- Nov 5, 2008
- 2,598
Truthfully, all that landscaping makes it hard to leave because of the chores that wait for us when we get back. Lots of work. But we do it together and that makes it fun.
Ouch...didn't think of that! It would do me in I'm afraid. Or I would need to hire a gardener. Y'all are doing a fantastic job with it though! Looks like it was born that way...anonapersona said:Truthfully, all that landscaping makes it hard to leave because of the chores that wait for us when we get back. Lots of work. But we do it together and that makes it fun.
anonapersona said:Last winter was rough. The pool is no big deal, it has freeze protection on the Aqualink system and so it runs when the temperatures hit some mark. I just tend the chemicals and keep the skimmers clean.
The plants, however, were another issue altogether! We were slow to drag out sheets and Xmas lights and so a lot of things went uncovered. The cardboard palms (look like sago palms with big fat blades) and the humming bird bushes, the Ixora, and the Angel's trumpet died to the ground, but came back from the roots ever so slowly, just as we were about to dig them up. We lost several hibiscus. We lost half the small palms, Robelini?, the only ones that made it were the ones that had Xmas lights up the trunk and over the crown. The other palms were fine, the Mexican fan palms, and the sagos were unharmed, amazingly.
This year, I have purchased freeze protection cloth in a 125' x 6' roll with the idea that as it gets cooler, I will measure and sew up some sacks to cover certain plants totally. In a pinch, I could just drape and tuck, but sewing would be more secure.
I tend to go to the Master Gardener's plant sales at the Agricultural Service locations, and the Mercer Arboretum plant sales, and the local garden club plant sales so I end up with too many interesting but tender items. And I am careless when the weather is adverse, slow to notice lack of water and slow to tend to covering plants in freezes, so I lose a lot that way. I have yet to discover how to have a lovely and low maintenance and colorful garden. Those 3 are mutually exclusive I think.