Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group Garden Update - for those who have asked

Maggie asked for an update on my gardening, so here goes. Things are going pretty good. My azaleas were burned pretty badly by a late season frost, but most are starting to really pep up now. The biggest problem I'm gonna have is watering 84 bushes until they get established. I bought a drip irrigation system for them, and it stinks. Only drips appreciably in first 10 feet, not much help for a 120 foot long bed. So when the hot dry Summer days finally arrive, I guess I'll be really getting some exercise walking around with a hose. Other news: This weekend, I started a small rose garden. My property must have been an old homesite from many years past, because there were ramblin roses growing all around the perimeter. Anyway, I love to use what I can find, so to speak, in my gardening. So I started my rose garden with three of these ramblers that I dug up and moved. I also rooted an old-fashioned cabbage rose, that I just love, from my mother's house. Then I added four hybrid teas just for good measure. The rose garden is directly behind my back deck, where I also placed a large wind-mill. I planted two of the ramblers so that they can be trained to cover the back railing of the deck. The other one I planted inside the framework of the windmill, with the hopes that it will grow up and cover the entire metal frame. The finished project really looks very nice, as long as my roses don't start suffering from black-spot, a real pain in my part of the world. Some of you may remember my little twigs that I planted back in December (from Arbor Day). Well 9 out of 11 survived and they are all really growing well, now that Spring has arrived. The only problem was that I planted two redbuds where I wanted two goldenraintrees, so I will have to re-locate them again this fall. Also this weekend I planted two flowering plums to take the place of the two little ones that did not survive. All my shrubs and trees from last year are really doing well. One of my dogwoods even bloomed this Spring! Well, there is my garden update, I hope I don't get too many complaints about this being non-AS related, because to me it is very much related. Anything that we do that helps us fight this disease either physically or mentally is worth sharing, if you ask me.

Johnny

Hi Johnny

It sounds really nice. I was just wondering if you would be posting any pic's for us to see? I also agree with you anything that we can do physically is AS related,

John

Hey Johnny -

That sounds absolutely fantastic, although I am having a bit of a problem picturing it in my noggin. Like John, I strongly suggest you give us a photo tour sometime. Please?

I'm always in complete awe of anyone who can garden. I suppose always being stuck with the task of weed pulling, didnt really help me learn to love it. I hope one day to have the patience for it, but in the meantime a field full of wild flowers is much more my thing.

Kudos to you -
Jeanna

It is on the edge of a petal



that love waits - WC Williams

Oh Johnny, your rose garden sounds wonderful!! I don't envy you trying to get water to all those bushes tho. Good luck. It'd be a nightmare for me, as I don't have a hose. I carry all my water from my rain barrel (or my downstairs bathroom when the rain barrel runs dry).

I've yet to get out and do any work in my garden. The weather up here has been stupidly changeable - first it's spring, then it's Christmas, then it autumn, then it's summer and then it's winter and all in seven days! I'm so envious of anyone who's been able to get some good gardening in.

My mum - erp - the Easter Bunny gave me a new lily to plant in my lily garden this year. I must have seven or eight different kinds now and this one is a lovely soft yellow. I think it's called a Moonstar lily or something like that. My Leopard's Bane has been trying to grow, as has my Lady's Mantle. I've seen nothing on my Forsythia as yet, but my climbing rose has gone nuts - nothing on my tea rose tho, which worries me. I think my Holly died. Comfrey and Yarrow are back and I doubt if anything could kill that great-grandaddy of all Sage plants that I have. I even have six onion plants coming up. Considering that I've never planted onion , I'm rather curious as to how that happened. I'm going to have to dig up some of my Mullein, it's starting to take over. The Hollyhock, Evening Primrose and Poppies are all making progress, but the Lupins got a tad confused by the weather and I'm not sure if they'll make it. The Lungwort has spread into THREE PLANTS this year, but again they got a little frost bit. My Flox has started, as have the Coral Bells, Rue, Meadow Rue, Tansy and Dianthus.

I want to get out there NOW DARNIT!!! argh grumble grumble. No dirt under my fingernails and it's the end of April almost. Now that's just unreasonable.

And I have to say that this concern over on/off topic is a little worrisome. I mean, we've developed relationships here that go beyond being a support group and if, every so often, someone wants to talk about matters other than those medical, there should be no problem about it at all.

Besides, gardening is therapeutic - proven fact. So, it must be completely on topic.

Hugs,

Kat

It's really fun to compare gardening notes from different zones. For example, you mention that your forsythia (that's yellow-bell for us rednecks) hasn't done anything yet. Well, down here, they were in full bloom a month ago. Now all the blooms are gone and they are in solid leaf. I don't know much about all the different types of lillies. But I can tell you that my iris have been in full bloom the last week. Now most of the blossoms are spent. Very few of the azaleas have blooms left, besides the late blooming ones. The most spectacular things in my garden right now are two variegated wiegelias which look like fountains of snow -with just a tint of pink. I just love flowers!

Johnny

Oh lucky you!! We're just getting rid of the last of our snow during the past week, so things are a tad slower - obviously. Crocuses, Snowdrops, Grape Hyacinths and the other little blue one that I can never remember the name of, are out in profusion, which is absolutely wonderful. Day Lilies, Daffs and Tulips are a couple of inches up now - more in really sunny spots.

I LOVE this time of year!!

Kat

Back in Mass. I had a hedge of forsythia going across the back of my property, they should be really getting started now, although given the winter up there it might cause a delay until the tail end of April. I love roses! One thing that cannot be grown successfully in FL. Ramblers are my favorites, though, had a couple of them too up north, and some miniature roses in my front garden. Here in FL I grow some things in pots around my pool deck, have a nice little herb garden going (rosemary, sage, parsley, and yes, thyme, some cilantro that has now bolted due to the heat, and also the basil, okay to grow it in a FL winter but won't grow once it gets hot.

I would love to have a garden tour, and anything that raises our spirits here and encourages movement and joy in life is certainly AS related!!!! Glad you made me smile today, Johnny, just imagining your beautiful yard coming together.

Cheryl

Dogs don't care if the house is clean

Hint for you Johnny, for irrigation systems...... especially big ones like 120 foot long..... if you make the system into a "loop" eg have it split by a T-piece and then run it like a giant circle.... or rectangle.... it allows it to pressurise both ends with equal pressure. One downfall is you use more piping but then again you can add more sprinkler heads.....

Good luck........

ANON4NOW

"Yesterday is history, Tomorrow is a mystery but today is a gift, that's why it's THE PRESENT"

Wasn't sure if I explained it well enough... so here's a drawing to maybe make it clearer.

ANON4NOW

"Yesterday is history, Tomorrow is a mystery but today is a gift, that's why it's THE PRESENT"

Sounds great to me. I will be happy just to get outside, and get some badly needed, physician ordered exercise ( remember what that is??? me neither)
I've got oodles of dog holes to fill, cause the main relaxation methode I use is Rescuing Samoyed dogs. This stupid AS has restricted me to the point I can't exercise in the gym anymore. Got to keep the old joints moving but almost got to learn to deep relax them also.
Hope your garden grows great.
Rich