Here's something to do. Do a search for flowers, seeds and bulbs, hit all those sites and order flower and bulb catalogues.

I seldom order from any of them (okay, I do sometimes) but I get some great ideas. Plus it's nice to look at all the flowers.

I still have a bunch of mini roses I bought from Michigan Bulb years ago.

Years ago I was surfing around and found a company in Madison, Ohio called Bluestone Perennials. My mother grew up in Madison, and I got it in my mind that I wanted perennials that grew in the same dirt my mother lived on. What can I say? Anyway, I ordered some stuff and loved it, so I ordered from them a few times, and probably will again someday.

And while my mother was alive, she was touched and thrilled to see flowers blooming that started in her hometown!

Do any of these places ever send you free seed packets or anything like that?

I have two flowerpots that I usually plant stuff in during May, but I'd like to put some seeds in and start growing something else. They sit outside my front door. I don't know if my landlord would say anything, but I'd like to start growing SOMETHING that I can use on my salads.

That I can't say. If I see any that do, I'll let you know okay?

You need lettuce and such? I know here, at the *Dollar Store* you can get stuff like that 10 for a dollar.

If the landlord said anything I'd say "What? Like I know where THAT came from?"





Move out here to the country, woman. i'll share my tomatoes with ya.

This time of year I am going crazy with all the catalogues and ready to start landscape jobs! We've done a couple already and I want to be outside so bad, but just as soon as we get started doing something, the weather changes.

Friday night we had a weather front come through here, the temp dropped 20 degrees in 10 minutes and it hailed 3 inches!!!

But I am busy with designs and telling people to wait!! Wait!! Wait!!! Anything they plant should be protected...it will freeze!

Brain, we should get a plant/landscape thread going! I am sooo ready!

Whenever you're ready, I'm there!

Hey, my BFF just bought a new house. Her dh will have to landscape this spring - his first time. I may be asking for your expert advice.

Hi. Move out to the country?? That's all I would need. My friend lives out in the woods in New Jersy, and she has raccoons and animals coming up to her back porch. THAT IS NOT FOR ME. I'm a city girl. I do not like bugs. I don't think I can grow lettuce in two flower pots, but something like basil or rosemary. We have those type of little plants (available in May), I think I'll plant them. I use basil all the time in my salads, and I use rosemary on my chicken. The only problem is during the night, people come and cut thinks off of your garden.

Now picture this. I live in an italian neighborhood. Everybody has a backyard. The people who own the homes use their backyard to grow grapes off of vines. and one guy has this TREMENDOUS backyard with trees that bear fruit, vines that grow strawberries, blackberries (you have NEVER TASTED ANYTHING SO DELICIOUS), well, he grows everything. So once a year I take a walk around the corner, and when I run into him, I say: "what'd you grow this year? and he goes, oh oh , come and look. and I leave with zucchinis, peppers, blackberries (enough food for the week). My landlord then taps on my back window and gives me bunches of grapes and these green 6 feet long zucchini things that are growing from the ceiling of these viines.

See, I get the goodies, and I didn't do a thing.

I can just imagine me planting and weeding, and pushing away bugs. I think I would die. I'm such a wuss lol

I'll post pix of my garden this year.



Wait till ya see the tomatoes. I had to cut them back 3 times last year. They were as tall as the privacy fence and kept knocking the support stakes down.

I don't have a full veggie garden, but I put in what I'll use. I do several kinds of peppers, all kinds of hebs, lettuce, stuff like that. Plus 100's of flowers.

Stuff in the ground, in pots, climbing all over. It's crazy.

I came from NJ, BTW. Hate Ohio, but love nature. If you hafta be here, may as well find some reason to enjoy yourself, huh?

And you know, I really don't have too many bugs. I get butterflies ( and I love those) and bees and I need those. Some dragonflies, and those are cool. The birds are really something though - I plant specific flowers to attract hummoingbirds.

There's enough woods around where the wildlife doesn't come right up in our yards around here. Some squirrels and rabbits. and we had a snake - yuck. And we have weasels, but you'd never see them unless you were really trying - I've only seen one two times. And they eat the mice, keep the snakes away, so that's all good.



We have bald eagles fly right over the yard and that is really amazing. If I ever get a pic of that you will see it. That is one of my fave things about living here. They nest right down the street.

Speaking of birds, gotta go feed mine!

My family is from Italy. They came here in the mid 1800's. They looked at a few places; took a wagon to the plains state and built a sod house ....I have a picture of my Great-great g'ma smoking a corn cob pipe and leaning on the house.

Anyway, some of the family kept going;most came back. They settled in the Detroit area which had many, many immigrants from Italy, France, Germany etc. They had ethnic neighborhoods....

Grandma had a small house when I knew her. She had roses (red climbers) that grew against the garage. She had Hollyhock (alley flowers we called them)growing on the fence by the alley. There were all kinds of flowers and vegetables. People always had gardens, both flower and veggie.

You are so lucky to be in a similar neighborhood.

I also have flowers, but keep the veggies down to tomatoes and early spring stuff like cabbage and lettuce.

I love to garden, but the heat and humidity in the south is kind of discouraging to gardeners. It takes a lot to keep things going in the hot months (me included).

I still have a lot to learn about what does best here.

Tootsie

Aw, that was really sweet and thoughful of you, Blessings. It really touched me.

I don't too far from Madison but I have never heard of Bluestone Perennials. I am going to look them up.

A few weeks ago, I placed my annual order from Burpee and Harris seeds. I will start my pepper and tomato plants next weekend. My blackberry and raspberry bushes are on back order.