The time has come, says I, to talk of many things in Faerie Holler.....A
long time has gone past since I spoke casually and of horticultural
things. Gardenese will be spoken here, let those who aren't comfortable
with the mixtures of both Latin and common names bow out now in this
chat with my wide assortment of most notable and lurking fellow
gardeners. Stewards of our own little patch, be it the simple thriving
houseplant, container or full blown garden that covers acres. I wanted
to just jump in and have an update with those of you who don't know me
and might find something I'm talking about interesting or questionable,
and those who lurk or stand out in the open and wait for me to spew more
"rambles". I just wanna talk to you guys about the going's on in
Faerie Holler.

It's been quite awhile since I went into a detailed talk, but I finally
got the foot outa my mouth, and me head unwedged. Too much has gone
behind me that were briefly wondrous, and inspired me to start writing
to tell you. But as it's wont to do, time slipped past me and despite
that the images were still there as sharp as when I first was inspired
to write to you all, the moments were gone and the season had slipped
by. Now it's approaching true summer, and here in Eastern Tennessee,
we're experiencing a year that has a ring of garden truth or should I
say, familiarity in it to me.

And now, even later, Spring has all but careened past me, Summer
Solstice is but a few days away, things have cranked up to mach speed,
drought has gripped the Southeastern portion of where I live, Faerie
Holler is desperately parched, perennials tended by sulking fairies and
a few treasures tucked into the many, many various containers are
struggling with the extreme desert climates because I've been too
emotionally distracted to even go outside in the upper 80o and lower 90o
weather to do more than nozzle the droopers......Bear with me, please
friends.

Those who pay close attention to the changes of the season, don't tend
to let others who squawk and run around crying "global warming!
Pollution! dwindling resources! doom and gloom and the world sucks now,
don't it?" affect them. At least I don't think that we do. I certainly
don't.

We just went through the Southeastern examples of this, this time of how
life is when there's an El Nino, and now we're at the fore-front of the
beginnings of his sister, La Nina. The last time we had this that I
paid closer attentions to, was just a few years ago when I relocated
here to Eastern Tennessee, and before that, I remember the same
occurrences in Nashville. When I were gardening in Denver, it was a
totally different thing for me and despite that I adapted quickly (as I
think ALL serious gardeners are able to do, by the way) I knew more the
seasons of Tennessee. I am a Tennessee girl. A Tennessee woman of the
land. I love the land, and the creatures that reside here with me in
the place I call my home. Be it in an apartment on the second floor of
government rentals for military and just po' folks from all over, that
had windows that faced southwards and where I learned my cactus plants
thrived and flourished, and also remembering, then,back to that time of
my grand mammy growing cactus pieces in one of the houses I remembered
her living in, that she kept in her parlor to absorb the sunlight.

As is the case in older Southern houses, the parlor sat in the front
and was for company only and the sunniest room. (warning, this is a
huge tangent alert here-)

And come to think about it now, as a pondering older woman with very
clear and fond memories of those days long, long years past, I bet that
if I asked my Aunt Jean, who is the baby girl of her family of ten older
siblings, of which the oldest sister, Pearline, of whom I've spoken to
you here many many times as being the REAL inspiration and passer on of
treasured and wonderful abilities to grow and nurture things to thrive
and make even more to share, to me (it's a very contagious disease, this
gardening affliction). I bet, that if I asked my Aunt Jean, it was
probably not Grand mammy who grew the cactus, (although I wish I'd
thought to ask Mammy when she were alive and always willing to talk to
me of her rich days past her).

It was most likely Pearline who grew them. Mammy probably got her
started, as she was the one who walked from Tennessee behind a covered
wagon with Pearline at her breast, visiting her brother and his bride in
El Paso, Texas as a young woman of not even 16. So I'm sure she noticed
prickly things growing all along her route as they plodded with an
infant and might have taken some back as memento's. One has to wax
romantic sometimes.

Since I started this, I've confirmed my speculations in regards to the
growing of prickly things. The consensus is back and we both agree (my
Aunt Jean and myself) that most likely, the person growing the cactus in
my childhood memories was Pearline. I've also gotten a bit of filling
out in other names and memories as well as the ones I already have.
I've gone down a tangent moment and need to come back to the path I was
previously on...grab a glass of sweet iced tea and join me back in
parched Faerie Holler.

This spring was familiar to me as a gardener,as a woman who has taken
notice of things in a gardening awareness. Dry, very dry. Extreme
swings of warmth that was unseasonal. I've been here before, the
fairies whisper. And done it. Then a cold snap, but it's been quite
awhile since a hard cold snap like those I remember as a younger woman
like that of what we had this year. Damage that was extensive, but that
reminded me that, no matter what, Mom's Nature would do as she damn well
pleased. We cannot control the climate or the weather or most of Nature
around us, no matter how hard we try. That bitter snap wasn't so much
cold in depth as it was horrendous to tender growth on EVERYTHING that
was foolish to grow with the unseasonable lunge of twigs, leaves and
such. Even the stalwart oaks and hackberry trees were caught by
surprise. Devastating damage everywhere.

The winter didn't have enough snow, but despite that, my Hellebore
were grand. The best year ever, and the late winter starts were just
getting really cranked up when the warm spell shot them into overdrive,
and then back to a more brutal cold spell which robbed me of things I
enjoyed last year. Never mind, I captured the images on my digital
camera and they live in a folder that is labeled "February 2005, or 2004".

Now the extreme damage that the hard freeze did to the tender and too
early shoots of everything are recovering and making tentative new
growth. The perennials have bounced back hard. The trees were hit hard
and some have already foolishly filled out. No time to waste. But the
shrubs and some trees were cautiously putting out new growth. A revered
ginko tree in town that I fell in love with the first time I discovered
it. I thought it truly dead. But one day when visiting the post office,
I looked at the double trunks of it rising above the whole town sitting
at the front of an old empty school, and saw little green fans. My
heart had lifted when I saw this. Nature rebounds, even if slowly and
tentatively.

The yards that I passed on my way into this small, yet growing town of
over 236 years, had old, ancient peony bushes in full blousy form.
Their blossoms reminding you of rich, oily Ponds facial cream that our
mama's and grandmama's and aunties wore to cleanse their faces and make
their skin look younger. My friend, Ethyl, has such a magnificent bush.
And she also had a revered deep pink one as well. My own rhizome that
Mary Emma gave me has grudgingly given me one knobby ball that will open
when it damn well opens. The Quinces were amazing in the old yards this
year too. Dogwoods and redbuds and tulips and candytuft and creeping
spring phlox and daffs were all blooming at the same time here this
year. It was spooky to see them all in agreement as they burst from the
ground like speed freaks.

Lilacs were setting buds too early. My shrubby magnolia's were blooming.
Virginia bluebells were cranking out way too soon and when the cold
returned, they held firm, flagging only a little. The hard ass plant I
spotted from the nook deck has turned out to be the woods poppy with its
yellow flowers that entice anything that pollinates. Bev's
(Pottingshed) "taters" or old fashioned English bluebells or woods
hyacinths were in full regalia this year, when everything was flattened
by the cold and freeze, they rose afterwards and blew my mind one day as
I looked underneath the chilled boughs of the black cherry and saw sky
blue in a mass almost suspended. It drew me quickly and I was taken
first by the sight of almost magical blue sky underneath a tree, and
then the rich scent of the flowers on thick silly stems and the sprawled
leaves below. Hyacinth but sweeter and not making the nose itch with
the smell like some of the hyacinths.

Then the redbuds were done, the dogwoods had burnt leaves and new leaves
on the same twigs and stems. My crape myrtle had been singed as had a
lot of things around here, and one I had given up on. Today, when I
brought it to Ethyl to take back to the orange box, we both discovered
leaves poking at the bottom as it was shouting "don't take me back, cut
me and prune me and plant me in a large pot with rich soil and I'll
prove how neat I will be when I regrow!" I put it back into the back of
the van, and thanks to Ethyl's encouraging, and also just recently
discovering that not only do I have "SPS" or Sticky Pot Syndrome, but I
also have OCTS, or Obsessive Collecting Tendency Syndrome.

This disease was brought to my attentions by the contributors write
up about other garden writers and saw David Burdick's in the
contributors and masthead of Horticulture Magazine. Apparently he has
been in the horticultural industry for well over 30 years of his life,
and since this malady has plagued him for all of that, he also mentions
that he recently contracted the very virulent strain that produces the
"yellow fever" associated with the bulbs. Specifically the Narcissus.
This is the man who runs Daffodils & More, and I loved the description
of his catalog that were sources of infection for all of his maladies.
Fits me and us to a "T".

There are those of us who suffer from "Sticky Pot Syndrome" which was
brought to our attentions by dearly departed "Brudder John" a few years
back. But I more than agreed that I defiantly had OCTS.......I have
counted about six or so varieties of spirea. Five kinds of Viburnum, or
six? I have two kinds of magnolia, nine or more varieties of sanseveria
(mother in law tongue, seven or more varieties of euphorbia, and there's
probably more than that when I start counting deliberately. Various
assorted types of hemerocalis, five kinds of iris......four kinds of
hydrangea, maybe five. Two kinds of ninebark, this OCTS is a terminal
virulent strain that has no antibody or resistance. And I'd not have it
any other way. We won't even talk about the wide variety of cacti and
succulents I still have surviving, despite the dry and too warm climate
of the house. g

So here we are, let me get you another glass of icy sweet iced tea. It
might not be sweet enough for you, so there's ground up turbinado (raw)
sugar in the bowl to sweeten it to your preferences. No lemons, but I
will get a few just to have to add a bit of twang to the sweet iced tea.
I need to go to the Fart of Wall and get a box of wide mouth quart
canning jars for iced tea glasses. I'm down to one good one and my
glass mug that is two ounces short of a British pint......Are your
sandals strapped on good? The yard gets a bit steep, and you'll have to
ignore the tall grassy stuff in the paths. I don't have a working
lawnmower and the weed eater is resisting me as well.

It's a bit weedy looking this year, and you'll be careful to steer clear
of the clutches of the rabid and evil vinca major that is boiling up and
rising to wrap tendrils and vines around the trumpet vines that are just
now recovering from the hard freeze. It's smothered the last of my
beloved Zebra grass from Shelby Park in Nashville, and you can barely
see the stalks of the kerria japonica flora pleno that Ethyl gave me
last year that was blooming until the freeze.

It's come back strong, but I need to just sit on a bucket and cut it
back and work on digging each clump out with an asparagus digger and
tossed. I actually have someone who WANTS plugs of vinca major. I'm
really reluctant to give them to her. It's not as tenacious as kudzu,
but it's bad enough.....

The perennials are back, and since we'd now had a touch of
"Blackberry Winter" which means temperatures not quite freezing when all
the wild blackberries are blooming in the pastures and ditches and edges
of woods, things are parched and not growing as rapidly as usual.

The catnip in the galvanized tub with the hole in it is blooming, but
the vinca threatens it's cascading beauty. We both spot the volunteer
trumpet vine growin' in the middle of the bed, where are my pliers??
You can't just pull those out, they are rooted into Pen's territory down
in Australia..Can't have that, now, can we? The heat had the trout
lilies, which was a shame, and I see I need to place a grid over the
Herbsonne Rudbeckia before it starts stretching necks to make flowers.
Too late! They are already past where the grid's would have steered them.

Quanzo daylilies jumped out of the bed, and I see a dark purple blue
tradescantia or spiderwort has volunteered to taste the path soils with
the daylilies. Transplant time! The pot of mums that return every year
need whacking already or they'll bloom the first week of June. (they
haven't because of the droughts) Heuchera pots are thriving, and I've
not put the goldfish out yet. Heck, I've only just pulled most of the
cactus outside and still have a few pots yet to stage on the deck and
balcony. The Quanzo daylilies with contrasts of pirkle and the slender
hint of "Black and Blue" Salvia tease at you as you look at the chaos of
the overgrowths. Do you see that there are spaces to be filled by
departed former residents? Hmmmm, wonder if instead of planting the
daylilies in pots, I should plug them into the holes instead? But there
is still vinca EVERYWHERE!

The candy striped tree peony was magnificent until the freeze, but the
things that suffered the most down on the first terrace garden was the
Kolkwitzia and Brudder John's Deutzia......oh well, next year. And yes,
that's a wild grape vine trying to establish in the Beautybush, where
are those pliers????? Now seemingly overnight, the 4's (Mirabilis) are
not only up, but lush and succulent and almost virile. The one that
sprang at the clump of Star of Bethlehem (Ornithogalum)is over four feet
tall and is pure yellow......the thick arthritic knees of it amazing,
and the yellow bugles opening at around 5 or 6 p.m. every evening now.
The magenta's that are more familiar are over five foot tall and in the
middle of the same bed surrounded by the triple Quanzo's with the
burgundy brush strokes at the throats of each petal. The Regal lilies
or "Dragon's" are almost done, their perfume scenting the air so much it
made squire weep when he passed them. Now the Yellowstone and
Shenandoah and Shiloh trumpet lilies are bulking up across the sidewalk.

Things got completely distractive at this point, and before I knew it,
another month has careened past, and I needed to desperately keep going.
That glass of tea has long been finished, and there's fresh in the
fridge, but things are changing here in Faerie Holler and the stretched
thin madgardener is more distracted than I've ever been in my life.
There is a wondrous tale to share with you all of a most remarkable
encounter and adventure with Ethyl and a new co-hort in horticultural
crimes on a mountain top that the resident lovingly calls Dancing
Winds......There are also tales to regale you of critter antics, and in
the midst of all these things that I will be sharing with you, I have to
tell you that I am crashing upon the shores of visual distress. At
least temporarily. But for the more serious news-

I have cataracts in both eyes, diagnosed only two weeks ago but during
the stressful weeks prior, was at angst to wonder why my right vision
was so horrible and so quick to deteriorate, and then the left one
shortly afterwards. The diagnosis came at the pinnacle of personal
turmoil and wonders still unfolding and unfurling,and it all combined to
overwhelm me, and in the midst of all THAT, we were locked in a drought
that has still left us staggering with deficiencies of moisture in the
minus 9 inch marks......

Before I hear the tender love from those who have suffered and cured
this malady, friends who commiserate and still love me and are
concerned, those who miss me and just want confirmations that I AM
alright... let me assure you that squire has insurance that will snip
these buggers out and leave me only needing prescription reading glasses
of corrective natures with transitional lenses to protect my orbs from
the sun's damage. June 25th, the worst culprit, the right cataract,
comes out and I will be pressed to sit and listen...... and not lift
more than a fart and not bend from my waist and heal and hope I'm not
the one in one hundred who go blind or hemorrhage or suffer detached
retina's but do just fine, which I am not worried in the least. You get
what you're dealt. I got the luck of the draw with luckily having the
kind of buggers that grow extremely fast. In two weeks, I can't barely
see to drive at night, so I don't, the glare of sunlight causes me to
not be able to identify wild flowers, and I have two trolls sitting on
my eyeballs causing me distractions that I don't want or need right now
with all the other drama's in my sordid and blessed life at the moment.

July 10th the left eye gets taken care of and after that, a new
appreciation for things that I never took for granted in the first place
but will possibly be insufferable once I do heal and share with you
all......and then I will be seeking employment again, and have less time
to appreciate the ongoing wonders of Faerie Holler, but I will find the
time and there will be more things yet to come......

Back on the garden path before my mind turns to Jello.......It's almost
Summer Solstice, we've had some spits and dribbles of rains. I can hear
the sizzling of the ground and the gasping throats of all the plants as
they gulp each drop. I went and stood out in the downpour this
afternoon and it cleansed my soul and skin and despite that the heat
pump's air conditioning went out last week and it's in the upper 90's
inside the house (warmer than OUTSIDE!!) I relished every drop as much
as the plants here in Faerie Holler. Nothing like seeing a fat little
old fairy dancing in the rains with that familiar braid down her back.....

The Frog Holler gathering spot has the white speckled goldfish and the
gold and black ones residing in the trough now. The lines need
cleaning, and the leak found, so the pump isn't running and the peaceful
noise of water coming out of the Greek woman's water urn is silent. The
leak is still a mystery and I don't need stressed frogs and fish. I see
the miniature crape myrtle needs serious pruning now that the freeze and
drought has determined the newly emerging shapes when I sit often on the
porch swing. The fig tree has lost all the early figs from the freeze
and the leaves are bursting into rapid shade, fingers reaching for the
southern and western sky. Possibly no figs at all this year.....we'll
see. I see stress signs on the Loripedilum, the variegated Weigelia is
angry at me next to the compost pile, the Oak Leaf Hydrangea is sulking
and making those odd flowers again, and I REALLY need to check on the
condition of all those assorted hydrangea's I planted together, move the
Harry Lauder's Walking stick (twisted filbert) out of the overgrown
"woods room" and search for signs of daddy's old fashioned Indian Shot
canna and Bengal Tiger canna's.

Sometime while I was sleeping, the orange sherbet Trumpet vine popped
flowers on the post near the gate that has become inundated by Vinca
major. The crape myrtles need serious whacking as the freeze damages
after those splits caused by the 17 year locusts three years ago show me
where to prune.. Where are them Japanese women's pruners at??? The
hummers returned in March......hunkered down during the
cold spells and are only now trilling with delight at the late spires of
Blue Enigna salvia. The pile of pulled money plants on the dogrun
beside the now closed cat window need dumping into the compost pile as
the seeds weren't allowed to become viable, and I need to rip out the
Dames Rockets now to keep them from reseeding in every pot. There are
daylilies to plant or plug into buckets......

This year's success story in regards to my assorted flying feathered
dinosaurs is that Mockingbirds adore year round suet. And the
red-headed woodpecker has brought his two kids to the triple suet cage
to sit and wait for the Mockingbird, Bluejay, and Cardinals to knosch.
Titmouse, wrens, Towhee's, finches of three varieties and once, a rare
encounter by an Eastern Bluebird wowed me just outside my bedroom
window. The mobile windchimes are great carnival rides for the smaller
birds as they twitter around my window under the eaves of the overhang
that covers the dogrun. And all that additional bird guano is making
the Heavy Metal grass thrive since I placed a grid over it in February
to train it upright. (at least I did ONE thing right! g)

The Crispa spirea is beautiful. Red monarda reminds me I call them
lovingly "Jesters" as they poke up in the middle of the Frakartii aster
bed. Behind the front bed over from the Heavy Metal miscanthus, the
pinkish purple monarda are silly little hats and light up the back of
the bed under my bedroom window. Goldenrod beseech me to prune them
quickly to split and double. Purple loosestrife reminds me it's time
for the Japs to descend upon my gardens in frenzied feasts. Mary Emma's
white and pink striped towering phlox has reseeded next to the
loosestrife, and the original clump hasn't opened yet, but the mother
plant I forgot to whack and it's blooming.... Triple Quanzo daylilies
pop open all over, odd and amazing treasures struggle through the stress
and overgrowth from Virginia Davis' generosity of daylilies. I have a
garden cart full of desperately needing plugging into container's--
daylilies from the adventures of two weeks past.........(later on that
in another post, I promise). I need to diligently watch for those
blister beetles who will devour to bones all my fall anemones.....and
there are distractions galore to keep me behind.

All my cactus are outside now,I miss the ones I adored who bloomed in
amazing ways... all houseplants with exception to the black
leafed philodendrum that will live on the counter top of the "window" in
the kitchen/living room wall and enjoy the bright indirect light from
the huge living room south window are outside now in various places, but
not quite where I really want them to be. Their placements were hasty.
I think seriously about the demise of a large split leaf shrub phil
just to have the pot and container and it weighs so much and lost half
it's leaves this winter. Outside the nook door with the
broken screen that Sugar shoved out a corner to chase the neighbor's
inbred cat back into her side of the ridge, the ethereal white
Astilbe-like flowers of the Sorbaria reach through the metal grids and
tease at you as you try to pass them. A variegated Fallopia has
sprouted in the space between the planks of the nook deck and post that
youngest son put up and I've cut it once, it's split and insists it
needs attention as you pass it to come inside the house. Bhe cream and
green compliment the frothy and teensy flowers and if you look closely,
you'll spot a stray hint of dark blue from the one small clump of Blue
Enigma.

I lost almost all the azalea's but no time to grieve for them. My grief
is replaced by the promises of small but determined seedlings of
Harlequin Glory Bowers, and despite that they are in the path of the
NSSG (Not So Secret Garden), I am not lifting them until they prove they
are hardy and hale. THEN I'll lift them to pot up and grow to plantable
size. Perennial and returning begonias are EVERYWHERE, and the Pink
chimes Snowbell refuses to waiver in it's own fight in a container that
has suffered from drought and neglect just out of my cloudy sights. My
moods have kept my soul from wandering the paths and enjoying
everything, and now I realize it's more than the clouding of my eyes
that has kept me from my other love and healing place.

Porcelain vine has regenerated finally, the Jackmanii gave me 15
blossoms, and the St. John's Wort bush has had some rough cracking off
of dead branches and is now blooming little powder puff yellow flowers
that attract the tiniest little fairies to come dance and play. Tough
hosta's from last year's excursion and purchases have returned to
surprise me with light and textures underneath the black cherry gardens.
Brudder John's memorial container pot has saddened me. The Valley
Valentine pieris has succumbed to the whole experience and is almost
gone, so I will lift it and put something more hardy in there. It's what
he'd do.....

There are less wasps and more butterflies and moths..hmmmm, there's a
sign there.........my fights with the wood boring bees has left me
feeling strange, they pollinate as well, but their rain of sawdust every
time I opened the screen door was getting on my nerves. And didja notice
how much the climbing hydrangea has taken to the corner nook of the
chimney and nook deck? I wonder if this is a mistake?? And careful of
the railing, I've once again crammed pots of all sizes upon it with
perennials, cacti, and assorted African bulbs. This is the second
blooming of the Blood Lilies!!

No, those aren't empty pots nestled under the emerging Sorbaria
blossoms, they house the slumbering Colchicum's (fall blooming crocus.)**

My desire for a Carolina Jasamine met with foolish attempts as I
succumbed to the mislabeling of a nice specimen at Lowes and it died
deader than my grand paw. I will return it with Brudder John's pieris
and get credit to do horticultural endeavors as sticky pot funds are
tight right now and almost non-existent. But there was the day that
Ethyl convinced me to check out the big orange Box (Depraived) and
locate the Golden Anniversary lamium and of five plants, only one has
croaked.......And those sempervivums that I just HAD to have? The two
pots in the earth containers that Mary Emma gave me are thriving, the
Armeria died, but the yarrow and sedums and semps are just fine. I'll
replace the Armeria with another sedum and not give it another
thought.....or maybe plant those fall crocus (colchicums) in the bare
spaces on the ends and be mildly surprised when they bloom in the late
summer/fall??** gbseg

There is more, and more and more, but I will stop and leave you hanging
for the moment. It's quiet and the rains are dribbling and I hear the
singing in rejoicing from the frogs in the BBQ holler accompanied by the
drips of rain drops. The humidity is welcome despite the heat of the
house from no cooling system. The fans work just fine......All the
tropicals and Pen's clivia's may have forgiven me for not remembering
them on the north balcony and they got a drenching rain tonight...I need
to combine them into one huge pot--

Below the balcony, I see thousands of money plant disks as they are
getting ready to seed a crop that will amaze and awe me next springtime
if I am still here in Faerie Holler to appreciate it. And that's where
I will leave you. I promise I WILL return and talk to you of little
chewing dogs, calves and Sugar, Smeagol and all things faerie and
horticultural, including the teaser about Dancing Winds and the master
of the hilltop. There are sad updates about my dear Mary Wine, matriarch
of the hill top, tales of flying feathered dinosaurs and new feeders,
and all sorts of things yet to come and be revealed. Thanks for allowing
me the time to share.

Ever your gardening loony neighbor.......

madgardener, up on the humid but slightly moist ridge, back in still
parched Faerie Holler overlooking a hazy English Mountain in Eastern
Tennessee, zone 7, Sunset zone 36

"madgardener" wrote in message
...
The time has come, says I, to talk of many things in Faerie Holler.....A
snip even MORE rambling


Yawn.................

So to sum up...you're bored, in a sunny area and Merkin.

Hmmmmmmmmmm.......

On 20/6/07 07:27, in article ,
"Charlie" Charlie wrote:

On Wed, 20 Jun 2007 00:59:39 -0400, madgardener
wrote:

The time has come, says I, to talk of many things in Faerie Holler.....A
long time has gone past since I spoke casually and of horticultural
things. Gardenese will be spoken here, let those who aren't comfortable
with the mixtures of both Latin and common names bow out now in this
chat with my wide assortment of most notable and lurking fellow
gardeners. Stewards of our own little patch, be it the simple thriving
houseplant, container or full blown garden that covers acres. I wanted
to just jump in and have an update with those of you who don't know me
and might find something I'm talking about interesting or questionable,
and those who lurk or stand out in the open and wait for me to spew more
"rambles". I just wanna talk to you guys about the going's on in
Faerie Holler.

Nice Ramble, nice style, thoroughly enjoyable read.

Thanks, Maddie

Care and luck with the eyes
Charlie

I agree. I love Maddie's rambles and feel as if I'm in her garden with her,
while I'm reading them.

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
(remove weeds from address)

In message , madgardener
writes
Below the balcony, I see thousands of money plant disks as they are
getting ready to seed a crop that will amaze and awe me next springtime
if I am still here in Faerie Holler to appreciate it. And that's where
I will leave you. I promise I WILL return and talk to you of little
chewing dogs, calves and Sugar, Smeagol and all things faerie and
horticultural, including the teaser about Dancing Winds and the master
of the hilltop. There are sad updates about my dear Mary Wine,
matriarch
of the hill top, tales of flying feathered dinosaurs and new feeders,
and all sorts of things yet to come and be revealed. Thanks for
allowing
me the time to share.

Ever your gardening loony neighbor.......

Thanks for this, Maddie - it was lovely, as always, to wander about with
you. Thinking about you though ... and here's hoping for an even more
magical Fairie Hollow when you're finished with all this. Keep us posted
when you can!

--
Klara, Gatwick basin

R wrote:
"madgardener" wrote in message
...
The time has come, says I, to talk of many things in Faerie Holler.....A
snip even MORE rambling


Yawn.................

So to sum up...you're bored, in a sunny area and Merkin.

Hmmmmmmmmmm.......


honey, you don't know me, do ya? I'm NEVER bored! LOL..........
maddie

Charlie wrote:
On Wed, 20 Jun 2007 00:59:39 -0400, madgardener
wrote:

The time has come, says I, to talk of many things in Faerie Holler.....A
long time has gone past since I spoke casually and of horticultural
things. SNIPPING AND PRUNING EVEN MORE
Nice Ramble, nice style, thoroughly enjoyable read.

Thanks, Maddie

Care and luck with the eyes
Charlie
thanks Charlie........this "ramblin'" style of writing has been my
signature for over 11 years now (more actually, as I've written since I
was 10) I appreciate the good thoughts. These are the only peepers I
have and I never didn't appreciate them........(worn glasses since I was 5)
maddie going outside today after the RAIN and at least toe all those
daylilies into containers................................

Sacha wrote:
On 20/6/07 07:27, in article ,
"Charlie" Charlie wrote:
sounds
of pruning
Nice Ramble, nice style, thoroughly enjoyable read.

Thanks, Maddie

Care and luck with the eyes
Charlie

I agree. I love Maddie's rambles and feel as if I'm in her garden with her,
while I'm reading them.


do you need a refill on the sweet iced tea, Sacha?? gbseg it's been
a long time, lady.........good to be back-
maddie

Klara wrote:
In message , madgardener writes
Below the balcony,snip snip snip
Ever your gardening loony neighbor.......

Thanks for this, Maddie - it was lovely, as always, to wander about with
you. Thinking about you though ... and here's hoping for an even more
magical Fairie Hollow when you're finished with all this. Keep us posted
when you can!
I certainly will Klara, I promise....what more does I have to do after the first surgery but to quietly heal?
I know the faeries will be kind and gentle with me......
maddie

On 20/6/07 13:19, in article ,
"madgardener" wrote:

Sacha wrote:
On 20/6/07 07:27, in article ,
"Charlie" Charlie wrote:
sounds
of pruning
Nice Ramble, nice style, thoroughly enjoyable read.

Thanks, Maddie

Care and luck with the eyes
Charlie

I agree. I love Maddie's rambles and feel as if I'm in her garden with her,
while I'm reading them.


do you need a refill on the sweet iced tea, Sacha?? gbseg it's been
a long time, lady.........good to be back-
maddie

Do you know, I've never had iced tea! How do you make it? Not too OT, I
hope as many of us grow Camellias. ;-))

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
(remove weeds from address)

Sacha wrote:

I agree. I love Maddie's rambles and feel as if I'm in her garden with her,
while I'm reading them.

do you need a refill on the sweet iced tea, Sacha?? gbseg it's been
a long time, lady.........good to be back-
maddie

Do you know, I've never had iced tea! How do you make it? Not too OT, I
hope as many of us grow Camellias. ;-))


REALLY??? Well let me give you a short and sweet bit. You gotta make
at least a half gallon of tea. (64 ounces) with about an ounce of black
and orange peko tea in a bag. (I've done this with raspberry tea as
well)as opposed to 80 ounces.......the tea bags that we get in the US
are made specifically for iced tea, so you might need to double up. I
tend to make it very strong anyway. You can't read through my iced tea!
LOL Soooooo, boil the kettle and get it rolling. I pour my boiled
water into a glass pickle jar that can take the heat to brew and steep.
I make my sweet iced tea by the gallon, so I boil just over
three British pints and pour it into the glass jar, then put the tea
bags into it. I have restaurant sized bags that have about an ounce of
tea in it. When I don't have the restaurant sized bags (which are a
luxury for me) I use "Family" sized bags, which equates to two or three
regular sized tea bags I suppose..... I discovered that they explode
when the boiling water is poured over them. Sooooo, I steep the bags
until there's not a drip of tea left, then squeeze the bag out and toss
into my compost can on the counter. I let it steep until it's cold.
Then for a gallon of tea, I put one cup of sugar to sweeten it. Not too
sweet, just right. I tend to top off the gallon after I dissolve the
sugar with cold water and pour over ice and a large wedge of lemon when
I have it.....and there you go! (how are your Camelia's anyway? What
color are they?? LOL
maddie

On 20/6/07 17:22, in article , "madgardener"
wrote:

Sacha wrote:

I agree. I love Maddie's rambles and feel as if I'm in her garden with
her,
while I'm reading them.

do you need a refill on the sweet iced tea, Sacha?? gbseg it's been
a long time, lady.........good to be back-
maddie

Do you know, I've never had iced tea! How do you make it? Not too OT, I
hope as many of us grow Camellias. ;-))


REALLY??? Well let me give you a short and sweet bit. You gotta make
at least a half gallon of tea. (64 ounces) with about an ounce of black
and orange peko tea in a bag. (I've done this with raspberry tea as
well)as opposed to 80 ounces.......the tea bags that we get in the US
are made specifically for iced tea, so you might need to double up.
snip

Thanks for this, Maddie. Next time (IF) we get a spell of hot weather, I'm
going to try that. I've tried iced coffee for the nursery staff when it's
been very hot but it's not a favourite! OTOH, they all love their afternoon
tea, so we'll try this and see how it goes down.
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
(remove weeds from address)

In message , Sacha
writes
REALLY??? Well let me give you a short and sweet bit. You gotta make
at least a half gallon of tea. (64 ounces) with about an ounce of black
and orange peko tea in a bag. (I've done this with raspberry tea as
well)as opposed to 80 ounces.......the tea bags that we get in the US
are made specifically for iced tea, so you might need to double up.
snip

Thanks for this, Maddie. Next time (IF) we get a spell of hot weather,
I'm going to try that. I've tried iced coffee for the nursery staff
when it's been very hot but it's not a favourite! OTOH, they all love
their afternoon tea, so we'll try this and see how it goes down.

Somehow I doubt it, Sacha: iced coffee is still basically coffee; iced
lemon tea is nothing like a standard afternoon cuppa*. Lovely, though.
Have you tried them on Camp with water, ice, and milk? Our girls used to
love that, and I often make it when it's hot and I don't want to take
the time to make coffee....

(*note to Maddie: cuppa is English slang for a cup of tea, always with
milk....)


--
Klara, Gatwick basin

On 21/6/07 10:10, in article , "Klara"
wrote:

In message , Sacha
writes
REALLY??? Well let me give you a short and sweet bit. You gotta make
at least a half gallon of tea. (64 ounces) with about an ounce of black
and orange peko tea in a bag. (I've done this with raspberry tea as
well)as opposed to 80 ounces.......the tea bags that we get in the US
are made specifically for iced tea, so you might need to double up.
snip

Thanks for this, Maddie. Next time (IF) we get a spell of hot weather,
I'm going to try that. I've tried iced coffee for the nursery staff
when it's been very hot but it's not a favourite! OTOH, they all love
their afternoon tea, so we'll try this and see how it goes down.

Somehow I doubt it, Sacha: iced coffee is still basically coffee; iced
lemon tea is nothing like a standard afternoon cuppa*. Lovely, though.
Have you tried them on Camp with water, ice, and milk? Our girls used to
love that, and I often make it when it's hot and I don't want to take
the time to make coffee....

No, haven't used Camp coffee for years myself, though it's one of the
ingredients of coffee cake in the tea room! Good idea.

(*note to Maddie: cuppa is English slang for a cup of tea, always with
milk....)


Unless it's Earl Grey, in which case it's dishwater with a slice of lemon.
;-) I don't suppose that really constitutes a cuppa, though!
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
(remove weeds from address)

On Jun 20, 12:59 am, madgardener wrote:
The time has come, says I, to talk of many things in Faerie Holler.....

Hey Maddie! Good Wright!!! My garden is not quite as full as
yours(not by a longshot), but I do have veggies appearing. Zuchs,
yellow squash are both producing now, stringbeans to be picked for
tonight's dinner, and would you believe it - the peas are just now
producing and will have some by the weekend. Tomatoes are coming on
strong - three are squash ball size. Lots of cukes appearing on the
vines and the sugar baby watermelons are tiny little ball as are the
cantalopes. Keep having to add straw to the potatoes in the bushel
baskets. Most of the veggies are being grown in a raised bed 12'X4",
12"deep on one end and 6" deep on the other. Very intensive
plantings where the beans and cukes are crawling all over the tomatoes
and each other!

Loved your ramble! I still have baby hemlock trees for you when you
are ready!

Klara wrote:
In message , Sacha
writes
REALLY??? Well let me give you a short and sweet bit.
snip

Thanks for this, Maddie.

Somehow I doubt it, Sacha: iced coffee is still basically coffee; iced
lemon tea is nothing like a standard afternoon cuppa*. Lovely, though.
Have you tried them on Camp with water, ice, and milk? Our girls used to
love that, and I often make it when it's hot and I don't want to take
the time to make coffee....

(*note to Maddie: cuppa is English slang for a cup of tea, always with
milk....)

ahhhhh, so that is what me Englishman means when he speaks of a
cuppa..........and for you ladies across the pond, I've been taking my
morning glass mugs of hot, strong (two tea bags of Lipton, funds aren't
available to afford anything better, sadly)tea with a spoon of ground
turbanado sugar (raw sugar I put in the coffee grinder to make last
longer and dissolve quicker) and a slash of half and half. My glass mug
isn't quite an English pint (18 ounces as opposed to 20) but it starts
me day off well. I've taken up this habit since someone dear to me
suggested I try it when I was feeling a bit clogged and poorly. It
worked! But now, since I DO live in Eastern Tennessee where the
waitresses accents are thicker'n cold treakle on a February morning,
they look at me funny when I ask for a cup of hot tea AND sweet iced tea
with extra lemon...........hey, I never claimed to be quite normal!LOL
By the way, on a gardening note............my monarda in the front bed
comes in two colors this year, and once again I'm reminded why I love
and smile at them so. Silly looking little tough things. Ooops, the
kettle is singing, time for my morning cuppa! (seriously!) and a hot
toasted slice of raisin bread with a smear of cream cheese and a handful
of red seedless grapes to round it off.....then outside and tuck in some
more daylilies into pots since I can't decide where to put the treasures
I got a couple of weeks ago at Dancing Winds....thanks ladies for
chatting with me. If you could get to the binaries newsgroup you could
see the faces of the hemerocalis I got. They are awesome. Gonna cut
the foliage back and the stems too, and plant them into pots and have
them regenerate the rest of the summer. Just a little horticultural
notation there, ya know...........gbseg later ladies!
madgardener up on the ridge, back in Faerie Holler, overlooking English
MOuntian in EAstern TEnnessee, zone 7, Sunset growing zone 36 where it's
HAZY.............and SOLSTICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!