VERY OT Me, again, with another update

What a lovely present to yourself, now that's the way to do it! I'm so glad your infection is diminishing. Is it conquered yet? I had a friend once who developed cellulitis and man oh man, it was painful and debilitating. You keep it on the run, now, ya hear?

Karen, Queen of Squishies

Three cheers and well done Leslie! So glad the nasties are beginning to heal. How lovely for you to get close to some flowers at last. That's the way, though - take it steady, with some little treats as a reward. I'm really pleased for you. . In message , Leslie & The Furbabies in MO. writes

Well, I am thrilled to hear about your beautiful flowers. They do brighten your day. Especially ones from your own garden.

So far as the cellulitus goes that isn't anyth> Friday morning, very early, I developed cellulitis in my surgery leg. There

Leslie, I'm delighted for you that you are once again able to walk around, even if only for a short time. The flowers sound gorgeous -- both in looks and in scent. Do take it easy, though, and don't rush things! :)

Oh my, that first paragraph was frightening! I'm glad you're back on your feet....be sure to follow doctor's orders. Your flowers sound glorious....as does your attitude. Keep up the healing and take care of yourself Leslie!

Well, Leslie! That's quite a bit of news! I do hope the cellulitis has disappeared by now and that you are feeling much better.

You sound like my beloved Grandma McCarty. She had a lovely back yard bounded on one side by the house and on the other three sides by flower beds. Every year the lawn got smaller and the flower beds got bigger. Her back yard was always a riot of color in the three warm seasons. We loved exploring her flower gardens and learning the names of all the flowers. She knew just where to plant everything so it would thrive in the available sunlight and water.

She was also the person who was responsible for my early addiction to the "Oz" books. I have several volumes that were loved to death by three generations of children. And my addiction to cooking, flowers, gardening........and I have one of her quilt tops, waiting for time to hand-quilt it properly.

Thanks for opening up some loving memories. I sure hope you are back to your standard physical self soon!

Leslie - DO take care!!

I just love that you were able to get out and walk among your flowers though. It's one of life's sweet pleasures. Every spring, I bring bouquets of lilac in, because they just fill the air with their scent. I'll have to look into a butterfly bush. I have a perfect spot in my back yard, just waiting for something. Enjoy your flowers while they're here, as they disappear much too soon.

Patti in Seattle

Patti-

There are several plants with the name butterfly bush. You'll want to get the buddeliea (sp??? again). They come in colors from the Black Knight (nearly black/purple) thru all shades of purple, raspberry, lavender, pink and yellow. They smell just heavenly and are very hardy and easy to grow. And the butterflies do love them. Sometimes I can hardly see the flowers for all the butterflies clinging to the branches. A double treat in the garden!

Here's some examples of the colors available-

Thanks Leslie! The "Black Knight" color is amazing!!! So is the "Bi-color". Can you tell me a little more? Do they like full sun? Are they hardy? And can you plant them any old time or is it best in fall? spring? And, are they fussy about being watered frequently? See what ya started?! :-)

Patti in Seattle

I've got 5 or 6 Buddleias - mainly in the sun but one in the shadiest part. Last year we had drought and this year we had rain and they are happy with both. Pretty tough shrubs altogether. Like all shrubs they prefer planting when they are dormant, but now they come in pots from Garden Centres you can plant them anytime - just make sure they have a good watering when they first go in their new home, and keep an eye on them till they get settled in.

This is from a gardening website: 'Buddleias flower on new growth. In spring when danger of frost has passed cut back the plant to 1-3' above ground level depending on how tall you want the plant to be when it flowers'. I try to do this but one usually gets missed and ends up very big. Pruning them hard also stops them getting straggly. Their rate of growth is very fast. You look at the pruned stump and think Oh Dear, and then... wizz... its a big shrub again. Their flowering season is quite long too, especially if you dead-head them.

Had a Black Knight and a Yellow one in my last garden. Didn't like the yellow one as much, but must get another Black Knight. I'm sure I can find a space somewhere.

Patti-

If you click on the picture of Black Knight at that link, there's a good description and you can click on the words 'more specifications' for even more info. It also says they are for fall planting. I love my butterfly bushes and have about 20+ scattered around my yard and flower beds. They grow in an "V" shape, so underplantings are nice to hide the narrow base of the bush. I think you'll be very happy with a few-- or few dozen- of them!

Leslie & The Furbabies in MO.

PS: When we have a hard winter freeze, the butterfly bushes will die back to ground level and then send up new shoots in the spring. After mild winters I'll get growth on last year's branches. I have found the lavender ones are a bit more delicate- we had a real bad freeze well into spring that killed off many of my plants. It got all my lavenders except one. :-(((

Your lawn will be getting smaller and smaller, Sally! . In message , Sally Swindells writes

Mine's in flower right now. Nothing fancy, sort of medium purple. I've only seen them in that color plus white! So pretty, especially when decorated with butterflies. And nice to have something colorful in mid-summer. I usually cut mine back in the fall, otherwise it gets too raggy. They seem to grow like weeds around here (Munich) -I see them on empty lots! Roberta in D

"Patti S" schrieb im Newsbeitrag news: snipped-for-privacy@storefull-3151.bay.webtv.net...

They area very easy thing to grow here in the UK, certainly as far as north as Lancashire. Even if they droop in dry weather they seem to recover very fast when it does rain. This year they are surviving fine in our constant precipitation.

Lizzy

They are very easy to grow here in the UK, certainly as far as north as Lancashire. Even if they droop in dry weather they seem to recover very fast when it does rain. This year they are surviving fine in our constant precipitation.

Lizzy

Do deer like them?? That seems to be my most important spec when contemplating bushes.

Carole D. - Retired and loving it in the foothills of NW Georgia

My quilts, crafts, QIs, and more -

Leslie, I spent about an hour searhing all over the internet for any info I could find on the Butterfly Bush, and I definitely think I need a couple. They look like they're really pretty and colorful, will tolerate the few hot days we get, as well as our rainy winters, and don't require much care. And I think having lots of butterflies around would be an added bonus! I just love the "Black Knight" and "Bi-Color" you gave me the link to. Thank you SO much. Have you ordered from these folks or was that just a link you found?

Patti in Seattle

(Leslie=A0&=A0The=A0Furbabies=A0in=A0MO.) wrote: Patti- If you click on the picture of Black Knight at that link, there's a good description and you can click on the words 'more specifications' for even more info. It also says they are for fall planting. I love my butterfly bushes and have about 20+ scattered around my yard and flower beds. They grow in an "V" shape, so underplantings are nice to hide the narrow base of the bush. I think you'll be very happy with a few-- or few dozen- of them! Leslie & The Furbabies in MO. PS: When we have a hard winter freeze, the butterfly bushes will die back to ground level and then send up new shoots in the spring. After mild winters I'll get growth on last year's branches. I have found the lavender ones are a bit more delicate- we had a real bad freeze well into spring that killed off many of my plants. It got all my lavenders except one. =A0 :-(((

I don't order from them too often as they are a bit expensive for my modest income. (They are the 'creme de la creme' of mail order gardening stores.) But everything I have ordered in the past has been a very, very nice quality plant and performed in my garden as promised in the catalog. All my gardening friends order from them as well and are equally impressed with the plants they received. They truly stand behind every plant they sell and will replace any plant that doesn't thrive for you. I'm sure you can buy from Wayside with complete confidence.

The butterfly bushes are very fast growing with a long blooming period- an added plus! I think you will be very well-pleased with your plants. Hope to see a photo next summer when they are at their peak of beautiful, butterfly-covered, blooming beauty.

Leslie & The Furbabies in MO.

Patti in Seattle

(Leslie & The Furbabies in MO.) wrote: Patti- If you click on the picture of Black Knight at that link, there's a good description and you can click on the words 'more specifications' for even more info. It also says they are for fall planting. I love my butterfly bushes and have about 20+ scattered around my yard and flower beds. They grow in an "V" shape, so underplantings are nice to hide the narrow base of the bush. I think you'll be very happy with a few-- or few dozen- of them! Leslie & The Furbabies in MO. PS: When we have a hard winter freeze, the butterfly bushes will die back to ground level and then send up new shoots in the spring. After mild winters I'll get growth on last year's branches. I have found the lavender ones are a bit more delicate- we had a real bad freeze well into spring that killed off many of my plants. It got all my lavenders except one. :-(((