We've been consumed with the greenhouse and went to TN for our holiday with dh's family. After the holidays I plan to do some serious seed sowing. Right now I just have some leaf lettuces started and they're already peaking up!!

Are you going to the Native Plant party? I was thinking about it, but just not prepared to do the plant thing right now. I might wait till they're having a regular meeting.

ncrescue- me too- i read every day and have noticed it's been very slow. bummer. wondered what everyone else's been doing, since i haven't been gardening much. it's too depressing to plant stuff when i can't water, and i've been too busy work wise. guess you'll just have to create some questions that you know the answers to. :) tammy

Well, someone did send me this: Q: How far down should we plant different bulbs? A: Don't worry about how deep to plant your bulbs as they have contractile roots and will pull themselves down to the proper depth. Actually, I knew this about Trilliums...and the fact that you should not leave them potted up for more than one season as they go so far down in the pot that, if we have rain (imagine that!) they could drown! In the mountains sometimes Trilliums are more than a foot down although not that deep usually around here. Maybe that is why they (and Bloodroot) can survive droughts? Does talking to oneself fall into that question/answer category you mentioned?

LOL! 'sok- i talk to myself an awful lot. you're just doing it in 'public'. :)

when i've been on rescues i didn't notice that bloodroot were particularly deep rooted, but trout lilies sure are, and trilliums (except cuneatum) are a bear to dig. i found trout lilies were easiest to dig towards the bottom of a fairly moist slope, where they seem to not root in as deep. since i dug most of my bloodroot on steep slopes, i wonder if it goes deeper on flats and i just lucked out? makes sense about why they are so drought tolerant when they are so deep.

I have another problem all together besides the lack of rain - my flowerbeds are full (think: Taco Bell commercials where the guy yells to the heavens "I'm Full!!). Things have got to die before I can squeeze anything more in. As wrong as it may be during this dry time of year, I plan on digging up and moving things around.

I grow most of the bushes in areas that are covered with landscape fabric and mulched (thin layer to keep down the weeds). In front of those areas I have small flowerbeds where I planned on growing perennials and annuals. Over time some small rooted cuttings I got from the swaps (like the little spirea from Rootdigger) ended up living there and now they are well on their way to taking over the space. So I gots ta rework the beds and divide a few things and move a lot of things.

It would be nice to have a plan but it just seems that every year is different so there is no way to predict what will do well or fail.

There is no plan for me. The Extension agent here said I did not have any landscape plan because I was a "collector." This made me feel so much better about my haphazard way with plants! See, with a label/title one gains status. And TJohn, I have only been at this for a few years, so none of my plants have outgrown their area yet. Oh, Sat. I had a great day because I was able to buy some great rocks at a reduced price. Most women want diamonds for Christmas, but rocks for the garden just thrill me more.

Well, I can't talk about plants right now, but I can share with you that my 87 year old mother has just flipped out over my worms in the basement. She has known about them since I've had them, about three years, always wrinkled her nose. After watching me tear cereal boxes, toilet paper cores, etc while 'watching' tv, she offered to tear some (Tom Sawyer at work here). After a few days (she's spending 2 months with us) she got curious about where the bits were going. I said to the compost pile or the worms. Then she got real curious and said, well I want to see what you do with them. Me: 'well, I'm on the way to the worms now, so come on.'

They charmed her socks off. Now she tells everybody about this.

what a great story carole! that's about how i won over my very squeamish daycare lady about raising black swallowtail caterpillars (i gave her a few chrysalises to watch hatch first, heh heh). my kids are long gone, yet she still calls me yearly for advice with her colony, etc. i planted that seed with livian's teachers this year, too- to the point the want to have a butterfly garden behind the school. because liv is in 5th grade, i'll never get to see it do much, but will certainy help them start it.

i've been meaning to start a worm farm, and just haven't gotten 'round to it yet. it's a great idea. i have a feeling my kids would raid the worms for fishing and to feed the turtles, though. :)

my gardens haven't been very well planned, either. and even the parts i did plan some have changed drastically as the years wear on. i tend to go by the seat of my pants. i am TRYING to be better once i start planting in the back about thinking about long term spacing, priorities, sun & such. we'll see if i succeed. the problem is i never seem to find/make time to do the plans.

Hi ncrescue,

I have trout lilies all over my property (transylvania county) and they seem to be rooted rather shallow. In fact, when I was trying to dig a few bulbs I was looking too deep. The property was "developed" about 6 years ago but I don't believe that area had soil removed or anything.

Where do you do rescues? I love natives but since moving from IL have had to learn a lot. I know a fair amount about woodlands but know much more about prairie plants. Doesn't do me a lot of good here in the mountains :)

Jeanne

We had a nice plant walk today at Salem Lake. I learned a couple plant names! Way cool! Now if I can just learn to pronounce them, lol.

Jeanne, Trout lilies in the Piedmont seem to grow to a depth that the soil allows, i.e., in good soil they grow deep, but in heavy clay they are not so deep. I have not dug any of them in the mts. so I don't know up there...but other small plants such as dentarias have been close to the surface. We dig all over the state, where ever we can get permission from a developer or other landowner. For me it is mainly in the Piedmont although once in a while in the mts. Of course, many areas no longer have any plants to speak of as they are old farm land with the natives long ago destroyed. Sometimes I am surprised at what we have found in a small corner, such as on a steep hillside where the farmers could not plant and the animals could not graze. I occasionally drive through the Nantahala on my way to Chattanooga and last spring stopped for a picnic lunch alongside the river...found one lonely trillium in all of the invasive aliens and trash. I am sure there are other areas that have lots of plants there near you. If you know of any place that "needs" a rescue, please let us know and help us get permission. I don't know any of the developers in Transylvania but I bet there are some great sites there. Rootdigger, glad you enjoyed the hike. We'll try to return when it is warmer so that, if you fall into the creek, you won't freeze. Oh, collected some Sarracenia seeds yesterday but read that once planted they have to be kept moist, so I am not sure if winter sowing will work for them. Also collected some Rhexia but they are listed in the "moderately difficult" category, too. When you arrange a seed swap, I will bring some.

LOL, ncrescue... I'm pretty sure footed on level ground, but been a while since I did the off road terrain romping! Between that and my right knee (arthritis from an injury) I had visions of myself going head first into the drink. The mental image of that is enough to make ya gigglesnort! Mr. RD (had he been there) would have been ROGLing and no help at all! As it is I have muscles aching that I'd forgotten about. I'm sure that was a very mild walk compared to some you all do. I have to get in better shape (and some hiking shoes, lol) so I can do the scrambling billy goat thing and keep up with the rest of you! ;D

Here's a good link on the Sarracenia. I had seeds from mine a couple years ago but I'm not sure what I did with them. Last year that late freeze we had zapped the bloom.

Here is a link that might be useful: Sarracenia