#buy daylilies for sale

[conciergebloom]

The Best Budget-Friendly Ideas for Your Custom Garden

Creating a custom garden doesn’t have to be expensive. With a little creativity, some strategic planning, and a few smart investments, you can design a beautiful and functional garden without breaking the bank. Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or just starting out.

1. Start with a Plan

Before diving into the fun part of selecting plants and decorations, take the time to develop a clear plan for your garden. A well-thought-out plan will help you avoid costly mistakes and ensure that every dollar you spend contributes to the overall vision of your garden.

Begin by measuring your garden area and sketching a rough layout. Consider the sun’s path, existing trees or structures, and any drainage issues. Identify areas for flower beds, vegetable patches, pathways, and seating. By having a clear map of your garden, you’ll be able to make informed decisions about what to plant and where to place it.

Determine how much you’re willing to spend on your garden project. Break down your budget into categories such as plants, soil, tools, and decorations. Prioritize essentials like soil and plants over non-essentials like garden ornaments. Sticking to a budget will keep your spending in check and encourage you to be resourceful.

Take the time to research plants, materials, and tools before making any purchases. Compare prices from different suppliers, and look for sales, discounts, and bulk deals. Many garden centers offer discounts at the end of the growing season, so plan your purchases accordingly.

2. Choose Affordable Plants

One of the most significant expenses in gardening is the cost of plants. However, you don’t need to splurge on expensive varieties to create a stunning garden. There are many budget-friendly options that will thrive in your garden.

Perennials are plants that return year after year, making them a cost-effective choice for your garden. While they may be slightly more expensive upfront than annuals, they save you money in the long run because you won’t need to replant them each season. Popular perennials include lavender, echinacea, hostas, and daylilies. These plants are not only hardy and low-maintenance but also offer beautiful blooms and foliage.

Starting plants from seeds or cuttings is one of the most budget-friendly ways to fill your garden. Seeds are inexpensive and offer a wide variety of plants to choose from. Many vegetables, herbs, and flowers can be easily grown from seeds. For perennials and shrubs, consider propagating them from cuttings. Ask friends or neighbors if they have plants you can take cuttings from, or join a local gardening group for plant swaps.

Native plants are naturally adapted to your region’s climate and soil, making them easier to care for and less expensive to maintain. They typically require less water, fertilizer, and pesticides, which can save you money in the long run. Additionally, native plants support local wildlife, including pollinators like bees and butterflies.

3. DIY Garden Features

You don’t need to spend a fortune on garden decor and features. With a bit of creativity and some basic DIY skills, you can create beautiful and functional elements for your garden at a fraction of the cost.

One of the best ways to save money on garden features is to upcycle and recycle materials you already have. Old pallets can be transformed into raised garden beds, benches, or vertical planters. Empty wine bottles can be used as garden edging, and broken terracotta pots can become charming plant markers. Not only does upcycling save you money, but it also adds unique character to your garden.

Create Your Own Compost

Compost is an essential element of any garden, providing vital nutrients to your plants. Instead of buying commercial compost, start your own compost pile using kitchen scraps, yard waste, and other organic materials. Composting not only reduces waste but also saves you money on soil amendments and fertilizers. Raised beds are a great way to improve soil quality and make gardening more accessible, but they don’t have to be expensive. Consider building raised beds from inexpensive or free materials such as reclaimed wood, cinder blocks, or even straw bales. These materials are durable and can be sourced cheaply or even for free.

Garden pathways add structure and functionality to your garden. Instead of hiring a landscaper or purchasing expensive paving stones, create your own pathways using affordable materials like gravel, wood chips, or stepping stones. You can even use flat stones or bricks salvaged from other projects to create a unique and rustic path.

4. Water Wisely

Watering your garden can become expensive, especially during hot, dry months. Implementing water-saving techniques not only reduces your utility bills but also helps conserve this valuable resource.

Collecting rainwater is an excellent way to save money on watering your garden. A rain barrel can be easily installed beneath a downspout to collect runoff from your roof. You can use this free water to hydrate your plants, wash tools, or fill birdbaths. Many municipalities offer rain barrels at a discount, making this an affordable and sustainable option.

Mulching your garden beds is an effective way to conserve water and reduce the need for frequent watering. Mulch helps retain soil moisture, suppress weeds, and regulate soil temperature. You can create your own mulch from materials like grass clippings, leaves, or wood chips, which are often available for free from your local municipality or tree service.

Watering your garden in the early morning or late evening reduces evaporation and ensures that more water reaches the roots of your plants. Additionally, consider using soaker hoses or drip irrigation systems, which deliver water directly to the soil, minimizing waste.

5. Save on Garden Tools

Garden tools can be a significant expense, but there are ways to save money without sacrificing quality. Check out local thrift stores, garage sales, or online marketplaces for gently used garden tools. You can often find high-quality tools at a fraction of the cost of new ones. Alternatively, consider borrowing tools from friends, family, or a community tool library, especially for items you’ll only use occasionally.

Invest in Multi-Purpose Tools

Instead of buying a tool for every task, invest in a few versatile tools that can handle multiple jobs. For example, a sturdy digging fork can be used for loosening soil, turning compost, and harvesting root vegetables. A hori-hori knife is another multi-purpose tool that can be used for weeding, planting, and cutting. Taking good care of your garden tools will extend their lifespan and save you money in the long run. Clean tools after each use, sharpen blades regularly, and store them properly to prevent rust and damage. Well-maintained tools work more efficiently and are less likely to need replacement.

6. Create a Low-Maintenance Garden

A low-maintenance garden not only saves you time but also reduces ongoing costs for water, fertilizers, and other supplies. Group plants with similar water and sunlight needs together. This method, known as “hydrozoning,” allows you to water and care for plants more efficiently. It also reduces waste and ensures that each plant receives the appropriate care.

Drought-tolerant plants are an excellent choice for a low-maintenance garden, especially if you live in an area prone to dry spells. These plants require less water and can thrive in poor soil conditions. Succulents, ornamental grasses, and certain herbs like rosemary and thyme are popular drought-tolerant options.

Minimize Lawn Space

Lawns require frequent mowing, watering, and fertilizing, making them one of the most high-maintenance and costly aspects of a garden. Consider reducing your lawn area by replacing some of it with ground cover plants, gravel, or mulch. Alternatively, create additional planting beds or a vegetable garden in place of your lawn.

7. Decorate on a Budget

Garden decor adds personality and charm to your outdoor space, but you don’t need to spend a lot to achieve a beautiful look. Incorporate natural elements like stones, driftwood, or shells into your garden decor. These items can often be collected for free and add a rustic or beachy vibe to your garden. For a more structured look, consider using recycled materials such as old bricks, metal, or glass bottles to create unique garden features. Get creative and make your own garden art using inexpensive materials. Paint old pots in bright colors, create wind chimes from cutlery or seashells, or fashion sculptures from wire or scrap metal. DIY garden art is a fun project that allows you to personalize your space without spending much money.

Outdoor lighting can transform your custom garden into a magical space at night. Solar-powered lights are an affordable and energy-efficient option. You can find inexpensive solar garden lights at most home improvement stores, or create your own by placing solar lights in mason jars or hanging lanterns.

8. Incorporate Edibles

Growing your own food is a practical way to save money and make the most of your garden space. Incorporating edibles into your garden can be both budget-friendly and rewarding. A small kitchen garden can provide you with fresh herbs, vegetables, and fruits throughout the growing season. Start with easy-to-grow plants like tomatoes, lettuce, basil, and strawberries. Many edible plants can be grown in containers, making them suitable for even the smallest garden spaces.

Companion planting involves growing certain plants together to improve growth, deter pests, or enhance flavor. For example, planting basil next to tomatoes can improve the flavor of the tomatoes, while marigolds can help repel pests from your vegetable garden. This method allows you to maximize your garden’s productivity without the need for chemical fertilizers or pesticides.

If you end up with an abundant harvest, consider preserving your produce by canning, drying, or freezing it. This way, you can enjoy the fruits of your labor long after the growing season ends, saving you money on groceries.

9. Get Involved in Your Community

Gardening doesn’t have to be a solo endeavor. By getting involved in your local community, you can access free resources, share knowledge, and connect with other gardeners.

Community gardens are a great way to share gardening space and resources with others. Many community gardens provide tools, compost, and even seeds at no cost to members. Additionally, you can exchange tips, plants, and produce with fellow gardeners, further reducing your gardening expenses.

Plant swaps are events where gardeners exchange plants, seeds, and cuttings. These swaps are an excellent way to diversify your garden without spending any money. Look for plant swaps in your area or organize one with your friends and neighbors. Many local gardening organizations, extension offices, and community centers offer free or low-cost workshops on various gardening topics. These workshops can provide valuable knowledge and skills that will help you garden more efficiently and economically.

10. Be Patient and Let Your Garden Evolve

Gardening is a journey, not a race. Creating a beautiful custom garden on a budget takes time, but the results are well worth the effort.

Don’t feel pressured to complete your garden all at once. Start with a small section and gradually expand as your budget allows. By focusing on one area at a time, you can invest in quality plants and materials without overspending. Gardens are living, evolving spaces, and they don’t need to be perfect. Embrace the imperfections and learn from them. A few weeds, a little chaos, and some trial and error are all part of the gardening experience.

Finally, remember to enjoy the process of creating your garden. Gardening is not just about the end result, but also about the joy of nurturing plants, spending time outdoors, and connecting with nature. Whether your garden is large or small, elaborate or simple, the satisfaction of growing something with your own hands is priceless.

Conclusion

Creating a custom garden on a budget is entirely possible with a little creativity, planning, and resourcefulness. By following these budget-friendly ideas, you can design a beautiful, functional, and personalized garden without overspending. Whether you’re starting with a blank slate or enhancing an existing space, these tips will help you make the most of your garden while staying within your budget. Happy gardening!

[daylilies123]

Perennial Plants For Sale In Australia

Are you in search of perennial plants? If you are looking for perennial plants for sale then you should find a nursery in Australia. These plants improve the soil quality as there is no need to replant them every year. These plants need less maintenance and their roots absorb water which remains the soil moisturized for a long time. So don't think much search for a nursery and place your order.

[wholesomemendes]

Basket Full of Love

Summary: After buying a new house, you and Shawn are at a flower nursery to decorate the outside and lots of love ensues.

Author’s Note: This is literally just fluff. That’s it. Fluff on fluff. I got this idea when I was buying flowers with my mom the other day and all I could do was picture this happening. She’s short (only 1.4k), but she’s sweet so I hope you guys like it. As always, please tell me what you think, any feedback is appreciated!

“Shawn, which one do you like better?”

At the sound of your voice your husband turns his head away from where he was admiring a bundle of pretty, pink peonies and makes his way towards where you were comparing two hanging baskets. He wraps his arms around your middle, letting his head come to rest on your shoulder, “Which ones am I looking at?”

You pointed at two baskets filled with an arrangement of red begonias and other white flowers with hints of yellow in them, “These two right here. I’m thinking of hanging one of them on the back porch next to the birdfeeder.”

Shawn stared at them, examining all of the bright colors with furrowed brows, “But baby, they’re the same thing.”

“No they’re not,” you huffed, pointing at each of them, “This one obviously has more begonias so the color stands out more, but this one seems to have more buds.”

“A-what? A bedona?”

You laughed at his words causing him to squeeze you a little tighter and press a kiss to your forehead, “A be-go-nia is this pretty little red flower right here.” You leaned forward slightly to gently touch the gorgeous petals, rubbing one between the pads of your fingers.

“Oh, a be-go-nia.”

You let out a small giggle at how he was sounding out the word, but still turned around nonetheless and placed a kiss on his cheek, “That’s it, bubs. You’ve got it.” He contemplated his decision for a few more moments before pointing at the one on the right.

“I like that one, the red in it looks nicer.”

“Perfect, then we’ll get that one.” You stood on your tiptoes in an attempt to reach the hook, smiling to yourself when Shawn placed one hand on your waist and reached above you to help grab it instead. You mumbled out a thank you as you kissed his bicep lightly while he put the new basket into your cart.

“Alright, are you ready to go?”

“What? No, we still need to get two baskets for the top of the steps in the front and some flowers to plant in the garden in front of the main entrance and then there’s…”

“Ok, ok I get it, lots of flowers,” he sighed, resting his head on his arms that were on the cart which was already filled with three other assorted plants, “Why do we need so many?”

“Shawn, we literally just bought a house. That means you need to decorate a bit outside, you know, make it presentable. The perennials your mom has in her garden didn’t just grow by themselves.”

Your husband groaned again, lifting his head to face you this time, “Babe, you know I have no idea what you’re talking about when you spit out all of these big flower words.”

“Perennials are the flowers that rebloom every year without you needing to replant them. Annuals are the flowers that die before the winter season.”

“So why don’t you just buy all perenals or whatever the heck they’re called so you don’t have to replant them every year?”

“Perennials and because you want to change it up a little bit! It’d be boring to have the same flowers every year.” Pushing him playfully out of the way, you grabbed the cart and headed towards some of the perennials you wanted to plant in the front garden, Shawn trailing behind you like a lost puppy. One of the flower labels caught your attention a few rows down and you gravitated towards it immediately, “Shawn, look! Daylilies!”

“And…?”

“Andddd these attract hummingbirds! Wouldn’t it be cute to see some hummingbirds around the house? We could even put up a hummingbird feeder!”

A smile broke out on Shawn’s face at your excited state and he placed his lips on top of your head, mumbling into your hair, “That sounds great, love. Anything to put a smile on your face.”

You smiled up at him before grabbing a couple trays of the soon to be beautiful flowers and placing them in your cart. You could tell Shawn was becoming antsy to go home because he was either pulling out his phone more than usual or being extra clingy, a telltale sign of his boredom. “Hey bubs,” you snapped him out of the trance he was in on his phone, “Why don’t you go pick something out? Whatever you want to get.”

“Anything?” he asked, a bright smile taking up his face.

“Anything, just please don’t pick something that will ruin the outside of our house.”

“I won't, I promise, I’ll pick out the prettiest flowers for you.” He placed his hand under your chin so he could peck your lips quickly before he ran off somewhere in the nursery to, what you could only assume was, cause trouble.

Two baskets and a handful of trays later you were satisfied with your cart, the only thing missing being your giant of a husband that was still somehow on the hunt for his special flowers. “Is this flower for sale?” a deep voice whispered into your ear, causing you to jump from the fright. You immediately recognized the voice and bright chuckle as your husband’s and you turned around, meeting his mischievous grin.

“What took you so long, bubs? Pick out anything good?”

“Mhm, but nothing as beautiful as this flower right in front of me.”

You blushed at his words, lightly pushing his chest to hide your red cheeks, but his muscular body didn’t move an inch, “‘M not a flower.”

“You could be though,” he smiled at you, hands coming to your waist to pull you closer to his body, “You’re as gorgeous as one and you smell just as good, too.”

“Oh stop it, I’m your wife now. You don’t need to shower me in compliments anymore.”

“Doesn’t matter, I’m always gonna give you loads of compliments cause you’re my girl and you deserve them.” He leaned in to place a searing kiss onto your lips, gripping your hips tighter to bring you flush against him.

“Shawn,” you mumbled against his lips when he tried to deepen it, “People.”

He pulled away unwillingly, a small pout on his face, “What? I can’t kiss my wife now?”

“You can...back home. Now why don’t you show me these flowers you got.”

“Oh right! Flowers, yes.” Moving to turn around to where he had placed the basket on the ground, he held it up for you with a proud grin adorning his lips, “Ok, so I had to get some help from one of the workers, but I got it. Basically, it’s a basket full of love!” He pointed to a handful of white flowers on one side, “These ones are supposed to symbolize everlasting love, which you know, made me think of us and it’s supposed to represent fertility and motherhood which I think will be helpful for the future.” You looked at him with tear filled eyes, not knowing how the man who wanted nothing to do with flowers earlier had managed to find the perfect array of them that also happened to be so meaningful. “The dark red ones mean love and affection as well and the rest of them in here don’t really mean anything, but I think they’re super beautiful.” You wouldn’t think that the mix of orange blossoms and red carnations would look as pleasing to the eye as they did, but you thought that the meaning behind them made them that more beautiful to you. “So? What do you think?”

“What do I think? Shawn, I-” you leaned your head back in an attempt to keep the tears at bay- “I don’t know what to say, they’re absolutely perfect. I don’t deserve you, bubs.”

“Awe baby, don’t cry,” he cooed, wrapping you up in his arms, “I love you, you’re the one I don’t deserve.”

“You can’t say that, you just made me cry in the middle of a nursery.” You sniffled one last time before placing your lips on his, holding him tight against you.

“I thought you said no kisses in public,” Shawn mumbled against your lips, but not making any move to pull away from you.

You detached your lips from his and cocked an eyebrow at him, “Do you not want to kiss me right now?”

“Hell no, get back here,” and with that you melted into his arms, a basket full of love leaning against the two of you.

[anonymoushouseplantfan]

Fellow Royal watcher and gardener here. I've stayed close to home during Covid, and, aside from growing a few vegetables from scraps, my flower garden is in sad shape. Do you have any gardening tips to share for those of us who are older and aren't ready to venture out to Home Depot? Thank you!

Oh, boy. I know what you mean. I finally broke down and went to the garden center, but it’s nerve-wracking to go outside right now. I can’t give you specific advice, since I don’t know where you are gardening or what you have right now, but here's what I’ve done.

1. Work with what you have and try to maximize it. I spent a lot of time simply transplanting and weeding. It’s amazing how much better a garden can look if you take out plants that are past their prime and move plants to better locations. I cleaned up my hosta beds and transplanted my daylilies and it made a huge difference.

2. Find out if you have anything you can propagate or divide. I divided my hostas and daylilies and used the plants to fill out some beds. It’s free plants! I’m going to do the same with the lilies of valley and hydrangeas next year. Sadly, I missed my propagating/dividing window on those.

https://www.thespruce.com/best-plants-to-grow-from-cuttings-1388585

https://thekokorogarden.com/blog/2019/9/22/flower-farming-5-easy-perennials-to-make-cuttings-from-for-next-year

https://www.hgtv.com/outdoors/flowers-and-plants/perennials-that-need-dividing-every-few-years-pictures

3. Buy online. Internet plant retailer were cleaned out of vegetables in the spring, but it seems they have a glut of ornamental bulbs and plants now. Astilbes, daylllies and hostas are super cheap right now. I bought some dirt cheap hellebores. Now, it going to be a gamble because I’m planting them a bit late, but we’ll see how it goes.

https://www.michiganbulb.com/category/Bargain-Bags

https://www.highcountrygardens.com/sale

https://www.springhillnursery.com/category/garden_plants_on_sale

[waldenweave]

Making is still slow going. My life living with people now means compromise, and that’s okay. I learned this past week and another culprit might also be the cancer drug I’m on: tamoxifen. It’s great stuff, and will help me not develop more tumors, but over the last three months, I have become increasingly tired, sore, and sad. I have been off it for a week as my oncologist wanted to see if some weird side effects I was having were related and went away. As of this weekend, I don’t hurt nearly as much, I am feeling more alert, and I have energy and strength again. I have been trying to make hay while the sun shines and do all the things I will not be able to do when I’m on it again!

This weekend, I found the waffle iron, and am hoping to make a load of waffles to put in the freezer (there is currently a surplus of buttermilk that must be used up – oh woe!). I bought some lavender plants last week (on sale! more on that later), and will try to weed the area I want to put them in today, and then I’ll plant them. I am going to try to figure out all the heavy lifting I’ve been meaning to do and do it today.

Okay. On to Making over the past month.

I finished up the overshot towels! One is in use at home, two of the yellow ones went to friends as a gift – their kitchen is yellow and green – and one has stayed with me, as yet unused. I now think these are the perfect weight for towels, and are very absorbent, but if I sell them, they’re going to be very expensive, because these take twice as long to produce.

When I am preparing to hem, I always wash and dry the cloth two or three times before I do anything. Then I iron the whole thing front and back. (I know lots of weavers say press, but honestly, this is cotton. They’re towels. I have never found a need to get super fussy with an iron other than to flatten the cloth.) Then I cut along the weft marker lines I threw when I was weaving. Sometimes, there are bits of scrap. I save those and use them to make greeting cards, or sometimes just as reference samples. Then I go over each towel looking for errant weft ends sticking out and I snip them flush with the cloth. I have read that snipping the weft ends flush while you’re weaving is okay, but I’ve always found a few sticking out anyway after wet finishing. I’ve attributed this to the shrinkage of the yarn, and then the ends just pop out. But I like snipping the weft ends because it also allows me to really inspect every inch of the cloth, and sometimes I see a mistake I didn’t see before, which I can usually fix.

Sometimes I also find knots in the weft yarn that I didn’t notice while I was throwing the shuttle. The thing I’m pointing to above is a knot. (Sigh.) It was on the back of the cloth, so I didn’t notice it until the pre-hemming stage. I could fix it, but it’s hard to do after the cloth has been washed. I can’t believe I didn’t notice it when I was winding quills – normally, if I find a knot in the yarn, I’ll cut it out and just overlap the weft in the same pick as if I were starting a new quill.

With this batch of towels, the cloth is a bit thicker than just twill, so I did a little different thing with the hem: I wove a a bit of the ground, leaving the pattern out, and just folded that over and stitched. Behold:

This hem is sooo thin and unobtrusive.

I like it a lot! I had seen something like this in a picture somewhere and thought I’d give it a try. I also love how it looks.

What I need to do now is get an inkle loom or put together a backstrap loom so I can weave bands – I want to sew loops just under the hem of each towel I make (and maybe weave a logo into them?).

I took the last week of August off from work. Man, I haven’t had a vacation in what feels like years (and it might be two or three, I can’t remember), and it was pretty good. A friend and I went up to Shelburne to Apex Orchard to go peach picking, and we could not have picked a better day for it! The sky was blue, the air was clear and ever so slightly crisp, there was a gentle breeze…and the trees were positively laden with fruit. Some of the branches were nearly on the ground.

The view from the orchard’s shop is staggeringly gorgeous. That picture above doesn’t do it justice at all.

We each picked a large box (and spent several days eating our respective peaches), and then went back up to the shop for lunch. There was a lovely eating area outside, and I’d brought All The Food in an ice chest. We had already eaten several peaches in the orchard, but managed to get something other than fruit into our systems before packing up and checking out the shop in detail.

It doesn’t look like much, but this is actually quite a lot of peaches!

The shop is lovely, and I highly recommend a visit if you’re in the area. While the orchard has been around for years and years, the shop is fairly new, so don’t expect too much – but they do have pottery from a local potter or two, maple syrup, honey from the orchard, some handmade quilted things, and coolers of fruit. They also have a walk-in cooler of seconds!

I took advantage of this cooler of seconds a couple of days later:

This is a LOT more peaches than you think. I learned what ‘half-bushel’ really was. Also, please note the lovely and very useful overshot dishtowel under the peaches on the counter.

For a mere $22, I got a half-bushel of Red Haven peaches. They were fiiiine, and only some were very slightly bruised. They were very nearly all ripe to being completely ripe, and they were perfect to make into jam.

There was a bit of a kerfuffle with getting enough canning jars, running out of pectin and sugar and running out to buy more, not adding enough acid to the second batch because I’d been canning for six hours and was exhausted, canning the second batch a second time the next day after adding the right amount of acid and slightly more pectin, but in the end, I got it all done. Two cases of half-pint jars. I still have three cups of peach mash left (in the freezer) because I ran out of time and energy, and I thought this would be enough for a very modest batch of peach chutney. Which was supposed to maybe happen today, but won’t because omg I’m doing all the things today and will run out of time.

I finally finished my friend’s jeans:

FINISHED. FINALLY.

It took months, and most of the delay was due to nonsense with the house I’d lived in before, being diagnosed with cancer, freaking out, and moving house…well, all of that is now behind me and this was actually on the top of the list for my vacation! (That list is so long still…) I’m so happy I finished it – it’s not quite right, but I couldn’t figure out what else needed to be there, and my friend was being SO PATIENT waiting. She loves them and I am thrilled to have learned a new method of repairing holes in clothing.

So, during that kerfuffle of getting enough canning jars (see second case in photo above), I might have accidentally bought five lavender plants (var. Provence). They were on sale! They were so healthy and so large! (Actually, they were so much on sale, I couldn’t NOT buy them.) I got that little pink yarrow as well because, well, it’s pink yarrow, and beautiful and well, it was on sale, too.

I am currently trying to get the garden by the front walk back into garden-shape again. My friends who I live with do not have time for this, and are sad that it’s gotten to this point, but basically don’t have time to really think about what to do with it. Well, this is something I can fix, albeit slowly. The strip is quite long as is not obvious in that picture above, and it seems to be taking forever. The grass/weeds are actually growing on the layer of old rotten bark mulch, so it all peels up pretty easily. I feel pretty much like I could run a race today, so it’s on my list of things to tackle. Maybe I can get it all peeled up? My plans are to put the lavender in the bit that gets the most sun. (I had plans to put it in the back yard where the drainage is probably slightly better, but I discovered there are ground wasps living there, so digging in their nest is probably not a good idea.) I hope there’s enough sun in the front.

My next plan is to keep an eye out for beautiful (and inexpensive) mums so I can add a bit of color to the front. I might put some spring bulbs in as well, but I want to ask my friends first – I don’t want to set up something that they will need to take care of after I’ve moved out. That would be mean. My Ultimate Plan is to plant perennials in there that will basically look after themselves with minimal weeding required. So, daisies, mint (already there), bee balm, lamb’s ears, maybe a rose or two (hardy)…you get the idea. The hostas and a couple patches of daylilies plus weeds is just sad. (And don’t get me started on this way of landscape planting that wastes so much space with bark mulch and nothing else – argh!)

I also will mow the lawn today:

A toy!

I can’t hardly believe my luck, and the trust my friends have in me. As a member of the household, I am always looking for ways to be helpful and contribute (other than financially), so I mow the lawn. It’s a very big lawn, and it takes just short of two hours to get it all done. Above is what I use to mow it, along with a regular push mower to get the edges and fiddly bits. It’s an actual tractor (not a lawnmower), with a mower attachment on the power take-off underneath. I like to think of it as a Kitchen Aid mixer with the fun attachments. There’s a snowblower attachment parked behind it in this picture that I will likely also learn to operate when it’s time. The driveway is also large.

I can’t adequately express how much fun it is to mow the lawn! I hope that never wears off.

In other news, I’ve been thinking hard about something else to make. I’ve been wanting to do this for years:

A good friend was off-loading some books…of course I nabbed them!

I figure I’ll scope out supplies and gather as necessary and required, and start small. So small. My goal is to make the rose scented soap I can’t get at the store anymore (because amazon bought Whole Foods, and while I do not buy into the complete hipster/yuppie/whatever it’s called this decade philosophy that WF peddles, they do carry a few things that I do like – but so many things have been discontinued). Rose oil, it turns out, is five times more costly than it was when I last checked (maybe 15 years ago), and there are varying reviews about the fake rose fragrance that most people use. So, I’ll start with lavender because that’s not too expensive and I can get it locally.

And I’ve saved the best for last.

Remember how I started that cello experiment? I started with three months. That was one billing cycle for the instrument rental, and I figured that was a good window in which I could decide if I liked learning to play it or not, liked the teacher or not, etc. And it was. Well. I have been mooning over the viola da gamba for a while (a year and a half, about) and this semester, I got my name on the list for a gamba class over at UMASS, just down the street from my office, and got the okay from my boss to take a long lunch once a week. And I got in. No auditions, no previous experience with string instruments required (but it helps).

So pretty!

I have borrowed the tenor gamba. It’s lovely in every respect. Well, not tuning. I’m sure I will get used to it, but tuning is a pain right now. The strings are gut, so any whiff of air from elsewhere makes it go wildly out of tune, especially if that air is of a different humidity.

So for three months, I’ve got to figure out how to practice two instruments – but the opportunity is so good! And it’s only three months. And maybe I’ll make musician friends? And maybe it will help with the anxiety about playing in front of other people? Seems like it couldn’t hurt!

GUYS, I GET TO HAVE VIOLA DA GAMBA LESSONS.

And I’ll end the post with a picture of cuteness:

Ollie above, Marlie below. Not the best picture, but it was tricky to snap this one with one hand.

Ollie stayed with us for a week, and has gone back with his owners. They were a joy to take care of together. I will miss Ollie, and give Marlie extra snuggles for a while.

…in which Things Get Done. Making is still slow going. My life living with people now means compromise, and that's okay. I learned this past week and another culprit might also be the cancer drug I'm on: tamoxifen.

[awesome-buyplantsonline-blog]

Eliminate Your Fears And Doubts About Buy Plants Online

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  TAGS: Indoor Plants,House Plants,Plants For Sale,Potted Plants,Indoor House Plants

[ombreecha]

Broke in Two

Fandom: Final Fantasy VII Pairing: Clerith Rating: T Prompt: Extending the boundaries of love. Summary: It feels like his heart will break in two. Against it all he fought, and he struggled—the promise land is where he’ll find her at.

This worlds eclipsed and it doesn’t matter where he runs. He’s opened all the doors, and he’s looked within all the worlds. She’s there in a whisper, and gone in the next. She’s there with eyes that do not recognize him, and curiosity brewing behind every movement. There’s no mistaking that smile, and the flowers that always seemed to sprout where she walked.

If he turns one way he can catch a glimpse of that braid, and if he looks another there’s always that ribbon of pink just within the corner of his eye. Those worlds were cruel in making her always just brief finger touches away. He’s run until his legs have become weak, and he’s gone until he’s exhausted his strength of will. The fear is getting harder to keep at bay, and that darkness is always at his heel.

There’s no one with eyes that look the way hers always do—glowing brighter than the lifestream ever could.

There’s no one who’s smile brightened at the hand of one small flower sale—warmer than the sun could ever manage to heat the earth.

Beneath the storm that was his heart was the rain of tears that gave way when he let her hand go. Deeper still she disappeared submerged and down below the water—the pour of his tears never seeming to cease as shoulders took on the weight of a sorrow so desolate and suffocating.

I’ll come back when it’s all over.

She had left him alone in this darkness—left to hold out against the odds stacked against them. She had done what she could, and she had sought out a promise she had intended to keep. There’s no denying that regret would never touch her. That firm grip upon his shoulder is undoubtedly her.

Why had they forsaken him? Why had they brought this sort of madness down upon him?

Against it all he fought, and he struggled—the promise land is where he’ll find her at. The weight of his sword increasing with each step. Every second, and every moment they were unable to meet just another weight added upon layers and layers of anguish.

Those doors had held promise, and held a hope far beyond what he thought he could feel once again. Those worlds gave him the push—to bring it all crashing down.

There deep within the city she’s selling those flowers once again. Those vivid bright whites, and yellows unmistakable—those curls of auburn tamed by the weathered green cloth upon her head. Air had lost it’s way the minute he had caught sight of her. Connected instantly by a look, and a tilt of that head. She’s looking at him with all the curiosity that lingered when she walked beside him, and not high above him.

In this world, she’s here. In this world, she breathes untouched by the water she had sunk deep within.

This crushing weight upon his lungs is the only thing that holds him back from reaching out to her. There’s no recognition within those eyes that dared to share the color of the rich spring earth. Fingers twitch and as he finally takes in the air meant to keep him moving—

“Something wrong?” her voice is soft and laced within hesitation, “Do I resemble someone?”

It’s these simple question that forces the air he had meant to obtain out from him and locks it within his lungs. The widening of his eyes he knows gives him away and yet he cannot stop it from painting across his face—that dip of his bottom lips, and the upraise of his brows—for her to see.

Those eyes of hers that dared to share the rich spring see it all and there’s an interest forming almost tangible before him, and a dip of her head as she flutters through expressions he’s seen before, “Buy a flower? It’s only one gil.”

Fingers small and slender are extending forth with steps bringing her closer before him. There’s a fear that he may very well be the ghost and she could walk right through him. Shaky hands and fingers full of hesitance reach out. His roughened finger tips brush against her own in this exchange before he’s curling them upon the green stem.

Overwhelmed—almost isolated. This time is so dislocated in such an exchange.

This isn’t her. Yet, it is in all the right ways.

The squeeze upon his heart and the shudder that dares to come forth is all he needs to remind him she’s standing here before him. Azure tremble as they ascend to look at this woman so entirely her and it’s that look upon her face completely warm with those spring eyes almost glowing, and a smile he knows all to well that has him enraptured.

It feels like his heart will break in two. His dreams are falling apart—just like she did.

The bitterness sets in and takes a hold of him so maliciously. It’s not this woman’s fault, and yet there’s an ache brought by the yellow daylily within his grasp. He exchanges the item she’s asked for and that smile he’s seen doing this exact same thing only gets wider—its enough to make him gaze upon the ground.

“Stay safe, Cloud.”

It’s a moment—no more than a second—before his azure flicker to look at her as her voice drops his name and just like the storm that pours in she’s blown away as if never there before.

The internal violence he prays he can make it through out of this one world and into the next deep in the pillars of a coliseum and before this proclaimed God of the underworld. He’s taken him deep and down within the depths of Elysium before the seas that carry the souls of the dead. It’s that silhouette and his heart truly breaks apart.

Alone in his head, and drowning in silence he agrees to the contract—to take down the hero of this world just for her—all in search of her. Out on the edge he’s entering overtaken, and held by the darkest of intentions. She’s here somewhere deep within the worlds and he will find her.

There’s this boy though—this child who stands in his way and causing this god devoured among the flames to panic.

“The great God of the Underworld is afraid of a kid?” he’s mocking him, but it matters not because his contract states nothing upon this child so seemingly untouched by the anguish that’s holds him within his grasp.

There’s that whisper that tells him to help, and to stop the dog this God’s unleashed. The collapse he has is greater than the waves of darkness he’s accepted when he signed his name. If he’s living his life like this then why is the weight so heavy upon him. He would accept it all if she just stood before him.

Another moment for those dreams of his to fall apart—just as she had when she fell to the floor of the forgotten city. This is his punishment for exploiting the darkness.

Until he learns it’s all a lie. Then he knows she is here—that she hasn’t died in this world.

She’s walking and there’s no doubt she’s got that smile upon her face—traverse town is what this boy full of auburn spikes and azure eye claims. This child who he had misjudge and taken so lightly. He’s searching too. He’s searching for his light in the darkness and yet so untouched by the grip he had allowed over take his heart.

Failure is calling. He’s about to break under the pressure and the loss of his own.

“I fell into darkness, and I couldn't find the light.” he’s honest and sincere with this child who too has known some form of anguish.

This boy wouldn’t be searching if he hadn’t felt the same things he too had felt. This understand and this motivation—he has to find her but now there’s fear because of what he’s done. He had done it for her, but there’s no stopping the regret that pulls within his chest.

How can he face her when he would have done this to find her? He’s at the end of the line—waiting for something divine to answer him.

He knows the look she’ll have when she sees him, and he knows the way those brows of her will pinch up as the truth falls from him. The disappointment, and the dip of her mouth as her teeth sink into it. This constant search. The constant running. The internal struggle as he cries out to find her.

Don’t lose sight of it.

This battle of light and dark it echoes and it only pushes him further until he’s taken without consent and tossed among the fight of Warriors meant to serve. It’s that spar with this Warrior called Firion that makes him wonder if he has a dream at all.

She had been his dream. Yet, she’s blown away every time he’s almost had her within his grasp.

This hesitation is growing, and even as it teases upon his skin he keeps walking. This anxiety is holding him face down upon the dirt and its coaxing him once more as the man who’s taken his dream stands before him. He’s broken and he’s without the strength of will that all these heroes hold before him. He’s let her down even though he’s tried all of his best, and all of his power is exhausted upon these legs meant to carry him toward her. He told her he would be her bodyguard—he would protect her, and yet here he stands among these warriors and heroes without the ability to make that promise a reality.

He’s sinned—would he ever be forgiven? Nothing but a puppet.

They told him to find his answer. These warriors he fights beside know he can find it and yet they don’t know what sins he’s made. They don’t know what he’s done and how far he’s traveled. He promised them he would find it, and he would tell him. It was easy to make so many of these promises. So easy for him to promise these things that he now feels dragging him forever further than when she had been his dream.

“How pitiful. To live life hanging on to something this fragile.”

This man—this monster of a human—he’s now using these people to push him even further in this anxiety and desperation. He’s using everything he can to push him beyond this edge and further still. This man. He is what stands in the way of his dreams.

“You’re nothing but a puppet that gets swept away, unable to make any decisions on its own.” the tease lingers upon ever syllable, and every word.

“You’re wrong. I just—” his frustration and his desperation is peeking past this edge with each word this man speaks.

“So. . .I’ll continue to provide you a reason—every time you need one.”

He snaps and he cannot control himself taunted so low by the one who took her so mercilessly—as she tried to save them all. She had tried to save everyone, and tried to save him. She had sought to return to his side and he doesn’t honor her well with these sins. Yet this man—this man used her. He used the woman who had been the one to seek him out behind all the misunderstands, and lies. She sought out the him beneath the exterior he had put forth, and she had sought out his hand at all times. Every step he had taken. Every world he had gone through in search of her. Every time he found her, and every time he didn’t she was still within the Daylilies, and Easter lilies with those spring touched eyes and smile holding out that hand forever and more.

“Shut up!”

He remembers all to well the burning sensation that coated his throat, and the tears that glassed over his eyes as he took in her form within his grasp bleeding out. He remembers the smell of iron as it flooded his nose and he remembers the plummet of his heart. He remembers his voice ringing upon the walls of the forgotten city, and how the trees glowed white casting their shine upon all who had entered. The feel of her as she slipped away even has he touched her and even as gripped his hand until it went slack with the loss of life—he remembers it all.

He had never lost her as his dream—he had sinned and he had wanted to be forgiven.

He had grown scared of her casting her eyes upon him, and he had grown frightened of the disappointment that would cast upon her face.

What about us. . . what are we supposed to do!?

Every time she’d point, and every time she’d take a step. Every time she’d look to him, and every time she almost felt alone. Every time he had tried not to care she would come forward still—

This battle is brutish in nature filled with all those times, and all of the memories that had pushed him forward and snapping the control he thought he had come to gain with the stain of her blood upon his hands. She had blow away from his fingers and only gave the briefest of touches before disappearing and then reappearing just steps before him. The collapse of this weight crashes with each cry out he gives and each swing of his sword that becomes heavier with every thought of her smiling so warmly at him—as she prayed for them all.

He had exploited the darkness and he had gone this far—he couldn’t stop now. Not when he wanted to take her hand. Not when he wanted to be forgiven.

His blood upon the ground means nothing. The scrapes across his skin are more of a blessing. The heartbreak he feels in all those things she did and the things she had been are more than enough to remind him she waits in the promised land. He had been alone in his head and drowning in his silence. The storm winds had been blow but he would not be blow away. He would live out his life searching, and even as failure calls out he’ll keep searching—just like her.

There in the corner of his eye he sees that orb brought about by the powers of the lifestream that hold her upon his own world, and the tremble it produces is all that it takes before he has it within his hand. The moonlight reflecting upon it echoes reminding him how that failure had called out breaking him apart. It had plunged him deep within the earth and deeper from her hand he knows is awaiting his grasp—that he dares to grasp now.

This was his answer, and this was his dream. He doesn’t need to stand here and now with these warriors. He needs to go to her. He needs to take that hand that he had let fear distance her from him.

Fingers twist upon the white materia she had used to save the world before it fell down within the waters that became her tomb. These fields of Daylilies and Easter lilies are there to guide him forward once more. That press upon his arm is calling now and now his dream is no longer fallen.

He’s opened all the doors, and he’s looked within all the worlds. He’s traveled through the dimensions and sought out this path long before now. She’s there and she’s among the flowers with that smile decorating her face.

It’s a nod of her head and the raise of that arm. It’s those eyes daring to glow and the way her cheeks raise as she lets the words fall from her mouth—this is entirely and truly her, “So, why did you come?”

“I think. . .I want to be forgiven.” his voice is earnest, and even with it’s hesitance he knows this to be true.

“By who?” she’s humming out never letting her hand waver from before her extended and out for him to finally take a hold of it, “I never blamed you. Not once.”

She had never blamed him. He had never needed her forgiveness.

“You came for me. That’s all that matters.” the fall of those lids closing off her eyes from him is all he needs to take the steps forward—he had been this close to her in so many of the worlds.

He had been afraid— He won’t let this fear keep him from her any longer.

Those worlds had been cruel in making her always just brief finger touches away. He had run until his legs were weak, and he had gone until he exhausted his strength of will. That fear had engulfed him, and that darkness is always had been accepted in his travel to her.

It had not all been a waste was he wraps his fingers upon her own and drags her closer taking hold and refusing to let go. He had wanted something divine to answer him, and he had felt she had been blown away in the wind—but she’s here and she’s pressed against him so tenderly.

The worlds had felt eclipsed but the sun reins supreme here. Those flowers she loves cover this earth, and those brief touches don’t exist. There’s nothing denying him of her, and there’s no part of her denying him. He’s sinned. He’s done so many things—but she’s still so accepting of him as those fingers run through his hair.

There’s a recognition in those eyes that ascend upon him. There’s time. It’s no longer dislocated. It’s here and she’ll hear all he has to say. She’ll accept the parts of him that made so many wrong choices. She’ll light that darkness that he had lost in his way to her. She’ll smile from the bottom of her heart, and she’ll mend his heart back together—it’ll no longer linger as two.

[wendyimmiller]

The Curse of the Plant Lust List

               Bob Hill returns after an epic shopping spree. Enchantment overtakes him.

  Few of us tillers of the soil plan on visiting the same garden center four times in five hours. My previous record was two trips – and with a few hours in-between.

But we all get that gnawing feeling – especially in old age – to never leave anything truly desired behind. As in never. What is worse than going back to the nursery to learn something on your newly created plant lust list is gone, and probably just out the door.

Part of my problem was I wasn’t certain what that plant lust list should include. It was particularly important to get it right because this job was the volunteer planting of our small-town, Utica Indiana Memorial Garden. It is a community centerpiece of sorts—six-foot brick walls curled around a raised bed garden at a four-stop-sign intersection created to honor the many who served from a small place. Half the town goes past every day— coming and going. The other half will wander by tomorrow.

Several of us took over the memorial garden care and maintenance about ten years ago when the previous designer’s concept of hostas in baked-clay soil and full sun wasn’t quite as fulfilling or patriotic as required.

My first thought back then, and all the rage in those days, was to plant a double row of “Knockout Roses,” once heralded as the perpetual answer to all rose bacteria and bug issues.

Wrong.

Regular maintenance is always the answer with queenly roses. No such regular hands existed at the time. Ragged, bug-infested ugly ruled. Community pride was at stake. So, this year – and on Fourth of July weekend, yet – it was “Off with their heads.” If we were going to have disease and bugs issues, they would come with a different class of plants.

We dispatched about eight of those gangly, bug-infested shrubs to Over-Rated Rose Heaven. The immediate effect being the remaining yellow marigolds and red dianthus were trying, but reinforcements were badly needed for the full John Phillips Sousa effect.

Janet Hill and Susan Loya “dig it” in the Utica (Indiana) Memorial Garden.

The marigolds were moved to the top of the circular bed, joining a lively festival of yellow-gold lantana at altitude. Then it was off to Lowe’s – I said “functional” not exotic – for a quick, mid-summer fixup.

Right.

All went well at first. Lowe’s was having a we-gotta-get-this-water-needy stuff out of here sale with decent perennials; three for $10. Its four-inch annuals were mildly outrageous; three for $12.

The Fourth of July dictated the purchases. Angelonia ‘Angel Mist’ covered the blue.  The Gaura ‘Whirling Butterflies’ promised a little more red and white. Toss in some red and white annual vinca, some pinkish-white Phlox paniculata—‘Bright Eyes’ and ‘Laura’ —and the whole memorial garden would hum red, white, blue, lavender-purple and, OK, pink. Why be a slave to a holiday color scheme?

I had done all this without properly calculating what was truly needed in our community garden, whose 20-foot, parallel rows ran into yellow Stella de Oro daylilies before taking a right turn into massive ninebark bushes.

I had purchased some plants very early that morning, but the scheme wasn’t working.  On my second trip to Lowe’s about 45 minutes later I bought what I thought would be enough vinca and phlox to handle the community garden trick.

Wrong.

It wasn’t near enough. Those good volunteers left behind had properly cleaned the beds of weeds, moved those marigolds to the top to dance with the lantana and there was still way too much space.

It was back to Lowe’s 20 minutes later for the third morning trip, this time finding red, white and blue vinca in long trays; smaller in size but once full grown would cover the spaces. Alas, while there, I came across some containers of Coreopsis ‘Enchanted Eve’ from the L’il Bang

Series. (More bang for the buck!) It looked like it needed a home and was nicely described as being “covered with attractive butter-yellow blossoms adorned with a soft burgundy heart.”

Right. Very patriotic.

So, confession time, while hunting for community garden plants, I gave my soft burgundy heart to ‘Enchanted Eve’ and bought three for my home garden. I already had enough yellow for the memorial crowd.

And all the way home I kept asking myself if I liked ‘Enchanted Eve’ so much why the hell hadn’t I bought five. I had violated my own Old Guy Code, and you always buy plants in odd numbers because that way nurseries sell more stuff.

We quickly finished the community garden – it looks good and will only get better, thank you. Yet all through lunch I brooded about going back buying two more Enchanted Eves; the plant lust list at work. There was no denying the passion.  I hurried back – the fourth trip in five hours – and hustled over to the coreopsis section.

There was only one ‘Enchanted Eve’ left. The nice clerk shrugged her shoulders and said she would look for one more.

Right.

    Former Louisville Courier-Journal columnist Bob Hill wrote more than 4,000 columns and feature stories, about ten books and several angry letters to bill collectors in his 33 years at the paper. He and his wife, Janet, are former guides and caretakers of Hidden Hill Nursery and Garden in Utica, IN., a home-made, eight-acre arboretum, art mecca and source of enormous fun, whimsy, rare plants and peace for all who showed up. Bob’s academic honors include being the tallest kid in his class 12 years in a row. 

The Curse of the Plant Lust List originally appeared on GardenRant on July 16, 2020.

The post The Curse of the Plant Lust List appeared first on GardenRant.

from Gardening https://www.gardenrant.com/2020/07/the-curse-of-the-plant-lust-list.html via http://www.rssmix.com/

[turfandlawncare]

The Curse of the Plant Lust List

               Bob Hill returns after an epic shopping spree. Enchantment overtakes him.

  Few of us tillers of the soil plan on visiting the same garden center four times in five hours. My previous record was two trips – and with a few hours in-between.

But we all get that gnawing feeling – especially in old age – to never leave anything truly desired behind. As in never. What is worse than going back to the nursery to learn something on your newly created plant lust list is gone, and probably just out the door.

Part of my problem was I wasn’t certain what that plant lust list should include. It was particularly important to get it right because this job was the volunteer planting of our small-town, Utica Indiana Memorial Garden. It is a community centerpiece of sorts—six-foot brick walls curled around a raised bed garden at a four-stop-sign intersection created to honor the many who served from a small place. Half the town goes past every day— coming and going. The other half will wander by tomorrow.

Several of us took over the memorial garden care and maintenance about ten years ago when the previous designer’s concept of hostas in baked-clay soil and full sun wasn’t quite as fulfilling or patriotic as required.

My first thought back then, and all the rage in those days, was to plant a double row of “Knockout Roses,” once heralded as the perpetual answer to all rose bacteria and bug issues.

Wrong.

Regular maintenance is always the answer with queenly roses. No such regular hands existed at the time. Ragged, bug-infested ugly ruled. Community pride was at stake. So, this year – and on Fourth of July weekend, yet – it was “Off with their heads.” If we were going to have disease and bugs issues, they would come with a different class of plants.

We dispatched about eight of those gangly, bug-infested shrubs to Over-Rated Rose Heaven. The immediate effect being the remaining yellow marigolds and red dianthus were trying, but reinforcements were badly needed for the full John Phillips Sousa effect.

Janet Hill and Susan Loya “dig it” in the Utica (Indiana) Memorial Garden.

The marigolds were moved to the top of the circular bed, joining a lively festival of yellow-gold lantana at altitude. Then it was off to Lowe’s – I said “functional” not exotic – for a quick, mid-summer fixup.

Right.

All went well at first. Lowe’s was having a we-gotta-get-this-water-needy stuff out of here sale with decent perennials; three for $10. Its four-inch annuals were mildly outrageous; three for $12.

The Fourth of July dictated the purchases. Angelonia ‘Angel Mist’ covered the blue.  The Gaura ‘Whirling Butterflies’ promised a little more red and white. Toss in some red and white annual vinca, some pinkish-white Phlox paniculata—‘Bright Eyes’ and ‘Laura’ —and the whole memorial garden would hum red, white, blue, lavender-purple and, OK, pink. Why be a slave to a holiday color scheme?

I had done all this without properly calculating what was truly needed in our community garden, whose 20-foot, parallel rows ran into yellow Stella de Oro daylilies before taking a right turn into massive ninebark bushes.

I had purchased some plants very early that morning, but the scheme wasn’t working.  On my second trip to Lowe’s about 45 minutes later I bought what I thought would be enough vinca and phlox to handle the community garden trick.

Wrong.

It wasn’t near enough. Those good volunteers left behind had properly cleaned the beds of weeds, moved those marigolds to the top to dance with the lantana and there was still way too much space.

It was back to Lowe’s 20 minutes later for the third morning trip, this time finding red, white and blue vinca in long trays; smaller in size but once full grown would cover the spaces. Alas, while there, I came across some containers of Coreopsis ‘Enchanted Eve’ from the L’il Bang

Series. (More bang for the buck!) It looked like it needed a home and was nicely described as being “covered with attractive butter-yellow blossoms adorned with a soft burgundy heart.”

Right. Very patriotic.

So, confession time, while hunting for community garden plants, I gave my soft burgundy heart to ‘Enchanted Eve’ and bought three for my home garden. I already had enough yellow for the memorial crowd.

And all the way home I kept asking myself if I liked ‘Enchanted Eve’ so much why the hell hadn’t I bought five. I had violated my own Old Guy Code, and you always buy plants in odd numbers because that way nurseries sell more stuff.

We quickly finished the community garden – it looks good and will only get better, thank you. Yet all through lunch I brooded about going back buying two more Enchanted Eves; the plant lust list at work. There was no denying the passion.  I hurried back – the fourth trip in five hours – and hustled over to the coreopsis section.

There was only one ‘Enchanted Eve’ left. The nice clerk shrugged her shoulders and said she would look for one more.

Right.

    Former Louisville Courier-Journal columnist Bob Hill wrote more than 4,000 columns and feature stories, about ten books and several angry letters to bill collectors in his 33 years at the paper. He and his wife, Janet, are former guides and caretakers of Hidden Hill Nursery and Garden in Utica, IN., a home-made, eight-acre arboretum, art mecca and source of enormous fun, whimsy, rare plants and peace for all who showed up. Bob’s academic honors include being the tallest kid in his class 12 years in a row. 

The Curse of the Plant Lust List originally appeared on GardenRant on July 16, 2020.

The post The Curse of the Plant Lust List appeared first on GardenRant.

from GardenRant https://ift.tt/2Wpa75C

[daylilies123]

Reversing Aging With Blueberries

Blueberries have the most elevated amount of cancer prevention agents of any organic product developed in America. They have 12 fold the number of cancer prevention agents as apples, pears, or bananas. This may clarify why some case that eating them every day inverts both cerebrum and body maturing. Solidified blueberries bundled at their pinnacle of readiness contain as much enemy of maturing power as new ones.

Cell reinforcements keep killing the free radicals that are framed in your body keep them from antagonistically influencing your wellbeing. Free radicals split up particles and can improve the probability of certain malignancies. Along these lines, an eating regimen stacked with cell reinforcements, for example, blueberries can have awesome medical advantages.

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Five Clarifications On Yellow Daylily | Yellow Daylily

ENDVILLE • Thirty years ago, Martha Williams buried a row of about 50 ancient daylily bulbs she dug up from her mother’s yard. She acclimated a beanery to ball them because she didn’t accept a trowel.

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Those aboriginal daylilies accept morphed into bags of blooms over the years and that’s aloof one bed of flowers. Williams has a dozen or added daylily beds about her home in Endville.

“I don’t accept any abstraction how abounding altered varieties I accept and I don’t apperceive the names of any of them,” said Williams, 86. “I aloof apperceive the colors. A lot of my blooms accept gone to red this year and I don’t apperceive why.”

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Some of Williams’ daylilies are buried forth a white blockade fence in advanced of her home while others are broadcast about walkways. Bloom colors accommodate red, purple, pink, peach, white, ablaze yellow, abysmal chicken and orange.

Five years afterwards her antecedent planting, Williams started attractive through annual catalogs and acquainted the daylilies they had for sale. She began visiting breadth in the breadth and alert to bodies allocution about growing daylilies.

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“The aboriginal ball I anytime bought amount me $3.50,” she said. “It was out of a garden in New Albany. I still accept that bulb. But I don’t buy abounding daylilies. Bodies are usually accommodating to accord you some.”

Williams said daylilies are decidedly low-maintenance flowers. She puts a 13-13-13 fertilizer about the flowers at atomic three times a year. Her flowers charge at atomic six hours of sunshine a day and she never amnion them.

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“I accept too much, too abounding to water,” she

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Daylily Blog

Leap Day! Unbloomed Daylily Seedling Update!!

It is exciting to be able to offer the newest daylily cultivars that have been cross pollinated.  They have been harvested off the seed pods, dried out, put through cold stratification and sprouted!  Now they have been growing for months and you have the opportunity to buy them!!  https://eustacedaylily.com/product-category/unbloomed-daylily-seedlings-for-sale/ 

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Daylily Seed Vault Update

Went to check the fridge at lunch today and see there is many daylilyl seeds left over. Here is the link we have some available on website you can buy. https://eustacedaylily.com/product-category/daylily-seeds/

Here is a nice combo! CBP x Light Speed Daylily Seeds

Spring Shipping + Daylily Pricing Update This Week

Inventory is being marked down for 2020. A lot of our plants are potted up from the move and we are just wanting to get rid of some older cultivars... keep an eye out this week as about half the inventory prices will drop. We did lose some over the move that were evergreens...just got too cold for them :(

Augie's Unique Beauty Daylily

Augie's Unique Beauty Here is a 3 fan clump just breaking winter dormancy. The fans are small and so are the scapes. The blooms make up for it. Augie's Unique Beauty has no bloom alike and takes on the name well. Very nice broken pattern on this tetraploid. Everything else on this daylily looks like a diploid but it is not. Sets pods well and pollen is always fertile. If you plan on ordering this daylily expect a small plant, it's just its nature. We only send Blooming size plants! Enjoy!!

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GigaWatts - Held for increase (Name Registered Last Year) Intro Date TBD...

We have moved to Oberlin, OH and are in the process of moving and planting thousands of plants... We may not be so quick to respond to messages as we settle in.

We will try to keep this blog updated as we can. Kim and I just love growing daylilies and now we are on 8 acres with plenty of room to grow!!! Thank you for all your support both with our daylily plants/seeds and our YouTube Channel. Appreciate each one of you God bless you, Rich Eustace

MOARRR Daylily Seedlings!

Here are some more of our seedlings! The middle one is not of Ravenous Bite, we made a mistake on that title. It is Eustace's Black and Buddy's Victoria Jade. I love to cross for the dark bold base with the pure white teeth. I have moved on from crossing Blues to more like these seedlings you see above. They really stand out in a field of daylilies! Read the full article

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This Man Informed Us How He Turned Christmas Lights Right into a Profitable Enterprise

Editor’s word: This publish was initially printed in 2018 and has been up to date for the 2019 vacation season.

When you will have a reputation like Josh Bushes and also you run a Christmas gentle set up enterprise, it’s important to be ready for the inevitable query: Is that truly your title?

Bushes — sure, that’s his actual title — began his enterprise, We Hold Christmas Lights, in 1997, adorning properties, companies and diverse branched greenery in Temecula, California. 

However Bushes positively will get the final (jolly) chortle.

“When we first started doing this, people were like, ‘Oh, that’s a cute little business,’” Bushes says. “We had been like, ‘Yeah, cute,’ —  you don’t notice individuals are paying us $three,500 to place lights up on their homes. 

“By my third year, I was hitting a net profit of right around $138,000.” 

Now Bushes crisscrosses the nation with strands of lights and a tiny home to show others how they’ll construct their very own companies hanging twinkling bulbs.

On the First Day of Christmas Lighting

Bushes’ courses assist cross on data that he has gathered all through his profession, equivalent to buying lights from wholesale distributors who supply reductions for bulk purchases and making your personal extension cords. Aileen Perilla/The Penny Hoarder

Ah, the fond reminiscences of hauling out final yr’s field of lights so as to add some vacation cheer to the common-or-garden abode. Haphazardly prepare the lights across the entrance stoop, throw a wreath on the door and voilá! 

However in case you’re beginning a enterprise hanging lights, that simplified recollection can result in expensive errors, in accordance with Bushes. And he ought to know, as a result of he had the identical thought.

“We were making mistakes on everything — we were just a bunch of guys thinking, ‘Hey, this is going to be easy,’” Bushes says. “We had been hanging different individuals’s lights — that’s an enormous no-no.… The second stage was hanging the crummy lights from retailers.

“I’m surprised I made it through the first couple years.”

By the third yr, Bushes had moved onto buying lights from wholesale distributors, which provided reductions for bulk purchases. He was additionally shopping for commercial-grade strands in order that when one bulb went out, they didn’t all exit.

However Bushes says his greatest mistake had nothing to do with lights — it was underbidding jobs.

“I received into it within the first yr…  and I didn’t make any cash — most likely misplaced cash,” Bushes says. “I used to be charging $150 for jobs that ought to have been $850.

“I bid a job for $three,500 that ought to have actually been $35,000. It was horrible.” 

Enlightening Enterprise Methods

Lisa Pinkney, 56, works for her sister’s panorama enterprise Daylily Landscaping in Washington D.C. “I wanted to learn how to do things the right way,” stated Pinkney, who flew down together with her sister to attend one in every of Bushes’ courses. Aileen Perilla/The Penny Hoarder

Bushes’ college students echo his chorus, noting that studying from different professionals early on may help rework a enterprise thought right into a worthwhile enterprise — and with so much fewer errors alongside the best way.

One among Bushes’ early college students was Jeff Krall, proprietor of American Vacation Lights in Illinois. In 2008, Krall attended a person coaching session, which Bushes performed earlier than he began touring the nation to show courses.

“Josh helped me get it started,” says Krall. “Every little thing from find out how to hold the lights on the rooflines… making our personal extension cords, find out how to wrap the timber.

“It would take someone… two or three years to learn how to do it correctly, whereas Josh, in two or three days, he tells them how to do everything.”

In his first season of enterprise, Krall estimates he had 30 shoppers. Now he manages 25 to 35 workers who gentle 35 to 40 homes a day through the season, at a median worth of $1,400 to $1,500 per home.

Nonetheless, these visions of sugarplums and greenback indicators dancing in your head won’t be in your quick future — or a minimum of not the primary season.

In 2017, Lucas Pulvermacher determined so as to add a light-hanging enterprise to his busy garden care enterprise close to Oshkosh, Wisconsin. 

“My first year was tricky because I had to have an inventory of the lights. That’s a fairly large cost — and also the ladder, equipment, safety stuff like that,” says Pulvermacher. “I’d say we came out about even.”

Pulvermacher says his Lucas Lights lit three homes and two companies after launching in mid-November final yr — “It was hard because we started so late.” 

After taking Bushes’ class to study advertising and marketing and gross sales methods, Pulvermacher invested in professionally designed supplies, together with a emblem.

Past Christmas Lights

Jayson Nelson and John Gereg stand on both aspect of Connor Graham, president of We Hold Christmas Lights, as they discover ways to make their very own extension cords. Aileen Perilla/The Penny Hoarder

One of many cool issues about these twinkling lights is that they nonetheless work after Jan. 1. Meaning there’s extra enterprise after the wintry vacation season.

“A lot of the guys we work with, they do wedding lights, event lights, party lights and backyard lighting, that sort of thing, and a lot also do landscape lighting,” says Bushes, who estimates that gentle installations for weddings herald $1,800 on common however can go as excessive as $7,000.

Krall, who additionally owns a roofing enterprise, hangs lights all yr spherical for yard weddings, Diwali pageant of lights celebrations and Halloween events — “but the majority of what we do is Christmas,” he notes.

Vacation Gigs

Anthony Dixon, from Lengthy Island, N.Y., holds a string of lights as Dominick Sacca learns find out how to correctly staple them on the tiny home. Aileen Perilla/The Penny Hoarder

So let’s say you’re not prepared to start out your personal enterprise however being outdoors hanging lights feels like a greater gig than working a seasonal retail job. 

You could be in luck.

Krall notes that the hardest a part of his enterprise is discovering good, dependable assist.

“We got creative this year, so we align ourselves with other companies out there that are seasonal, like landscapers or pool companies,” Krall says. “When they’re laying off, we’re actively developing relationships.”

Bushes recommends that installers supply tiered bonus pay, including an additional $1 per hour every week to incentivize continued attendance because the season winds down — notably in January when firms should take down the lights.

Stephen Ogles, 32, learns find out how to wrap Christmas lights round a tree. Ogles, who owns a roof cleansing enterprise in Lake Metropolis, Fla., got here to discover ways to hold lights through the slower winter months. Aileen Perilla/The Penny Hoarder

“Helpers can sometimes make wherever from between… $13 on the low finish to about $20 on the excessive finish — and that’s earlier than bonuses,” Bushes says. “When you find somebody that’s good, it’s key that you keep those people, because it’s temporary, and they know it’s temporary.”

For individuals fascinated with discovering vacation lighting jobs of their space, Bushes suggests checking locations like Craigslist, Certainly and the We Hold Christmas Lights web site, which features a listing of sunshine installers that’s searchable by zip code — simply point out your curiosity in a job while you fill out the web type. 

Bushes has discovered that these vacation gigs are greatest suited to individuals who work warm-weather jobs in roofing, tree trimming and window washing. All of which have a minimum of one trait in widespread — no concern of heights. 

And sure, the cash is good, however Krall and Pulvermacher agree that the most effective a part of hanging bulbs is the best way their prospects’ faces gentle up after they see the completed product.

“Everybody’s in a really good mood around Christmas time,” says Krall. 

Pulvermacher provides: “It’s just kind of a cozy feeling when you see a house all lit up.”

Tiffany Wendeln Connors is a author/editor at The Penny Hoarder. 

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from Job Search Tips https://jobsearchtips.net/this-man-informed-us-how-he-turned-christmas-lights-right-into-a-profitable-enterprise/

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The Ultimate Revelation Of Lily Bulbs For Sale | Lily Bulbs For Sale

The Ultimate Revelation Of Lily Bulbs For Sale | Lily Bulbs For Sale – Lilies are extremely elegant flowers that have clearly been appreciated and loved for a very long period of time. These are just a number of of the reasons exactly why a lilies bouquet is usually a great conjunction with virtually any household.

Lilies bloom throughout summer, and have an incredible scent, which is used to attract bees, butterflies and other pollinators. They are very popular the planet over, have been used of in literature in addition to painted by famous painters. Even today, a lilies bouquet is very nicely received as a result of flowers’ beauty.

Lilies were first pointed out on a tablet through Sumeria about 5000 yrs ago, where they have been described to surround the city. Nevertheless , the Madonna lily, for example, was treated with much respect by simply the Minoans, who associated it with the empress Britomartis. Of much greater importance it was to the Greeks, because they connected it with Hera, the particular queen of gods. Furthermore, their mythology tells the lily first appeared upon Earth after Hera’s breast milk stained the skies, creating the Milky Method, and a few drops than it fell down to be able to the ground. Those drops, the legend goes, grew to become the first lilies.

As a matter of fact, the very word “lily” comes “lilium”, its title in Latin, which started from “leirion”, thier name inside Greek. Later on, typically the Romans also started in order to share the Greeks’ value for your flower, and attached it in with their particular own queen of gods. Even one of their own poets, Virgil, who lived between 70 to 19 BC spoke of the particular flowers in some regarding his poems.

A lilies bouquet is also a very effective messenger, because of the particular things lilies symbolize. To be able to the Greeks, they intended birth and renewal, mainly because they associated this with the legend of Hera. On the other hand, they represented purity and innocence for that Christian believers, who associated the flowers with virgin Mary. Additionally, the three petals in the lily flower is often thought to represent the trinity. Whichever meaning speaks in order to you, body fat denying that they are a extremely positive symbol.

When preparing a lilies bouquet, get away leaves on the stems, as having them marine will only end upwards making the water devious and the whole set up will become unappealing. Then, stop about 2 cm from your stems, and perform so within a diagonal range to increase the absorption area. If possible, support the stems underwater while performing the cut to avoid formation of air bubbles within them. As typically the stamens in the flowers develop, make sure to cut them because when dropping, they will end up staining everything they touch. Finally, change the water every single few days and add plant food, in order in order to make sure that the lilies arrangement are usually well fed.

Together with such a history behind all of them and such beautiful meanings carried in their sturdy petals, it is simply no surprise that lilies are loved a lot. Many will certainly tell you that they will love the flowers’ shape, or perhaps their amazing scent that will can easily fill a great entire room, but will be certainly so much more to be able to them compared to way they will appear. A gift — for someone, or for yourself- of a lilies bouquet is a good reminder associated with love and evidence of attention that will certainly bring a smile even on the saddest face.

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Gardeners Mourn the Closing of Beloved 89-Year-Old Garden Center

Yesterday my long-time favorite garden center announced it’ll close soon. Here’s my tribute to the company and its people on a local blog. I’m reposting it here for the Rant’s broader audience because the closing is part of a very sad national trend. Also, it shows what great independent garden centers are doing for customers and the community and why their disappearance is such a enormous loss. (Sob!) 

It’s official. In today’s press release, Behnke Nurseries announced that after 89 years, it will be going out of business in June. Thousands of local gardeners will mourn this incalculable loss.

Why It’s Closing

It seems that the time has just come, and not because business is bad; it’s because there are no family members coming up to take over the business. The only Behnke still working there is vice president Stephanie Fleming, granddaughter of the founder, who told me “We love our customers but the Behnkes are all in their 80s. The time has come.”

To answer your protestations of “But, but…” every possible alternative to closing as a garden center has been explored. Selling to another garden center or a buyer interested in renovating and keeping the nursery open isn’t feasible in today’s market, with independent stores closing and almost none opening. Some of the remaining garden centers are morphing into “lifestyle” stores, selling beachwear and pet supplies.

What about an employee buy-out, you say? If only! Many are retirement age or near it, and really, could they collectively buy almost 12 acres along busy Route 1?  Hardly, at today’s prices.

What’s Next for the Site Zoned for miscellaneous retail use, the property could be just another car dealership, but the family wants whatever replaces the nursery to be an asset to the community and is participating directly in development of the property, rather than selling to a developer. To this end, the family has solicited suggestions and input from the county and local community groups and has obtained additional zoning that would permit their preferred use of the property – for townhouses, with a 1-acre green space in the center and a walking path around it.

Albert Behnke in the 1960s

Highlights from Behnke’s History 

The nursery was founded in 1930 by Albert Behnke, who was born in Germany in 1904. He worked for his father’s rose and cut-flower business and decided to immigrate with his wife Rose to the U.S., for more opportunity, settling in Beltsville.

First Behnke greenhouse, with three of Albert and Rose’s children

At first, the Behnke greenhouse was a homemade affair attached to the side of the family house. In 1946, Albert and Rose Behnke had a modern steel and glass greenhouse built and by 1951 there were five greenhouses.

Albert Behnke at his most dapper. Rose Behnke at work. Her granddaughter Stephanie Fleming says she’s “really was the one that was the reason we were so successful.”

Sonja Behnke at 17, and more recently

Albert and Rose’s 17-year-old daughter Sonja was featured on the cover of the Washington Star weekend magazine watering African violets, which was one of the nursery’s mainstays. Behnke’s sent violets to every first lady from Bess Truman to Nancy Reagan, and they still have thank-you notes from them to show for it.

A Gardener’s Appreciation

Here’s just some of what Behnke’s has meant to its thousands of long-time customers, like me.

Plant Choices and Knowledge

Behnke’s has always stood out from the small crowd of garden centers with its extensive selection, including hard-to-find varieties. It’s so famous for its selection that garden club tours from out of state have included Behnke’s on their itinerary when visiting the garden highlights of the DC area.

According to perennials specialist Larry Hurley, “Selection has always been our claim to fame. We are ‘plant people’ and we love plants, and we are always excited by what’s new.” When Behnke’s grew its own perennials, it carried 1,500 to 1,800 of them. Even after its growing facilities were shut down, it still offered many more varieties than, say, the box stores. (According to company records, Behnke’s carried 1,465 perennials in 2014.)

Another reason the plant selection changed, especially for perennials, was the plague of deer in this area. Larry says it’s made a “huge difference in the demand for hostas and daylilies.” I’ll bet.

Teaching Gardeners 

Peter Kukielski, author of Roses without Chemicals

Behnkes staff didn’t just source and sell plants, by a long shot. They gave free classes and workshops in the store and at garden clubs throughout the region. They sponsored still more free talks by well known authors and experts from throughout the East.

More learning opportunities throughout the nursery included a stormwater demonstration site, display gardens, and beehives.

The company’s website, blog and social media accounts have been packed with accurate gardening information and resources perfect for local gardeners. (You don’t see Home Depot doing that.) Stephanie Fleming tells me that they’ll be keeping the Behnke’s website and blog live online after the store closes, as long as there’s interest,  

Environmental Leadership

In roughly 2000 Behnke’s became involved in the movement to study and stem the tide of invasive plants through the horticultural industry, a bold move for a retailer! John Peter Thompson, grandson of Albert Behnke, led that project and eventually left the company to pursue that issue full time.

As a result, they stopped selling problematic plants like English Ivy and Burning Bush Euonymus, and for plants like Barberry, restricted sales to the better-behaved varieties that produce little or no fruit.

At the same time, the nursery increased its emphasis of native plants, for which there had finally begun to be a market, especially for pollinator plants. They’ve published many articles about native plants on their blog.

Behnke’s was also an industry leader in prohibiting the application of neonicotinoids to its plants and urging their grower-suppliers to use the least-toxic alternatives.

They also stopped carrying products by Scotts Miracle-Gro, despite the huge demand for their products ginned up by expensive advertising throughout the media. (Here’s my round-up of reasons that company has so few fans.)

Who Hasn’t Worked There?

Behnkes staff clockwise from upper left: Christopher Lewis, Larry Hurley, Bill Mann, Constance Cleveland, Susi Ohara (who started at Behnkes as a teenager), Marian Parsley, Terri Poindexter, Miri Talabac, and in the center, Orion Taylor

From left, Patrica Bouton, Anita Garner and Becky Beaver

Behnke’s large staff is known for its well-trained, full-time experts ready to answer every possible question, none too specific or ridiculous. They’ve answered them all!

So how did they find or train their staff? Many are Maryland Certified Professional Horticulturists; some have college degrees in horticulture or related fields. They all receive in-house training and are encouraged to attend training provided by the UMD Extension and other educational opportunities.

Clockwise from upper left: Larry Bristow, Hank Doong, Helmut Jaehnigen, and Alfred Millard

But their staff is also known for longevity and for loyalty to the company. President Alfred Milliard, for example, started there when he was 13, never left and is the longest-serving employee. The second-longest is Hank Doong, the company’s  CFO, who started in 1970 when he was 14. Operations manager Larry Bristow has been with the company since he was a teenager. Helmut Jaehnigen is another long-timer. Imagine their job hunts now, in an ever-shrinking market for their horticultural knowledge.

As Larry Hurley wrote me, “We have a lot of very old and grizzled staff members and we try to impart our experience to the younger folks. Many of us oldsters grew up working for Mr. Behnke (always “Mr.”), Helmut, and the other Behnke icons.”

Many employees got their start at Behnke’s through the PG Police Department’s Young Explorers Club, where Officer Hibbert apparently has a knack for finding the very best potential employees from among the many applicants at High Point and other nearby schools.

Behnke’s employees have gone on to get jobs at these highly respected institutions: White House greenhouses and grounds, the Naval Observatory grounds, the Smithsonian Institution Gardens, the University of  Maryland, the National Arboretum, and the Architect of the Capitol. Others have gone on to establish their own nurseries, including homestead Gardens, Metzler’s Nursery and Jos Roozen Nurseries.

Supporting Local Clubs and Societies

Lastly on this long list of ways that Behnke’s will be missed are the many events at the nursery – the Garden Party where clubs and societies could recruit members, the many organizations that held their events at Behnke’s, rent-free (including Brookside Gardens, local societies for roses, gesneriads, orchids and bonsai), holiday parties, yard sales, and even paper-shredding.

Of course the company also donated directly to dozens of local causes, like the food bank at Beltsville’s United Methodist Church, to which Behnke’s donated the $600 it raised recently from its winter tool-sharpening service.

Other frequent recipients of Behnkes’ generosity are the Beltsville Rotary Club, the Beltsville Lion’s Club, the Beltsville Fire and Police Departments, and Toys for Tots.

That’s me with Behnke granddaughter Stephanie Fleming

Customers Mourn, Especially ME

In anticipation of this dreaded closing, my local gardeners friends have been consoling each other, or trying to, with limited success because we’re devastated by the news! No exaggeration. We struggle to suggest alternative sources for plants, reliable advice and fun gardening gatherings but those other stores are all farther away and frankly pale in comparison.

I’ve bought nearly all my plants at Behnke’s since the ’70s and loved the nursery and the people who worked there, but not nearly as much as I came to love them after I started writing their blog and other materials for their website in 2010. That’s when I got to work with the best boss I’ve ever had – Stephanie Fleming. Since retiring, I now go to Behnke’s any time I want to be surrounded by fabulous plants and the people who love and know them, whether I need to buy something or not.

Will I ever say that about Home Depot or even Patuxent Nursery, our closest independent alternative? I’m guessing never.

Thanks to Stephanie Fleming for the photos and information she contributed to this post. 

Gardeners Mourn the Closing of Beloved 89-Year-Old Garden Center originally appeared on GardenRant on April 5, 2019.

from GardenRant https://www.gardenrant.com/2019/04/gardeners-mourn-the-closing-of-beloved-89-year-old-garden-center.html