Thanks...

[delorisdoe]

I can not get on the salsa garden thread to thank all of you for your kind words.

I appologize for hijacking your salsa garden thread but I was excited to post my photo journal-it took me a long time to figure out how to do it.

I do have a veggie garden but its not pretty. lol

as far as a green thumb goes, not so much. we bought this house 5 years ago. the first spring there I planted so many perenials it was crazy. They were little guys that cost less than 2 bucks and I thought they would take forever to get big. This proved to be not the case. Infact they became monsterous by the next year. HMM that is what my mother in law meant when she told me to read the labels and pay attention to how big they will get. I spent the following 3 years moving them around and grouping them and actually figuring out where they go. this year they are exactly how I wanted them to look. I am good now at laying out beds etc but It came from practice and reading and trial and error. I think a green thumb aplies to a brilliant gardener that just knows what goes where.

Michelle it is an oasis and I spend most of my time at home on my deck surrounded by my gardens.

[annekat]

Leigh, if you have not tried growing lilies, you might want to. They are easy, you just dig a hole and plant and watch for slugs when they first come up. There are many wonderful varieties, some fragrant and some not, and most will return each year. I work for a lily place in the winter so know a lot about them. It could depend on where in Canada you live, I suppose, but they are possible in cold winter climes. I'll post pics of mine at some point. Being on your deck surrounded by gardens sounds like heaven to me.

[delorisdoe]

I have tiger lillies, some pretty little yellow lillies and 1 red, 2 pink lillies. They are in my front garden and not in the right spot. I have debated moving them to a hole in the back but worry that they wont transplant well and they were my daughters contribution to the gardens so she would be upset. Do tiger lillies count as lillies lol. I try to dig them up but they spread faster than they can be dug. My front garden is my project for next year. I will post my lilies when they bloom.

[annekat]

Yes, tiger lilies count as lilies. They are a species to themselves, meaning they were not hybridized but exist as a natural species somewhere in the world. There are west coast native species that grow in the US and Canada, and species from China, etc. I have found the species lilies harder to grow, in general, and they take longer to produce blooms, than the hybrid lilies. But tiger lilies are a DEFINITE exception to that. They are easy to grow.

As for transplanting, it shouldn't be a problem, but I would do it after the blooms are long gone in the fall, or in the spring before much new growth has appeared. I have dug up lilies and given them to other people, and they have taken off. Also, when cutting stems for flower arrangements, leave lots of leaves on the plant for photosynthesis and successful return the next year. Some lilies multiply rapidly, by division of the bulbs; Asiatics are the most known for this.

I'd be glad to answer any more questions. I'm not an expert but probably know more than the average person.

[Sangye]

I love this thread.

[annekat]

I love this thread.

It is kind of refreshing to have a thread about plants and flowers instead of animals, for a change!

[delorisdoe]

I've been trying to catch a pic of the bumble bees that love my deck garden but they see me comming with my iPad a million miles away.

[delorisdoe]

I think they are aisiatic lilies in my garden.

[Dryhill]

I know they are a real problem to control, but if you can find a corner of your garden I recommend growing stinging nettles, quite a few catepillars love them. Also having plenty of shrubs helps the smaller shy birds, my pleasure is seeing a little Jenny Wren hopping between shrubs (the only down side to shrubs are cats, they can use them to hide from the birds).

Jim

[delorisdoe]

I have some nettle. The leavs are green and white and they have a purple flower.