The Orchid Garden

daisies in December

Question:

Thanks, Nanzi, it makes me glad I am a gardener.  And as always I just love to share these things with all of you out there, because we all have these things in common, some don’t and for those that don’t they can see and feel what I share (this is what I hope I am accomplishing with my garden rambles).  Hopefully I can get my life more organized in the close future and do better with posts.  My job that has me commuting 47 miles one way eats the day right out.  But I am looking up the road with Spring and longer days and being home at least in the afternoons once the sun comes back to full growing appearances.  That and I guess I will train myself into getting up earlier and seeing to some things before I leave home at 8 a.m.  Heck my grand mammy always got up at 4:30, that is a bit extreme, but I could swing getting up to garden and plot things around 5:30…I think…… we’ll see.  keep in touch, I always love to hear from others out there in the soil.  madgardener zone 6b up on the hilltop, overlooking English MOuntain which at the moment is shrouded in grey mists and low flying clouds from the snow storm that missed us in Eastern Tennessee – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I just love it when the Lord has special little surprises, like your daiseys,  for us. Thank you for sharing that. It’s those little gifts that make life  so worth living. I always enjoy your posts. Nanzi – DE Zone 7

Response:

Hi Mad! We went to the Smokies for 5 days over Thanksgiving. It was beautiful but cold! I wanted to camp in our tent but hubby thought it was too cold so we ended up "camping" at the Holiday Inn (with Jacuzzi and bar!). We ended up hiking about 9 miles every day so at least we were both happy with the compromise. Wish I could see your daisies. I know that was a bright thing to see in a dreary day. Good to see you. I was getting worried about you. loony

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Walked outside FINALLY into the garden today.  Beautiful sunny day, blue sky with those "cotton ball" clouds.  I just wanted to feel the cold air, the warm sun, and see the garden in it’s waiting for spring mode. Noticing the spent, grayish brown stems, the seeds heads.  Take it all in.  In the process of this, I decided to do a little bit of clean up. This is not like me, I usually wait until late winter and just before spring perennials awake from their cat naps.  But the fig deffinately needed pruning back before the limbs girthed up more than the jaws of the pruner were able to open up, so I located them and whacked off all the 14 foot limbs with the still attached figs on them  this was sad to me to see so many fruit wasted, but there is nothing I could do about it.  I am lucky to even EAT figs in this zone off my own tree.  Whacked those off, whacked the heliopsis stems and tossed them, the finches and wrens had stripped the seeds off them long time ago, next will be the sunflowers and rudbeckia herbsonne’s that had a good year and were the first buffet the birds visited.   But as I stopped my whacking and cutting, (Rose was giving me a hard time since I was outside with her for the first time in forever in her dog mind)and was going across the front of the beds,I saw to my amazement and wonder that I have DAISIES in December.  Right there in the design bricko block that I have planted up in dianthus and a few stray bulbs that refused to return for me.  This is wonderful. Sunny, blue crispy day and a fantastic flower greets my eyes.  Mom’s Nature has a serious sense of humor. Just thought I would share this little tidbit with you and tell you that things are going alright here in Eastern Tennessee, working way too much, but given a few more weeks I figure they will start cutting  back my hours and then I will have a little more time to spend with the garden which has been neglected badly, with not even trying to catch up the garden journal that I totally neglected all of last year, but which I am returning to with forcefullness on my own part.  And trying to catch up on my reading of garden magazines that lie next to my side of the bed waiting patiently for me to pick them back up.  I hope all went well with everyone Thanksgiving, Christmas looms ahead and then we all will experience something wonderous and once in our life times, the beginning of a new CENTURY!!!  I look forward to this as I know that it is a once in a lifetime occurance.  Kinda like the little old lady I met who saw Haley’s comet when she was a little girl.  Peace and love and kindness to all of you and I look forward to sharing words and thoughts with all of you in the future (by the way, I was also gone due to the power source on my ‘puter frying last week…..oy vey…….) madgardener zone 6b up on the hilltop, overlooking English Mountain which is bluish with mists, in Eastern Tennessee

Response:

by the way, thanks for the concern, I have just been working too much and the computer hasn’t been functioning and just covered up, same shit – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi Mad! We went to the Smokies for 5 days over Thanksgiving. It was beautiful but cold! I wanted to camp in our tent but hubby thought it was too cold so we ended up "camping" at the Holiday Inn (with Jacuzzi and bar!). We ended up hiking about 9 miles every day so at least we were both happy with the compromise. Wish I could see your daisies. I know that was a bright thing to see in a dreary day. Good to see you. I was getting worried about you. loony Walked outside FINALLY into the garden today.  Beautiful sunny day, blue sky with those "cotton ball" clouds.  I just wanted to feel the cold air, the warm sun, and see the garden in it’s waiting for spring mode. Noticing the spent, grayish brown stems, the seeds heads.  Take it all in.  In the process of this, I decided to do a little bit of clean up. This is not like me, I usually wait until late winter and just before spring perennials awake from their cat naps.  But the fig deffinately needed pruning back before the limbs girthed up more than the jaws of the pruner were able to open up, so I located them and whacked off all the 14 foot limbs with the still attached figs on them  this was sad to me to see so many fruit wasted, but there is nothing I could do about it.  I am lucky to even EAT figs in this zone off my own tree.  Whacked those off, whacked the heliopsis stems and tossed them, the finches and wrens had stripped the seeds off them long time ago, next will be the sunflowers and rudbeckia herbsonne’s that had a good year and were the first buffet the birds visited.   But as I stopped my whacking and cutting, (Rose was giving me a hard time since I was outside with her for the first time in forever in her dog mind)and was going across the front of the beds,I saw to my amazement and wonder that I have DAISIES in December.  Right there in the design bricko block that I have planted up in dianthus and a few stray bulbs that refused to return for me.  This is wonderful. Sunny, blue crispy day and a fantastic flower greets my eyes.  Mom’s Nature has a serious sense of humor. Just thought I would share this little tidbit with you and tell you that things are going alright here in Eastern Tennessee, working way too much, but given a few more weeks I figure they will start cutting  back my hours and then I will have a little more time to spend with the garden which has been neglected badly, with not even trying to catch up the garden journal that I totally neglected all of last year, but which I am returning to with forcefullness on my own part.  And trying to catch up on my reading of garden magazines that lie next to my side of the bed waiting patiently for me to pick them back up.  I hope all went well with everyone Thanksgiving, Christmas looms ahead and then we all will experience something wonderous and once in our life times, the beginning of a new CENTURY!!!  I look forward to this as I know that it is a once in a lifetime occurance.  Kinda like the little old lady I met who saw Haley’s comet when she was a little girl.  Peace and love and kindness to all of you and I look forward to sharing words and thoughts with all of you in the future (by the way, I was also gone due to the power source on my ‘puter frying last week…..oy vey…….) madgardener zone 6b up on the hilltop, overlooking English Mountain which is bluish with mists, in Eastern Tennessee

Response:

HI Loony!!  Well isn’t that a fine howdy do…..you were that close to me and you didn’t come up and say howdy?  I work at the restaurant Legends by Max right smack dab in the middle of Gatlinburg……you shoulda come in and said hi.  I had to work THANKSGIVING and Thursday.  Next time give me a holler, we need to swap hugs and talk flowers!  madgardener – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi Mad! We went to the Smokies for 5 days over Thanksgiving. It was beautiful but cold! I wanted to camp in our tent but hubby thought it was too cold so we ended up "camping" at the Holiday Inn (with Jacuzzi and bar!). We ended up hiking about 9 miles every day so at least we were both happy with the compromise. Wish I could see your daisies. I know that was a bright thing to see in a dreary day. Good to see you. I was getting worried about you. loony Walked outside FINALLY into the garden today.  Beautiful sunny day, blue sky with those "cotton ball" clouds.  I just wanted to feel the cold air, the warm sun, and see the garden in it’s waiting for spring mode. Noticing the spent, grayish brown stems, the seeds heads.  Take it all in.  In the process of this, I decided to do a little bit of clean up. This is not like me, I usually wait until late winter and just before spring perennials awake from their cat naps.  But the fig deffinately needed pruning back before the limbs girthed up more than the jaws of the pruner were able to open up, so I located them and whacked off all the 14 foot limbs with the still attached figs on them  this was sad to me to see so many fruit wasted, but there is nothing I could do about it.  I am lucky to even EAT figs in this zone off my own tree.  Whacked those off, whacked the heliopsis stems and tossed them, the finches and wrens had stripped the seeds off them long time ago, next will be the sunflowers and rudbeckia herbsonne’s that had a good year and were the first buffet the birds visited.   But as I stopped my whacking and cutting, (Rose was giving me a hard time since I was outside with her for the first time in forever in her dog mind)and was going across the front of the beds,I saw to my amazement and wonder that I have DAISIES in December.  Right there in the design bricko block that I have planted up in dianthus and a few stray bulbs that refused to return for me.  This is wonderful. Sunny, blue crispy day and a fantastic flower greets my eyes.  Mom’s Nature has a serious sense of humor. Just thought I would share this little tidbit with you and tell you that things are going alright here in Eastern Tennessee, working way too much, but given a few more weeks I figure they will start cutting  back my hours and then I will have a little more time to spend with the garden which has been neglected badly, with not even trying to catch up the garden journal that I totally neglected all of last year, but which I am returning to with forcefullness on my own part.  And trying to catch up on my reading of garden magazines that lie next to my side of the bed waiting patiently for me to pick them back up.  I hope all went well with everyone Thanksgiving, Christmas looms ahead and then we all will experience something wonderous and once in our life times, the beginning of a new CENTURY!!!  I look forward to this as I know that it is a once in a lifetime occurance.  Kinda like the little old lady I met who saw Haley’s comet when she was a little girl.  Peace and love and kindness to all of you and I look forward to sharing words and thoughts with all of you in the future (by the way, I was also gone due to the power source on my ‘puter frying last week…..oy vey…….) madgardener zone 6b up on the hilltop, overlooking English Mountain which is bluish with mists, in Eastern Tennessee

Response:

I just love it when the Lord has special little surprises, like your daiseys,  for us. Thank you for sharing that. It’s those little gifts that make life  so worth living. I always enjoy your posts. Nanzi – DE Zone 7

Response:

Walked outside FINALLY into the garden today.  Beautiful sunny day, blue sky with those "cotton ball" clouds.  I just wanted to feel the cold air, the warm sun, and see the garden in it’s waiting for spring mode. Noticing the spent, grayish brown stems, the seeds heads.  Take it all in.  In the process of this, I decided to do a little bit of clean up. This is not like me, I usually wait until late winter and just before spring perennials awake from their cat naps.  But the fig deffinately needed pruning back before the limbs girthed up more than the jaws of the pruner were able to open up, so I located them and whacked off all the 14 foot limbs with the still attached figs on them  this was sad to me to see so many fruit wasted, but there is nothing I could do about it.  I am lucky to even EAT figs in this zone off my own tree.  Whacked those off, whacked the heliopsis stems and tossed them, the finches and wrens had stripped the seeds off them long time ago, next will be the sunflowers and rudbeckia herbsonne’s that had a good year and were the first buffet the birds visited.   But as I stopped my whacking and cutting, (Rose was giving me a hard time since I was outside with her for the first time in forever in her dog mind)and was going across the front of the beds,I saw to my amazement and wonder that I have DAISIES in December.  Right there in the design bricko block that I have planted up in dianthus and a few stray bulbs that refused to return for me.  This is wonderful. Sunny, blue crispy day and a fantastic flower greets my eyes.  Mom’s Nature has a serious sense of humor.   Just thought I would share this little tidbit with you and tell you that things are going alright here in Eastern Tennessee, working way too much, but given a few more weeks I figure they will start cutting  back my hours and then I will have a little more time to spend with the garden which has been neglected badly, with not even trying to catch up the garden journal that I totally neglected all of last year, but which I am returning to with forcefullness on my own part.  And trying to catch up on my reading of garden magazines that lie next to my side of the bed waiting patiently for me to pick them back up.  I hope all went well with everyone Thanksgiving, Christmas looms ahead and then we all will experience something wonderous and once in our life times, the beginning of a new CENTURY!!!  I look forward to this as I know that it is a once in a lifetime occurance.  Kinda like the little old lady I met who saw Haley’s comet when she was a little girl.  Peace and love and kindness to all of you and I look forward to sharing words and thoughts with all of you in the future (by the way, I was also gone due to the power source on my ‘puter frying last week…..oy vey…….) madgardener zone 6b up on the hilltop, overlooking English Mountain which is bluish with mists, in Eastern Tennessee

Response:

I have daisies in December. This doesn’t sound too startling, but as you all know, I live in Eastern Tennessee.  As I slowly climbed out of my truck upon returning home from work today, I rounded the back of the vehicle and spotted an unmistakable white folded dot, rising high above the scalloped rosette of leaves that reside in the trough planter I retrieved from my mom’s house just before we sold it. I stood there, looking at the hope in that button of spring, and let out a sigh.  Inside the house, Rose was going insane because "Mama’s around the edges of the eastern NSSG (not so secret garden).  Ferns of frosty bitten bronze fennel are still greenish bronze, their tips cut severely off to restrict their seeds from sowing a forest of their licorice frangrant ferns. Just next to the bronze fennel the Blue egnima salvia is STILL blooming, and I know if this one is blooming, so is the one that faces southward on the western end fairy beds.  I stood quietly and listened to the scoldings of chickadees, nuthatches, finches and titmouse birds and saw little thin strips of leaves poking out of the large clay pot with the black dirt in it I got from the bait shop down the road.  Too soon, too soon my mind said, and was almost echoed exactly in the call of some bird in the distance. That sound reflecting my thoughts snapped me out of my daydream, and I focased my ears on where I heard the sound and found it was the sad cries of Mourning doves.  That was too wierd, and I glanced down at my feet and counted no less than eight ruffled sets of individual leaves making up eight baby columbine plants for next Spring’s fairy petticoats. Another noticable sowing and future promise apparently is the growing of Zebrina daughters. Their deep almost black green scalloped leaves apparetly are EVERYWHERE, and either I will have to dig them up and transplant them other places or I will have a jungle of these sisters next spring and for future years to come blocking our path to the east entrance to my nook and the den. I opened the door, Rose almost knocked me down in her joy of my return to her after being gone since 6:30 this morning (it’s now a bit after 4 p.m.) and raced past me playing her "happy dawg" delirium for me, scrambling toenails on the boards of the small mini deck the previous owners had built on this end of the house.  She did this five times before she stopped and grinned up at me, rolling her eyes in ecstasy. I put my lunch box down on the floor, the huge jug I keep sweet iced tea in that I now take to work, the new Fine Gardening magazine that came in the mail today, and walked down the hallway towards the kitchen.  My eyes immediately went to the Korean Crinum that Zhanataya sent me a couple of it has…..in fact, it’s more like THREE years! Good garter grass!!!  But Saturday I noticed the green spike that son, Damon had brought to my attention that was rising lewdly from the whorled leaves of the Crinum that sits beside my mother’s sideboard on the west wall of the kitchen.  I was overjoyed!  I have three white stars open!  I walked over to it and sniffed fragrances.  Nothing like it. Turned around and walked the short distance to the sink where the ?Vanda? orchid that Zhan gave me when I went to meet her and visit was hanging, and was rewarded with two more fairy orchids open on the delicate stems of the red leaves.  that makes a total of five stems shooting out of the ends of those striped red leaves and each ending stem has no less than six tiny orchids, the largest one has 14.  I am truely blessed today. Outside the skies are grey and ominous and promise more rains, English Mountain has a steel blue cast to it, with the layers of mountains showing various blues in coloration, and the afternoon warmed up just enough to allow me to leave off my light jacket I wear in to work. I just wanted to share a few thoughts with you all.   Thaanks for listening. madgardener up here on the ridgetop, back in the "holler" across from English Mountain in Eastern Tennessee in zone 6b

Response:

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