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Hi Daughter, apparently Garden Artist no longer is posting on the site. We all miss her great garden knowledge.
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I haven't been here in a while and have missed out. Can I ask where Garden Artist has gone? I've so enjoyed her writing
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I can understand that Susan. We are in the process to move to Idaho, about 850 miles (9 hour drive). Our son lives in SoCal, while our daughter is in Idaho. With us moving to Idaho, it will make it easier for our son to visit all of us in one trip. We can visit him and stay in a hotel because he lives with his wife and in- laws.

I will be taking the irises I planted last autumn to Idaho too.
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Sharyn - I'm not sure at this point. My dream is to head north, over 600 miles away, but again...that's a dream. Right now I just need to get through the MERP mess with the house and figure out what's going to happen there. Moving that far away would make it hard to see my kids and grandkids as well, so that's a consideration too.
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Susan, you may be able to dig up the entire plant but like any perinnial , prune it back first. Water it well before and then package the root ball with something organic like straw and wrap in plastic. Be sure plant immediately within a day or two. How far away would you be moving?
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Back to the positive aspects of a garden, and how only a brief visit to the garden can be therapuetic for the caregiver. That was "Garden Artist's" intent, a lovely respite thread, focusing on blooming and not whining. That, and how-to ideas, how-to achieve an appreciation of the garden, and how-to grow that garden.
My garden is green.
Garden Artist went back to nature, and I feel abandoned to our own devices.
But I will try harder to achieve the positive legacy left by the author of this thread, hoping she may visit again.......
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Actually, since I can no longer perform major feats in the garden, I shall be grateful instead, to have a garden at all.

Now, G, you are really secretly laughing! Are we done with the snake topic yet, or do you have more? Lol.

Why, or is it where oh where did the Vinca go off to? They're not blooming, still look dead.
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Visiting my garden, only visiting this year, I can pretend that I am a rich land baroness, dead-heading the only rose bush left (due to a very thin wallet), and the gardener, dH has done a hostile takeover. Off with his head!

Yes, dH does work cheap.  

Now, there really is a snake in my garden. The takeover snake-type. I don't get a say anymore, because one cannot argue with aspergers.  Maybe I will be visiting his wallet too.  

The pink snake was on the road somewhere, but a few years back, there was a snake, so scared it left when I screamed.
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In my mind there are two kinds of gardeners. The first kind has only an overgrown, stony patch of clay and a vision. With years of trial and error, hard labour and ingenuity they transform it into a garden. The second kind has a fat wallet and a landscaping company on speed dial. They can take that same worthless piece of ground and have it transformed overnight, and delight in wandering the garden paths and deadheading their roses. As I get older the second kind of gardening is becoming more appealing, but unfortunately the wallet is a little on the thin side. lol
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Well, I don't like snakes, and not in my garden. But if they are beneficial, ok.
I will just NEVER go out there, and make the pathway to the carport wider, so they don't bite me. Everything is very bushy now-the one cape honeysuckle that I wanted to grow for privacy, that was first on hubs list to decimate. I really don't want to wait for it to grow back. Sad, .....I give up.
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With all the rain this year, the bare root roses mom planted are in full bloom
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How *interesting* Linda! I certainly didn't know that about sunflowers and cucumbers, but actually it makes a lot of sense - especially about pollination. Sunflowers are always crawling with bees once they're in bloom, so maybe the bees will be willing to make their way down the cucumber vine too?

Do you have to stake the sunflower to make sure it's got enough support?
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Thanks, Linda22!

When Mom passed away, I came home from the hospital that day, wrung out and exhausted - and found 2 pink roses blooming at the same time on her rosebush - something I'd never seen it do before. One for her and one for Dad, I guess.
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Susan, when my parents' house was sold, my sister dug up four rose bushes - they were about 40 years old. She brought me two, which I planted in June, in 90+ heat and sun. Despite doing everything one shouldn't do, they are both thriving 15 years later. Oh, David Austin roses are so beautiful...and the fragrance...
I have volunteer green beans popping up so it must be safe to plant! I have peppers in, the rest I'm putting in this week. I started a lot of flowers from seed indoors and they are doing well getting used to outdoors. I'm going to try growing cucumbers up sunflower plants - who knew they are companion plants? I think it will look so interesting. We have tiny plums so I'm hoping for plums this year. I'm planting the usual - tomatoes, peppers, etc.
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Depends how big and how old they are, and how vigorous; and at the other end how hospitable their new premises are. I'd take cuttings anyway and root them, and then if they can't cope with the move at least you'll have their offspring. If you know the variety you can probably get good advice from David Austin (though mind they don't just try to flog you a replacement!).
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Do you think I could just dig the rose bushes up and transplant them? If I took a big enough root ball of dirt with them? I hate the thought of leaving them behind at all.
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Take cutting from the lilacs, Susan - they should root pretty easily. Roses are unbelievably easy, too - 9" cuttings, straight at the bottom, slanted at the top, heel them in, dig them up after winter and Bob's your uncle - new little rose bushes. I didn't believe the gardening programme about that until I tried it!

I feel for you about having to leave things behind. Actually I don't want to think about it, sorry :(
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I got to thinking today....if I leave this house, I need to dig up a large number of plants. Rhubarb, Mom's 2 rosebushes, some of her flowers....(sigh). That's not a fun thought. There are also 3 very large lilacs that I wouldn't be able to take with me that she nurtured from saplings. They're at least 40-50 years old.
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There was a pink snake in the street, real pink! Not pale pink, but real pink.
Looking it up online, it was a corn snake. Spring. Wonder what these snakes do when they are in the garden?
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I love the hummers too, Sharyn! Take them to the feed store and let them choose, within reason😉
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Zucchini, cucumber, bell peppers. Put in flowers to bring in humming birds. They are so fun to watch.
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Glad, Cilantro and Parsley?

Oh No! Missed the blooming of my one and only white hyacinth! It already came and went, so when Crocus were mentioned (another bulb spring flower), I went outside in the sun to look for it today.
The cape honeysuckle got way carried away and hid the hyacinth. Only one plant, no other colors. Durn it!
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The troughs are all nearly filled with dirt. Add some magic dirt to the top stir in and ready to go. Can probably find cheap manure around here. Daughter 2 is coming tomorrow with two granddaughters. Maybe a project they would enjoy. Hopefully spring is here and nights won't be getting too cold.

Ornamental and kitchen. Might even try tomatoes, which I have never had any luck with! Spinach, radishes, hmmm wonder what else...

Butterfly garden? Hummingbirds? Grands would love that and would have to come more often to see how their garden grows. Quick I need ideas. 😁
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There are many sites if you google. Drainage holes are necessary, broken clay pots or gravel for more drainage and the mesh before putting in soil. Actually what I saw was attractively displayed. You have many options Glad, lucky you to have this available!!
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Glad, Gardeners Supply features metal beds in their new catalog. They're shallower than a horse trough. I think one key is to fill with dirt to the top so the plants get good air circulation. I saw a nice tip about filling very large pots, without using loads of soil. You fill the lower half with packing peanuts, then put weed barrier fabric over the peanuts. You put your soil on top of the fabric, which keeps the soil from filling the voids between peanuts. The peanuts take up space and provide for drainage, plus make the pot lighter weight. I have some flower seedlings going in the house, but am way behind on garden prep. Fruit trees are blooming and perennials wildflowers are leafing out.
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Also occurred to me that if they're galvanised metal they might get a bit hot/cold - you could pop in some insulating material before you plant them up.
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Oh my, six! horse troughs! I am so envious! Wow, that is enough container space to plant anything your heart desires. I top up my containers every year with a bit of manure or a good triple mix, then all you need to do is be mindful of keeping everything watered. Add a bit of slow release fertilizer like miracle grow. If you want you can intermix veggies with flowers, pretty and tasty altogether.
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Bob Flowerdew is your man for best use of unconventional containers, Glad. But as long as they've got the depth and the drainage, I think you're right that you can treat them as you would any raised bed. Brilliant for food production, too - it'll be much easier to keep the beasties out of them. Were you thinking ornamental or kitchen?
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I have been missing GA too! I was going to ask for ideas on what to plant in six different size galvanized horse drinking troughs in my yard. They are quite large and an interesting and unusual approach to raised beds.
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Oh, I am sorry to hear GA has left. I liked her knowledge with gardening and will miss her in put. -8, brrrr cold indeed. Crocuses are so pretty.
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