Doing a happy dance!

[Jean B.]

May I enthuse here for a moment? After about 1.5 years, I have finally gotten a slot with the local landscaper who does things without using herbicides and pesticides. And he speaks English, so he will know that I want to leave the pine needles under the pines, and I want to naturalize part of the back yard (minus a few extremely aggressive weeds), and I don't want the moss blown off the ground, etc. I am sooooo happy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And I've been doing a lot of planting here this spring. Putting in a lot of colorful things. I wonder if anyone else just starts with appealing-looking plants (checking for suitability, of course) and then just proceeds where that logically takes them. Or do most people actually have plans? Seems to me that when I have had plans, they go awry because of availability or price or other factors I can't control.

And I have been paying attention to ultimate size, which, alas, makes things look rather sparse right now.

[Cereus-validus]

Well, isn't that special!

You must be giggling like a school girl with anticipation of doing it with own local landscaper. I bet you are looking forward to Rex servicing your private garden with his rigid tool and planting his bulbous and woody 10 gallon container novelties in you well tended moist plot! Are you really up to the ultimate size? May you get what you paid for!!

[madgardener]

[Cereus-validus]

Aw admit it Madgard, you're just jealous that Jeannybee beat you to Rex the private landscaper. You will just have to make due with your well worn dibble a little longer.

woods...........

['enry VIII]

Seems that there is a fool like "Cereus-validus" on every newsgroup, best not to waste the time pee'ing on him, just kill file the turd!

*PLONK

'enry VIII

[Cereus-validus]

Now you can play the fool in this newsgroup, you rectal wart.

You only spite yourself by blocking. Now I can make fun of you behind your back, you clueless troll wannabe.

[madgardener]

[Joe]

Good for you! I always thought there'd be a big market for eco-friendly landscapers. Besides not using herbicides and pesticides, it would be great to see someone using non-gas powered tools for trimming hedges or raking leaves. I guess we don't see that because it's not economically sound (time = money). But maybe my supposition is wrong, and I should try starting that business someday.

Good luck with you new landscaper, Jean.

[Janice]

haha.. well I'm figuring it's good when you can find one who knows a flower from a weed, or even a vegetable from a weed!

I have a friend who used to accompany another friend and I when we used to go "Greenhousing" which amounted to going to each and every greenhouse we could find in town and even in neighboring towns. That was a big deal to me as I've never really owned a real trustworthy vehicle, so it was always a risk. Anyway, that friend has been helping me around the yard, and I've been paying her, is going to move pretty soon, out of state! This is going to leave me in bad way since I can't afford to pay big prices, and most of the people doing yard work are only mowing lawns, maybe weed whacking the edges, and beyond that do more damage than help, and if you have an area you can trust them to weed, they want $25 an hour or more, to do hand weeding!

I'm just not able to do more than sit and spray the hose around the yard and soak the half whiskey barrel planters, and pull some weeds out of the ones I can reach. It's depressing :(

So I can see someone being delighted to acquire help that doesn't require continual supervision to keep from losing your plants! I can't do that all the time, and when it gets really hot, can't spend very much time outside at all. I generally go out early morning or later in the day.. not early evening .. mid? after the sun is off the yard, and the temperatures has had time to drop 10 or 15 degrees.

I'm going to have to put out a plea for help, but I hate to advertise my inability to get around well as that can also be a "come help yourself to anything I own" ad too. I'd have to get a few large dogs too! LOL

Janice

[Jean B.]

Yup, I finally killfiled him, so life will be much more pleasant, I think. :-)

Yes, I do think eventually I will have to plan. Actually, my play has led me to another question/pondering--whether I should put some annuals in the currently large spaces between the perennials? Actually, I like a very lush look, so I hope I am not making a big mistake in paying attention to the spacing suggestions. I guess those mistakes will be rectifiable though.

For some reason, this is my year to "play in the dirt". I am a woman obsessed. I dragged my poor daughter to at least five nurseries in two days and am now trying to be kind until she goes back to school on Tuesday.

All this, in addition to my long-awaited connection with the local landscaper is really psyching me.

[Jean B.]

Thanks, Joe. I am actually hoping they leave the mulched clippings on the ground--and don't use those blowers at all. I'll see. I am willing to bet they use gas-powered mowers though.

[Jean B.]

I hear you! Maybe you could show them what you don't want weeded--of course, that assumes they will understand/remember. I have just been soooo nervous with the guys who have been coming up until now--in part, because I have had awful experiences with such folks, first at my dad's and now here. I do have one theory that may help--the companies that are just starting out may be much more conscientious and knowledgeable than the second (or more) generation ones--or even first-generation ones that have enough of a reputation so they can coast. (I'm sure there are exceptions to my generation theory, kids who are actually interested in the business who have taken over--but that has not been my experience.) Another thing that helps is if your directions are a) understood, and b) passed on.

[Cereus-validus]

So the "B." in Jean B. must stand for "stuck up biatch"!!

woods...........