i would love to have some lilacs but my cousin is allergic :(

ScarletRose: no prob i dont like doing the assuming thing either lol

ScarletRose: mint is great..but beware.it grows by extending underground rhizomes..it is very invasive...and hard to fence in or even get rid of.plant it in pots or surropund it with a big circular piece of metal planted in the ground.

spicieangel: at the Royal Botanical Gardens in hamilton they have a valley thatis just lilacs..also one just roses.

http://www.rbg.ca/

nobleheart: yes.. simply beautiful.. :)

nobleheart: Ginger is also good for your tummy.lol.........So is the the Mint, your right about how it can spread.I had to re-pot mine in a container it just took over my garden.

Foxy Lady: I let mine take over the lawn and when it is mowed it makes for a beautiful smell :)It doesnt grow very high so isnt a hindrance :)

also is very good for mosquitos...

BerniceC: I did that also until the mint got into the garden,the scent is very refreshing.
Spring i wish to see soon i'm sick of Snow.

hahaha.....my mint was in the garden LOLOL on a fence line....now in the lawn and i love it :)...
I also have LARGE leaf basil, lemon balm, garlic chives, parsley both italian and normal, rosemary, thyme, sage....my herb garden is the pride of my entire garden cause i dont have the energy anymore to have too many gardens...All vegies are grown on a fence line to make it easier and there is only pulling of weeds, no digging. Vern is very sick and cant handle the extra work. Today I thought I would lose him, but tole him I had a lot of suffering for him to do LOLOL...he still here...seriously he is very sick :(...sorry...off topic

BerniceC: Sorry to hear your hubby isn't well.
Ahhhhhh not to weed is my goal this year.I'm going to put Peat Moss around my plants.I love a herb garden we have a small one on my sunporch with parsley,chives,rosemary and thyme.

BerniceC: I have an italian friend,has an old sage that he has let grow into a bush about 3 1/2 feet round.it is fragrant & so beautiful when it blooms.

scarlet is going to plant oreo cookies in her garden.

nobleheart: my large leafe basil is like that...i love the sage...lambs ears i call them LOLOL

nobleheart: SR planting oreos hmmmmmm maybe i'll move West lol.
Sage is good for a gargle for a sore throat and as a tea to break a temp.

Foxy Lady: I'm seriously thinking of moving west too...I'm tired of living in cities.

I saw this in the supermarket,anyone know anything about it?how does it taste?

http://images.google.com/images?q=dragon+fruit&hl=en&btnG=Google+Search

nobleheart: I had never heard of one but here is what i found http://www.geocities.com/wenjin92014/foto2001/dragon.htm

I think I will buy one next time & try it

nobleheart: Do you think you can find that fruit?

Has anyone depending where you live started a garden yet? I decided to start from seed this year so tomatoes, and peppers are in those little containors on my sunporch.

Foxy Lady: I was considering it.. at least starting them in the house.. but, this place gets too cold still.. will have to wait a few more weeks perhaps.. :)

ScarletRose: It's cold here till the end of May before we can even think about planting.My sunporch is heated so i'm pretty lucky there.You still could try and keep them in the house.

Foxy Lady: they had some at the st.lawrence market

nobleheart: Your lucky then.

has anybody ever heard of "Pheasant's tail grass" and if so is it a grass or a plant?

I heard someone on TV talking about it and have never heard of it.

BerniceC: Pheasant's Tail Grass

This arching bunch grass grows 3 feet tall, 4 foot spread. Gray green foliage that turns orange and bright brown in the fall looks handsome all year, especially in the winter. Sun or light shade with moderate to low water. A good accent plant or informal background. Attractive arching seed heads late summer, can selfsow.

Thanks you two! Happy Gardening!

BerniceC: I never heard of it but i'm in the North so it may not grow here.

CindyInTN: Welcome aboard

Thank you FoxyLady! I'm happy to be 'aboard'!

I meant to mention that my Gardenia has a flower on it.They usually bloom on Mothers Day.

nobleheart: the st.lawrence market is a great market...great veggies,grains,cheese,breads,seafood from all over the world.
did a search,didnt know they had a website:
http://www.stlawrencemarket.com/

nobleheart: We have a Farmers Market during the Summer which we can buy veggies and plants for our garden.

Doris:Thanks for that information Doris. I wont be planting any of that grass then as it is hard enough now to keep the lawns down :)
thanks tho :)

http://www.darbycreeks.org/skunk%20cabbage%2072.jpg
I found this last spring growing in one of the marshy corners here:
http://www.rbg.ca/index.html
I had to look it up to see what it was.it smells a strange as it looks.

CleverHunk: Oh wow that is strange,and in the snow know less.

Foxy Lady:
this is interesting what i just found
this is another plant that comes up very early in spring often thro the snow.i have seen it myself.
I searched for a pic:
http://www.markspics.net/albums/album03/snowdrop.thumb.jpg
there is a fairy associated with this flower apparently:
http://www.flower-fairies-pictures.co.uk/images/flowerfairies/snowdrop-150.jpg
but then I found this while surfing:
http://lynncoins.com/97SNOW5.JPG
it is a coin released by the isle of man with this engraved on it.what a lovely work of art.

nobleheart: Im originally from NZ and in the winter we had "snowdrops" growing wild in the fields, and in the spring they were followed by daffodils....all growing wild :)beautiful to see

Finally Spring is trying to show here in UpState NY.My Lilacs have buds and so do the trees.Our snow is melting and our temps are going into the 40's but our nights are in the 20's yet.Still too early to think of my garden.

Foxy Lady: I'm as anxious as you are! I have my seeds ready and going to plant some indoors this weekend but it is far too early for us to think of planting, sighhhhh... It was such a longggg winter this year that I just want to get out in the yard!

Rose: We plant around Memorial Day weekend than we know for sure the frost is gone.I started some seeds peppers and tomatoes,zucchinni etc.
I save some seeds from my plants every year there more adapt to the dirt which is mostly clay.We have to add alot of peatmoss and pearlite.My husband said next year he's digging it all out and filling it with topsoil.

Foxy Lady: We have a lot of clay here as well mixed with tons o rock! I had to do that too, dig out where I want to plant to put in proper topsoil and it sure makes a difference. I also lime twice a year which helps too!
Im going to start my tomatos and sunflowers indoors this year as the growing season is so short that my sunflowers had just barely bloomed last year an then it frosted. Cant wait!

Rose: I can't wait either our Summer is very short June till Aug.than fall in Sept.lol

works for a while...but after a few monthes the surrounding soil/clay will pull all the nutrients from the added topsoil. good luck.

Foxy Lady: my husband started planting inside this weekend he started the cabbage seeds hes gonna build me some boxes this year for my flowers so we wont have to weed and then they can be moved to mow the grass

Foxy Lady: Wouldn't adding sand to the ground also help with drainage.. :) just a thought

bwildman: The best workaround that I have found for that depends on the area you start with. When I create a bed in a grassy area, I cover it with newspaper, wet it down, and throw four inches of topsoil on top. The grass cannot grow through the paper, but it can sit there and rot creating a layer of nutrients about four inches down.

bwildman: We thought about that but were hoping to add our compost and fill it every year with topsoil.I planted beets one year and all i got was the greens,which i love anyways.

spicieangel: My flowers do ok,except my roses.I get these little green worms that really cause me to steam.I don't like using anything with my oldest playing in the yard and the dog.

ScarletRose: We don't have a drainage problem but did add sand to our garden last year.
One of our co-workers told my husband to buy a good size load of night crawlers and add them to the garden.He said the worms would keep the soil from getting hard.I'm not sure if he's joking but he's going to try it.We got some 3 yr.old compost were using this year and it's really rich,nice and black.I also make a tea for my plants with that.

Foxy Lady: The more big juicy worms (night crawlers) that you have in your garden the better. They airate (sp) your garden amazingly.

Whatdidyousay: I ve never heard of doing that to clay before. I will definitely try it. thanks!