A Gardeners Forum Forums Members History Forum Life 2003 Hello y'all!

I'm new here and I'm just slowly finding my way around this site. So far I love it!! Sounds like a great bunch of people, and I look forward to getting to know you all better. Well, about me, I am a novice gardener - this year was my very first. I live in Northwest Florida, originally from Pennsylvania (hated the cold, snowy, icy winters). My family all live up there, and me and my John bought a lovely house with a great, big backyard and we are both having a lot of fun making it into our little retreat. We both love flowers, trees the birds and bees, and especially butterflies. We've had some failures with the planting this past summer, and I've learned a little about what not to plant next year. Our biggest challenge here is the sandy soil, we have to amend it before planting anything, or it just won't grow. We too, have a couple of pine trees and have found the pine needles a blessing - great for mulch! Well, that's about it for now - but I am sure looking forward to getting lots more info from this site. Thanks for the nice welcome.

Suz

Suz,
I am so glad you found the welcome area!! Have a good time here, and enjoy the learing process!

Well, Suzannie,
I know about those cold weather temps up where you're from in Pa., I live in the snow belt of Western N.Y.
Been there, done that, still doing it!!!!

It's sounds like you've had a great time with your new surroundings for you and your husband.
You said you had some failures, well, we'd love to hear them, but, just remember they might not have been total failures, if you just didn't do one thing right, makes the world of difference when plants get what they need. What were they and maybe we can send you in the right direction with the SAME plants again next year.

You send amend the soil, they call me the compost queen here, but I live by it, I think it's the top of the list for your soil for water retention and nutrients, and better texture of the soil.
Sandy is hard to grow in, because it just goes right through it!!!!

Pines are great for the needles as mulch, I grind them up with the lawn mower and throw them on my acid loving plants... And throw some into the compost bins!!!

We look forward to hearing from you again and again. If we can point you in a direction for successfull growing we are more than happy to do so!!! Each gardener here knows a bit different
each of the catagories, and that makes a well rounded crew. We're not always the fastest bunch, so stick around..... Someones always right around the garden post!!!

Weezie

Suzannie, I can relate to the cold weather you went through in PA too....I live in western maryland where we get record snowfalls each year....cold and miserable....must be nice to be in florida!!! Welcome to the forum, I hope that you come and chat with us often!!!

Laura

Thanks for the welcome Laura. Winter weather does not appeal to me anymore. My sis just bought a place in Rockhall, MD and I hope to get to see it in a couple of weeks. We're taking a trip up there.

Suz

Are you driving or flying up??? I know the drive will be a long one....I've heard of that city before, is it near Baltimore or DC??? I kind of live out in what the city people would call the country, it isn't hugely developed out here...biggest city has about 30,000 people.

Hi Suzannie!

Well, it ought to be quite pretty in Maryland in a couple of weeks. Fall foliage colors start to hit in October. Here in Northern Virginia, the very earliest trees are all ready beginning to turn- the dogwoods are going red.

Aren't you lucky to be down in sunny Florida? You can visit winter snow up north if you want to, then run back home to smell the orange blossoms in your yard.

Nice to have you here!

Loz, we are driving up on Thursday, and hopefully we don't have any problems with "Isabel".. We intend to spend Thurs. nite in Asheville, NC and continue up on Friday, hoping to arrive in PA on Saturday. I am really looking to the Fall colors up North - that is one thing I miss - I do love Autumn.

Well that will be a long drive...even with the stop in NC......hope that you have a very safe trip and that you don't run into too many problems with the hurricane......what area of PA did you live in if you don't mind me asking??? My husband grew up in PA, but he lived very close to the MD border.....

Hello everyone, I'm Claire from Tucson Az.,(originally from N.Y.), been here for 27yrs. I love the winters here but not the HOT!!! summers. I am a gardening fool that loves to get my hands dirty. I am also dabbling in landscape design and love that end of it also. Can anyone please tell me if a Tropical Bird of Paradise can be devided that has been in the ground for 50yrs.? It is huge and needs to be trimmed back, but I don't know if I can do it without harming it. I read the info on this web site, but it isn't explicit on the trimming part. Thanks, Claire borsndors@cox.net

Hi Claire, Welcome to the Gardener's Forum on The Garden Helper! You will find a great bunch of folks around here. If you check in the Landscape question area, you will find your question reposted. I don't have an answer, but I am sure that someone, maybe Bill, the webmaster, will have the answer!

Hello claire and thanks for stopping by the forum to check us out....the people here are great!!!! Lots of good advice to be given......hope that you chat with us often!!!!!

Loz, I am a Philly girl - born and bred - lived in Northeast Philadelphia most of my life and finally made the decision to move to Florida in 1997. I love the warm climate here but miss my family a lot, hence the trip tomorrow. We will be staying in the Reading area and visiting my children throughout the three weeks we are there. Hope to make the trip to Rockhall, Md during that time also. I'm not familiar with the place so I don't know exactly where it is or how big a place. Will let you know when we get back.
Suz

I've never been to philly before..... I've been to pittsburgh a lot---we love going to kennywood---the amusment park there.....

I'd like to hear about your trip....Keep us updated.....by the way, you are so lucky to be away from these awful, cold winters.... :p

HI, Suzannie,
Welcome.
Had to giggle when I saw your name on this particular bulletin board. Our youngest child (now in her mid-30s) is Suzanne. When she was small we called any black-eyed Susans we saw "brown-eyed Suzannes". I still have to hestitate to make sure I am using the right name for them. Have a couple neighbors coming to dig up some, will have to be careful. She also thought that the song, 'Oh, Suzanna' was written about her.
We were permitted to call her Suzannie, but never Susie.
Your move from PA to Florida sounds interesting. PA is a nice place to get out of in the winter! Love to visit Florida in the late winter for a draft horse show in Ocala.
Happy gardening.

Carol, what part of PA are you from???? I go to Bedford and Altoona a lot......with winter drawing closer I am hoping that it is a tame one this year.....with all the mountains around us it can be hard driving in all the snow we get.....Florda sounds heavenly compared to the weather here...

Hi, Loz
We're not that far away from each other. I live in Waynesburg in the southwesternmost corner of the state.
I am familiar with Bedford. When I was a child my Johnstown relatives had a summer home there and I spent a lot of time in the area. The town is very similar to our small town here. Have you been to Eddy's Steakhouse? The original owners were cousins of my father and his parents both came from Bedford County. It is a beautiful area. So nice that we have that in common.
Weren't you relieved that we didn't get much of Isabel? We had a lot of warnings and not much else.
Happy gardening.

Carol, I'm not familiar with that steakhouse... <img border="0" alt="[perplexed]" title="" src="graemlins/confused.gif" /> I like bedford because they have a lot of little craft stores....I like to go there for the day and just wander around....I've heard of your town, but I can't think of where it is exactly....and yes, it is a very beautiful area around where we live.... I was very glad that the storm wasn't too bad....Our town was pretty close to flooding but it didn't....another few inches of rain and it may have....