BellaOnline Forums Home and Garden Gardening Hello from the new editor

Hi Everyone,

I just wanted to take a minute and say hello. My name is Jackie Lee and I am the new editor for the gardening site.

I am looking forward to a year filled with creating beautiful gardens together.

My favorite thing about gardening is being able to play in the dirt. It takes me back to my childhood and making mudpies and playing in the garden. Even if the flowers don't bloom and the bugs take over I still have fun playing in the dirt.

This year I am excited to share my love of gardening with my daughter who will be about a year old come spring planting time.

I'm looking forward to getting to know you all better, so let's start with what your favorite thing is about gardening!

Jackie Lee

WELCOME!!

Hi, Jackie and welcome! My favorite thing about gardening is being outside in nature and having the quiet time to think and dream and give thanks for all the wonderful things in my life. Enjoying the sunshine on my face and listening to the birds singing and feeling the dirt in my hands as I place my tiny flowers around my bulbs as I imagine how they will look when they get bigger, makes gardening a labor of love to me. It also makes me feel so close to my father as I gained my love and knowledge from working with him as I grew up in Texas. He had a BIG flower and vegetable garden up until 1998, the year he died at 87 years old. He grew the most delicious tomatoes AND the most beautiful flowers. So, I believe gardening must be a healthy activity, too!

Trish

Welcome Jackie, I just love being outside and I have always loved flowers. These past few years we have worked on planting perenials and it is so nice to see them return each spring.

Welcome.
I can't talk, right now, my seeds have just arrived and I have to go into planning plot stage!

Well hello everyone! It's great to see you here. Oldsagehand, what kind of seeds did you get? Ooooh that's my favorite part. When the seeds/plants come and the garden is nothing but possibilities!

Great to see you all,

Jackie Lee

Welcome Jackie & our 'Little Gardner'. I haven't even started on 'cleaning' out all my plants that died from a frost we in So. Calif rarelly get. But I'v been sick, in the Hospital for 4 days, on & on, slowley getting on my 'feet'. Besides I was tired of what was growing in the front yard anyway, just droppings from other plants. Not only do I have 'Chronic Pain' which just makes my planting a little longer, then most people, but I get things planted. We have the worst soil in the world...'clay whith rocks' the joke is if you can 'get the rock out, you have a hole for your tree'.
I have a 'small' raised garden & always plant a few tomato plants, now I don't like Tomatoes, but I like things make with Tomatoes..Ketchup, Chili, things like that, but its others in my family who like Tomatoes.
Many yrs ago I tryed seeds, but I must of done something wrong, I have tryed them since, flowing the directions, or someone else directions, still the seeds will sprout, grew a few inches, then die. Do you have any ideas? Like along a 'block wall' a neighbor put up I would like to plant some 'Sweet Peas', yes over the last few yrs, I have been putting good things in the soil. A climing 'Bareroot' Rose survied the frost & my 'Lemon Grass', a small 'daisey' like plant didn't, I haven't looked at it yet to see if I cut it down will it come back. But the rose bush I wanted to grew along my 'Gate' which is just a chain link fence. Do you think I should cut it back this yr. or just leave it?
I live in So.Calif, one of the 'Seed catalogs' said I'am in 'Zone 8', but I also have read I'am in 'Zone 9', so I just plant what falls in that area. In many of these 'Harware Stores' I see many plants that I know won't survive in our area, & I don't know much about gardening, & these stores 'promise' they will take back any plant that dies in the first year. I'll see I have a few 'bareroot' roses that didn't make it, or one just never grew at all. So I have my reciepts & will see if they 'really' honer that promise. Another question...with what I know about 'garding' we will be talking alot...LOL. This 'catalog' that says my growing zone is an 8 is selling 'Lilly of The Valley' plants & they say they will grow in my zone? What do you think? Over the yrs. I have bought a few plants, one time planting them in the yard, they died, the next time I put them in a pot they sproted leaves, the next yr. they didn't do a thing, I would love to be able to grow them. My Grandfather had them all around his house & I would pick as many as I could...do you thing I could grow some in my yard or a pot? Our winters are getting colder, which I think is one thing they need.
I have taken up enough of your time, besides I have alot of cleaning up before I plant anything anyway. Don't tell anyone, but I just finished taking down all the Christmas decrations just a few days ago, now to get them up in the rafters of the garage...Well I'v been sick, in the Hospital for 4 days & for the first time in my life I 'pampered' myself, usually I just keep going. My Mom whould give us so much *H* if we said anything about being sick, I have learned to just 'tune it out'. Now how to get out of going to a 'friends' house for the 'Super Bowl' everyone get your rotton vegies, eggs or whatever, I would rather stay here & clean up my dead plants. Sorry guys, I'am not much of a 'Football' fan & these friends are the type who want to spend every day with you, besides they drink to much for me & as most drunks they tell you the same story over & over & over. They really are the parents of friends of my sons, the wife is partially deaf & hard to talk to, or she says things that she has heard & gotten all mixed up.
Nice to meet you Jackie & your 'little' friend, belive me when I say...we will be talking, I'am sure you know more about gardening then the 'Kid' at the 'Plant store'. Hugs, Pegi

Lee,
That is awesome! I love it. I never would have thought to put plants in boots. Excellent and very cute idea!

I used to live in NY and I saw on the news that the plants were all blooming there in Dec. poor plants. Do you think they will make it come spring?

Jackie

Hi Pegi,
Glad you stopped by and glad you are feeling better. To be honest we just got our Christmas tree out of the house last week.
Ok, I'm going to try and answer all the questions you posed, if I miss something let me know.

Lily of the Valley: It should grow in your zone it is good from zones 2-8. It is a shade loving plant as it comes from the woodlands of northern asia. So you need to make sure it has plenty of shade. It is fast moving and will form a nice ground cover for you if you have a shady spot for it.

Along your fence, you have the right idea with sweet peas, although I have had trouble with them as well. Something else I would try is Morning Glories, you can't go wrong with them, and they will just bloom and bloom for you. They are annuals, but they will drop seed and should come back every year from seeds. The only drawback is they bloom in the morning.

If you wanted something that blooms all day you could try a Black-eyed Susan vine. They are beautiful and just as easy.

I am not much for Roses, but I believe we have a rose forum here that you could ask someone about them.

Glad to have you,
Jackie

Hi Jackie Lee!

I want to be a gardener. But I have to honestly say I've never gotten out in the dirt to weed or plant anything. I've put a couple of plants in pots before, but that's about the extent. SOme of my homeschooling mom-friends are into square foot gardening, and listening to them chat about it makes me want to get going on it myself LOL. Not sure where to start? It's still a bit cool where I live (so. calif) but warming up day by day. We could still have some cool weather.... do I wait for warm weather to get here, or can I start something now?

Sunflowers sound fun!