Gardening as therapy.

Put them in the bathroom and shut the door CM, instant air freshener and plants in the loo are very trendy!

It is much too cold to put the hyacinths outside, especially now that they've spent four months snuggled up in their compost under cover. I might move them to the spare room and pretend I've put them there to welcome guests - only my cousin's coming to stay next week, and I'm fond of her.

There's also a bowl of very pretty irises which have finished now, and they definitely can't go out because the drawback of this new garden is that from equinox to equinox it seems to get no sun at all. It's quite sheltered - well, there's a socking great cathedral on the north side, for a start - but literally no direct sun, only whatever heat must be bouncing off the walls.

Who do I know who's got a conservatory?

Oh good Lord, Jingle - I think I'd have been quite a lot *less* polite than that!

On the other hand, what could she do? What could she say? I suppose when you've done something as fat-headed as that, with no way of putting it right really, the only thing to do is brazen it out..?

CM: Yes, I did too! I thought the only bubbles were the property bubbles that are so prevalent in both (yes! all two!) of our big cities, each on either side of the coast. Now I wonder what other kinds of bubbles there have been in the past -- gum?

Yes, hyacinths can have a very strong scent if you mistakenly plant a boatload of them indoors. When can they go outside? Have you thought of inflicting some of them on someone else, like someone you're not so keen on? I wonder if there has ever been a hyacinth bubble?

Well, I guess there's one in your house. Snort.

Sharyn: I get headaches from some scented candles, depending on the scent. And once I was in a theatre and the person diagonally in front of me was demonstrating some perfume to a friend. Yep, I got the full squirt straight in my face and the smell didn't go away until I got home and washed my hair. I did lean forward to say "You fool!" (well, I was more polite than that) and she just looked at me.

Cwillie,  I noticed a big bud on my Christmas too. Only one and it will open soon. My orchid has one bloom open and I am sure a couple more will open today.

I get nasty headaches from perfume. I can wear some scented lotions like vanilla scented but others very strong scents gives me headaches. So does scented laundry soap and fabric softeners.

LOL! Green about the gills from the hyacinth odor? I guess some plants are outdoor plants for a reason. I cannot have lilacs or roses inside as I must have some allergy to them. They always give me a sore throat, many perfumes do too, then it goes into a full blown sinus infection. Took me years to figure that out.

I always found it comforting to think that they were just as much victims of fashion fads back in the 1600s as we are now - "darling, you absolutely MUST see the marchioness's tulips, they're simply marvellous!" New release iWatch, anyone?

I am a bit green about the gills this morning. I was so proud of myself: potted up my hyacinths back in the autumn and actually remembered to keep an eye on them this year. Overnight, after weeks of anxious watching and strict watering, they've come fully into bloom in my living room.

Turns out I'm really not that keen on the scent of hyacinths in a confined space. Whooo dearie dear...

CM: Oh ha ha, Church. I've been cutting the plastic off. You mean it's edible? Who knew! (The latest version of 'what will they think of next'...)

Seriously, when DD said it was a cucumber tree, I'd never heard of that. So I was really quite baffled, until she told me that she thought it was a kind of magnolia. When I lived in Kansas we called them tulip trees. (But where do the Dutch get the bulbs then and what abt that tulip bubble in the 17th century ... oh we could go on and on.)

But we won't, will we?

Twocents, a friend of mine has the coolest hydroponic set up I personally have ever seen, and I'd love to duplicate it when I can. He does a vertical installment, using house gutter tubing, and does a gravity-assisted watering system. He can get dozens of plants/veggies in virtually 2 sf, building his garden up instead of out. I'm so envious of his system where he grows hundreds of greens with so little maintenance. I wish we could attach pics on AC, but alas...

I'd love to do hydroponics, and when I do, I'll mimic his system of gutter tube plantings, because hardly any space is needed. I think he might have a website for his "urban garden." ... ... since you said you were seeking more space for your hydroponics, I thought of his "small space" system.

ETA:  went and looked online, if you Google "vertical hydroponic garden," you can see ones that have a gravity assisted watering method.  I think they're so cool and look quite easy.

From the supermarket, Jingle. The plastic wrappers are all natural.

Ho ho ho - actually, they're a gourd - same family as melons and squash. Quite easy to grow if you're in a warm climate or have a greenhouse, but they take some space.

I putter around with my hydroponic set-up(s). I am always trying something different.
With my mom gone, I am doing 150 things at once, including trying to move stuff from the basement upstairs (give more space for my hydro), namely my books. It is a slow process.
I grow lettuce, herbs, and attempting a gardenia (just using the grow lights for that), and will try and use the lights also for a couple of Amaryllis.

A few years ago, the 150-year-old tree in my kids' front yard, which was only abt four feet square, got hit by lightning and barely missed their house. It was a city tree, so the next year they planted a cute little cucumber tree. Now, I didn't know that cucumbers grew on trees and hola -- I was right -- turns out that it's a species of magnolia tree that is endangered in Ontario. So you rock, Ontario.

But where do cucumbers come from, then???

Signed,
Baffled

We had heavy rain and High winds last night. We did fine but the Sacramento area received a lot of damage from downed trees. Wow, some of these trees were 200 years old and massive. I can't imagine sitting in my house and suddenly tree branches come through the roof and ceiling.

I'm in the Southwest, high altitude so we get freezes until early April. I was surprised to see photos of northern gardens with containers of winter sown seeds, surrounded by snow. In a way, they seem to act like tiny cold frames. The only plants that failed were Chinese cabbage because they don't like transplanting and they bolted right away. As the weather warms, I remove the cap from the milk jug so they don't overheat. I'm also a big fan of those little Jiffy 7 peat pellets.

Linda that sounds like an excellent idea. What part of the country are you in?
I potted up some geraniums to bring in for the Winter and a couple of bean seeds sprouted, flowered and set beans. Unfortunately the cat ate them.

cwillie, they're like terrariums. I poke holes in the bottom for drainage, and cut the jug crosswise in half except leaving it attached at the handle to form a hinge. Fill with potting soil - I usually get the soil moistened well in a bowl first - add the seeds and cover with dirt. Then I seal the two halves with duck tape all the way around. I put the cap on the bottle and it stays nice and moist inside. If I have to add any water, I add thru the top. I mark the seed info with a Sharpie. I try not to undo the tape because I've found a good tight seal is really important. Put them in the sun and let them do their thing. I like not having to go thru hardening off the seedlings.  I've had success with cold weather items like broccoli and leafy greens.    It's the easiest seed starting I've ever done and the plants transplant without any shock.    I'd like to try this with flower seeds this year.

I'm curious Linda, are you keeping the milk jugs intact like a seed starting terrarium or are you cutting them down into pots?

I put spinach seeds and lettuce seeds into gallon milk jugs and set them outside. They'll germinate when it's their time and then I'll transplant to the garden. It's called winter sowing and has worked well for me. I still have garden debris to clean out --

Mina, and others...
You weren't off topic, and your post was lovely.
Geez, what was I saying-even I cannot figure it out now-I am thinking it went along with another post which was deleted.
My point was the website issues were taking over all the threads.
Coming here to 'Gardening as therapy' has always been like a mini vacation for me.

I am still surprised that my bouganvillia has kept a bloom all through the winter weather. But I will need to go grasshopper hunting, dig around in the dirt for eggs?
The cape honeysuckle vine has been prolific in blooms since October-orange blooms everywhere. A few succulents have orange blooms too. This was nature's design, not mine, but I like it.

We are having an extended January thaw, so much for the predictions of an old fashioned winter!! I really don't mind not having to shovel, but I worry that this may mean a cooler that normal Spring.
My big old Christmas cactus has one bud...LOL. Well, it was always more of an Easter bloomer, maybe I'll get more later.

Every thread goes off topic at times but it is never for very long before it is back to the subject of caregiving.

Lots of rain here in NorCal and central California. Does it mean the drought is over? No!! Water management is a big part it.

I am hoping the iris bulbs don't rot even in our sandy soil here that is not getting a chance to dry out. It is nice having all this rain and snow pack for the Sierra Nevadas. There has been flooding north of us and in the coastal wine region.

Many bulbs will start to bud and bloom next month, almonds will blossom next month too.

My point being,
Wanting to talk about the topic
Which is gardening
And having a personal relationship
With a human being, or several
Not being concerned with website development.

Jinglebts.....I too, would love a Saarinen tulip table in my future! I am not an architect but do have a Master's in Historic Preservation......have worked on restoration of some Arts and Crafts cottages.....very delicate operations.....originals, or near to, can be very dark, claustrophobic even.....as charming as people would like them to be, given their lovely woodwork and details.....it takes a very delicate, considerate hand to bring these homes into the 21st Century......I've seen both very good and very bad updates.....

I am no big fan of "modernism" and certainly not "mid-mod" (ughhhh.....I grew up w/that, hated it then, still hate it now!)......but after years of working at the Saarinnen-designed GM Tech Center, esp. the Design Center, I have a true, hard-earned appreciation for his work.....just visit in the fall, enjoy the "campus" (yessss.....he designed both indoor and outdoor spaces) and the sunlight reflecting off the building's exterior.....brilliant!!!

OOOPS!.....I'm inadvertently hijacking GA's lovely thread, so sorry.....I hope she will forgive me since we are neighbors, so to speak, and both love Cranbrook where Saarinnen and Eames (his best friend) taught for so many years.

Egads....GA have you been having thunderstorms all night like we have here? Very disconcerting in January.....very loud.....torrential rain....ugh....after the High Wind Warnings (60 MPH gusts) last night.....now this....

Re: Roses.....I have a huge, ancient rose bush (no idea what kind) out back....which faces West, and to your point, is absolutely assaulted by all the weather, all year....this bush was here when I bought the house 20+ years ago....the only thing I've ever done is to pull out old, dead canes.....she blooms profusely every year.....deep, blood-red roses.....what a survivor!....the blooms lay down all over my slate patio and I do so very little to help her!

Cwillie, your amaryllis reminds me, when my grandmother moved to AL many of us got treasured plants from her beloved yard. Several years later when she died I was living in TX and walked out my front door to leave for the funeral back home only to see her huge white amaryllis blooming beautifully. I called my mom and asked if she thought it was a sign from my grandmother. My mom was having none of that! She immediately said "no, it just means it's time for the amaryllis to bloom!" I've since moved several times and still have it and smile each spring when it blooms.

GA: Arts and Crafts is my second most favourite style of architecture. I like those little squat houses with the stone pillars. I also like Charles Rennie MacKintosh et al. Including the tchotchkes.

That's the ticket, Ali. Bloom where you are planted.

71 degrees, I'm jealous!
I am watching my indoor amaryllis spring up higher every day, I have a collection of bulbs I've saved over the years but somehow only the red ones bloom consistently. I'll take any colour in Jan/Feb, looks like 5 or six buds started!

GA, I finally found your gardening thread! I spent a few hours this afternoon cutting back roses and have the scratches on my arms to prove it. It's 71 degrees outside after being in the 20's just a few days ago. I'll have many confused plants if this keeps up, like daffodils trying to peek out before spring. My roses are all knock out roses that you really don't have to prune a lot, but they get too leggy over time if you don't. I also have a beautiful Lady Banks rose on an arbor that has the most incredible yellow blooms in spring. Anyway, a nice afternoon outdoors and glad to do some reading here

The David Austin roses also have the most wonderful fragrance, a true "old rose" fragrance. I just loved inhaling that fragrance when they were in bloom!

I don't think your Arctic Flames will ship until your planting season. It's been my experience that the companies go by zone hardiness and ship for your spring season.

It's so cold now it's too cold sometimes for even people to be outside!