tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5779260.post1369109919079861602..comments2024-03-29T08:00:59.399-04:00Comments on the underwear drawer: nature's ownMichelle Auhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04938937923678734252noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5779260.post-43425422742614702792011-04-18T10:22:45.808-04:002011-04-18T10:22:45.808-04:00Very nice photos! Which camera is it?Very nice photos! Which camera is it?Getafixhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05283951465715404202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5779260.post-863912805225646332011-04-14T23:00:58.279-04:002011-04-14T23:00:58.279-04:00Ok, as a southerner, I have to warn you...the blue...Ok, as a southerner, I have to warn you...the blueberries may not thrive. I think our nights are too warm (this is what my grandmother from Ohio told me when I called her after mine died here in Memphis). But it's worth a shot. Tomatoes, SQUASH, and ZUCCHINI all thrive in our heat, if you remember to keep them watered (which I usually forget...)Laurenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16301060588969333781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5779260.post-85539258477559473552011-04-12T06:23:35.989-04:002011-04-12T06:23:35.989-04:00I disagree re raspberries, blackberries and mint!
...I disagree re raspberries, blackberries and mint!<br />Raspberries are wonderful! They are also good burglar deterrents - well they scratch a bit, so are good for a wall. Nothing beats wandering out to the back fence and having a raspberry or two. Or three... <br /><br />The key is to prune them properly - raspberries flower from second growth. If you do that, then lots ofyummy goodness!<br /><br />Also, what's not to love about having lots of mint! Or Coriander (goes to seed, so needs replanting each year)RJnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5779260.post-19257196598734042932011-04-12T05:46:25.938-04:002011-04-12T05:46:25.938-04:00okay, i realize this is not consistent with everyo...okay, i realize this is not consistent with everyone's experiences, but i just took the peds endocrine in-training exam and EVERY OTHER QUESTION was on MEN syndrome! or at least, it seemed that way.sarah (SHU)https://www.blogger.com/profile/09785177204149427781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5779260.post-38547689207666876732011-04-12T02:24:11.130-04:002011-04-12T02:24:11.130-04:00Your yard is so beautiful. I did not read all thes...Your yard is so beautiful. I did not read all these comments so someone else may have mentioned this but make sure you put cages around your tomato plants. They are a couple dollars each and you place them over your plants right after planting. The tomatoes will grow inside the cage and not fall over and basically be ruined if they then lay on the ground.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5779260.post-67030132469374145232011-04-11T14:24:10.452-04:002011-04-11T14:24:10.452-04:00Fruit (tomatoes and berries) need lotsa sun. Do yo...Fruit (tomatoes and berries) need lotsa sun. Do you have that? <br /><br />Blueberries will love the acidic soil you got going on there. I agree that you should find a friend who knows what needs what to take a walk with you around the yard to introduce you to your plants.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5779260.post-54418266963445666472011-04-11T13:03:37.543-04:002011-04-11T13:03:37.543-04:00Yard service is a must! you can still set aside a...Yard service is a must! you can still set aside a small area to develop with the kids. A spot to grow and/or kill the plants of your choosing, but leave the rest to professionals. This way you can still get your hands dirty and maintain a lovely green space. A win-win situation!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5779260.post-86109838499023382142011-04-11T12:44:20.189-04:002011-04-11T12:44:20.189-04:00If you have a problem with slugs, you can pour abo...If you have a problem with slugs, you can pour about 2" of beer into a dish and put it in your garden. The slugs will crawl in and drown.OMDGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17937425894428802591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5779260.post-27347247721285005872011-04-11T12:00:03.947-04:002011-04-11T12:00:03.947-04:00Echo the Ivy = snake pit. This year is especially ...Echo the Ivy = snake pit. This year is especially bad for snakes and ivy, and consequently, for dogs in ivy. ( I cannot cite the source for this, I think it was local ajc?)<br />Also as much as my heart would like to give credit to GaTech for all good things, it's UGA in Athens that is the AG school and the Extension Service. Also walterreeves.com is a fount of good info. But yeah, with your schedules, yard service and their expertise the first year. Oh! and don't let the ivy go up the tree trunks! all the best,biscuitxnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5779260.post-36924194865937667452011-04-11T10:39:09.237-04:002011-04-11T10:39:09.237-04:00I would very strongly recommend a yard service. T...I would very strongly recommend a yard service. That's a pretty low maintenance yard, but it's still going to be a few solid hours of work a month to keep it looking that good. This is something where a few hundred bucks every once in a while to someone with a crew, the tools, and a truck to haul crap away will be so, so worth it. You guys could do it yourselves, easily, but you will miss the time and your kids are too young for it really to be a family activity ... also, as a family activity, it's kind of boring and sucky, except for the part about the sharp tools and putting people's eyes out. That part's pretty exciting. <br /><br />Yard service, at least for the first year. See what needs to be done, and make decisions going from there. <br /><br />Also, seconding CardioNP - blackberries/raspberries will take everything over and be prickly besides. Someone in the neighborhood will have them, and will be thrilled to have your kids picking them. Let someone else deal with the hassle.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5779260.post-62874766223942386342011-04-11T10:14:08.686-04:002011-04-11T10:14:08.686-04:00Yeah ivy. 1. Snake pit. 2. You cannot ever, ever g...Yeah ivy. 1. Snake pit. 2. You cannot ever, ever get rid of it. <br /><br />Gorgeous yard. I think the East/South is a lot greener than where I know.saranoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5779260.post-71664681830016129462011-04-11T09:53:47.592-04:002011-04-11T09:53:47.592-04:00I purchased a home in Florida that has a back yard...I purchased a home in Florida that has a back yard covered in ivy. I got rid of it as it was a haven for snakes and other vermon. Sodded the yard and mowed it every other week.<br /><br />Easy edible?? Try herbs!! i always have basil and chives wherever I go. Easy to maintain and hard to kill, plus so yummy in just about everything. <br /><br />Cook anything and chop up some fresh herbs to sprinkle atop the dish and it makes you look like you actually put some effort in your cooking (when you probably just thawed it our 10 minutes earlier).Zanenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5779260.post-62842922975768811172011-04-10T23:01:22.646-04:002011-04-10T23:01:22.646-04:00Don't plant any blackberries or raspberries!!!...Don't plant any blackberries or raspberries!!! They will overtake your yard. If you want those, then put them in a half wine barrel to keep them controlled. They send suckers out underground. Also do NOT plant any mint in the ground. It too will take over your entire yard.<br /><br />Yes, the crape myrtle tree has been whacked. As the previous commenter noted, it does not need to be pruned so severely. I prune mine only enough to keep it off the roof since it is adjacent to my house. It appears that it is an understory tree in your yard, so keeping it lower in height may be desirable. <br /><br />It's possible, but hard to tell, that the shrub to the left of the railroad tie stairway may be a rhododendron. Both the azaleas and the rhodie as well as the blueberries will like acidic soil. <br /><br />The strawberries may get munched by snails and slugs. There is a product called Sluggo (also goes by other names), it is iron phosphate, which works well. It is safe to use on edible food. Don't use other snail abatement products around the plants you'd like to eat.<br /><br />CardioNP<br />(who gardens in CA, a much different climate)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5779260.post-10264519667250383172011-04-10T22:10:01.503-04:002011-04-10T22:10:01.503-04:00Try planting green beans or yellow squash. They ar...Try planting green beans or yellow squash. They are very low maintenance and my kids love to pick them. Birds always get most of my blueberries and strawberries.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5779260.post-8452951994670410112011-04-10T21:45:12.045-04:002011-04-10T21:45:12.045-04:00Your yard is so gorgeous! And I love when Coops ma...Your yard is so gorgeous! And I love when Coops makes an appearance. Good luck with the yard. I have no advice to offer you about pruning, but regarding animals eating your plants, you can buy things like coyote urine to scare off critters. Never used, not sure how well it works, but could be something to look into.Sharonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10824206106315647834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5779260.post-13753719257004795372011-04-10T20:03:29.867-04:002011-04-10T20:03:29.867-04:00Have a knowledgeable gardener in your area go thro...Have a knowledgeable gardener in your area go through the yard with you to point out any plants that have poisonous berries or leaves. Kids like to try anything - not all plants are good for them! My mother found this out the hard way when her children tried eating rhubarb leaves. We all survived, but it was a good lesson for all of us.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5779260.post-26821226226994596752011-04-10T19:05:03.325-04:002011-04-10T19:05:03.325-04:00Ivy? I'm so, so sorry.
Plan on it taking ove...Ivy? I'm so, so sorry.<br /><br />Plan on it taking over everything, hard work ripping it out, repeat.<br /><br />People who plant ivy must love spending time doing yardwork.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5779260.post-50116558766259309322011-04-10T18:59:08.805-04:002011-04-10T18:59:08.805-04:00Damnit. My comment didn't go through and I'...Damnit. My comment didn't go through and I'm too lazy to type out the whole thing again. Outline:<br /><br />1. Get soaker hose. Easy to install, eco-friendly, saves $ on water bills, saves you from going outside in hawthawthawt mosquito land.<br /><br />2. Get cherry tomatoes, preferably a variety like Sweet Millions, which grows like a beast, and the kids will love picking. Tomatoes need lots of air to keep from getting diseased, so plant them somewhere that they won't be cramped. <br /><br />3. Get a weed whacker for that ivy.Carolynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03640956617175956855noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5779260.post-14943721727400398042011-04-10T18:38:17.215-04:002011-04-10T18:38:17.215-04:00Whoa, those are great photos....that back yard loo...Whoa, those are great photos....that back yard looks like the Masters on TV....that georgia clay must really be good for veggie life.GlassHospitalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01125026979326544590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5779260.post-9224763590002241612011-04-10T17:50:52.073-04:002011-04-10T17:50:52.073-04:00to have a garden backyard like that would probably...to have a garden backyard like that would probably cost millions in manhattan.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5779260.post-8202236854061792712011-04-10T17:37:27.615-04:002011-04-10T17:37:27.615-04:00Zucchini and raspberries are really easy and low-m...Zucchini and raspberries are really easy and low-maintenance backyard plants. The yellow raspberries are the best - very sweet and not sour. Just be careful with the thorns.<br />- Another (Canadian) MichelleAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5779260.post-24209868093744742082011-04-10T16:59:09.685-04:002011-04-10T16:59:09.685-04:00Yes, the crepe myrtle is that beautiful specimen t...Yes, the crepe myrtle is that beautiful specimen tree that folks like to torture every year. When left alone, they have such beautiful structure and bark. They will flower more when pruned back like yours, but I have never thought that the maybe 20% more flowers were worth the really unattractive wintertime appearance. Another trick to help with blooming is to cut off the dead seed pods that they create right after they finish blooming and they will create more flowers again. If you want to keep them short and stumpy... then prune away. Otherwise leave them be :-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5779260.post-42974259998004611622011-04-10T16:45:14.642-04:002011-04-10T16:45:14.642-04:00Ooh, did not know that about dogs and tomato plant...Ooh, did not know that about dogs and tomato plants! Thanks! Though Cooper is very well supervised in the yard at present (we're worried she's going to dig something up) it's good to know for the future in case when she gets more free reign.<br /><br />Is the crepe myrtle the tree that they pruned all the branches off of before we moved in? I have seen this all around Atlanta--do those trees require such extreme pruning every season? When we came in I thought it was sick or something.Michelle Auhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04938937923678734252noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5779260.post-74930089356260886772011-04-10T16:38:30.818-04:002011-04-10T16:38:30.818-04:00It's so beautiful! Very different to backyards...It's so beautiful! Very different to backyards in this part of the world!Pollyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00877275041258079532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5779260.post-67780224603293178582011-04-10T16:25:52.620-04:002011-04-10T16:25:52.620-04:00Just a friendly warning/reminder to Cooper's m...Just a friendly warning/reminder to Cooper's mom: tomato leaves and stems are toxic to dogs.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com