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ORIGINAL: pahunkboy

i used to grow canna bulbs- a tall red tropical flower. i have about $400 worth of quality seeds i bumped into for cheap.

i plan to turn my yards into flagstone and ground cover- as i dont like to mow grass!!!

to make to house look pretty- i put fake flowers i had gotten at a garage sale- istant beutaty- needs no watering!!!!

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ORIGINAL: Seatonstomb

I suggest all keen gardeners grow green manure such as comfrey. Be warned comfrey is very intrusive. If you extract its juice it makes great feed for tomatoes. Don't forget to plant Burglaris Disembowless. Pyrocantha and Hawthorne are good for this.

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ORIGINAL: sub4hire

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ORIGINAL: StellaByStarlite



Damn, that's a big project! How big will it be?
I'll certainly envy you during the long cold January when you're eating fresh juicy melons
=)

We're starting with 16X20 but I'm thinking of doubling the size.  My biggest concern is being able to hold dwarf orange and lemon trees.  Then of course, having a heater for days when it is -25 wind chill. 
Yet, after living through one winter with no fresh produce and the crap they sell in the stores costing 4 dollars for a tomato, there is no way I'm going to go through that again.  I never understood when people would say the vegetables had no flavor.   Now I understand fully. 
Depending on the plans you use.  You can build a greenhouse for a few hundred dollars to a few thousand. 

quote:

ORIGINAL: soultoshare

Stella, actually I think hummers spend winters here....I've seen lots of them, but not close enough to identify species.  One thing about hummers.....if you put feeders out, and supply a constant supply of nectar, they will return year after year to your area.  My dad has had a pair that he was feeding when they put the new house up, and every year, the male and female returned, and he had a younger set of them also.....you can tell the older couple from the younger pair because the older male and female will actually sit on the feeder when you approach the window, and you can watch them, the younger ones take off as soon as they see you.  It seems as if each generation that is born remembers the feeder location.  And I nvever knew that hummers have a voice.....when the 2 males would fight for the feeder, they actually make a sound that sort of sounds like a scream.  It's actually quite startling when they are fighting over the feeder.  Especially if they shoot about 2" above your head!
Hummingbirds don't usually make an appeareance in city residential areas where I live.. but yeah, they can be oddly bold for such tiny delicate little things! I had one zoom in about a foot or so directly in front of my face on one rare occasion. ( not where I live now.. this was in the country). It hovered for about 5 seconds, then zipped off so fast I couldn't see where it went! It was magical. =)
A sad story... one time a hummingbird actually got into the house of somebody I knew. They mistook it for a gigantic bug and killed it with a broom. I was so mad at them I couldn't speak to them for a month.
Surprisingly enough, there is a lot of green out here.....flowering bushes, orange trees, grapefruit trees......petunias seem to flourish here in the winter.  It may be too dry here for tropical flowers, but that won't stop me from trying!  I still don't understand all these folks who come out here and plant GRASS!  It's the desert for heaven's sake!
From what I understand.. the urge to force grass in your region is taking a serious toll on your water supply. Does your part of AZ rely on Lake Mead, or the Colorado River, too?
On a little more humorous note, I noticed folks indicating problems with deer, slugs, rabbits and other wildlife  competeing for their fruits and veggies....my parents plant a pretty good sized garden each year......their biggest fruit and veggie pest is their dog!  Jade seems to think that it's her own personal salad bar!  Boy, does she love strawberries!  Her favorite trick is to dig up an onion, eat it and then go breathe in some poor unsuspecting person's face!  My mom says the deer and rabbits would eat LESS!
Haha... yup. One of the drawbacks here . Slugs, various Planteus Devourium type buggies. As a matter of fact, I think our neighborhood squirrels helped themselves to the few tulip bulbs I threw in last fall.
But yanno... that's part of the philosophy of gardening. The whole point is being out there in nature, letting it relax you. I'm going to lose some wars with nature, and I try and choose my battles wisely, lol. Sometimes the best course of action is to shrug your shoulders and try something else. =)
I envy all of you who can go dig in the dirt.....toss a shovel full or two around for me, please??!!
Will do. =)
m

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ORIGINAL: soultoshare

Stella, that sounds absolutely beautiful!  Unfortunately, I live in an apt, so I have to be content with flower pots.....total bummer! 

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ORIGINAL: sub4hire

A small greenhouse would.  They make small ones that are around 8X10.  No heaters, just seasonal greenhouses that would work wonderfully depending on where you live.
No vents...nothing flashy at all.  You can also buy those for under 500 and put them up in an hour.

I want heat so, I'm going with the thickest guage of poly.  Heaters and vents.  Haven't gotten much into the racking system yet. 
It is going to cost me around 10 grand in the end.  Although I will have enough room for any veggies I want in the future and I will use the greenhouse year round.  In time it will pay for itself and then some.
I definately miss having my pepper plants outside for me to go pick one anytime I want to make something.

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ORIGINAL: SirDiscipliner69

http://www.collarchat.com/m_906025/mpage_7/key_/tm.htm#914071

post # 130

Ross
©º°¨¨°º©

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ORIGINAL: Sinergy


I bought a bunch of redwood fencing (1x6) which I had cut to the appropriate lengths, drywall screwed it all together into a 5 foot planter box, and bolted it to the balcony.  Then I built a small table next to it, with spar varnish on it, and bought a couple of bar stools from Ikea.

The planter box has dozens of types of flowers, sweet pea, morning glory, nasturtiums, johnny jump ups, etc.  I bought them intending to have both perenials and annuals and will reseed them as the year goes on.  I tend to prefer the riotous approach to gardenning.
Overabundance is definitely a hallmark of cottage style planting as well. =) If you like the look of cascading flowers and foliage... you should check out some varieties of wave petunias.  And edging lobelia can have a trailing habit if it's in a planter . The flowers come in shades of blue, violet, pink and white, great for texture. Look for "Lobelia erinus", as opposed to the spiky perennial lobelia cardinalis or siphilitica.

I put up a couple of moss flowerpots with pothos, spider plants, ivy, etc., anchored to the wall about 7 feet off the ground, in the shower.  They seem to be running rampant as well.  I like the look of multiple kinds of plants in a specific container. 

I then put some mystic bamboo in clear glass containers.  I will also be taking the dirt away from an arrowleaf plant and rooting it in rocks in another one.  Then, to further the symbiotic thing, I will be putting a siamese fighting fish in each one.

I have a few other plants in my apartment, I need more, but there is only so much time in a day.

Sinergy

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ORIGINAL: mixielicous

glad to see so many enthusiasts!

i am a gardener by trade [my place of employment]

i believe myself to be very lucky! this year i am starting my first very own garden.

perennials: lupine, shasta daisy, hollyhock, foxglove, alyssum [semi perennial], columbine
Aww, I planted a lot of those, too! Columbine is one of my special favorites, especially the blue cultivars. I grow alyssum as an annual though, even though it's a great self-sower. Will your plants flower this season, or will you have to wait until next summer?
veggies: sweet basil, red & yellow cherry tomatoes, parsley and some hot pepper for D.

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ORIGINAL: StellaByStarlite