blasts from the pasts
your past, that is. Mud's thread about urn plantings has deviated from gardening a bit (mea culpa), so i thought it might be fun to have a place to reminesce about weird, wonderful and just plain kooky personal things from days gone by. c'mon, folks, join in.
besides my early attempts at Fine Decorating-on-military-pay, there was my first-and-last effort at Fine Foodfare-for-the-small-family. this was my first Thanksgiving dinner away from home, married just two months and in the depths of Texas (a world away from New England), knowing no one but my husband.
having grown up the eldest of five, i was accustomed to making dinners with enough food to feed seven. you guessed it: my feast was made with that mindset still working -- enough side dishes to feed half the apartment complex. all surrounding a tiny Cornish game hen (for me, as my husband is vegetarian and i at least had the smarts to know a full-sized turkey wasn't the best idea). we were eating leftovers for a week at which point the rest got tossed in the garbage. boy, was i homesick!
Fine Gardening in those days consisted of sticking some marigolds and strawflower plants into the hard Texan clay and watching them die of heat prostration. i have since progressed greatly. being back in New England has helped. i even have attempted some Fine Stonewall Building. and then there's Fine Weeding, the ever-present battle...
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(post #11505, reply #1 of 27)
Hi Roxanna,
I thought I'd bump your post up - maybe it will get a response now. I'll start.
My first attempt at gardening was at my old house in T.O. I bought some annuals, Impatiens and snapdragons I think, to plant along the front of the house beside the forsythia. I was very proud of the little bed that I had planted. Early the next morning I went out to see how they were doing, but someone had come along and stolen them all. I couldn't help wondering how that person would feel about there own garden made up of other people's plants. I didn't plant anything else until we moved to the present house and I still hesitate to put anything valuable in the front garden.
May I a small house and large garden have! And a few friends, and many books, both true, both wise, and both delightful too!
ABRAHAM COWLEY, "The Wish," II. 10-12 (1668)
May I a small house and large garden have! And a few friends, and many books, both true, both wise, and both delightful too!
ABRAHAM COWLEY, "The Wish," II. 10-12 (1668)(post #11505, reply #2 of 27)
thanks for the bump, Belinda! we can just talk to each other if need be... =)
as for garden thieves -- ohhhh, i loathe them! where DO folks get off thinking that way?? i had a gorgeous cream daylily at my former house, which i had babied for a couple of years in the bed right on the sidewalk. one day, after having admired the luscious blooms the previous evening, i found that some dear person had figured this was a public cutting garden, and had absconded with all the blooming stems. thankfully, they did not dig up the plant (i still have it here at the new house) but i took some satisfaction in the probability that they did not enjoy the fruit of their thievery long, as daylilies aren't the best cut flower. >)
at my present location, i have much nicer neighbors and they only admire my gardens as they walk by.
and then there was the charming older couple that walked their little mutt daily and let him go into my yard to do his business.... but that's another story!
(post #11505, reply #3 of 27)
Hi Roxanna,
I don't know how I missed your post in May. My own early experience came when my brothers and sisters and I were quite young. Dad, who had always wanted to be a gentleman farmer, encouraged us to grow a garden. I chose pumpkins figuring I'd get the biggest bang for the buck, so to speak.
We went away for quite a few weeks but Dad had to stay home. When I returned, he'd carefully tended them and they'd taken over half the turnaround in the driveway. I was thrilled.
Northern Virginia, Zone 7A.
Northern Virginia, Zone 7A.
(post #11505, reply #4 of 27)
Here's a story for all you seed savers.
A friend of mine came upon the opportunity to use an abandoned kitchen garden bed. This bed was about 50' x 50' and abutted the Holland Marsh here in Ontario, that being the most fertile land in the province. Anyway, she had been living in an apartment for several years, but had once had a similar garden (which she had left in fear for her life) and had saved seeds then and acquired seeds along the way. So, she was quite unsure if anything would come out of it, the seeds being anywhere from 3 to 7 years old. We spent many days clearing the land and cultivating and finally got all the seeds sown and then, the site being 20k from her abode, hoped for rain. The god's were good and the gas was cheap and before long we began to observe green. Could it be! Of course, there were weeds, many of them, but low and behold, the rows were starting to show themselves. The first radish was heaven, the second salad made from thinning was divine. But, then the zucchini took off and the lettuce was full, the beans and peas were eaten every day then given away. By the end of September her freezer and mine were full and she was giving the rest to the food bank in town. She was tired and in pain (did I mention that she only had one leg), but she was happy because it hadn't cost here anything but her labour and that, in the end was all she had wanted.
May I a small house and large garden have! And a few friends, and many books, both true, both wise, and both delightful too!
ABRAHAM COWLEY, "The Wish," II. 10-12 (1668)
May I a small house and large garden have! And a few friends, and many books, both true, both wise, and both delightful too!
ABRAHAM COWLEY, "The Wish," II. 10-12 (1668)(post #11505, reply #5 of 27)
that is the worst thing isnt it.....i have a problem or should i say HAD a problem with the kids down the street evrytime any one of my flowers bloomed they came down here and picked it...at first i didnt know who it was and when i figured it out one day when i SEEN them doing it..i went right down to the mother and told her about it..needles to say they didnt do it anymore but the damage was already done for the season because they were ripping whole plants up so often that i didnt get to enjoy one single flower that year...was so upset and then i had to replant everything so mad at them kids lol....
WILLING TO LEARN EVERYTHING YOU CAN TEACH ME....
**CAROL**
WILLING TO LEARN EVERYTHING YOU CAN TEACH ME....
**CAROL**
(post #11505, reply #6 of 27)
Hello from a new member.....I have already posted in other topics to some of you, and will add my tale to this group, too, for fun. My first flower garden was between two slabs of concrete from an old garage area (but no garage left). So it was about what... 8/10 feet long and 2-3' wide. I planted zinnias and marigolds and four o'clocks and my over-the-fence neighbor brought me some perennials to add to it. As I recall, they were evening primroses and daisies....and a beautiful pure white iris. My garden grew every year as I dug up the perimeter of the fenced yard. When I sold this house, I had five large beds. I was lucky enough to find an apartment in a home and was allowed to move many of my perennials there; others I gave away. Offspring of the white iris went to my mother in Missouri and my brother in Illinois and to close friends in Indiana. Last spring I retrieved this same iris from my brother's to put in my new garden here at the apt. complex. I have no idea how old this iris really is, because the neighbor friend who originally gave it to me was in her 80's at the time. But I guess it is at least 50 years old...an old friend that ties me to the past and to everyone I love.
(post #11505, reply #7 of 27)
A lovely tale, Lunaria.
May I a small house and large garden have! And a few friends, and many books, both true, both wise, and both delightful too!
ABRAHAM COWLEY, "The Wish," II. 10-12 (1668)
May I a small house and large garden have! And a few friends, and many books, both true, both wise, and both delightful too!
ABRAHAM COWLEY, "The Wish," II. 10-12 (1668)(post #11505, reply #8 of 27)
Thank you Belinda. I still grow the evening primrose, too - the same variety I was given by my friend, Margaret. It has also traveled with me through life, and I love that. Pat/Lunaria
(post #11505, reply #9 of 27)
i love the memories we get from pass-a-long plants, too. i'm in my 60s and have an ancient iris from my mother's garden, that she got from HER mother's garden. it isn't very pretty, being brown&gold, but it is nice to have for the memories all the same! based on that, i figure this iris is easily 80 years old or more! (i was named for my grandmother, as well) i also have some of my mum's Solomon's Seal, which have to be at least 40-50 years old.
i dug up a large Bridal Veil bush from my childhood home after my mother died and moved it to my new house 12 years ago; it is now huge, and i love having it. it anchors the end of the house, provides nesting space for birds, and is gorgeous in bloom. and the delicate leaves are so pretty the rest of the time. =)
(post #11505, reply #10 of 27)
You know what, I actually like all those older, subdued colors of iris, in particular that brown and gold one! There is a very pale yellow one I like too, and although the blooms are smaller, they are prolific in the number of stems they send up. The more sedate hybrids make larger blooms but sometimes fewer of them. My mother grew money plant (Lunaria) and saved the dried bouquets of them for me for years. I still have a few sprays. She and I dried a few things in later years, and I have a beautiful framed white columbine she pressed for me. Flowers connect us don't they. Pat/Lunaria
(post #11505, reply #11 of 27)
Those old iris were here at our current house too when we moved here in 2000. The brown and gold, the yellow and also a purple one. I dug them out the next year to try to rid the bed of crown vetch and replanted them. I have divided them three times since we've been here, so the whole neighborhood has them now along with various friends. They just keep thriving, despite being along the front fence where the dogs jump up and down, and up and down, when anyone comes to visit.
(post #11505, reply #12 of 27)
Oh that's great! I can picture your neighborhood. I think a bed with all those old colors in it would be wonderful. Have you seen the old one with the white center and purple falls? Going up into the sixties tomorrow here, so maybe that big pile of snow will finally be gone and I can inspect my beds for early signs. That old evening primrose has little rosettes that sometimes survive the cold. ////Also used to have a spring blooming blue phylox (mounding) that seemed to have a name that fit your region which I cannot remember right now. Do you know it? Pat/Lunaria
(post #11505, reply #13 of 27)
Yes, I've seen that iris also, but don't have it. No, I'm not familiar with any particular varieties of blue phlox.
It's supposed to get up in the high 40's here by Wednesday, so hopefully some of our chicken yard will thaw out. The girls hate being cooped up. We're still a looong way from spring, but I love having the days already longer. And did you see that gorgeous moon last night?
(post #11505, reply #15 of 27)
i think I found it in one of my books - Phylox divaricata "Wild Blue Phlox." I briefly had it and think I have seen it for sale around here. It's a very light blue color - very pretty...and I think more of a "woodland" or shady choice. A short plant, too for front of bed. Pat/Lunaria
Oh, yes I did see the moon! My apartment faces east, and from my second floor balcony I see many beautiful moonrises over the rooftop of the building across the way. My neighbor downstairs and I keep a watch for these sights for one another and always call the other to make sure we share this sight. One fall the atomosphere was just right for an autumn moon that rose and looked like a orange giant! She and I still talk about that one. I love my view because I also watch the sun and moon as they move between a northerly or southerly orbit as the seasons change. Last year I believe there was some plant that shone as the morning star and I think is was a historic close orbit...it might have been Venus. I took astronomy in college and was privileged to look through the big telescope at the Seven Sisters and will never forget that moment. The whole view was filled with millions of stars - very humbling and wonderful. Going on too long here. Pat/Lunaria
Edited 2/10/2009 9:38 pm ET by Lunaria
(post #11505, reply #14 of 27)
Lunaria and all the other old iris lovers. Here's a link to HIPS
Edited to say, "all the other lovers of old iris"
http://www.worldiris.com/public_html/level1/TOC.html
http://www.hips-roots.com/
http://www.hips-roots.com/articles/importance-of-preservation.html
BJ
Edited 2/10/2009 10:42 pm ET by BeeJay
(post #11505, reply #16 of 27)
Thanks BeeJay....just spent a lovely interlude looking at one of the iris sites and trying to find the old irises I had....and may have recognized them - or something pretty close. The old White one I have may be called Snow Flurry. Also a "varigata: called Wabash - a bi-color that it says was "wildly popular" and is still available. Thanks again for website information. Pat/Lunaria
(post #11505, reply #17 of 27)
i'm late, i see, to mention 'Wabash', which i just remembered today after seeing it in my newly delivered Select Seeds catalog. i think i bought this one last year as i love, love, love the color combo. but winter has done a brain-drain on me and i am not absolutely sure i did buy it, or just hope i did! lol....
catalog says it is from 1936 and was the Dykes Medal winner for 1940. excellent pedigree!
(post #11505, reply #18 of 27)
If you ordered /Wabash through a catalog, please share source. Thanks, Lunaria
(post #11505, reply #19 of 27)
go to selectseeds.com and type 'Wabash' in the search box. plant sells for 6.95 each. good luck and enjoy! it's such a pretty iris.
i can't wait to see which of my new-last-year irises make it thru this awful winter. i have a 2 year old nephew named Duncan, and flipped when i saw (and bought!) an iris called 'Duncan's Smiling Eyes' -- had to have that! it's a TB and a lovely light-mid blue-violet.
(post #11505, reply #20 of 27)
Diito. Wabash is an old iris that's a very pretty thing.
Jeana
Never try to baptize a cat.
(post #11505, reply #21 of 27)
sometimes, the old ones are as nice/nicer than the new ones! (i like to put myself in that catagory, too, hee. guess that has worked so far, in that DH is still hanging around after 45 years, LOL!)
go here for some lovely heirloom iris photos: www.hips-roots.com/visitors/v-main.html
(post #11505, reply #24 of 27)
What a great site! I think I found two of my old ones there. Definitely VinGold, and possibly The Admiral. It's hard to be sure for the purple one.
(post #11505, reply #22 of 27)
Thanks...will check it out. .....Now an unrelated question. I keep getting notice on my email that I have over the fence post from a MissDillyDal but when I open it is from someone else. Any ideas?Pat/Lunaria
(post #11505, reply #23 of 27)
mrsdillydally is my alter ego, and my Taunton sign-in name. i can't remember what you call it. anyway, i am Roxanna in real life, and that appears with the postings. one and the same!
mrs dillydally (the whole moniker didn't fit so they truncated it a bit) developed as a character some years ago when i was bored and started writing about my tedious daily life in a humorous fashion to one of my sisters. mrs dillydally (aka nellie), a dumpy little lady of uncertain years who gardens, waxes eloquent with excruciating detail about the minutiae of her life, her felines, her DH (the Colonel), her gardens and her proclivity of flinging festive fripperies with abandon everywhere during the holiday season. at this precise moment, nellie is despairing of the mess still in her home of said holiday ecoutrements that still need to be put away. ("chance would be a fine thing," mutters nellie as she gazes at the piles of ornaments and greenery which litter the premises. "i may just leave everything where it is and save meself time come next November." and with a heavy sigh, off she stumps to heft another boxful in the direction of the storage room....)
(post #11505, reply #25 of 27)
Holy moly...I think Mrs. Dilly Dally and I are soul mates, as I glance at the Christmas accessories in a chair nearby. I am also famous for being verbose....especially about gardening....and the appearance of everyone's hair....the latter of which is a constant point of humor and frustration by my two children...who are of course full-grown but never immune to motherly opinions. Thank God they both love me in spite of this. Anyway, a pleasure to know you Mrs. Dilly Dally. Pat/Lunaria
(post #11505, reply #26 of 27)
I laughed because I've been known to find the odd "holiday" decoration sitting somewhere when I'm doing what I jokinly refer to as my spring cleaning--sometime in July, because I don't have time to mess with spring cleaning till all the gardens are planted. Gardeners have priorities. About the old-fashioned irises, they are just tougher! Some of the new ones are so overbred for color they have no stamina. I have ordered many daylillies from Wilds, and though they may not be as big to start, they are not so expensive and they do take off. I have actually noticed the less expensive varieties actually do much better than the pricey ones. After thinking this through I came to the conclusion that this makes sense as the tougher they are and faster they spread the lower the price will be. So now I pretty much just order the sale ones they have excess quantities of because I think those will be less fussy and hardier. Also if a deer bites the head off a $2 daylilly it won't feel as bad as if it was a $9 one.
(post #11505, reply #27 of 27)
My sentiments exactly. And daylilies grow so fast, who cares if they start out small? And look how many more you can get at $2 each!