....my mother and I planted a climing hydrangea next to our back porch
with the hopes that it would climb up the lattice work and upwards to
cover the side of our house. That was nearly 20 years ago--I recently
went home to see my parents after a long stint in the Navy, and lo and
behold, the hydrangea had grown to terrific proportions! Not only had
it grown up and around our porch lattice, but 2/3rds of the way up our
house! At the base of the plant, it measured nearly 4" in
circumference, with a nice layer of bark around it, and it was STRONG.
My mother, naturally, has a green thumb, and I suppose she imparted
her love for gardening onto me: Now I have my own house, and I'm
thinking of planting a hydrangea so that my children can enjoy it the
way I now can enjoy my mother's...I still remember her saying, "It
will grow all the way up the lattice, and clear to the roof of the
house, given time..." I also remember thinking, "No way...that'll
take years!" Well, it's been years, and her words came
true--Unbelievable! Thanks Mom, for giving me an appreciation and a
love for the earth, and all things green! Has anyone else had a
similar experience?

Jeremy "greenthumb" Z., Maine, USA

On 31 Mar 2003 09:03:27 -0800, (Motordome) wrote:

...my mother and I planted a climing hydrangea next to our back porch
with the hopes that it would climb up the lattice work and upwards to
cover the side of our house. That was nearly 20 years ago--I recently
went home to see my parents after a long stint in the Navy, and lo and
behold, the hydrangea had grown to terrific proportions! Not only had
it grown up and around our porch lattice, but 2/3rds of the way up our
house! At the base of the plant, it measured nearly 4" in
circumference, with a nice layer of bark around it, and it was STRONG.
My mother, naturally, has a green thumb, and I suppose she imparted
her love for gardening onto me: Now I have my own house, and I'm
thinking of planting a hydrangea so that my children can enjoy it the
way I now can enjoy my mother's...I still remember her saying, "It
will grow all the way up the lattice, and clear to the roof of the
house, given time..." I also remember thinking, "No way...that'll
take years!" Well, it's been years, and her words came
true--Unbelievable! Thanks Mom, for giving me an appreciation and a
love for the earth, and all things green! Has anyone else had a
similar experience?

Jeremy "greenthumb" Z., Maine, USA
..
Sort of. It makes me feel closer to my mom who lives far away, to
bring cuttings of her plants here. I have killed off the aloe twice
now, but still have wandering jew from her yard. Maybe you could take
a cutting from your mom's vine ?

·.·´¨ ¨)) -:¦:-
¸.·´ .·´¨¨))
jammer
((¸¸.·´ ..·´
-:¦:- ((¸¸

On 31 Mar 2003 09:03:27 -0800, (Motordome) wrote:

...my mother and I planted a climing hydrangea next to our back porch
with the hopes that it would climb up the lattice work and upwards to
cover the side of our house. That was nearly 20 years ago--I recently
went home to see my parents after a long stint in the Navy, and lo and
behold, the hydrangea had grown to terrific proportions! Not only had
it grown up and around our porch lattice, but 2/3rds of the way up our
house! At the base of the plant, it measured nearly 4" in
circumference, with a nice layer of bark around it, and it was STRONG.
My mother, naturally, has a green thumb, and I suppose she imparted
her love for gardening onto me: Now I have my own house, and I'm
thinking of planting a hydrangea so that my children can enjoy it the
way I now can enjoy my mother's...I still remember her saying, "It
will grow all the way up the lattice, and clear to the roof of the
house, given time..." I also remember thinking, "No way...that'll
take years!" Well, it's been years, and her words came
true--Unbelievable! Thanks Mom, for giving me an appreciation and a
love for the earth, and all things green! Has anyone else had a
similar experience?

Unfortunately, no. When I first bought a house and started thinking
"garden," I looked at catalogues with fruit trees. Most of the ones I
could afford had descriptions including something like "takes 3 years
to produce fruit," so I gave up on them -- I wanted Instant. Now, 25
years later, I have no fruit or nut trees. Even if I'd moved in 2
years, I could have left a pleasant surprise for the new owners, as
some daffodils, a mature gardenia, and a lone parsley plant by the
back door was for me.

There is virtually no downside to starting plants, even if they take
years to mature.

jammer wrote in message . ..
On 31 Mar 2003 09:03:27 -0800, (Motordome) wrote:

...my mother and I planted a climing hydrangea next to our back porch
with the hopes that it would climb up the lattice work and upwards to
cover the side of our house. That was nearly 20 years ago--I recently
went home to see my parents after a long stint in the Navy, and lo and
behold, the hydrangea had grown to terrific proportions! Not only had
it grown up and around our porch lattice, but 2/3rds of the way up our
house! At the base of the plant, it measured nearly 4" in
circumference, with a nice layer of bark around it, and it was STRONG.
My mother, naturally, has a green thumb, and I suppose she imparted
her love for gardening onto me: Now I have my own house, and I'm
thinking of planting a hydrangea so that my children can enjoy it the
way I now can enjoy my mother's...I still remember her saying, "It
will grow all the way up the lattice, and clear to the roof of the
house, given time..." I also remember thinking, "No way...that'll
take years!" Well, it's been years, and her words came
true--Unbelievable! Thanks Mom, for giving me an appreciation and a
love for the earth, and all things green! Has anyone else had a
similar experience?

Jeremy "greenthumb" Z., Maine, USA
.
Sort of. It makes me feel closer to my mom who lives far away, to
bring cuttings of her plants here. I have killed off the aloe twice
now, but still have wandering jew from her yard. Maybe you could take
a cutting from your mom's vine ?

·.·´¨ ¨)) -:¦:-
¸.·´ .·´¨¨))
jammer
((¸¸.·´ ..·´
-:¦:- ((¸¸

That's a great idea, jammer!

Jeremy

Frogleg wrote:

...There is virtually no downside to starting plants, even if they take
years to mature.



There is an old story about a landowner who told his head gardener "This
afternoon I want you to plant a row of copper beech trees along this
path". The gardener protested "but they take a hundred years to mature!"
The landowner then said "In that case, you better plant them this
morning".

Thanks Mom, for giving me an appreciation and a
love for the earth, and all things green! Has anyone else had a
similar experience?

Jeremy "greenthumb" Z., Maine, USA


When my husband and I purchased our home 5 years ago, it had not a single
plant on the property. The front of the house was fairly shady so we went
to his parents house and dug up the ferns that he (hubby) had transplanted
there from a nearby woods some 30 years earlier.

Cheryl

On 1 Apr 2003 05:40:57 -0800, (Motordome) wrote:



That's a great idea, jammer!

Jeremy

Well, i hope it works!

·.·´¨ ¨)) -:¦:-
¸.·´ .·´¨¨))
jammer
((¸¸.·´ ..·´
-:¦:- ((¸¸

"Motordome" wrote in message
om...
...my mother and I planted a climing hydrangea next to our back porch
with the hopes that it would climb up the lattice work and upwards to
cover the side of our house. That was nearly 20 years ago--I recently
went home to see my parents after a long stint in the Navy, and lo and
behold, the hydrangea had grown to terrific proportions! Not only had
it grown up and around our porch lattice, but 2/3rds of the way up our
house! At the base of the plant, it measured nearly 4" in
circumference, with a nice layer of bark around it, and it was STRONG.
My mother, naturally, has a green thumb, and I suppose she imparted
her love for gardening onto me: Now I have my own house, and I'm
thinking of planting a hydrangea so that my children can enjoy it the
way I now can enjoy my mother's...I still remember her saying, "It
will grow all the way up the lattice, and clear to the roof of the
house, given time..." I also remember thinking, "No way...that'll
take years!" Well, it's been years, and her words came
true--Unbelievable! Thanks Mom, for giving me an appreciation and a
love for the earth, and all things green! Has anyone else had a
similar experience?


An elderly couple bought the house next door a few years ago. I was
thrilled because the previous owners who were a very nice, quite, and
considerate young couple took no interest in gardening. When my new
neighbors started to tinker with the landscaping the builders installed and
planting new shrubs, I knew there was some potential. I started giving them
divisions of perennials and they started to ask for advice (not that they
listened, but they did ask.) One day they told me that they wanted to
screen in their back porch with some lattice. The porch was really a small
deck and was 8 feet off the ground. I had been looking at the ugly void
under that deck for several years and was so glad that they decided to dress
up the area that I volunteered to help. It took us a day's work to screen
in that deck and it made a world of difference, but it didn't look quite
right - sort of too pristine considering its proximity to the wooded area a
few yards away. After reading this newsgroup and seeing many positive
comments about climbing hydrangeas, I suggested that they might consider
planting one that could grow on the new lattice. They agreed and a couple
of weeks later I found a very nice specimen at a plant sale at an arboretum
I was visiting while out of town. The plant settled in the first year
without much promise. Winter came and it looked like some dead branches
someone stuck in the ground. The next spring it started to grow a bit and
yielded one or two small flower. The next year it doubled in size and
produced several more flowers. I am looking forward to seeing what it does
this year. If the growth rate matches last year's, it will be no time
before it covers that lattice.

"Vox Humana" wrote in message .. .
"Motordome" wrote in message
om...
...my mother and I planted a climing hydrangea next to our back porch
with the hopes that it would climb up the lattice work and upwards to
cover the side of our house. That was nearly 20 years ago--I recently
went home to see my parents after a long stint in the Navy, and lo and
behold, the hydrangea had grown to terrific proportions! Not only had
it grown up and around our porch lattice, but 2/3rds of the way up our
house! At the base of the plant, it measured nearly 4" in
circumference, with a nice layer of bark around it, and it was STRONG.
My mother, naturally, has a green thumb, and I suppose she imparted
her love for gardening onto me: Now I have my own house, and I'm
thinking of planting a hydrangea so that my children can enjoy it the
way I now can enjoy my mother's...I still remember her saying, "It
will grow all the way up the lattice, and clear to the roof of the
house, given time..." I also remember thinking, "No way...that'll
take years!" Well, it's been years, and her words came
true--Unbelievable! Thanks Mom, for giving me an appreciation and a
love for the earth, and all things green! Has anyone else had a
similar experience?


An elderly couple bought the house next door a few years ago. I was
thrilled because the previous owners who were a very nice, quite, and
considerate young couple took no interest in gardening. When my new
neighbors started to tinker with the landscaping the builders installed and
planting new shrubs, I knew there was some potential. I started giving them
divisions of perennials and they started to ask for advice (not that they
listened, but they did ask.) One day they told me that they wanted to
screen in their back porch with some lattice. The porch was really a small
deck and was 8 feet off the ground. I had been looking at the ugly void
under that deck for several years and was so glad that they decided to dress
up the area that I volunteered to help. It took us a day's work to screen
in that deck and it made a world of difference, but it didn't look quite
right - sort of too pristine considering its proximity to the wooded area a
few yards away. After reading this newsgroup and seeing many positive
comments about climbing hydrangeas, I suggested that they might consider
planting one that could grow on the new lattice. They agreed and a couple
of weeks later I found a very nice specimen at a plant sale at an arboretum
I was visiting while out of town. The plant settled in the first year
without much promise. Winter came and it looked like some dead branches
someone stuck in the ground. The next spring it started to grow a bit and
yielded one or two small flower. The next year it doubled in size and
produced several more flowers. I am looking forward to seeing what it does
this year. If the growth rate matches last year's, it will be no time
before it covers that lattice.

They do get off to a slow start, and yes, they do look like dead
sticks in the ground in winter...but they are hearty, and given the
chance, they will flourish...Incidentally, I think the blossoms are
beautiful in and of themselves. Clearly, this wonderful plant
deserves its good reputation.

Jeremy "greenthumb" Z. Maine, USA

On 31 Mar 2003 09:03:27 -0800, (Motordome) wrote:

...my mother and I planted a climing hydrangea next to our back porch
snipped wonderful story for brevity
Has anyone else had a
similar experience?

Jeremy "greenthumb" Z., Maine, USA

Jeremy

Many years ago my husband's father brought home a pecan tree from
Mississippi (where he was born) We live in Zone 5 and everyone told
him how impossible it would be...never grow...even if it did grow it
would never produce pecans... Well...he just smiled and nodded...

Now (years later) in Pittsburgh, Indiana there stands a pecan tree
over 30 feet tall.

Carla (...going to plant Wisteria in Indiana...because I just came
back from a trip through Alabama...and it is SO beautiful...)

how long has it been producing nuts? Ingrid

C. Hurst wrote:
Now (years later) in Pittsburgh, Indiana there stands a pecan tree
over 30 feet tall.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
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endorsements or recommendations I make.

On Fri, 04 Apr 2003 14:08:52 GMT, wrote:

how long has it been producing nuts? Ingrid


The husband-person says he doesn't remember if it ever produced....

(oh...and the tree is in Pittsboro... my spell-check is confused...)

Carla

On Fri, 04 Apr 2003 13:09:52 GMT, C. Hurst wrote:

Carla (...going to plant Wisteria in Indiana...because I just came
back from a trip through Alabama...and it is SO beautiful...)

Yesterday I visited a local nursery, they had a bonsai on display. A
wisteria. About 2 1/2' tall by 4' wide. It was 25 years old and the
most beautiful bonsai I've ever seen.

Plants can connect us. When my mother was in her last year, she wanted to
give away her houseplants because she couldn't take care of them. That was
11 years ago and the single Sanseveria root I took is now a huge specimen
plants. When the middle school in which I worked decided to green up the
building, I took a cutting in and every time I saw the plant, I felt doubly
connected--one, to my mother, and two, to my mother-in-law because of the
common name of the plant--mother-in-law's tongue. When things got rough as
they can in a school, I found it comforting to see a bit of green from my
mother. Eugenia, zone 6, two towns west of Boston where the weather is
really mean and miserable today
"zhanataya" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 04 Apr 2003 13:09:52 GMT, C. Hurst wrote:

Carla (...going to plant Wisteria in Indiana...because I just came
back from a trip through Alabama...and it is SO beautiful...)

Yesterday I visited a local nursery, they had a bonsai on display. A
wisteria. About 2 1/2' tall by 4' wide. It was 25 years old and the
most beautiful bonsai I've ever seen.

On Sat, 5 Apr 2003 12:02:11 -0600, "harrison"
wrote:

Plants can connect us. When my mother was in her last year, she wanted to
give away her houseplants because she couldn't take care of them. That was
11 years ago and the single Sanseveria root I took is now a huge specimen
plants. When the middle school in which I worked decided to green up the
building, I took a cutting in and every time I saw the plant, I felt doubly
connected--one, to my mother, and two, to my mother-in-law because of the
common name of the plant--mother-in-law's tongue. When things got rough as
they can in a school, I found it comforting to see a bit of green from my
mother. Eugenia, zone 6, two towns west of Boston where the weather is
really mean and miserable today

Each time I take a cutting and try to get it to root I think of my
mother. I swear that woman could take a fallen oak leaf and wind up
with a tree. She also *talked* to her cuttings and plants, especially
her ivy and it nevr got spider mites.

Stephen go ahead, snort and laugh but don't say it. ;-)

zhan