crocus and meadow saffron (and, for some unknown reason, naked ladies). So there are a few ideas. But I’ll tell you, it’s hard to beat the experience of walking out on a crisp, late fall evening and coming across the sight and scent of roses in bloom...
|
|
MelTex
Detective
"I want a Jonny 7 all-in-one gun..."
Posts: 336
|
Post by MelTex on Dec 16, 2004 9:32:12 GMT -5
Well Observer, I am from extreme southeast TX, so basically I'm in the almost sub-tropical zone. Yes we do get pounded by hurricanes quite often, but we get a lot of rainfall annually ( usually). We have our droughts, which is a huge shock to the varied amount of plant life, and we are below sea level, so wells don't work well either. I read your post about planting in the winter, and you seem very knowlegeable. Are you a professional or just avid gardener? I worked for a while as an intern at a botanical garden and nature center as an environmental educator for school groups, and we had a vast amount of exotics and natives that they are now having problems with with our varying weather (75-80 degrees one day, 30-40 the next). Do you know when the best time to plant citrus trees is in the Spring? As for my urban dwelling, lol, I live in a mid sized town--not too big yet big enough, ya know? And our major jogging porblem is not enough side walks to stay on. I'd actually rather have the rabid chahuahuas than some kid running me down in his chevy!
|
|
|
Post by trisha on Dec 17, 2004 11:44:01 GMT -5
Oh, you should find a nice park to jog in for sure. Besides the risk of being hit, you should never jog alongside roads because of the auto exhaust fumes. They can be very damaging to your body, especially since you are breathing heavier than normal to provide your body with needed oxygen. CO2 bonds to your hemoglobin more readily than O2, and can help starve your body of much needed oxygen. Even worse, O3, ground level ozone, is also prevalent near roads and can permanently scar lung tissue. So, you are strongly advised not to jog along city streets.
Observer, I had a China rose bush. It had plum colored blooms that smelled strongly of berries. Sadly, I had to move it during our remodeling, and it didn't survive. It did pretty well here in South East Michigan, so I assume one like it will survive in Metella's neck of the woods.
BTW, Metella, did you get my Christmas card? I sort of expected you to respond to it with a chuckle, but your silence has me worried. I hope it didn't offend. I know my sense of humor is a little twisted at times, but I really meant no offense to you, Mr. Claus, Frosty, or the spirit of the season.
|
|
MelTex
Detective
"I want a Jonny 7 all-in-one gun..."
Posts: 336
|
Post by MelTex on Dec 17, 2004 14:13:03 GMT -5
Oh yea, you are completely right about the dangers of jogging near streets. I get bored running in circles or up stands at the football stadium, so I extend my runs around the neighborhoods. Guess I'll just have to get back to running on the treadmills at the gym. Does anyone know how to care for a Confederate Rose? I just got a cutting of one and its not doing so well. LOL...my green thumb must have turned black!
|
|
|
Post by Sirenna on Dec 17, 2004 18:52:53 GMT -5
My sister and my one-year old niece are here. yester day we had a scare. She fell down the stairs - even with FIVE adults around. It just happened so fast. Trisha and I took her to child emerg right away because she seemed drowsy. We thought she might have hit her head. She's fine but considering she had eleven stairs to fall the fact that she doesn't seem to have scratch on her is our christmas miracle and I'm sooo thankful. I'm even swearing off prezzies. She's wailing her guts out today and it is such a great sound to hear!
;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
|
|
|
Post by Observer2 on Dec 17, 2004 20:58:00 GMT -5
Hi, MelTex, I’m certainly not a professional gardener, more of an enthusiastic dabbler. And I have to say that I know next to nothing about citrus trees. I was born in Indiana, and have lived in the Washington DC area since 1960. In this area “citrus” is a section of the grocery store, not a kind of plant. Since I read your question a session with my most important investigative tool – Google – has taught me more about citrus trees than I had managed to learn in my entire life so far. Prior to that, my main source of information was the Peter, Paul & Mary song that informed me that the lemon tree is very pretty, and the lemon flower is sweet, but the fruit of the poor lemon is impossible to eat. Of course, I’ve been known to eat lemons the way some people eat oranges, so I’m not sure how reliable that song is as a source of botanical information! I still don’t know when the best time to plant would be in your area, but I do know the tree needs good drainage and full sun. One site sums it up by recommending you plant “...wherever the cat sleeps,” – i.e., a sunny, wind-free area with a southern exposure where a comfort-loving cat might doze in the sun. As with roses, citrus trees are often grafted onto a sturdy root stock, and there’s a lot of debate about which root stock is preferable. It may depend on local conditions – the usually preferred root stock may not do as well in “...the saline conditions and alkaline soils which predominate in south Texas...” especially near the Gulf coast, for instance. That’s discussed at the website aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/citrus/mandarins.htm, among others. Some citrus trees need a period with cold nights, some don’t; so some do well in zone 9, while some are classed for zone 10. Most of south Texas seems to be zone 9, but the southern tip looks like zone 10, so it depends on where you are. At www.backyardgardener.com/article/zonejan01.html they list “plant citrus” in zone 9 as something on the ‘to do’ list for January, so you may want to check it out fairly soon... A good resource to help you figure out details of type and planting dates for your specific area might be your local County Extension Service. There’s also a massive gardening website that has databases as well as extensive forums where people exchange tips and experiences: davesgarden.com If you like browsing through various websites, a Google search was quite productive with the search terms: “south texas” planting citrus. Anyway, good luck with your tree. What kind are you planning to plant? About your Confederat Rose, that’s not a true rose, is it? Unless there’s a rose that has been given that nickname, I think what you have is actually a small shrub, related to the Rose of Sharon plant. What kind of trouble are you having? Is the cutting rooted? Is it in water or soil? You might consider joining the davesgarden website and asking for help and advice on the forums. Here’s a page that can get you started: davesgarden.com/pdb/go/714/Below the general information about the Confederate Rose on that page you’ll find a list of areas where forum members have reported growing it, and below that you’ll find posts from the forums where people have discussed their experiences with the plant. If you join the forum you can post questions, and people with experience will reply. Sirenna, Oh, my, what a scare! I’ve babysat for the twin girls who live upstairs – just over two years old now. I think parents of toddlers should carry plastic outlet guards at all times, and take portable child gates with them any time they’re going somewhere with stairs for more than an hour or so. There really is no way to keep an eye on a toddler every minute, and their little brains are so focused on learning about the world that they are into everything, constantly exploring – and they don’t have a clue about how dangerous stairs are. I’m so glad your niece seems to be okay, though they should keep an eye on her for the next several days for any unusual symptoms, just in case.
|
|
|
Post by Metella on Dec 18, 2004 7:45:47 GMT -5
Trisha: Ha & triple ha ha; no I snorted out loud when I read the card - flipped to the front to see, read it again and called for my accountant to read it again to make sure I got a card that said THAT.
Then I got scared for Rudolph & called the N.Pole police to be on the lookout.
I'm just soooo tired from my job, I have been just reading posts lately. I have to go in today (yes Sat) to get some stuff done at work. Sigh. At least I'm getting paid for the time.
|
|
|
Post by trisha on Dec 18, 2004 20:52:51 GMT -5
Oh, I'm so glad it was your job putting you off, and not my little card. I told Mr. Trisha of my worries, and he replied, "Only you could send a Christmas card that offends." True enough ;D
|
|
|
Post by Kahlia on Dec 18, 2004 23:44:10 GMT -5
Hi guys! OT here: I have been really busy lately and haven't visted this board for a while... I have currently gone full-time at work and iam there Monday-Friday, so this has left me with little time to do all the Christmas shopping (which i finsihed today I have also been taking driving lessons so i can get my licence soon. My 18th is in one week! Im very excited. Im still trying to plan when im going to America, i haven't made any concrete plans. But it will probably be October 2005. For the "Fall" (Metella I don't have anyone to go with me, so i might be a 'lone' traveller. I haven't read through all the pages of this topic, only this page and some of the last page.. Is everyone else ready for Christmas? Metella: Its nice to hear that you have well adjusted to your new home, and i hope that it kicks arse -Kahlia
|
|
|
Post by Techguy on Dec 19, 2004 18:16:17 GMT -5
As yet another year rapidly draws to a close, I'm feeling just a little bit serious, a little bit silly.
Or is it a little bit naughty and a little bit nice?
No matter. For no particular reason, here's my Top 10 list of people I hope I hear nothing about in 2005.
In reverse order, with advance apologies to David Letterman--and whoever disagrees with anyone I mentioned--here is my most unwanted list:
10. Justin Timberlake
9. Janet Jackson
8. Michael Jackson
7. Donald Trump
6. The Olsen twins
5. Paris and Nikki Hilton
4. Britney Spears
3. Scott Peterson
2. Kobe Bryant
And...*drum roll please*... the number one person I would most like to hear absolutely nothing about in 2005 is:
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
NICOLE WALLACE
|
|
|
Post by Metella on Dec 20, 2004 13:49:25 GMT -5
argh - snicker - now that was a good one; I'd keep Trump on as he is amusing & entertaining to me. His pink ties kill me, and that hair! Goren ain't got nothing on bad hair if you compare with T.
|
|
|
Post by NikkiGreen on Dec 20, 2004 14:53:51 GMT -5
...NIKKI shame on you for egging me on... Now, would I do that?!
|
|
|
Post by Sirenna on Dec 20, 2004 16:15:30 GMT -5
Good luck to anyone who has to write an exam this week. It's midterms at the university here and there are MANY stressed, caffiene addicted zombies roaming around!
|
|
|
Post by Sirenna on Dec 21, 2004 13:17:45 GMT -5
Sirenna, Oh, my, what a scare! I think parents of toddlers should carry plastic outlet guards at all times, and take portable child gates with them any time they’re going somewhere with stairs for more than an hour or so. There really is no way to keep an eye on a toddler every minute. I'm so glad your niece is going to be ok... Obs: we looked into child gates and have bought and installed a permanent one. Even though they'llonly be here for two weeks, it's taken a load off my mind. She's fine just as active as always. Thanks for your concern.
|
|