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Has anyone retired by purchasing a small nursery and living on the property in a small house or RV? Your garden is ready.
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The gardens should be lovely this time of year.
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Pamstegma,
What do you all think I have been doing by walking on his back? Lol.
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Hubs would probably prefer a bath house with a Geisha and some saki.
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There is a fancy tea house there, maybe my hubs would go-do men really go to tea houses?
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Planning a trip to Huntington Gardens in the fall. This avatar is looking over towards the Japanese gardens in San Marino.
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I lost the hydrangea I had in the front. It received morning sun. I discovered by accident that if I left the blooms on the plant, in the fall they turn a beautiful burgandy color. I was so excited by this, I cut them and used to decorate my table for Thanksgiving with some mini pumpkins.
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When I had hydrangeas in a small condo walkway, they were my first alert plant signaling a need for water. Once cut them back, so severely, thinking to remove them, but they grew right back and were even prettier then. Today, I just admire them because I have none.
Florists dry them, or freeze-dry them to retain the color and use the dried hydrangeas in an elaborate flower arrangements.
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Stacey, when you move, take some cuttings of your favorite plants.
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I *think* (I haven't checked) that you can cut hydrangeas back as savagely as you like if they've outgrown their space, and you won't do them any long-term harm - they just won't flower on the shoots you've cut below their previous year's growth, so your husband has been very text book indeed about that! And about leaving the last season's growth on until Spring, so that the buds underneath are protected through Winter.

If you are really fond of them, you can grow them quite easily in containers. Take some cuttings now, they take about three weeks to root and start growing on. Not sure about root divisions but I don't think so, the daisies are tuberous perennials aren't they?

Gosh yes you are going to miss the garden. I was braced to do without when I moved in the spring, and it was pure luck that this rental property comes with a nice little plot - not really enough for vegetables but plenty to potter about in.
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CM, we have several Hydrangeas in our yard, and now after several years, they are Huge, despite my husband cutting them down to nearly nothing (about 10-14 inches right above a shoot) every April. He's not what I would call a text book gardener, but he has a green thumb! Now, are they getting so big because they have such a big root ball, and perhaps have outgrown their space, as one in particular, is next to the walkway entering our home and this year almost completely took over, and if so, then should the plant be replanted elsewhere? Another question, can you devide the roots of the hydrangea, like I have done with my Shasta Daisy's? With those, as they get cut right down to the vase of the plant each year, he just took an ax and chopped the root system into 4 and placed each root ball into other areas of our garden and they did fantastic!

This is the Sad part of leaving our home of 23+ years, all of the improvements we've made. The house was only a year old when we got it, so the yard was practically a blank slate. Every plant, every garden, all planned out by my husband mainly, as he always loved working in the yard, do we will definitely miss that part about home ownership. When we get reestablished in a Condo, I'm sure that we will have many container plants and a little garden hopefully, so that he can putter!
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My hydrangea cuttings are rooting :D !!! Not to brag, but the normal propagation routine for me is careful, not to say neurotic, memorising of instructions, punctilious attention to carrying out same, and then a few weeks later chucking a pile of sorry bits of twig into the compost bin - so this is a real breakthrough.

I only bothered this time because a friend was admiring the parent plant and said she'd love a piece of it if I didn't mind - so she'll be the first to get one of the babies in a nice pot, as soon as it's big enough.

It's inspired me to have another go at the rosemary, in spite of its being a dismal failure first time round. I fancy a low hedge of it along the path to my front door, so I've got twelve cuttings dibbed into clay pots. I live in hope!
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Rose leaves that are healthy will have a purplish cast in the spring and when ant new leaves grow out, turning to a nice green color once they mature. Send, your roses appear to very healthy.
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We shall see if my iris garden develops as I want next spring.
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I received a package of the iris I ordered first of the year. They came with bare roots and green tops. I am soaking them over night then planting tomorrow. This iris farm suggests using 1tbsp. Epsom salts to to 1 gallon of water after planting. It is to help with photosynthesis. Then use a fertilizer of 6-10-10 in early spring and again a month after blooming. In early September use 0-1010. If you are wondering what these numbers are ....the first represents nitrogen, the second is phospherous, the third is potassium. Sometimes referred to as N-P-P or N-P-K. The K represents potassium on the elemental chart. This is recommend for bulbs/rhyzomes. I will be following their recommendations. Happy gardening.
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Corporate narc is concerned about grand opening. I will tell my manager tomorrow to not schedule me during the 2 busiest days of it because I feel she will be scrutinizing every move I make. She never had a problem with me at other stores. Its the whole grand opening. Plus I will tell my manager to see if he can get me transferred back to my previous store. I cant quit now. I need to hang in here until we do actually move. Working in light industrial is out of question for me because of my back. Nursery work is very hard physcially. Thank you for the compliment!!! Hugs!!!
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That's right Sharyn, go with what you know-a job, a career, transferable to a nice nursery in Idaho!!! Aren't you quiting anyway when corporate narc comes back?
Always your choice!
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Send, GREAT news!!! I worked many years in agricultural research with tomatoes. I am not bragging, I have an AA degree in plant science which is easily applied to ornamental horticulture. I love gardening and plants. I am not successful with all types of plants. I am so happy your roses are responding. You are a natural green thumb.
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A neighbor called to talk about the landscaping requirements in the neighborhood.
I could not figure out why she was asking me. Turns out she had helped a neighbor do exactly what she was asking me about for her own yard.
I offered free succulents, but she didn't want them.
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Sharyn, Amazing, did as you suggested and within 4 days the rose bush had new leaves. Just a little time and care goes very far with plants in our garden.
You may have missed your calling, as a landscape expert you are very good.
In the spring those leaves were tender green, and the new leaves came out with an edge of purple/brown color, kind of like darker leaf lettuces vs. iceburg lettuce.

As are other posters here, on Gardening as Therapy. It makes a huge difference to get advice from my AC friends instead of trying to look up everything when it is not reported specific to the problem. My rose bush is no longer dying or hibernating, and it likes the sun. But temps of 105° must have challenged its survival.

Thank you!
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We used to tent camp when Kelly was little, with her godparents and thier family. All that old camping gear comes in handy in the winter when we lose power!!
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Have a tent now, but it has no air conditioning.
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Cwillie, Did have to hire a driver twice to get the RV down off the hill, but took only an hour and he was gone. Needed a full-time driver maybe.
So when I was parked in a space for a time, I put down a tiny brick pathway, but no plants.
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Since I would have to hire a driver (after I win the lottery) I expect that little chore could be theirs! Although back in the day (I think there may still have been dinosaurs roaming the earth) when friends and I travelled cross country with a tent I did notice some of the campgrounds had excellent washroom, laundry and shower facilities.
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Cwillie, This was our tiny house. The downside is that no matter how big or small, you still find yourself dumping the tanks on the road, or hooking up to the sewer while in an RV park.
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Thank you Sharyn. We also went on a grasshopper hunt with the hose and broom
as our weapons.
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If you have grasshoppers, damage to the leaves will be obvious. Since they hatch in the spring, make sure toy remove all leaf debris from the soil level. Removing topsoil 2-3 inches deep and replacing with new soil. Try planting some type of grass as a border around your roses so the grasshoppers go there to munch. If that does not work, use either organic or chemical pesticides.
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Lol!!! Send, I would think in your area of Cali, the roses do not go dormant, mine don't. With heat in 105 degrees, there is stress on plants and leaf loss os normal. A good compost at the base of the roses is ideal to protect moisture. Deep slow watering once or twice a week depending on your soil type. Fertilizing regularly is a must and prune after each bloom session. I prune down to leaves of 3. It sounds like you are doing a great job. So keep it up.
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Sharyn, or anyone:
You helped me trim the rose bush earlier this year. Recent blooms were fine, all gone now. In addition, all the leaves are gone except a few brown leaves at the top of each bare branch. There are grasshoppers, heat is 105°.
Don't want to give up yet.
Should I trim it again? Feed it? Put in in the shade?
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Ovrrall my garden did not pan out as hoped dud the drought. My area of central Cali has struck water restrictions. I have decided that I will not put any major effort into my garden because of this plus we plan to leave Cali in 2 years.

I am focusing more on my indoor gardening. I bought an orchid plant back in March. It is in my kitchen window above the sink where it receives an eastern exposure with some direct morning sun. I mist it daily in addition to it receiving humidity from washing dishes. The bloom stem died which I pruned back to leaf level, repotted in a slightly larger pot and water thoroughly about every 10 days. Since they bloom generally once a year, I shall see if it grows a blooming stem again. It has grown more leaves which is promising. Here's to indoor gardening.!!!
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