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

All together now.... WE WANT PICTURES!!!...WE WANT PICTURES!!!

Connie

Hi Johnny

Wow, you are really putting your heart and soul into this. Good for you. It all sounds fabulous.
I love roses but we have trouble keeping them through the winter here. I have been growing pioneer roses - these withstand our winters. They are more like a wild rose as opposed to an English rose.
I need more of a knack for deciding where to plant things. Sounds like you should come around to all our gardens as an advisor Johnny
Funny to hear you say how Kat's garden is so far behind yours. Hard to believe but there is quite a difference between Toronto and Ottawa. We have NOTHING blooming yet.
This allways seems strange to me. I am from England where I'm sure the spring flowers are just about finished now.
Well, I agree Johnny - we need pictures. Maybe in the summer, we could allpost some garden pics. That would be really nice. Good for the Soul

Thanks Johnny

Maggie

I'm tired from just thinking about how much work your garden entails. We spent one spring three years ago loading up our property with some landscaping. (WHen I say we I mean her loveliness Diane and me with and occasional shovel to dig here or there.)

Our favorite seasonal thing is the tulips we took from my grandmother after she passed at 100 years old. When her home was sold it was with the contingency that we could dig up all of her bulbs and plant them here.

They don't last long. THe deer love 'em if given a chance but they remind me of the toughest women I ever met. At least before I married the lovely Diane and then our Jamie was born.

thanks for the word on your garden.

Absolutely agree with the fact that it is more to your AS than a post about this ache or that pain. My golf is the same to me. We have so few outlets to escape to and find joy in, sharing them is as or more important than sharing news of our next doctor appointment.

With all due respect to my hip surgeon who is one heck of a guy. He is nothing when compared to a shot at a ten foot birdie putt or one of your rose bushes.

 
stevec-they also serve who stand and wait

The squirrels dig 'em up to, I used to put in about 100 bulbs every fall just to take care of the feeding the animals part and still have something blooming in the spring While I miss all my gardens up north (four flower beds plus two herb gardens) I don't miss the weeding and the rest of the work! The other thing I don't miss is cleaning up after eight very large maple trees in the spring. One nice thing about palm trees, no raking involved

Used to amaze me when I lived in Maine, Boston's trees had leaves a full two weeks before we did, and we were only three hours to the north. Another thing that surprised me, living in Florida, is that my oak trees dropped their leaves last fall - - little trees yet, so not much work to take care of the leaves - - but I thought here in Florida trees kept their leaves all year.

Cheryl

Dogs don't care if the house is clean

That's exactly the way I set up my system, to begin with. But I'm not using sprinkler heads, just soaker hose, because azaleas can develop powdery mildew if their leaves are wet too much. I think the soaker hose is the problem. I bought the 1/4 inch and now I think I should have bought a larger size. I don't know. Now I have actually divided my hose into two loops, and it works some better, but the water is still not going all the way around. If a larger size hose doesn't help, I guess I'll have to go back to watering by hand. If you have any other suggestions or input, please let me know. And thanks for the suggestion.

Johnny

Hi Johnny!

Thanks for the inspiring update,... all this gardening talk makes me sooo anxious to get out there and start a little gardening myself. I'm rather allergic to the cold , so haven't been venturing outside just yet.

Your garden sounds beautiful ... and so I'll join in the chorus of those wanting to see some pics please!!!! I muddle about in a completely unknowledgable and disorganized fashion,... unable to figure how to effectively fight the dreaded weeds... it looks like I'm actively cultivating them for pete's sake,... but I enjoy gardening none-the-less! I love roses but am too inexperienced for that kind of challenge just yet..... maybe someday.

My all time favourite flower is the peony. I have a pretty deep pink/fuchsia one that has been passed down over (5-6-7 ?) generations in my family,... so each of us has this special heirloom gracing our garden beds. The stunning flowers don't last very long, and are soon blown down by the 1st heavy rain,... but the foliage is lovely all summer. By pure luck, somehow, mine has managed to survive my incompetence! I have some of my great-great-uncle's prize irises,... which almost gave up the ghost last year after doing fantastic for 3 years! Thankfully I see a few flags starting again so there is still hope.

I had a little brown cottontail bunny come visit my yard the day after Easter,... he spent 1/2 hr munching the green leafy tops off all of my tulips (which are only peeking up about 5" so far). I don't mind sharing... as long as he stays aways from any peony sprouts!!!

Gardening sure is tough on the back-hips-knees-neck.. but a pleasure worth the pain!!!
Take care and enjoy!

mig

Ah yes, bulb eating critters. Have you tried putting bone meal and/or blood meal into the hole with the bulb and then on the soil above and around the bulbs? It works. Squirrels won't go near them and I would imagine the same would apply to deer. Also, if you plant Tulip and Daffodil bulbs all intermingled, that will also deter squirrels. The Daff bulbs are poisonous to them.

I'm surprised that there are no buds in Ottawa yet. Hell, they have crocusses and stuff blooming and growing in Bracebridge! Oh yeah, and Maggie, you can buy tea roses and the like that have been overwintered in Canada. Those are generally hardier. Both of my roses were wintered in Canada before being sent to the stores and they're just fine (yup saw buds on the one I was worried about). They did better than my Holly, which I was sure would overwinter well.

Hugs,

Kat

Thanks for all the nice replies! I'm glad so many others here enjoy gardening. And to all those who have asked for pictures, maybe I can take some from my front landscaping, the part that's been planted a year now. But I really don't want to put up any from this years work, just yet. Everything really needs at least a year to get established, especially the roses and azaleas. The little foot-high bushes wouldn't show up very well, I fear, in a photograph. But if you'll hold me to it, I'll gladly put some pictures up next year. I'll see if I can take some to put up for now, though. I just wish I had a digital camera.

Johnny