Gardeners your most dreaded project?....sorry more fluff!

by restrangled 9 Replies latest jw friends

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  restrangled

  This winter in Florida we had horrible freezes for days on end. It managed to kill 20 year old Bouganvilla. Now in case you don't know what this is, it's a horrible invasive plant from hell but looks beautiful.

  The problem is the 1 to 2 inch thorns that can leave you hurting for days. Even dead, the thorns will deliver a painful sting. You can't bag the stuff, it needs to be burned. We can't burn here. Lawn guys charge triple to remove any cut branches. I just spent two hours with gloves, and I am 1/4 the way done. My arms, are cut to pieces, I stepped on several thorns that went up through my shoes.

  here is the plant:

  

  So what are you dreading/dealing with this spring?

  r.
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  truthseekeriam

  Boy do I feel for you!! I have a Bougainvillea and OUCH!!! I agree very beautiful.. but the sap in the thorns can give you a pretty bad rash so be careful..

  For me, my dreaded project is always weeding..no matter how much round up I use I still have to weed. I think I may have to rent a rototiller this spring and go to town in the back yard.
• 

  Cinnamon (TOO)

  dealing with pests. I'm going to hatch a praying mantis nest in a month or two. Hope it helps
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  restrangled

  Truthseekeriam, so your Bougainvillea are alive? I am so relieved mine are finally dead. They become uncontrollable here in Florida.

  Mine were about 18 feed wide and 10 feet high. Weeding I don't mind.

  Good luck.

  Cinnamon, that is the most interesting thing I have heard....hatching praying mantis. Did you raise them yourself? and what area do you live in if you care disclose that info.? What a fantastic idea!

  We get gigantic grasshoppers that eat everything, but that brings in all kinds of birds. I also hear a Great Horned Owl at night so he has to be close. One night I actually felt the rush of his wings.....silent as all get out but the rush of air was incredible, and then he sat in my backyard Oak and did the Who Who Who routine for about an hour.

  r.
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  Cinnamon (TOO)

  @ restrangled: This will be my first time working with them so it should be an interesting learning experience. All I have to do is keep the nest in a cool spot until the weather is consistently warm. I live in Maryland and the weather hasn't stabilized yet. From what I understand, a ton of these little guys will emerge without warning. That's when the work will start. I'm giving most of them to my parents and a friend at work but I have to keep them from eating other before they arrive at their new homes!

  I think it's pretty cool that you have an owl. Does he keep the mice at bay? Does the hooting keep you up at night?
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  restrangled

  Cinnamon, the Owl is pretty quiet. I heard him this morning while watching the news, shut off the TV and ran out with field glasses. He was not to be heard again.

  I also wake up in the middle of the night, and take my dog out. That's when I hear him the most. The most spine chilling Who who who...who who you have ever heard.

  My cat, and Doberman keep the mice, opossums and raccoons at bay, although it's more often rats that are a problem. I had to purchase poison this spring and place it under my deck that was not accessible to any other wild life.

  I feed birds, so I developed quite a rat population that actually had the nerve to come out and eat the left over seed while I was in their presence. Needless to say I was mortified! I haven't had any since, and thankfully they didn't expire under my deck which is very low to the ground.

  I'm still curious about your praying mantis. Did you purchase a nest, or just have it in your yard?

  r.
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  Think About It

  Here in Texas, I'm dealing with replanting many tropical plants that were killed by the cold snap we had this winter. 2 big pygmy palms barely hanging onto life. 2 small ones dead. 1 medium size barely alive. Had to cut all the growth off that turned brown and have a little green coming out the top. Planted some new tropical stuff in front of the house, including a new date palm tree. 3 hibiscus bushes are dead and a banana tree. 3 big Sabal palms planted after hurricane Ike survived the winter good, but a queen palm in the back fronds turned brown. Lost several flowers.

  Think About It
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  restrangled

  Think about it, I hear you about prized dead Tropicals. I had 20 year old white birds of paradise, absolute beauties probably 18 plus feet tall, dead....dead as door nails. Yes, I have young shoots coming up from the base, but I'll probably be dead before they reach there previous glory. I have nurtured them for years upon years. One of my favorite things was to make flower arrangements with the fresh bracts, ferns, etc. They would last for weeks in a vase.

  
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  Think About It

  Restrangled......both your flower pics are absolutely gorgeous! Crying shame about the giant birds of paradise dying. Those are my favorite. I'm retinking what my landscaping & arrangements wil be. People say a freeze like that is very unusual. Regardless, need to be able to protect whatever is planted. Can't go through this very often replacing so much stuff. I'm in the Houston area. How far south are you in Florida?

  Think About It
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  Cinnamon (TOO)

  @ restrangled: I purchased it for a couple of dollars from a guy who found them in his back yard. He always has intersting things for sale. I think you can buy nests over the internet, too.