GardenArtist Posted September 2015
Gardening as therapy.
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I get no respect for my needs!
Stacey, I've never ever heard of a monkey tree so I had to quickly check it out. It's a lovely evergreen but the thorns are incredible - they must be 3 -4" long!
As I suspected, it's not native to the US, but is to some South American countries. If you were in Washington DC, I'd suggest donating it to one of the South American country embassies since it would be a nice gesture for a tree that would complement their home country's native species.
But I see you're in Washington state, so.... some other suggestions:
1. Are there any arboretums or commercial gardens in your area? We have one at the Cranbrook Institute of Science, Matthaei Botanical Garden, and a Meijer (retail grocery store chain) garden.
A garden like this that charges admission would probably have funds to hire a landscaper to dig up and remove the tree, and they may even have suits of armor or something to protect them from the thorns. I'm sure they've dealt with armored trees before though and would know how to handle them. It might even involve wrapping a thickly padded tree quilt or something like that around the trunk.
2. Do the local libraries have gardens? Same situation except they may not have the funds unless the libraries are in more wealthy neighborhoods.
3. Call local landscapers and see if they want the tree. You might even be able to make an exchange for a tree that you'd like.
4. Last option is to post on Craigs' List, but I had too many unpleasant experiences with too many unsavory characters, so that's always a concern. In addition, I doubt if too many people would want to or know how to safely excavate a tree and protect the roots.
Anyone else have any suggestions? I'm sure I'm missing something - there must be a nice new home for this beautiful tree!
It sounds like you haves anoles...the nice looking lizards that have almost disappeared around my area in the last 20+ years. They aren't native here, but I don't know about for your area. Instead we have tons of what look like ancient ugly dinosaurs reduced to lizard size. They aren't smooth but rough, bumpy and gnarly with enlarged heads compared to anoles. They have rough skin with mixed colors that are unattractive. I'd gladly welcome the anoles back!
Please let us know what you name the cat and how your attempts at friendship work out. I hope it doesn't find something in your garden to munch on too much.
Cute doggy! We used to have a monkey puzzle tree, too. It was about 30-35 ft. tall and was pruned so that the prickly branches were trimmed higher than we could reach. We only had to deal with the thorns when a limb fell and thank goodness! We had other tall trees so it wasn't the only tall tree. I have no idea to add to help you get rid of your tree, sorry. At least there are lots of good ideas already.
The rest of your garden sounds interesting and beautiful. I'm glad you get to sit out and enjoy it. I would do that more but we seem to have 2 seasons, summer, summer, summer and winter. One's too hot to be outside and the other's too cold. You have to move fast to catch a nice spring or fall day outside! Whooopps! It's gone!
Are you sure you'll see it again? Maybe you won't have to name it. I hope it comes back because I believe you would like it to. Then you could name it "Missy" because it misses days. Maybe.
As I'm older with some physical issues, in buying and renovating I've always kept in mind making things easy for me to handle as I get older and creakier. The veggies are coming in well right now and blackberries are fruiting but the raspberries did nothing so out they'll go. Blueberries did nothing either so they're going to a friend who might have a better spot for them.
Yesterday I mowed everywhere and did some weed whacking. The flowers in containers on the deck are pretty much done so need clearing out. All in good time.
Got a call at 5.30 a.m. that my mother, in a NH for almost 3 years, passed away in the night. At close to 90 and failing fast, it was expected. We've never been close so I'm ok with it. I'm her only family and she had no friends. Her Will states she wants to be cremated and her ashes scattered. Just waiting for confirmation that the funeral home has collected her so I can go down and start clearing her room. In the meantime, chicken done baking, pot of tomatoes simmering on the stove and going to play ball with my dogs.
Thank you again so much for this thread. I've much to attend to but I'll catch up with you again soon. Dog Bless you all ♥
You must have a great big heart to have taken in so many animals. Some of their stories are heart-breaking. I looked up miniature pinscher & jack russell terrier and tried to imagine what your dog must look like...and got NoWhereFast. I'll keep working on it. I'm a beginner when it comes to dog breeds.
I'm glad you're at peace with your mom passing, I'll be thinking of you in case a touch of sadness bothers you.
You are one busy woman this am, and you've gotten a good start on the day! Today we have our handyman here to do yard work only. That's what we originally hired him for and what he loves the most. I can totally understand that. It just turned out that he can do many other things as well. I hope you have a great day and return to this thread soon.
I love the names of your pets, especially the head of the Mouse Squad. I've never heard that before - love it! I'm wondering if the neighbor's cat who visits regularly has appointed herself a Mouse Squad leader for my back yard - she inspects it often enough! Hopefully she won't decide to be a Bird Squad leader - she's already diminished the robin population by one which she caught last year.
Coloresue, I like the name of Missy for SendMe's vagabond cat.
As to everyone else, I've been absent from this thread for a few days and haven't gotten back to respond to your messages or follow up on research I said I would do. I apologize.
Back to gardening, it's now 56 here outside, mid 60's in the house and time to think not only about turning the furnace on but also getting outside work done before the snow comes...which hopefully won't be in September! One never knows though with such changeable weather.
I was thinking this morning how nice it must be for folks who have fireplaces - these are days when it's nice to just sit in front of a fireplace and be warm. Add some hot chocolate and of course chocolate chip cookies and you can enjoy some really relaxing moments.
The goldenrod in the garden has reached its peak and is slowly fading. There are a lot of seed heads which I think I'll plant this autumn - it saves drying them and keeping them inside for a whole winter.
Elsewhere, trees are beginning to turn color, very quickly and just in the last few days. One of the next door maples is showing very tiny bits of red. Some other trees that are early achievers have begun shed golden leaves. As yet the annuals seem to be holding their own, but I think after the few nights of mid 40 degree weather they're going to be scurrying for cover and hiding on the soil.
Thanks again to everyone who's participated on this thread. Don['t give up on me - I'll be back after some pilgrimages to the yard to refresh my spirits.
I recommend you cancel the race.
Maybe the plant wasn't healthy to begin with. It shouldn't have reacted so badly and I'd plant the other. Don't hesitate to take the plant back and get a refund if it continues to do badly. I assume you don't shake and mangle the root ball when you transplant!
You did mention high temps...maybe transplanting + hi temps = bad reaction in bougainvilla?? Possibly it needed temporary protection from the sun? Just guessing.
A few years ago there were 8 different cats visiting my yard. Most were feral and ran away when I called to them. Some were seen periodically, never on any kind of regular basis, and some were seen only a few times over the summer.
Next year, only a few returned for a visit. Being feral, perhaps they moved on to better mouse pastures down in Detroit.
There may be some alternatives though.
Coloresue is right - the plant might not have been healthy, or it may have been marginally healthy. I think another highly likely possibility given that the whole country is approaching the end of gardening season is that the plant has been sitting too long at a nursery, its growth has been restricted, and more likely the roots are bound up.
Over 2-3 years I lost a few dozen mums because I didn't realize I need to unbind the root ball. There are a few things you can try:
1. Trim back the browned top growth; it's the farthest from the roots and would be the first to show moisture deprivation. If the plant is already tall, that portion may not be salvageable anyway.
2. Dig the plant up, separate the roots if they're really compacted, and transplant it to a container with ample room for the roots to expand. Move it to a shady area and treat it as if it was a seedling being hardened off.
I call this my plant ICU treatment.
3. Cut back more of the vines and plant them in smaller containers. At least that way you can save some of the plant.
4. Do the same with the other plant. When you remove it, you can easily tell if it's rootbound as the roots will be strangling the entire root ball.
5. I assume you've amended your soil and added compost? If you have any mulch, it wouldn't hurt to add some to the temporary containers to help conserve moisture.
I checked the hardiness zone for bougainvillea - it's 9b. I can't imagine that making much of a difference though unless you're so far north that you're closer to the Oregon border.
Good luck - let us know how it works out - we gardeners have a special fondness for good root systems!
1. You could take cuttings and put them in containers. That will limit the root growth, but you'll also have to keep the top growth under control so the tree doesn't produce more branches and leaves that it can't support.
2. You could bonsai it. My aunt and uncle had a small rock garden nursery. Uncle specialized in bonsai-ing plants. They had some really lovely and unique plants.
Fall and spring are both good times to transplant.
Leaves on the maple tree next door are already curling up, and seem to be shriveling in size in preparation for their downward flight to a winter resting place.
The sky today is a brilliant copen blue, contrasting nicely with the trees that are still intensely green.
It's a nice day to just sit and watch the leaves and the trees as they're gently tussled about by the winds.
For me, gardening is a way to reset my head. Whether it's a good year or off year, it feeds the spirit. There's something hopeful and joyous about seedlings poking out.
BTW, I did "winter sowing" in milk jugs for a couple years - it works great and gets the early plants (spinach, lettuce, etc.) off to an easy start.
Do you can, freeze, dehydrate?
I've never tried the winter sowing, wondering how well it would work in a Zone 6 that sometimes is a Zone 5 climate.
Linda, do you protect your milk jugs in a cold frame, or with bales of hay, or mulch, or something else?
Does anyone plant cover crops? I've planted buckwheat before but I'm thinking this year I might put some old beans in; they're too hard to boil and use for soup but maybe I can soften them enough that they'll sprout, with a little encouragement from the soil and rain. I'll leave them in place over the winter in lieu of mulch or in addition to mulch.
Any suggestions on beans as a cover crop?
I always liked to grow indeterminate tomatoes as they just keep on giving right up to frost, some little cherry/grape types, a few beefsteaks to brag about, a few ordinary garden center types and some romas for canning. And it was fun to try something different like yellow or purple tomatoes too. If you are lazy just toss whole tomatoes in the freezer, the skins will slip off as they thaw and you can toss as many of them as you need into sauces, soups, stews.
Some of the farmers around here plant beans or peas as a cover crop after the wheat is harvested, they must figure it is worthwhile or they wouldn't be doing it!
According to the garden links from which I found these, they're made of flowers:
My favorites are the knight in shining armor (or should that be in shining flowers), the mother tiger with her babies (extraordinary!), the cow (or is it a steer), and the birds.
Van Gogh in flowers:
The second photo must be based on the famous self-portrait. I'm not sure if the animal is a hedgehog or armadillo (7th photo).
I assume that some of these are intense and dramatic because they're based on Van Gogh's life, and reflect his mental state. They're not anything I'd enjoy seeing on a regular basis, but I do appreciate the artistry.
(When copying the URLs, just delete the spaces, added to prevent automatic deletion of a dot com URL.)