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Send, I will send my grasshoppers south for you to take care of. Actually, my cat likes them, extra protein.
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I planted them 6 inches apart. That was what was in the instructions that came with the bulbs. Not all came up. I planted them 6 inches deep as per instructions.
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Having two opposing thoughts at the same time can give anyone a headache.

Maybe I will just start to talk to the grasshoppers, ask them what they like to eat, give them that as a trade off to not eat my favorite plants.
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Nuking the grasshoppers! That sounds fun, but not inside, in the microwave. Maybe rent a flamethrower? Or, gather them up, send them off to a candied grasshopper plant? Now I feel like it is mean to hurt them at all.

In the 70's T.V series, KUNG FU", David Carradine was called 'grasshopper'.

Maybe I don't want to be in charge of life and death.
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And I'll take some of those leaping lords as well if they bring their shovels, hoes and chain saws.
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Sharyn, irises planted too close together gradually cease to bloom. How close are yours? How deep did you plant them?

Are these bearded or Siberian irises?

They can also be early, mid season or late bloomers.

Sandy soil could make a difference; Instead of fertilizing them, you might try adding some well composed cow manure, sold in bags in garden centers. You can add it by hoeing out a circle several inches away from the iris, digging down maybe 5-6" and working the manure in. If it still has an odor, just spread it out on top of the soil and let it cure a bit before working it in.

One way you can tell if they'll be blooming properly is to dig up one plant, carefully and tenderly, and put it up in a deep container with your sandy soil mixed with good potting soil). It's kind of like the canary in the coal mine.

If it blooms and the others don't, you'll know something is amiss, either the placement of the bulbs, soil, or maybe some other unknown factor.
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Just my sarcastic sends of humor coming out,!!!!
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you should only try to co-exist if you plan to coat them in chocolate for late night snacks. Otherwise nuke them any way you can.
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Avatar, California poppies blooming now in Big Sur!
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oh, they're up, just not blooming! I see. Should check in here more often, but my ranunculus are still not planted, dying in the pots they came in. Was waiting for holes to be drilled in the new container.
The good news is that the bouganvillas are doing nicely. We are killing the grasshoppers that were eating them. Poor, ugly things. Is it okay to kill them, or should we try to co-exist? They really creep me out.
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LOL!!! send they are about 12-15 inches high. I was concerned, but now I know when to expect blooms. Yes I ummm.. sort of talk to them... you know...you mofo's better bloom soon...just joking!!!
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Sharyn, It's still March here. lol. Have you tried talking to them?
If I were worried, (and you planted so many) I would dig one up and take a look. Re-check if you faced them up the right way? Don't you think there would be a little green growth showing underground?
Don't ask me which way is up-Sorry, I just don't know. Anything with bulbs in my garden grew by itself-I didn't even plant them there!
We will all be waiting to hear!
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Since I have never grown irises before, I have been concerned they have shown no signs toward blooming. After some research for my area, it seems they bloom in late April and into May. I am going to fertilize them since my soil is sandy.
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Glad, LOL!!! Dang, that leaves birds again!!! Geese laying eggs, French hens, and those cute turtle doves!!!
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I will take the leaping lords as long as they gring the golden rings!
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me too!!
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lol
I totally missed that Stacey's partridges were in a pear tree :)
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Glad, lol!! I thing it has dancing ladies and goose laying eggs.
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Isn't there a song like that?! A Partridge in a Pear Tree?
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Here in my neck of the woods, pheasants are a wild game bird. We have an organization called ducksunlimited. Duck and pheasant hunting are popular here with our delta Wetlands and farmland.

Partridge is a game bird in some areas, here it is more of an upper foothills / mountain bird, si.Ilario to the quail.

Pheasant is very good, I am not a fan of duck.... it tastes more like beef liver.
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Pheasants, are they the same as a partridge? We used to have pear tree's in our childhood home growing up, and my Mom always called the Partridge's, and the came every year in flocks, when the fruit started falling from the trees. Funny to remember that, after all these years! Huh!
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Growing orchids... I thought about it back in the 90's, for about 5 minutes! It just seemed too fussy to me. And of course now you can buy lovely orchids inexpensively from the grocery store.
Re: the pheasants, is there a wild population in your area? You never know, there could be some descendants of those little chicks out there somewhere!
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I spent a summer working at a college farm (as a plant science student). It was fun, educational, and very hard work. One of my tasks was to clean out the pheasant infant house. We used sawdust on the floor. I had to clip the pheasants beaks. We also had an incubator for the eggs and every day we had to rotate the eggs. In October. The pheasants were released out in the Delta and then...of course, pheasant hunting season was soon after.
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Has anyone tried growing orchids??
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CWillie wrote:

"...gardening connects us to nature and eternity like nothing else can, finding and coaxing growth in even the most sterile seeming environments, connecting to the universal cycle of life."

That's such a beautiful, poetic and insightful observation.
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DD, welcome to this thread, and I hope you continue to get inspiration and pleasure from posting.

You're not off target in thinking that plants can hear us. I've read of scientific studies in which it's been observed that plants do communicate with each other to warn of insect predators. I haven't yet read of any studies supporting the theory that they can communicate with us, or at least hear us. But I do fuss over them and try to make them happy!

I think there's been and will continue to be a resurgence in growing one's own food, not only for the purity of food compared to commercial food with its chemical additives, but because of the bonds with nature that are formed.

Raising chickens also seems to be practiced on a more widespread basis. I'm surprised to read on gardening forums how knowledgeable some nonfarming folks are about the lives of chickens.
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I agree DDD, gardening connects us to nature and eternity like nothing else can, finding and coaxing growth in even the most sterile seeming environments, connecting to the universal cycle of life.
I am hoping to make a naturalized area at the back of my tiny town property, and today I noticed that the jacob's ladder and sweet woodruff are sending out tiny shoots and the buds are swelling on my little serviceberry tree. Changing the environment seems frustratingly slow sometimes and I envy those who just hire a landscaper to come in and do it all, but doing it myself, gradually, is the whole point of gardening.
I miss having acres of land to play with and plan for, I miss digging the beds and preparing for planting, I miss the scent of the earth and the feel if the soil between my fingers. Puttering around in flowerbeds and planters just isn't the same.
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Gardening is a beautiful thing. It brings me close to the wonders of God and nature. It brings you back to earth when this cold world is going crazy. I dont have now but when I do I plant vegetables. I think there is a soothing and relaxing benifit to planting something and watching it grow. I also love plants and flowerers. And I would suggest to anyone out there who is down and out and have a few bucks to purchase and amaryllis. It is fast growing you start with this ugly tubee and in one week you have a most beutiful flower. I planted and aprricot tree in my moms yard. I talked to it when I planted it and I kid you not it seems as if the plants hear you and of course feel you. Its awesome to eat somethng you grew. Its awesome to watch it grow as you nuture it. Its awesome to see God's Work. Its these kind of things that I hold on and reach out to when Im in a bad place in life. Now Garden Artist sounds like a specialist. The way things are going now we may have to resort to growing our own food and raise some chicken too.
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me too mina , im higher than hogans goat .
not really , ive had a fun day . im trying to get used to treating myself since theres nobody else left , and myself likes a good brat with a good whole wheat brotchen roll .
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OK, Cap...lol..."lighten up and smile" I can buy into....great goals....now, I have to go to bed....
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