Garden chat & photos for torts and people ♫ ♫

[Jacqui]

i do that. we paint them. saw off the top drill holes in the bottom. this is for our herbs.

Did you spray paint or paint paint? Did you do anything to the buckets before you painted yours?

 

[Heather H]

spray paint. krylon for plastic.

 

[Jacqui]

 

[Prairie Mom]

Beautiful photo Jacqui! Those are some of the prettiest petunias I've seen! You seem to be quite the photographer

 

[Jacqui]

I was in my leopard zone this weekend and realized the white lilac back there is starting to bud out.

 

[Prairie Mom]

starting to bud out.

I'm not sure what you mean? Is it dying?

 

[Jacqui]

It's starting to open it's buds like it's spring.

 

[Yvonne G]

 

[Prairie Mom]

It's starting to open it's buds like it's spring.

yeesh...I wonder if it will still bloom this Spring. This seems really EARLY. I'm hoping the lilac knows something we don't

 

[Blakem]

Despite Dex having a wonderful patch of chickweed, grass and veggies, she wants to eat the only areas of grass that's alive on my lawn! Sorry I haven't been on in a while, or responded, I've been busy with my new house! Then she was there later in the last picture.

 

[Blakem]

I hope all is well!

 

[Tom]

This seems really EARLY. I'm hoping the lilac knows something we don't

It is feeling like we are "done" with winter here too. I don't think it is going to drop below freezing again and I am raring to go and get started with my spring planting. Its still cold at night (40s), but I bet I could get some plants going early this year. I just know that if we don't have another freeze I will kick myself for not getting that extra month of head start...

 

[Tom]

Another thing:
Last year my lavatera died off in the freezing winter nights. I trimmed it up in February and it came back and grew like crazy all summer. This last winter the leaves didn't freeze off. They looked a little droopy the morning after our freeze, but now they've come back completely and are growing again. No blooms, but plenty of new growth. Weird huh?

I will still prune them back in Feb, but it looks like I'll be feeding all the pruned branches and green leaves to the big sulcatas and leopards.

 

[Momof4]

I planted some pumkin seeds in Nov and they are growing in nicely. Just a few leaves on each vine. I think Tom is right about our freezing nights. Although these vines weren't hurt at all with no special care. If anything the rabbits will find them.

I would love to plant a big mullberry tree. I need to see how fast they grow. Our lots are 2 acres and our neighbors cut down trees for 3 weeks and now we see the side of there home that isn't so nice. Plus, they can see up into our yard. I could have food for torts and privacy.

 

[Tom]

Mulberry trees grow pretty fast as far as trees go. Just keep the gophers away from the roots and don't let anything damage the bark...

Ask me how I know these things...

 

[Momof4]

Thanks! We are in the process of trapping gophers. The traps work great! My gardener show us how. It's hard having so much land because so many vermit are running around!

 

[Tom]

Thanks! We are in the process of trapping gophers. The traps work great! My gardener show us how. It's hard having so much land because so many vermit are running around!

Oh I know allllllllll about those vermin. Learned the hard way. I went from, "Oh I love all the cute and fuzzy creatures of nature running around me..." to "Damn!!! They killed another tree/plant/garden bed/etc... THIS MEANS WAR!!!" in pretty short order.

So you've discovered the inescapable killing power of "The Black Box"? Works like a charm. Fills my freezer and makes for happy, well fed carnivores.

 

[Prairie Mom]

Despite Dex having a wonderful patch of chickweed, grass and veggies, she wants to eat the only areas of grass that's alive on my lawn! Sorry I haven't been on in a while, or responded, I've been busy with my new house! Then she was there later in the last picture.

Hi Blake It's great to hear from you. How exciting that you have a new house! When did that happen? Dex looks BEAUTIFUL as always. She's a funny girl and obviously knows what she likes. I'm still trying to turn my backyard fescue lawn into a healthy fescue/weed tortoise lawn. I spent the first few years in our little house just weeding and weeding--NOW I'M KICKING MYSELF! Good luck getting settled in!

 

[Prairie Mom]

Another thing:
Last year my lavatera died off in the freezing winter nights. I trimmed it up in February and it came back and grew like crazy all summer. This last winter the leaves didn't freeze off. They looked a little droopy the morning after our freeze, but now they've come back completely and are growing again. No blooms, but plenty of new growth. Weird huh?

I will still prune them back in Feb, but it looks like I'll be feeding all the pruned branches and green leaves to the big sulcatas and leopards.

That's actually really cool. I've been looking into different "pretty" things for my sulcata and I to enjoy. I've been interested in Lavatera. I read that there are some perennial varieties that can tolerate zone 5 -maybe zone 4(where I am). It sounds like your variety is pretty tough. I may have to give that a try and just use a ton of extra mulch.

 

[Momof4]

I just looked up Lavatera, it's really pretty!