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KarenS
Joined: 23 Mar 2007
Posts: 861
Location: Florida
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 Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2007 12:02 pm Post subject: |
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| How many of you use coffee grounds for your plants? My Bird of Paradise seems to thrive on the grounds as well as a lot of other plants in my yard. I always appreciate the free coffee grounds that Starbucks makes available to its customers. That pound of coffee grounds I take home always gets used. |
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Tee
Joined: 22 Mar 2007
Posts: 4062
Location: Detroit Metro
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| Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2007 1:54 pm Post subject: |
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Oh, Karen, that is so unfair of you.  We who live in the Midwest and love gardening would love to be back in our yards wondering about coffee grounds for plants. But, instead, we're thinking about the ice storm that's supposed to pass thru our area. Just a bit of jealousy there, I think, coming from me.  When you mentioned your Bird of Paradise, I totally lost it.  |
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KarenS
Joined: 23 Mar 2007
Posts: 861
Location: Florida
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| Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2007 10:46 pm Post subject: |
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Just wanted to revive the thread after my dh and dd came home yesterday with a pound of Starbucks coffee grounds. I depend on the grounds but am wondering if other gardeners like to use grounds for their flowers and plants. Besides my Bird of Paradise, my bromeliads also thrive with the nitrogen they acquire from the grounds. My county is suppose to be the lightning capital of the US so you'd think we'd have our share of nitrogen but I have found it helps to add a little extra.
My avatar is one of my bromeliads that was blooming beautifully earlier this year. My son took the picture along with another picture of my pentas with a bumblee bee resting in the center. You can see the pink flowers through his transparent wings. This penta picture is now my screen saver.
One nice thing about Florida is that one can garden year round. Just don't trim any bushes, flowers or plants in the middle of winter in case there is a freeze. I did that with my hibiscuses in February several years ago and lost everyone of them as we had a freeze a week later. It can freeze one day and then the next day the temperatures are back in the 80s so it's easy to forget that it's winter.
If it's any consolation just remember that in the middle of summer up north, most Floridians are tucked inside their homes with the a/c running constantly. The humidity keeps me indoors as it can get awfully oppressive and uncomfortable. I don't even like to venture outside in the summer and actually love winter in Florida. Between November and April are the best times for any activities. |
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cheri
Joined: 22 Mar 2007
Posts: 1350
Location: michigan
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| Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2007 8:27 am Post subject: |
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| ahh, yes I'm with Tee on this one. the envy up here is very green! and Tee, get ready we are getting the ice storm right now. cheri |
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Tee
Joined: 22 Mar 2007
Posts: 4062
Location: Detroit Metro
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| Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2007 8:58 am Post subject: |
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| KarenS wrote: | | My avatar is one of my bromeliads that was blooming beautifully earlier this year. |
I was waiting for the proper moment to comment on your avatar, Karen, because I find it pulls me every time I encounter it. The color is beautiful and the photo is so peaceful looking. To know that it came out of your backyard and not from cyberspace is wonderful to know, too. Happy gardening. I may envy you now, but I love our Michigan summers (usually). And I find that even in the winter, there is a downtime here in the northern climes that has a peace all its own also (Christmas holidays excluded, of course ).
| cheri wrote: | | ahh, yes I'm with Tee on this one. the envy up here is very green! and Tee, get ready we are getting the ice storm right now. cheri |
It's looking absolutely gray and somber right now in the Detroit area, cheri. Looks as though something is brewing. Hope it's brief and not as bad as they thought. That does happen occasionally. My dog hates me because our daily walks are not so daily anymore. I don't want to risk slipping on walks that haven't been totally cleared. Yesterday, the sun was out and dried up most concrete, so she was a happy camper! |
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cheri
Joined: 22 Mar 2007
Posts: 1350
Location: michigan
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| Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2007 9:21 am Post subject: |
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| Tee wrote: | | KarenS wrote: | | My avatar is one of my bromeliads that was blooming beautifully earlier this year. |
I was waiting for the proper moment to comment on your avatar, Karen, because I find it pulls me every time I encounter it. The color is beautiful and the photo is so peaceful looking. To know that it came out of your backyard and not from cyberspace is wonderful to know, too. Happy gardening. I may envy you now, but I love our Michigan summers (usually). And I find that even in the winter, there is a downtime here in the northern climes that has a peace all its own also (Christmas holidays excluded, of course ).
| cheri wrote: | | ahh, yes I'm with Tee on this one. the envy up here is very green! and Tee, get ready we are getting the ice storm right now. cheri |
It's looking absolutely gray and somber right now in the Detroit area, cheri. Looks as though something is brewing. Hope it's brief and not as bad as they thought. That does happen occasionally. My dog hates me because our daily walks are not so daily anymore. I don't want to risk slipping on walks that haven't been totally cleared. Yesterday, the sun was out and dried up most concrete, so she was a happy camper! |
My dog feels the same way, I either haven't had the time or the weather hasn't been good. And it's bad. Sorry to be the one to break the news to you. We just had our highway shut down due to a pile up.All the kids(except mine) have schools closed today. And it's still raining, freezing rain. Good luck. cheri |
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xina
Joined: 22 Mar 2007
Posts: 6630
Location: minneapolis
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| Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2007 10:10 am Post subject: |
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I use coffee grounds on my indoor plants too. Not every time I water, but maybe once a week. I water my huge fern in my sink and let it drain for hours and put grounds in at that point. It seems to help, I don't know.
As for missing gardening...I don't miss the weeding. I like the break winter gives me and although I hate the freezing cold, I am getting used to it, once again. Our roads are pretty good now, and we have very little ice on our walks and roads. We've had an incredible amount of snow for so early in the season. Our little Beagle isn't too crazy about it, but the pup, he's like half bunny jumping in the snow and attacking it. It's funny, but he's so busy in the snow he forgets to go to the bathroom. Ah well... |
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georgie Lee
Joined: 17 Sep 2007
Posts: 110
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KarenS
Joined: 23 Mar 2007
Posts: 861
Location: Florida
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| Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2007 9:53 pm Post subject: |
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Tee:
Thanks for the kind words about my avatar! I loved the picture as soon as my son showed it to me and decided immediately it was going to be my avatar. I was avatar-less for several months wanting to have an avatar so badly! I was looking through the avatar links looking for just the right one when he took this picture.
cheri, Tee and zina:
Stay warm and toasty from all the cold weather that is coming your way for the next several months! There is a beauty to this time of the year even when there's a wind chill factor of minus below zero.
Georgie Lee:
I love azaleas and get so excited when they begin blooming. In certain places in Florida, reclaimed water is used and for some reason, azaleas do not do well with this water. I think it's due to the ph difference in the water that actually kills the azaleas.
Karen
My mother also believed in using tea leaves for her ferns. |
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georgie Lee
Joined: 17 Sep 2007
Posts: 110
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| Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2007 4:53 pm Post subject: |
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Karen, you may me right about the PH. I think that's why they like the coffee grounds. I have pink and white azaleas and I also love when they bloom.
_________________
Georgie Lee
Lady's Wager - Available 1/3/2008 from Cerridwen Press
http://georgielee.blogspot.com/
www.georgie-lee.com |
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KarenS
Joined: 23 Mar 2007
Posts: 861
Location: Florida
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| Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 6:02 pm Post subject: |
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It's summer time so what is happening with everyone's gardens and yards?
My bromeliads aren't blooming yet. Usually they bloom in June and again in September so I'm a little concerned about them. But then come to think of it other bromeliads aren't blooming either. On the other hand, my jacaranda tree was totally gorgeous this year! There was an article in the paper about how beautiful the blooms looked around the county. It stated the lack of rain might have had something to do with the extra blooms. They must like dry conditions. Must be bromeliads like wet conditions as they bloomed a lot last year when it was a rainy winter and spring. |
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Tee
Joined: 22 Mar 2007
Posts: 4062
Location: Detroit Metro
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| Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 7:35 pm Post subject: |
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| KarenS wrote: | | It's summer time so what is happening with everyone's gardens and yards? |
Finally, finally, my impatiens are coming into fullness. I think maybe the hot spring we had for a while back in May wasn't the best thing for flowers just being planted. I've stuck with the tried and true this year and only have impatiens and begonias. My one pansy plant that was given to me in a token gesture looks beautiful--that is, when our little resident rabbit doesn't keep nipping off the buds as they sprout. My son (who's not really young at all) thinks it's cute and suggested I plant pansies next year to feed the rabbits. Oh, yeah, that'll work! 
Well, Karen, your last-year's bromeliad avatar is still looking good, even though you say this year's crop may not be as nice. |
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KarenS
Joined: 23 Mar 2007
Posts: 861
Location: Florida
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| Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 12:03 pm Post subject: |
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| Tee wrote: | | KarenS wrote: | | It's summer time so what is happening with everyone's gardens and yards? |
Well, Karen, your last-year's bromeliad avatar is still looking good, even though you say this year's crop may not be as nice. |
It's the only bromeliad that's I see blooming so I am happy I selected it for my avatar. I just hope there will be a bloom or two in September when they bloom again. You take care of plants and baby them and hope for the best so it's been discouraging not to see them blooming.
Our Florida weather has been a little wacky to say the least. We had a super dry winter and spring and then around May it started raining and it has not let up. We've been getting 3-4 inches per rain deluge. It's been great for the grass and some trees and plants and not so good for others.
We trimmed back my confederate jasmine in front of my son's room so he can see out better. Now he has a great view but no jasmine on that side of the front yard. The other jasmine in front of my living room might need to be trimmed back considerably so there will be symmetry. I don't want to lose the privacy it gives us and the great smelling blossoms but the yard needs to have balance. So I am considering what to do. |
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