Deb Posted June 3, 2014 Author Share Posted June 3, 2014 Deb, you are looking for lithops! Also called flowering stones. They are so cool. I tried to grow them years ago, but I think I drowned the seeds. Hey Deana! Guess what I found yesterday? We ran down to Casa Grande for the day and while Bruce was off looking for rosewood for a new cigar box guitar, I (of course) cruised the garden department thinking that all I'd find was the same plants they'd had before but there on the rack with the infant cacti were two split stone lithops! They're sooooooo cute. They were in little two inch pots and just babies. I got both and naturally, I named one of them for you. It didn't seem right to put a split stone named Deana into just any planter, so I dug out my old gargoyle fountain that has no water guts anymore and used the bottom half of it to plant your namesake and two of the teeniest spiny aloe plants I've ever seen. It's a way cool arrangement, especially since the fountain is faux stone of almost the same color. The second lithop went into a new succulent planter along with a cool pink and green ruffled kalanchoe, a fuzzy reindeer antlers, a couple more spiny aloes and a utterly cool tiger jaw..........and the most awesome of all......baby toes! I still need to add some stones to the planters and then I'll take pictures. Also among my new treasures were two more floating butterfly bushes (I think I bought those because they were dying and I felt sorry for them but both are perking up after being cleaned of dead leaves and put into fresh soil with a nice, long drink) and a gorgeous green coral cactus. Those are really cool looking because they resemble spiny brain coral. This one is just starting to sprout blooms so I'm excited about it even tho it has to be handled with care because it is poisonous and it does have spines. I've spent the morning getting them all transplanted and out in the yard so they'll get some morning sun. Some of them are stressed because they didn't appear to have been watered in months----even for succulents, they were way too dry. I had to soak the root balls on some of them before I could even massage them into resembling roots instead of concrete. So a few are up on the patio "nursery" where the babies and sick plants go to get on their feet. I'm exhausted right now but after I rest for awhile I'll take some of my polished stones out to the patio and arrange the newest of the rock garden planters. This is a stock image of what a baby toes looks like. How cute is that! In the desert they actually grow underground with only the little transparent "window" on the top sticking out of the soil to get light. Since I can protect it from too much sun, I planted mine at soil level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selkie Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 Wow are you ever the busy gardener Deb!! Looking and sounding gorgeous. Can I borrow you for a little while? I have quite a few things to set out and zippo energy .... just thinking you might need a road trip or sumpin' like that .... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterfieldzoo Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 I am a rock. I certainly sit around enough to be mistaken for one sometimes. Lol! I bought some hens and chicks for the village. They had stepping stone size mats planted with what looked like several kinds of sedums and I kind of regret not grabbing one. I may have to go out this week and get one or two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterfieldzoo Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 I need my front yard retaining wall redone. I had a quote last year for $1300 including materials. I thought it was high. A neighbor told me about a place a friend used so I gave them a call. He looked at my pictures and said it would be approximately 10-20 THOUSAND dollars. I hope he didn't hear me laughing when I said I would call back for an appointment.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 I need my front yard retaining wall redone. I had a quote last year for $1300 including materials. I thought it was high. A neighbor told me about a place a friend used so I gave them a call. He looked at my pictures and said it would be approximately 10-20 THOUSAND dollars. I hope he didn't hear me laughing when I said I would call back for an appointment.... Let's hope he doesn't hold his breath waiting for your call back! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deb Posted June 8, 2014 Author Share Posted June 8, 2014 I need my front yard retaining wall redone. I had a quote last year for $1300 including materials. I thought it was high. A neighbor told me about a place a friend used so I gave them a call. He looked at my pictures and said it would be approximately 10-20 THOUSAND dollars. I hope he didn't hear me laughing when I said I would call back for an appointment.... Ten to twenty grand for a retaining wall? Did he misunderstand and think that you asked it be made of semi-precious stones? Admittedly, a retaining wall made of opals and topaz and citrine would be lovely, but somehow I doubt that's what you asked for. I'm not sure I could have held back the laugh so you have a lot more self control than I do. I've been out checking all my plant babies this morning and moved most of the succulents up onto the patio where they'll benefit from the misters and a little more shade. Most of them were so water stressed when i got them (we're talking rock hard soil that hadn't seen water in months) that they were starting to "eat" themselves by using up the moisture in the leaves and it's left some scarring here and there. There are a couple that I'll probably end up using as propagation plants. As young as they are, they're not ready for the full heat and sun yet so up to the safety of the patio they go. This is their dormant season so they all look a little wimpy now anyway but they'll really take off and grow this winter. I want to make sure they all have a healthy root system by fall so I'll have beautiful blooms all winter. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterfieldzoo Posted June 8, 2014 Share Posted June 8, 2014 Deb, don't let mini me die!! That wouldn't be good.... I am potting up several dozen of the crimson king maple babies for a friend. He is going to make a forest for me on his property! I have a new guy coming tuesday to give me a price on landscaping. I am sure it will be more reasonable. I have very sad news. My wisteria has passed away as well from the harsh winter. 22 years of awesomeness is now just a heap of brittle sticks. So sad. I lost so many wonderful plants this year and several are struggling. If we have another bad winter, it will finish them off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted June 8, 2014 Share Posted June 8, 2014 I didn't think anything killed wisteria! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterfieldzoo Posted June 8, 2014 Share Posted June 8, 2014 There are new shoots at the very bottom, so the roots did not die. Everything from knee height and up is quite dead. It was just so cold here. Driving around I see many trees and plants in the area that have been there for years and they are dead. It will be many years before the vine would be big enough to replicate what died. Today we got several of the small garden ponds set back up and running. I have to go online and order some new pumps for some of them and tomorrow I will go and pick up my polliwogs from my shop. (remember them?) They should have enough time to finish getting legs before fall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deb Posted June 9, 2014 Author Share Posted June 9, 2014 Deb, don't let mini me die!! That wouldn't be good.... I'd never let that happen!!!! Currently you're under a light mister with just a bit of a sunburnt nose. Does having a plant named after you remind you of "Little Shop of Horrors" at all? <cackle> I'm sorry about your wisteria. That makes me sad for you. Losing a plant that old is really heartbreaking even if you know that it will eventually come back. It will be difficult to see the empty place where there were blossoms last year. Yay for the polliwogs!!! As long as you're wearing a tiara you might as well put up a sign that says "Welcome Home Froggies!" over your front door. I think both are equally charming altho bunny slippers are almost required to complete the look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterfieldzoo Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 I am going to miss this and the hum of hundreds of bumble bees in it. On the bright side, it will give me a chance to stain the whole arbor, reinforce some of the beams and plant her babies on the other side of the arbor. The plant is next to the house now and I have to get someone up on the roof twice a year to trim vines away from my gutters as it has pulled them off in the past. I will remove what is left there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LPCullen Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 My garden's doing great, but I can't post pix to show it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterfieldzoo Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 Bummer Linda. I would love to see! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbnmini Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 So sad to hear about the wisteria! I love wisteria, but never have planted any because they attract bees - which I hate! My beds are finished and ready to go! Nothing fancy here, folks - just some basic perennials and annuals....but for me it's a big accomplishment since I haven't been able to be in my flower beds for two seasons now! This year's color scheme is also different: mostly red, with white and blue accents in accordance with my son's wedding color theme. We are having the rehearsal dinner/picnic here in our back yard, so the beds have got to look decent! We are going to wait to mulch until closer to the wedding (July 19) so that it looks nicer on the party date. Now encourage everything to actually GROW!! Gotta break out the Miracle-Gro! LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterfieldzoo Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 Jackie, mid July should be awesome for your garden. That is when I used to have my garden tours. I would like to see pics of your yard even if you don't consider it anything special. I just love pictures...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deb Posted June 26, 2014 Author Share Posted June 26, 2014 I've been puttering around on the patio today and shifting a few of my aliens to get the best light for them. I have some gold tipped aloe plants that are so tiny they're almost miniatures themselves....a couple of them are just a little over an inch tall. So I was messing around with some ideas of how to display a few minis like a garden chair and table in my plant pots when I remembered that I have several of the Greenleaf greenhouse kits in my stash. <sound of angels singing and rays of light shining down from the heavens> Oooooooooh, how cool would that be!! It definitely won't be to scale, but there's room enough for a couple of tiny pots with little succulents in them next to a small mini vignette. It would be my "nursery" for little plants until they grow enough to go into regular pots. Casey inspired me with something she said on her blog about a new variety of kalanchoe that propagates tiny rosettes. I haven't been fortunate enough to find one of those varieties yet but there are several others that are slightly larger that could be displayed in a mini greenhouse; not as a dollhouse thing with live plants, but rather as a gardening thing with minis. <happy toe wiggling> This idea is really starting to grow on me!!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterfieldzoo Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 Deb, that would be a great idea! And most vignettes don't have to be 'in scale' since they are just cute and whimsical. I am inspired by Heidi's yard pictures to get busy faster on my yard. It's still such a mess. I want to go get a package of fake grass for my mini village - you can buy it off a 12' roll by the foot or you can buy a 6 x 8 piece. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathieB Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 Bought packets of nasturtium and morning glory seeds yesterday. Plan to take ten minutes to poke them in the ground and hope to see flowers when we get back in a month. What's one more thing on the to-do list? The nasturtiums are up but looking spindly. No sign of the morning glory vines. Oh, well. I spent a couple hours this morning walking around the yard with a pair of pruning shears. clipping exuberant growth and pulling up dead plants & the larger weeds. Looking much tidier now in parts, but still many weeds to attack. I think I got into some poison ivy on the fence. I need to talk to my neighbor; they're his plants, but I get the "benefit" of them as the vines come through and over the fence. Heading for the shower now. Indoor activities planned for this afternoon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 Ow, Kathie! DH has a prescription ointment he has to use immediately ASA he contacts poison ivy, or he looks like he's been in a fire! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarlingMini Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 Just planted a row of sunflowers in my garden yesterday. They're supposed to start sprouting within 10 days. I also have potted pansies on the porch. I buy those every year but this is my first year doing them on the porch instead of the yard. And on Sunday I'm going to the garden center to pick up a peach tree! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathieB Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 Ow, Kathie! DH has a prescription ointment he has to use immediately ASA he contacts poison ivy, or he looks like he's been in a fire! i used to have some of this ointment when I lived in Virginia. I swore that poison ivy should be the state flower. This time, however, I believe I've escaped the dreaded rash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 If you hit the soap & water fast enough you often can avoid the rash. I actually got into some last week wile we were out and discovered we have no more Calomine (I usually get it with diphenhydramine in it and that works for me), so I used a tiny smear of the good stuff and it was amazing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuttiwebgal Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 Deb...my son has my hummingbird feeder up and going again....should we be how often should you change the liquid?? want to enjoy the bird activities not poison them... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterfieldzoo Posted June 28, 2014 Share Posted June 28, 2014 how often should you change the liquid?? want to enjoy the bird activities not poison them... I change mine every 5 days. It begins to ferment after that. I boil the water and while very warm I add the sugar to it. Mix it 1 cup water to 1/4 cup sugar. Do not add red food color. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathieB Posted June 28, 2014 Share Posted June 28, 2014 Yesterday I hit a nursery on its closing day and scored a couple flats of impatiens and another of a perennial ground cover whose name eludes me at the moment. Just what I need to fill in some color when I get the weeds pulled. Also got half off on two beautiful pink Drift roses that will go by the front door. I love that they have a fragrance. We made 3 runs to the farm store this afternoon for twelve 40-pound bags of garden soil and six 40-pound bags of cow manure/compost that I'll use to beef up the soil as I plant. I figure if I mix in a little of the granular MiracleGro, it ought to come close to the expensive MiracleGro soil. (Three runs, 'cause we didn't want to load more than 240 lbs at a time. We miss the rugged Honda van.) The kindly clerks loaded the bags in the car for us, but we had to wrestle them out at this end. Just getting them here was enough work for today. Mother Nature is very kindly sending some rain tonight, so when I get outside to weed, the soil should be nice and soft. I'm hoping it won't be too soggy to work in the new dirt & compost mix, but it it is, that can wait a day. It feels good to have a plan. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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