GROWING THINGS

[Des]

I just planted an orange and a lemon tree in containers on my patio (stoep- afrikaans for patio- pronounced "stup")

It is so exciting..... they are from a miniature variety..... does anyone have info on how to look after them. The nursery said full sunlight, regular water..... I think that can't be all?

I can't wait for miniature fruit.... so cool

[twirl]

I am growing grandkids 

[Des]

Cool!

Do you water them once a week or do they "water" you?

[monrein]

Here are some garden photos from this summer.    I always take too many!

[monrein]

A few more:

[monrein]

I apologize in advance for so many

[MiSSis]

Those are just stunning pictures, Monrein.  Thanks so much for posting them!  We have a large yard with quite a bit of landscaping but mostly it's trees, bushes and hostas.  We do have some peonies, iris, daylilies, coneflowers, shrub roses and black-eyed susans and right now I'm looking for some lower growing perennials that will give color for most of the season.  I had some asters that bloomed in the fall but this year the rabbits decided to dine on them so I'm certain we won't see any flowers this year.  We had so many ornamental crab trees and bushes that required trimming that this year my husband got fed up and cut many of them down.  He's cut down 9 crab trees and close to 2 dozen bushes!  So now I'm looking for some easier maintaining perennials to fill in some blank areas.  My hubby planted tomatoes, cucumbers, several varieties of peppers, dill, mint, catnip, rosemary, basil and parsley this year as he has in the past but the only things doing well at all are the herbs.  We've had such unusually cold and rainy weather that we'll be lucky to get much from our tomato plants.  We had hoped to can tomatoes this year and won't have nearly enough of a crop to be able to.  They are finally forecasting near normal temperatures for our area (NW Illinois) but I'm afraid we've missed too much of the growing season for it to do us much good this year.  But like any good Chicago Cubs fan knows.....there's always next year!

[willieandwinnie]

  I just love Gail's photos. We have a fairly large yard and had my son (with the help of a backhoe) dug up all our foundation plants around the whole house. The house looks strange but better. We had a landscaping company come in and plant some things for us. A beautiful holly, a lace leaf maple, and a few others I can't remember there names. I can't take care of stuff like I use to and everything had just gotten out of hand and look bad to me. Better to start all over after 30 years. I have offered Gail numerous times to come to Maryland and do my flower beds, she hasn't taken me up on the offer yet. We have a 60 foot oak tree that needs to be taken out shortly. The storms we have had the last few years have really damaged a lot of trees around here. I'm doing research to see what is fast growing to replace it because it shades our front porch. Come on Gail, we have wonderful place(s) to eat around here. 

[dwcrawford]

Wow Gail, For a while I was worried you might be obsessed with plants but now I see I was worried for nothing.  It seems you have it under control.  (lol)  But seriously, you have a really beautiful garden.  I'm just jealous.

Everything is dead this year as the blood suckers took my energy away and as the Houston drought took any  chance of keeping the rest alive.  Today my usual yard man returned from Central America so we will get started on revitalizing what is left (grass first) this weekend.  That makes me happy.

[MiSSis]

We had the first of our tomatoes from our garden for dinner this evening.  Thank heavens for PD...don't have to watch the potassium quite so closely.  Now we just need to get some sweet corn.  Corn on the cob and BLT's...doesn't get much better than that! 

[okarol]

fabulous garden monrein!

[del]

Beautiful garden monrein!!    When are you coming to Newfoundland to help me with my garden!!!

[MandaMe1986]

I am taking it we are just talking about plants outside? Haha

Well the first ones are of tomatos and the secound are my flower pots.. yey

[MandaMe1986]

Oh Gail I am so jealous!  Out here we have water restrictions. So you don't see to many gardens like that.  Oh how pretty!

[dwcrawford]

all you need now would be some lettuce and bacon plants...

[Echoez]

Wow a BLT can I come over?

[MandaMe1986]

yum bacon...haha

[Des]

Monrein,,,

Is the flower you have from a "grinadilla vine" passion fruit?

You also get the more white ones her in South Africa.

[monrein]

Yes Des it is a Passion Flower.  They are just annuals for us here and don't fruit but this one is from my brother's place in northern Florida.

[Des]

The fruit ones are very popular her in SA and nearly every second house has it.  We call it Grinnadella.... well just to let you know its my favourate juice......   

[Bajanne]

Passion fruit is one of my favourite drinks too.  They tend to grow kind of wild here, but you can buy them at the market. 

[willowtreewren]

The Passion Flower is the Tennessee state wild flower and it grows everywhere here! 

[cariad]

This is probably a tad early to start this discussion back up, but on Mother's Day the gorgeous restaurant where we had brunch gave every mother their choice of plant. I chose currant tomato. We have no land on our property (urban area) so I've got it in a planter and have been keeping it indoors due to cold temps at night. I am terrible with plants but I am hoping to keep this one alive because I am wild about heirloom tomatoes. Plus it gives us an opportunity to use our compost. Gwyn and I try to live green without making ourselves crazy over it. One of the actions we've taken is to keep worms in our basement and we compost some of our fruit and vegetable matter (not all - you don't want to overload them).

I think I need to move the tomato plant to our balcony. Some of its leaves are turning a bit yellow, and I thought that tomatoes liked full sunlight. I don't think we need to worry about frost anymore.

[Bill Peckham]

I'm hardening my tomatoes this week by leaving them out during the day and bringing them in later each night ... yellow leaves now does signal an issue though. Tomatoes want a certain soil composition, maybe some organic fertilizer?

I cheat and buy dirt.

I thinned my lettuce today - first salad of the season tonight.

[tyefly]

Well Bill..... I hope you grow more than leaf lettuce......  go fishing and after you clean your fish   add those fish heads to your tomatoes...... for me it works great....   or I guess you could buy grow fast........   

hey we want pictures.....