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Veronica, I love wild turkey, if it's fixed correctly you never want to eat regular turkey again. Like geese too and also ducks. Garden artist, I dig my elephant ears up every fall and store them in the basement. They multiply on there own, you just break the new one off in the spring. Our squirrels have been almost manic, have never seen as many as this year and they are running across streets like crazy. Doesn't bode well for winter. I see alot of shoveling in my future!
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Mmm Venison now that is a fine meat. I used to roast it snd serve with mint sauce. Plenty for hubby and me because the kids all gave a sniff " Mum is that deer meat?" Did not appreciate having to skin and butcher it myself. Rabbits, pigeons and pheasants were also on the menu.
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LOL Hunter neighbour never shared his turkeys Veronica, but I did get a fair bit of venison from him. He also promised some moose but never delivered on that, guess I'll never get to sample that either.
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cwhilly have you ever eaten wild turkey? I hear they are as tough as boot leather and those in the know just boil the breast for many hours just to choke the meat down.
Capt I bet you know the answer to that one.
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Mmmm, wild turkey and canada goose for thanksgiving dinner ;)
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Tracy, up here they managed to dodge the bad frosts this spring, so the cherries, apples, peaches and grapes had a good year. So many cherries they didn't even harvest some as there was a glut. Looks like the deer herd is healthy and wild turkeys everywhere.
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CWillie, the geese were headed in a southerly direction so I assumed they were on their way south, albeit somewhat early. But I've noticed the squirrels are quite busy as well. If I remember correctly, the Farmers Almanac has advised that squirrel activity in the Fall can be a sign of a severe winter.

But the geese could also just be moving to another area before migrating. I find it somewhat comforting when I hear their honking - another year has gone by; it's time for the annual fall activities of human and wildfowl alike as we each prepare for winter in our own ways.

BTW, has anyone ever seen the movie Fly Away Home, about a young girl who with her father fly ultralight aircraft to lead a flock of orphaned geese south for the winter? Doing a bit of research, I found this was based on the work of Bill Lishman, who has researched and led teams of wildfowl on migrations. There's even an organization devoted to this.

Apparently some wildfowl don't know how to migrate after the elders in the flock die off (hard to imagine they all die off and there's no learning curve at all for the younger ones) and those who haven't migrated require guidance in learning how to do it. Enter humans and ultralights guiding migrating fowl South.

Windy, I'm guessing you're a bit ahead of us in the fall color transition. I didn't know you had butterfly bushes; it must be exciting to see the monarchs clustering on them before heading south.

I assume the turkeys are wild? I've seen a few occasionally down here, usually together, feeding in an area close to one of the local state parks. It's always exciting to see them....suddenly an area well populated seems more rural, and there's a sense of being out in mid Michigan someplace. I feel the same excitement at seeing deer, egrets and herons in this area.
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Hey kids.......Its been a long time since I checked out this thread. What a nice respite from the MOMMY DEAREST stories.

Up here in northern Mi it's cooling off, the leaves are beginning to turn, the leaf peepers are coming up from Detroit and doing the winery and cider tours, my butterfly bushes have had tons of migrating monarchs but they're gone now, along with the hummingbirds, the young turkey flocks are hanging out under the bird feeders getting ready for another long winter, and the apple crop is great this year. Also getting tomatoes, onions, potatoes and a variety of squash at the farm stands. I've changed all the fluids in the tractors and we're ready for winter.
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Are the Canada geese actually heading south? I've heard flocks flying over for several weeks now, but I think they are just hanging around foraging in the fields and spending the nights on the lake and little ponds.
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Send, I've tried adjusting the brightness of my screen. I think the issue is so much white space. The other forums I visit have less white space, few if any ads, and a lot of photos (especially the gardening and backpacking forums). The blend of nature and text provides a very soothing site for these old eyes.

I think though that it's the glare of the white space that's bothering my eyes.

Ladybug, I love elephant ears; I'd plant a whole border of them if they weren't so expensive. Do you save your tubers from one year to the next? Can they be divided? There's a giant Thailand version that's mammoth. Someday I'll buy some tubers for it. It'd would make a great neighbor barrier.

Glad, the oaks in our area produce a variety of burnished rust leaves as they turn, and hold their leaves not only longer than other deciduous trees but sometimes over the winter. I like oak leaves for garden mulch, but I also just love the subtle range of colors when they're in their fall wardrobe.

The acorns will of course bring squirrels to the area. Too bad they can't be trained to plant where we want things planted!

Some of the trees in my area are already perhaps 75% arrayed in their range of fall colors. The combinations of red, burgundy and golden seem to the vanguards of the color change.

Saw a "v" of Canadian Geese heading south the other day. I thought they waited a bit longer, but perhaps that group wants to arrive at their destination earlier than others and stake out the best grounds.
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Send, good news on visiting Yosemite. There are web installed in some areas, including of Half Dome. I'll PM you the link and you can climb at your leisure from the comfort of your own home.

Glad, I'd like to persuade the squirrels to do the ground cover planting for me. They certainly feel free to romp around, dig up holes and move the bulbs!

GuestShop, I do like yuccas and other fleshy plants. You've given me an idea; I might start with one xeriscaped bed, and go from there. I'll have to check on the agave though; I'm not sure they'd survive our winters here.

And I LOVE the flowering grasses! I saw some beautiful ones today; they were about 10 feet tall. I knew ornamental grasses could grow to about 6' tall but wasn't aware they could grow to about 10 feet. They'd made nice neighbor screens.

I like your idea of a naturally developed area, compliments of other plants in the area. Unfortunately, the trees of neighbors are planting my garden with their offspring which are commonly known as "junk trees." I wish the one Japanese Maple and another neighbor's Rose of Sharon would volunteer to send babies to my yard.
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My kindle is indoors, although later, when it warms up, I may take it outside and sit in the sun, expecting 77°.
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Inside was cold, outside was warming up....
Moved a planter pot then a 3rd, sat down to pull it being very careful.....
Help, I'm in my garden-and I can't get up.!
Nobody was home.

Time to wear my leggings so my hips, knees, ankles don't freeze up.
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Have never had oak trees before, I am looking forward to the change of colors. Probably a couple of weeks out yet, some trees are starting to change. Though, I must say, I have never been bombed with acorns either! The squirrels are well fed! LOL! Poor Macy, she is going to give herself whiplash, "what just fell"?
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Everything here is gearing up for fall, need rain badly. Love summer when everything is blooming, but kind of enjoy fall when it cools down and I can start digging up the bulbs and clearing out the dead brush. Love to see the size of the elephant ear bulbs and canna bulbs.
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Here in central Cali we are around 73 today with breezes and tomorrow is expected to be a high of 67 with clouds and possibly a shower of 2. Am hoping it stays cool like this until winter comes.
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Garden Artist, Can you turn down the brightness on your screen?
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Going to even out my rose bush again, the roses are gone, the leaves are baked in the sun. More water!!!
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That's it, Sharyn,
They are outside, in the garden. If is cooled today, 79° F.
Sun, and just now some clouds.
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Very quite here. Where is everyone?

The irises I planted about 5 weeks ago (barefoot) are growing well. The barefoot iris I received 10 days before going to Idaho, I soaked in water for 24 hours when we arrived home yesterday afternoon. I am going to plant it now, hoping it survives.
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Oh, yes....it is the Abe Lincolin rose!!
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Thank you GA. We are leaving for Idaho on Sunday, wont be back til October 1. I will leave it packaged as is. Here in Central California still having 80a90 degree temps. Autumn for us is usually late October early November.
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GA, my mother lived in San Antonio (drought and very low aquifer these days with all the commercial development) so there is a big push to zero-scape or hard-scape the yards. She had a gigantic agave plant in the front yard, various flowering grasses and yucca. It was gorgeous and very low maintenance once things were established. Years ago, my husband and I left any tree planting for the back yard to the nature area behind our house. We have all kids of plants that thrive in the yard that were "gifts" from the nature area and that like the weather and watering naturally available. I think it's a great idea and as we deplete resources is much more attractive than golf course greenery.
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Glad, sorry I missed your comments on ground covers. May I respond later? All the white space on this page is bothering my eyes!
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Sharyn, I'd keep it in the excelsior packing which I presume it came in. The packing should absorb moisture and keep the root from rotting, but I'd check daily just to be sure no mold develops.

I don't know what area of the country you're in, so if you're in a hot West or SW area, try to find a cooler place to store the root. Keep it out of the sun one way or another.

Another alternative is just "heel it in" in a temporary place so it gets the benefit of soil, then when you're ready to plant it in its permanent home, dig up the root ball with the iris root and replant the whole thing.

BTW, is that the Abe Lincoln rose in your avatar?
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I received a barefoot iris in the mail today. I cant plant it until Oct 2. How can I store, protect int I can plant it???
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Garden, my yard her, not by design I am sure, in the spring had johnny jump ups scattered throughout the back yard. Then there was also the strawberry patch that I think just outgrew the garden. The squirrels and birds loved them though. I have seen yard where people have planted tulip and daffodikpl bulbs sporadically throughout which is very nice in the spring just as the weather is beginning to warm up. I would do a patch in the yard, dig up the grass. Not the whole yard try it next year and see how it looks. If too flowery I would not want to walk on jt. Then maybe allergies? Lilacs set me on my ear. Course they would not be a ground cover then either would they.
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Wondering if anyone has or is in the process of converting lawn to ground covers? For a variety of reasons, some relating to health, I'm considering having the lawns plowed up and putting in ground covers that will provide a sequential flowering lawn.

Any experience with this? Thoughts?
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Send, awesome news about your garden. I have never been to Huntington gardens. Will googled it to see what it is all about!!
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We will be missing the Huntington Gardens, could not get tickets.
Yosemite is but a distant dream in the past.
Just being so grateful for all of you here, on the gardening as therapy thread.
Our garden actually looks much improved, as I said before.
The bougie is thriving, the rose bush has 4 buds, there is a unique patch of St. Augustine grass left, bright green, growing fast, in a circle surrounding the tiny apple tree, also thriving! Couldn't have asked for a better border to keep the
water from draining away from the tree. Never have seen anything like it. But after trimming about 15 inches away from tree trunk, adding new topsoil and feeding the tree with the normal, popular liquid-it appears a miracle! Really!

So, I am happy with my yard, garden, best ever! Dear hubby is on his own schedule, and has self-motivated for about 4 months now! Lots of praises go out to him for his meticulous hand gardening. Now, less damaging work for me, I am getting better now that I quit trying so hard and hurting myself in the process.

How does my garden grow?
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