"Summer Wind" wrote in message
. ..
"Anthony B" wrote in message
...


Most Arborvitaes that I have handled in the past will typically be most
widely available as 8' shrubs. You can expect to pay between $100-130 a
plant.


Thanks for the very useful information. I tried calling local nurseries
and they are all closed for the holiday. What do you think of mail order
nurseries like this one?

http://www.botanystore.com/page/page/2353857.htm

The prices are certainly right.

SW

Summer,

There is nothing at all WRONG about buying mailorder for certain plant
items like perennials or tropicals, however, there are a few things to bear
in mind shopping mailorder:

1) Size of plants... In order for the shrubs to be shipped at a reasonable
cost, you will seldom find anything larger than maybe 4 ft tall. This would
mean you would have to wait between 3-5 ears for your screen to fill in

2) Condition of plant matierial.... With Nursery bought shrubs, every step
of the shipping process is moniterd and desighned to get the product to the
retailer in best possible condition. with mail order, this is not possible.
The mail order house will do evrything they can before the plants leave
thier nursery, but once it gets put on the postal truck . . . .

3) Shipping costs....Bottany store is rare , it's shipping isn't high at all
in your area, but most other mailorder nurseries do have occasionall steep
shipping charges.

All this said, I think you found a pretty good solution for your privacy
screen and a good source for the green giants. Go for it.

I am assuming the smaller sizes will come bare-root... That will take
slightly more advanced gardening skills but I think you can handle it. I
would go with the 3 gallon shrub myself. they will have a better developed
root system and won't require the extra attention to avoid the roots drying
out during the planting process.

You seem to have things in control.. It is rare that folks will actually
ask advice and do research before executing a project like this. Seems
like you are on your way to becoming a gardening addict


If you have any other questions, post away!!

Anthony B.

You seem to have things in control.. It is rare that folks will actually
ask advice and do research before executing a project like this. Seems
like you are on your way to becoming a gardening addict


If you have any other questions, post away!!

Anthony B.


Thanks. I really have garden fever. My new house is less than two years
old, but the previous owner did quite a bit of yard work in the short time
he was here. There is still a lot to do, however. He put retaining wall
flower beds around the house, so I will need many bedding plants for this
Spring and I'm going to grow my own from seed. I have some seed left over
from my old place and I also bought some this weekend. Here's the list so
far.

Perennials

Lavender
Shasta Daisy
Primrose
Spearmint
Phlox
Coreopsis
Columbine (Burpee Harlequin Mix)
Poppy

Annuals

Marigold (Burpee American Giants Mix)
Marigold (Ferry Morse Crackerjack Mix Colors)
Cosmos
Zinnia
Impatiens (Burpee Butterfly Hybrid Mix)
Impatiens (Burpee Flavors Hybrid - Blueberry)

Vegetables

Tomato (Burpee Super Sweet 100 Hybrid Cherry)
Bush Beans
Peppers (Burpee Carnival Mix)
Lettuce (Black-Seeded Simpson)
Lettuce (Ferry Morse Ruby Ruffles)
Swiss Chard
Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts
Carrot (Nantes Coreless)
Onion (Burpee Evergreen Long White Bunching)

Any suggestions for shade-loving annuals, other than impatiens, would be
appreciated. I have a lot of seed starting to do, but it should be fun.

Thanks again,
SW

"Summer Wind" wrote in Is 7 feet a reasonable
height for Green Giant Arborvitae at most nurseries,
and how expensive are they? Could they be planted now, or will I need to
wait until after the danger of frost? I've read that they are relatively
maintenance-free, and I find that appealing, as I won't have a lot of time
to invest in pruning them.

I'm not sure about Green Giant, but one problem that is common to arborvitae
is that in years with particularly heavy snow or ice, inner branches can
come "loose" out of the hedge and they don't spring back when the warm
weather returns, meaning that they have to be pruned out. Many people solve
this issue by tying up their arborvitaes in the late fall with twine -
however, for a long hedge, that translates into a lot of maintenaince.
However, if you are in a region where heavy snow or ice are rare, it might
not be an issue.

"Summer Wind" wrote in message newsXhuf.43034

Any suggestions for shade-loving annuals, other than impatiens, would be
appreciated. I have a lot of seed starting to do, but it should be fun.

Thanks again,
SW


Summer,
The amount of shade loving annuals is rather limited compared to
sun-lovers.
the more common ones other than impations are :
Begonias, Coleus, Lobelia, Browallia, torenia and Streptocarpus

many sun-loving annuals can also benefit from afternoon shade.

I like doing a mix of annuals and perennials for my shade beds.


I understand completely your 'planter's fever' and though it may be very
very hard to do, especially when the garden center season begins, you should
do your best to take your time and PLAN what you want to do. And research,
too... lots of research.

Remember, instant gratification often results in long term dissatisfaction.

Anthony B.

"Anthony B" wrote in message
...

"Summer Wind" wrote in message newsXhuf.43034

Any suggestions for shade-loving annuals, other than impatiens, would be
appreciated. I have a lot of seed starting to do, but it should be fun.

Thanks again,
SW


Summer,
The amount of shade loving annuals is rather limited compared to
sun-lovers.
the more common ones other than impations are :
Begonias, Coleus, Lobelia, Browallia, torenia and Streptocarpus

many sun-loving annuals can also benefit from afternoon shade.

I like doing a mix of annuals and perennials for my shade beds.


Thanks again and I'll be buying more seed.

One more question about the Green Giant Arborvitae. How far from my fence
do you recommend planting them so they won't intrude into my neighbor's yard
within a few years?

SW

"Summer Wind" wrote in message
...
"Anthony B" wrote in message
...

One more question about the Green Giant Arborvitae. How far from my fence
do you recommend planting them so they won't intrude into my neighbor's
yard within a few years?

SW
Summer,
You will want to come out AT LEAST half the expected final spread of the
shrub. in this case , about 6- 8 feet out from the fence. You may also want
to bring the two plants on the end IN from the ends of the privacy line
about the same distance.

You will want to come out AT LEAST half the expected final spread of the
shrub. in this case , about 6- 8 feet out from the fence. You may also
want to bring the two plants on the end IN from the ends of the privacy
line about the same distance.


I'm really interested in seeing how fast the Green Giant Arborvitae grow and
I'll keep you posted. Thanks again for the information.

SW

Summer Wind wrote:
Here's the list so
far.

Perennials

Lavender
Shasta Daisy
Primrose
Spearmint
Phlox
Coreopsis
Columbine (Burpee Harlequin Mix)
Poppy

Keep that Spearmint well contained or you'll have no room for anything
else in a short time. It sends runners several inches below ground
that can pop up many feet away. It is probably impossible to remove by
pulling once established.

"J.R. in MI" wrote in message
oups.com...
Keep that Spearmint well contained or you'll have no room for anything
else in a short time. It sends runners several inches below ground
that can pop up many feet away. It is probably impossible to remove by
pulling once established.


No probably to it, it IS impossible to remove by hand pulling. voiice of
experience for I had made the mistake of planting it direvt into a border dn
I have to go out weekly to yank out the excess.

Planting spearmint in a large pot in the ground works pretty well. And out
of the ground for that matter.

others may disagree,
Anthony B.

"Anthony B" wrote in message
...

"J.R. in MI" wrote in message
oups.com...
Keep that Spearmint well contained or you'll have no room for
anything
else in a short time. It sends runners several inches below ground
that can pop up many feet away. It is probably impossible to
remove by
pulling once established.


No probably to it, it IS impossible to remove by hand pulling.
voiice of experience for I had made the mistake of planting it
direvt into a border dn I have to go out weekly to yank out the
excess.

Planting spearmint in a large pot in the ground works pretty well.
And out of the ground for that matter.

Planting spearmint in a large pot in the middle of a concrete slab is
the safest place if you are going to plant it at all. I dug roots out
of a 20 foot circle for 2 years before finally getting it all out. The
only thing I've planted that was harder to eradicate was passion
flower vine and a trumpet flower vine.

Tom J

"Anthony B" wrote in message
...

"J.R. in MI" wrote in message
oups.com...
Keep that Spearmint well contained or you'll have no room for anything
else in a short time. It sends runners several inches below ground
that can pop up many feet away. It is probably impossible to remove by
pulling once established.

Planting spearmint in a large pot in the ground works pretty well. And
out of the ground for that matter.


I have had no luck with spearmint in a pot. Our old house had spearmint, and
I am familiar with its invasive nature. At our old place, I'd rip out every
last bit of spearmint in the fall, and we'd have as much spearmint as I'd
ever want the next spring. I still really liked having spearmint
nonetheless, and use it for cooking.

I've planted spearmint now in a spot where the soil is very poor, and it is
surrounded by concrete on three sides. Nothing wants to grow there, except a
very ugly juniper I'd probably rip out if it wasn't the only green thing
that has survived on that plot. I've worked in compost every year and even
so, there's very little that seems to want to be there long term. This year
I stuck spearmint on it, on the theory that it would be more or less
contained by the concrete, and nothing else is growing there, anyway.

--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
http://www.bicyclemeditations.org/
Personal page: http://www.geocities.com/cpetersky/
See the books I've set free at:
http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky

"Tom J" expounded:

Planting spearmint in a large pot in the middle of a concrete slab is
the safest place if you are going to plant it at all. I dug roots out
of a 20 foot circle for 2 years before finally getting it all out. The
only thing I've planted that was harder to eradicate was passion
flower vine and a trumpet flower vine.

Tom J

Chinese Lanterns (Physalis franchetii) are pretty tough to get rid of,
too! From http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/1894/ :
************************************************** **********************************
On Oct 12, 2003, Thaumaturgist from Rockledge, FL (Zone 10a) wrote:

This is known as Florida Ground Cherry in Florida.

It is so invasive that once it shows up in your yard, total
elimination becomes a continuous, monumental but imposible task.
************************************************** *********************************
--
Ann, gardening in Zone 6a
South of Boston, Massachusetts
e-mail address is not checked
******************************

No probably to it, it IS impossible to remove by hand pulling. voiice of
experience for I had made the mistake of planting it direvt into a border
dn I have to go out weekly to yank out the excess.

Planting spearmint in a large pot in the ground works pretty well. And
out of the ground for that matter.


I didn't know spearmint was such a problem. You and the other posters have
convinced me to grow it in a large pot, if at all.

Thanks,
SW

"Summer Wind" wrote in message
. net...

No probably to it, it IS impossible to remove by hand pulling. voiice of
experience for I had made the mistake of planting it direvt into a border
dn I have to go out weekly to yank out the excess.

Planting spearmint in a large pot in the ground works pretty well. And
out of the ground for that matter.


I didn't know spearmint was such a problem. You and the other posters
have convinced me to grow it in a large pot, if at all.

Thanks,
SW
SW, it can be well behaved so long as you bear in mind that it must have
its roots containsed in some fashion

Anthony B.

Unless you have nothing better to do than pull speariment from other
flower beds and from the lawn, take my word for it don't plant it.
I spent most of last spring killing off a very large patch that took
over the west side of my house.
Roundup, and lots of it, is the only way to kill it .
Chuckie in the frozen north, zone 5