Girls Coffeeshop Talk

[Lion]

Reashirt1957, that's if you haven't alienated everyone yet!!!!! LOL!!!

[Carolina]

Originally Posted by Lion

Carolina, Does this planter get sun in the afternoon??? When it's hot outside plants can wilt do to heat stress. Then they perk right up in the evening. Is this what is happening!!!

Yes!

[Carolina]

Originally Posted by redshirt1957

Well...well...well, now we know what is behind garage number three. I was just upstairs joking with the wife about something and she just shook her head and told me to go talk with my internet friends.

Oh dear!

[Lion]

Well that's normal for the heat in the south, no way to get around it!!!

[redshirt1957]

Originally Posted by mailman

Does Bitsy give you the cold shoulder when he sasses at you too

That and a cold banger.

[mailman]

Originally Posted by redshirt1957

That and a cold banger.

I admit that I did have to google it, but it had me ROTF

[Lisa]

Originally Posted by Lion

Carolina, Lisa, Dsj and Redshirt1957: you must make certain the potting mix has peat moss in it for hanging baskets. Buy a soiless mix formulated for pots. Peat moss holds 8 times it weight in water and is essential as the most important amendment in the mix. You will have to gauge your watering as to how hot and dry it gets. If you let plants wilt(which will not take very long in the south in summer)they become stressed. Once stressed they will not grow properly and if you wait too long they die. Conversely over watering suffocates the roots. It's a fine balance, not an exact science and does depend on where you live. You have to keep an eye on them depending on location as well(sun, shade or part shade).

Carolina, remember with pots and hanging baskets you do not want to compact the soil when transplanting. When you water you want the pots to drain readily and make sure the excess drain out the bottom.

Lisa, Pansies are Violas and remember they like cool temperatures so they will not do very well in the hot summer days. Usually you can repot with something else for summer.

Dsj, Johnny-jump-ups are also Violas(Viola Tricolor)in the Violaceae Family. they will bloom longer than Pansies and will be more tolerant of hot summer conditions. Often they can rebloom in the fall with cooler nites

So I've got Johny jump ups and didn't even realize it! That's good! If they behave like pansies they should be okay for a while. I have figured on having them last only until early summer; it gets too hot for them and for pansies after mid-June. So I'll have a few months of blooms from them, if I don't kill them first! Once it gets hot, I'll find something else. Or could I move them to the shade where they only get morning sun?

Oh - and I planted them with a potting mix that has peat in it. We'll see how it goes.


As for mulch - I like the black cypress. However, I just can't get out in the yard and work like I want to - it's nearly impossible with a toddler around. Even today she got a spoon and started digging up the petunias... sigh... so I'll have to find some pros to do the landscaping. Also, I don't have the know-how about designing a pleasing landscape. The company I loved, who had been in business since the 1950s, went out of business last year so I'm at a bit of a loss knowing who to find.

[Lion]

I'm not familiar with your local and zone but I do have landscaping experience here in the Chicago area. Maybe if you send me some pictures which show the surroundings of your house, what you already have planted, I can make some suggestions. I would need to know which U.S.D.A zone you live in and a sampling of native plants and common landscaping plants to your area. Also I'm not familiar with black cypress but make certain it's shredded. The reason is in a heavy rain storm chunks can float and travel whereas shredded stays put!!!

Also with annuals you should remove the spent flowers( dead heading) because you want the plant to continue to flower. A plants sole purpose in its life is to reproduce. So if you do not dead head the flowers the plant will want to go to seed production in the spent flowers and this will severely limit further flower bud development.

[Lion]

LANDSCAPING TIPS: when planting annuals, perennials, shrubs or trees always plant in odd numbers. Believe it or not this creates a balanced effect. Mother nature always does things in odd numbers, Now if you are only going to plant one that's okay but in groups be sure it's an odd number!!!

[Lisa]

Lion, any and all suggestions will be duly noted. Oklahoma City is in Zone 7a.

Even though the house faces north, the east third of the front flowerbed gets a good deal of sun in the summer. Middle third gets morning sun with dappled sunlight in the afteroon, with the area behind the tulip tree staying pretty damp and shaded all the time (the hose and faucet is there, anyway, so it might be a good idea to keep it free of plants so they don't get stepped on). The western third, where the holly hedge is, gets a lot of shade.

I hope we can have a knockout shrub rose somewhere. Maybe that could go in the east bed in front of the open porch. My old favorites are iris and daylillies, but I'm not sure they would get enough sun anywhere but on that east bed.

Generally speaking, I like old-fashioned plants that might have been popular in 1939, when the house was built. Doesn't mean they all have to be old-fashioned, though.

Below is a pic of the house. We sodded the bare areas in the yard with winter grass, so it looks a little better now - but that's a clue about the kind of sunlight we get on the north side of the house. About the only existing thing in the bed that I wouldn't want to part with is the Japanese Magnolia/tulip tree. I also have a couple of hydrangeas that I planted on either side of that gutter downspout by the steps. They should probably be moved to a shadier spot - perhaps closer to the huge magnolia tree that shades much of the west side of the yard.

The old holly hedge is a mess - they'll be a chore to pull out but I think I'm ready to see them go.

Thanks for any advice or words of wisdom!

[Lion]

For starters the Japanese Magnolia is in the center of the front yard??? Also I do not see the Hydrangeas by the front door(maybe its the lighting or winter picture)??? Can you also supply a view from the Northwest and one from the Northeast so I can see the full view of the front of the house(from using all three PICS). Also on the East side of the house, is that a second porch leading to the Kitchen??? And where is your driveway?

[Lisa]

Originally Posted by Lion

For starters the Japanese Magnolia is in the center of the front yard??? Also I do not see the Hydrangeas by the front door(maybe its the lighting or winter picture)??? Can you also supply a view from the Northwest and one from the Northeast so I can see the full view of the front of the house(from using all three PICS). Also on the East side of the house, is that a second porch leading to the Kitchen??? And where is your driveway?

Yes, the Japanese Magnolia (am I correctly calling it that? We also call it the "Tulip Tree") is right in the middle of the flowerbed, about two feet from the home's foundation. It was about 15 feet tall when we bought the house but an ice storm broke it in half and we're also trying to keep it cut back so it doesn't obscure so much of the house. At the time the picture was taken I hadn't planted the hydrangeas yet. They're pretty small; about 2 feet tall.

I'll try and get the camera out to show you some views of the east and west corners. The driveway is on the east, running alongside the open porch. This porch also has a door that opens into the living room. The kitchen is on the west side of the house - the windows above the holly hedge look into the kitchen breakfast room.

As they say, pictures say a thousand words - hope to get some for you asap. And thanks, Lion!

[Lion]

Lisa Thanx for the added information. Once I have the extra info it will take a few days to research and come up with some suggestions. Okay!!!

[Lisa]

Originally Posted by Lion

Lisa Thanx for the added information. Once I have the extra info it will take a few days to research and come up with some suggestions. Okay!!!

Garsh, Lion - please don't go to too much trouble! That's a lot of work on your part!

[redshirt1957]

Originally Posted by Lisa

Garsh, Lion - please don't go to too much trouble! That's a lot of work on your part!

First me, then David, then RoastedNuts76, now Lion. You need a "take a number machine"! Now serving number.......

[Lisa]

Originally Posted by redshirt1957

First me, then David, then RoastedNuts76, now Lion. You need a "take a number machine"! Now serving number.......

Always enough luv to go around! You know I've always taken the What's in it For Me approach.

[Carolina]

This is really embarrassing!

Max is playing baseball this season, and I just got the email from the team mom regarding team assignment, practice, etc. Max was assigned to a team coached by one of the dads in his class, which is great in my book (we play for a city league). But, I had requested that he play on the same team as a family friend of ours, not only because our boys are friends, but also for major carpool considerations. Unfortunately, they didn't honor my request - bummer.

After emailing the coach that I was looking forward to the season, I zipped off an email to hubby. When I called him a bit later, he mentioned that he hadn't gotten my email. I checked my stuff, and realized that I had sent it to the team mom instead!!

Thankfully, it was pretty tame, complimented the coach, and merely said that I was "pretty annoyed". But yikes!!! Be careful before you hit that send button!!

[Lion]

Lisa, I do not mind. I love horticuture and everything about plants so it will be no big thing. It's not like I'm drawing up a landscape design plan for you. Just some suggestions. Now I will also tell you that landscaping(recommended) should be equal to 10% of the value of the house and property.

[Lion]

Carolina, I know what you mean. You got to be careful these days!!!

[Lisa]

Carolina, is it too late for them to reassign the boys to the same team?

My sister in law was on the receiving end of a misdirected email once - she was teaching first grade and got en earful/eyeful from an angry mother who THOUGHT she was venting to a friend about Karen's concerns that her son was a discipline problem in the classroom. The mom was calling Karen a b*tch and then some. Helps shed some understanding on why her kid's got problems. Anyhow, Karen left that school a couple of years ago - it was a rough bunch of kids who had NO support from home. She was overwhelmed and frustrated and felt she couldn't make a difference in their lives anymore.

[Carolina]

Originally Posted by Lisa

Carolina, is it too late for them to reassign the boys to the same team?

My sister in law was on the receiving end of a misdirected email once - she was teaching first grade and got en earful/eyeful from an angry mother who THOUGHT she was venting to a friend about Karen's concerns that her son was a discipline problem in the classroom. The mom was calling Karen a b*tch and then some. Helps shed some understanding on why her kid's got problems. Anyhow, Karen left that school a couple of years ago - it was a rough bunch of kids who had NO support from home. She was overwhelmed and frustrated and felt she couldn't make a difference in their lives anymore.

Gosh, I know it's hard to hear less than stellar things about your kids, but part of the solution is working together. Your poor SIL. I've considered teaching, but it's the parental interaction that always stops me!

I spoke to my friend this morning, and she's going to try her best in getting her son assigned to our team. It would just make things SO much easier, as our kids are in activities together and we live close by. With two weekday practices and a weekend game per week, I'm hoping!

[Lisa]

Originally Posted by Carolina

Gosh, I know it's hard to hear less than stellar things about your kids, but part of the solution is working together. Your poor SIL. I've considered teaching, but it's the parental interaction that always stops me!

I spoke to my friend this morning, and she's going to try her best in getting her son assigned to our team. It would just make things SO much easier, as our kids are in activities together and we live close by. With two weekday practices and a weekend game per week, I'm hoping!

Oh, good - I bet they can make this work out for you!

[Lisa]

Originally Posted by Lion

Lisa, I do not mind. I love horticuture and everything about plants so it will be no big thing. It's not like I'm drawing up a landscape design plan for you. Just some suggestions. Now I will also tell you that landscaping(recommended) should be equal to 10% of the value of the house and property.

Hubby (and me, too) would have a fit over 10 percent... however, I know good landscaping is an investment and also happens to be quite expensive... we may have to pay the pros for a good design plan, but purchase and plant the plants ourselves over time as budget allows. We desperately need a new fence for the back, too - parts of it are falling down but it's so entangled in years of overgrowth it will take earth-moving equipment to dig it all out.... $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

[redshirt1957]

Originally Posted by Lisa

Hubby (and me, too) would have a fit over 10 percent... however, I know good landscaping is an investment and also happens to be quite expensive... we may have to pay the pros for a good design plan, but purchase and plant the plants ourselves over time as budget allows. We desperately need a new fence for the back, too - parts of it are falling down but it's so entangled in years of overgrowth it will take earth-moving equipment to dig it all out.... $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

FYI. All my dwellings are fully landscaped so the 10% can go toward other things. Just mentioning.

[Carolina]

Speaking of kids, mid term progress reports were sent home yesterday. While Max's was positive in general, his teacher commented "...he still lacks the necessary initiative to follow simple instructions". Uh oh - that is not a good comment. Max has had an issue of rushing through his work, and getting by with the minimum effort. Apparently, things have not resolved!

Max is a quiet, sweet little kid (he's in 1st grade). He always does what he's told, but just doesn't seem to care that much for his school work. Give him a new set of Legos, a chore in the yard, or a baseball and bat, and he's on fire. Tell him to do a simple, 10 minute book report and you'd think the dog died.

Couple that with a highly motivated big sister (second grade) who not only zips through her own homework, but supervises his (yesterday, I went to use the bathroom, and when I got back she had given Max his spelling pretest and corrected it all on her own) - it's frustrating.


We are scheduling a conference with his teacher, and hubby is thinking of suspending baseball and bicycle privileges until this is resolved.

How does one motivate a child when they just don't find their school work interesting??

[redshirt1957]

Originally Posted by Carolina

Speaking of kids, mid term progress reports were sent home yesterday. While Max's was positive in general, his teacher commented "...he still lacks the necessary initiative to follow simple instructions". Uh oh - that is not a good comment. Max has had an issue of rushing through his work, and getting by with the minimum effort. Apparently, things have not resolved!

Max is a quiet, sweet little kid (he's in 1st grade). He always does what he's told, but just doesn't seem to care that much for his school work. Give him a new set of Legos, a chore in the yard, or a baseball and bat, and he's on fire. Tell him to do a simple, 10 minute book report and you'd think the dog died.

Couple that with a highly motivated big sister (second grade) who not only zips through her own homework, but supervises his (yesterday, I went to use the bathroom, and when I got back she had given Max his spelling pretest and corrected it all on her own) - it's frustrating.


We are scheduling a conference with his teacher, and hubby is thinking of suspending baseball and bicycle privileges until this is resolved.

How does one motivate a child when they just don't find their school work interesting??

You can't seriously be asking for my input?

[Lion]

Lisa, the landscaping figure is a recommendation. I do agree though about having a landscape plan drawn up and then doing the work over several years. Believe it or not good landscaping can increase the value of your house and property!!!

[Carolina]

Originally Posted by redshirt1957

You can't seriously be asking for my input?

You are a caring parent, and that's good enough for me.

[Carolina]

Originally Posted by Lion

Lisa, the landscaping figure is a recommendation. I do agree though about having a landscape plan drawn up and then doing the work over several years. Believe it or not good landscaping can increase the value of your house and property!!!

Without a doubt - but getting it done can be a different story! Seeing a beautifully landscaped front yard makes a huge difference in my opinion.

[redshirt1957]

Originally Posted by Carolina

You are a caring parent, and that's good enough for me.

Beer, smokes, and porn always worked with the boys.


I have never been able to motivate our kids to do anything. Seems the harder I tried to more they resisted. Now, I do give them the opportunity to try things and if they like the event/sport then fine, if not fine.

Now onto schooling. We have had that problem with all of our kids from time to time and our solution was to set an exact time for each kid to do their homework, which was 30 minutes after that got home form school, and for one parent to be 100% involved the first few years. No playing, snacks, TV until the homework was done. They could have a drink. At first it would take forever for them to get their homework done and thus, a lot of our time. But after a while the routine would set in and they would get it done on their own.

Now have had a few failures at first. Our son had to be held back a grade and now is one of our smartest kids. We never gave up on him in his early years and keep trying different things. For him, being held back worked.

While I do believe in positive and negative reinforcement, with young kids we never got good results with negative reinforcement when it came to schooling. They just did not get it. Maybe our kids were just dumb.

Now, where the hell is my switch and bare electrical cord as the kids should be home soon.