tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134546826567074785.post5280080411835560963..comments2023-10-19T00:09:00.629-05:00Comments on New Sprout: What am I getting myself into?Priscilla Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12353263318112375137noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134546826567074785.post-13798079086816475012008-08-15T17:43:00.000-05:002008-08-15T17:43:00.000-05:00I just discovered scale on my coriopsis (UG) but a...I just discovered scale on my coriopsis (UG) but at least I haven't had the spider mites as bad this year as I have the last several years. I'm thinking either the plants that survived were the more resistant ones (I am growing Morning Glories from the seeds of last years, which were grown from the seeds of the year before, so maybe that had something to do with it). Either that or there is enough residual spray from last year to keep them at bay because I was spraying every week all summer about (after all the ladybugs flew away...not a great idea on a porch but worth it if you have kids. I mean, they do kill the bugs but then they leave and rarely find their way back to a second floor balcony).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134546826567074785.post-84081886219477151832008-08-11T20:51:00.000-05:002008-08-11T20:51:00.000-05:00Sprout,Take a couple of deep breaths.Getting and k...Sprout,<BR/><BR/>Take a couple of deep breaths.<BR/><BR/>Getting and keeping the clients and doing the designing is a job unto itself. You can always find someone to do the work. My friends are always saying, "you are so lucky that you own your own business" and " I would love to be out in the garden all day". I just chuckle to my self and think some of them wouldn't last ten minutes out there. It can be rough but it can also be awesome.<BR/><BR/>The first couple of gardens can be testing. Some people can be difficult to work for but you can learn a lot from them. Just the fact that they hired you probably means they see something in you. Don't let it get you down and just try and do every job the best you can with a good attitude. Don't forget to use your great interpersonal skills that can take you a long way. <BR/> <BR/>Let me know if I can be of any help. I made many mistakes when I started out in the gardening business but am very glad I stuck with it. I encourage you to do the same.Digital Flower Pictureshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16337750342855333995noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134546826567074785.post-75703622071615018522008-08-11T10:44:00.000-05:002008-08-11T10:44:00.000-05:00You are very talented and I have faith in you. Yo...You are very talented and I have faith in you. You can do it! You do need to remember that is is getting hotter and hotter every year so that water becomes more and more valuable. Maybe a nice shade hat and a mister bottle would be good investments. Good Luck!Lets Planthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00335805787831512992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134546826567074785.post-12305467666416971492008-08-10T22:41:00.000-05:002008-08-10T22:41:00.000-05:00So just take your time when doing a garden and kno...So just take your time when doing a garden and know that you don't have to plant right away. Leave, go check out some books and come back to it. I'm not sure what works over there, but over here, for shade, sometimes people with Shade have to compromise for leaf colour instead of flower. While there are lots of things that flower, they won't do as a flowery job as the shade sufferer's like to think. And this is where your awesome customer service skills come in:<BR/><BR/>YOu can plant for shade, for flowering but use those colourful leafy plants to pop out the flowers. For example:<BR/>A lime green hosta next to Liguiaria. Accented by a red Heuchera and you have instant, all season colour. Plus, Liguiaria will give you yellow flowers, the hosta will give you white/liliac and the heuchera will do small pink ones. Plus, you have different heights. <BR/><BR/>Shade is always hard but if you can accomplish shade easily,then full sun gardens will be a snap.<BR/><BR/>Remember, Im in canada, so what works wel for us may not work as well for you. But where I don't have as many options for hardy plants, you do. (like maybe planting collocasia for leaf colour if it's hardy there). <BR/><BR/>Try native plants too. They often have a lot of flower for spring time, mid summer and they're not much maintaince at all.<BR/><BR/>Good luck love.<BR/><BR/>p.S. Few other shade plants:<BR/><BR/>Burnnera 'jack frost' -fullshade, spring blooming blue flower. Easy to maintain.<BR/><BR/>Bergenia - pink spring flowers, red leaf in spring and fall giving a showy colour when garden is awful.<BR/><BR/>Turtlehead = fall blooming, pink flowers, med height plant<BR/><BR/>Hosta - anything here. from dark green, varigated to lime coloured.<BR/><BR/>Heuchera - low moundy plant with pinkish flowers. Different coloured leaves from black, red, yellow, purple. Summer blooming.<BR/><BR/>AStilbe - for wetter sides of the garden. Dwarf varieties or taller ones, full shade, usually summer blooming. Fanal (is a red) or visions in Pink will be bright flowers. <BR/><BR/>Hakonechloa - grass, lime green. Adding grasses give you texture and bring out the flowers in plants <BR/><BR/>Karl Forresster (grass) - works well in shade, four feet tall, very upright and ridged until it blooms. Looks like wheat in the fall and nice for fall show. <BR/><BR/>Avalache (grass) also does the same as karl, but has a white going through it where as karl is dark green.<BR/><BR/>Chasmanthium - Northern Sea oats (grass) also gives alot of fall show, leave the dead body for spring and let the green grow through it. The grass will do full shade and it will be showy for the next year if they leave it to bloom and let the green grown through. <BR/><BR/>Anemone - (wind flower). Airy flowers, pink or white. Fall blooming. 18-24 inches. shade (actually everything im talking about here will do shade).<BR/><BR/>Pulmonaria - low growing like a hosta. Prolific bloomer in the spring, blue to pink flowers or both, depending on the variety. Very simliar to burnnera.<BR/><BR/>Just remember when you plant a garden, you want an all season garden. you dont' want everything to bloom at once and then the rest of the year, have everything green.<BR/><BR/>Hope some of this helps. :)Andreahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05224144224646856274noreply@blogger.com