This picture was taken on her birthday last year, and unfortunately she won't be home (well, here in Ohio) today, so here's my sappy birthday sentiment to her:
Thank you for being my best friendsince like 1920for more than 25 years now. We've been through it all together...marriages, divorces, childbirth, loves and losses, hot tubs (I won't elaborate!), strippers, helicopter rides in your basement, and way too many things that would get me in trouble for mentioning...we've had highs (oh yeah, expensive ones at that) and lows (but we looked damned good doing it)...and I have no doubt that we will find outselves still together, rocking out at the nursing home 30 years from now. You, of course, will be getting hit on by all the old men, and I will, of course, still be watching in awe and STILL trying to figure out how you do it! I hope you know that I am so proud of you for all you've accomplished in the past 25 years. I love you, and I can't wait to see you next month especially for our tattoo date. Tell Eddie I said to slip you the big one tonight (yeah yeah, I know it's not the weekend....go wild anyway!) and send me the video. My other one got worn out from overuse. Love you!!!! Happy birthday, Red!!!!
OK, back to the gardener thing. I need some landscaping help.
In the front of my house I get partial sun but not a ton of it. Things that do well are petunias, impatiens, snap dragons, those kinds of flowers. But I'm tired of buying annuals every year so I want to plant things that come back.
I like pretty bright colorful flowers. I don't just want green stuff. And I ain't no Hosta back girl. (There are a couple hostas out front now but I didn't put them there and I'm by no means in love with them!)
I need ideas of what to plant that will start blooming in the spring and continue through summer. I know there are things that bloom in stages, so that's fine if some things only bloom in the spring and then the others are during summer, and maybe even there are things that bloom into fall?
Help! I know many of you have gorgeous houses and lawns....help a sister out, will ya?
27 comments:
I feel the same way about my BFF, which is coming to see me!!! woohoo I hope we find the same nursing home and give them hell together....lmao
The gardening--I can offer no help since I am allergic to grass and trees and a thousand other things outside. I will send my BFF by she might know something.
I need ideas of flowers that the rabbits wont eat. Any ideas?
I love your site x , ive just begun to think about gardening as i havent done it before ive always let hubby do it but now im on my own so ive got to do it myself...arrrgggghhhh.
I know how you feel , i will get started and let you know how i get on....much love x
Happy birthday Penny!
How about a Ceasar Lilly. I love mine. As for flowery plants. UGH I can never find anything but my landscaping is green as shit right now.
Oh wait you could try a Burning Bush too. LOVE mine and NO it's not my bush bush that's burning...just my yard bush.
Don't look at me, I'm gonna stick some petunias in the dirt and call it a day.
I too feel that way about my BFF. We plan on being together in a nursing home one day...rocking the roof. I have a giveaway on my site for my 200th blog anniversary. Stop by and check it out and enter.
You really should google perennials because there's so much out there from which to choose!
I do have a couple of suggestions however, and one is lavender because it's easy, hardy, smells wonderful and is evergreen. Another is gerber daisies because they're beautiful and they spread by themselves but not evergreen. And another is hydrangeas, if they're okay to use in your area. Again, they're not evergreen but they're so beautiful and lacy.
Frankly, I'd go with as much evergreen perennials as you can find for your area; less maintenance!
It's wonderful to have a bff like Penny, isn't it? Someone to totally count on.
Don't look at me, I like annuals.
I'd help you out on the gardening part, but I can't grow a damn thing. However, I will comment on the happy birtday part (if I can see through my tears!)...we have had a ride, haven't we?? I was telling myself this morning, as I walked the beach here on Mustang Island, that I am one lucky son of a gun -- great family, great friends (especially my BFF), and a phenomenal life that has taken me on a trip few people have had the privledge of experiencing. I can tell you this: WE WILL NOT BE IN A NURSING HOME TOGETHER! We might be in a condo on a beach somewhere taking care of each other (I have all the skills to keep us pretty healthy if I can get you to take better care of yourself NOW) and STILL enjoying every minute, keeping the younger men entertained as we always have! You tell em the jokes and I'll show em my droopy rose!!! So, thanks for the lovely sentiments and I am so glad you have been a major part of all of this fun!!!
I don't know a thing about landscaping, but I love that you and your friend have been hanging out for that many years!!! I met my bestie in 1st grade!!
Believe it or not, in addition to my boozin' and debauchery, my garden time is my mental therapy! Have you tried a variegated Hydrangea (when the flowers die and fade, the green and white leaves are so pretty)? I bought an encore azalea that blooms several different times a year.
Okay, after you told your BFF to tell Eddie to slip her the big one, the gardening stuff was lost on me. You know you can't do that to me! Who can think of flowers when there's a big one in question?
Happy birthday to Dr. Penny.
I get all my planting advice and inspiration from tootsietime.blogspot.com. She is great. I love her blog. She loves questions and always answers them. You might want to give her a visit...
If I were to help you it would be VIA Mike cause I'M OVER THE OUTSIDE WORK!!!
I don't have a green thumb. I am not artistic or creative in anyway. But I can pour a mean Red Devil!
Happy Birthday Penny!
I loved the sappy sentiment to your best friend. I've had the same one for about 30 years so I can relate. :)
Gardening - I kill everything in sight. I just look at a plant or flower and it drops over dead.
Your tribute to your BFF made me cry like a baby! Friends are the greatest thing ever!
LOL...spa boy...how cute is that....and no....I am keeping the spa boy. rofl...you are so funny.
Annuals drive me CRAZY, they seem like such a waste of money for me. That and it BUGS me that the name SEEMS like it should come back every year, like a yearly event. Took me time to get used to perennial being the one to look for.
ANYway, It took me 2 years but I finally have a FULL perennial garden, not one single annual flower in it, and it is timed to bloom year round.
My favorite is primrose. They bloom all spring and summer, there's TONS of colors to pick from, and they are dense beautiful flowers.
I also love my silver mound. Yes its green, but its silvery green and super soft!.
Love the scent of my lavander plants. The nice thing is they grow quite large and you can trim back the flowers and fill your home with their scent too. I also have sage and it smells great too.
OH, I almost forgot, another favorite that starts blooming early summer (and lasts ALL summer long) is Gaillardia pulchella, also known as an Indian blanket. SUPER pretty red and yellowish orange flower.
Let see... I also have Lampranthus, aka Ice Plant. Which are really easy to grow, and flower all season, but you have to be careful because in warmer regions I hear they can take over an area quickly. Here in NY they make for a great ground cover and they don't spread super fast.
I also have 2 heather plants which are a beautiful purple in early spring, but they do go green the rest of the season. (worth it for the bright burst of early color though)
Bleeding hearts are nice perennials too. But they bloom only in the spring and then die back in the summertime, so plant them near something like the indian blanket so when they die back a later blooming perennial fills in.
I have another which I cannot remember the formal name of but it's BRIGHT pink and makes a nice ground cover.
OH OH!! I just remembered!! I snapped a picture with my phone yesterday after mulching check my flickr page here. It's a cell phone picture but you can get an idea of a few of the flowers I mentioned.
OK um, my comment is probably longer than your blog so I'm gonna stop now. But if you need any gardening advice just let me know. I LOOOOVE to garden (as you can see!)
happy birthday, penny!
Julie, I work in a garden center...so I may be able to help you. First of all, determine which zone you live in by going here: http://www.gardenweb.com/zones/zip.cgi
If they work, Firepower Nandina are a great evergreen shrub with vibrant red color in the fall months, you might also consider Photinia (they get large but are magnificent), Blue Star Juniper add unique color and texture, Otto Luykens are a perfect shrub as a back drop, then plant smaller shrubs and annuals in front.
I'd suggest doing a google image search of the plants you are receiving comments on...take a look at them, research to see if they will work in your area and then have a blast.
You know you can e-mail me anytime with questions.
OH! Don't forget your soil conditioner...whether it's LeafGro or another product...it is so very important to give these tender new roots nutrients to help them establish themselves AND don't forget to water! at least 3X a week!!!!
I'm done for now.....
~AM
Well, ChocDrop up there thought I might be able to help with some suggestions for the garden, but I'm seriously lacking in that department, except for the awesome blackberry bush that I planted a few years ago. The only thing I ever planted and grew on my own and my husband totally demolished it, go figure.
I do have some things that grow, but they were here when we moved in, and I'm not sure how they keep surviving year after year but they do!
Love that comment "ain't not hosta back girl." Priceless!
As for having a best friend like that, I think that if you actually have that, you could be considered one of the luckiest girls alive. I'm so blessed to have a good friend like that in my life, everyone should be so lucky!
give Monkshood a try. It looks very similar to the blooms on a snap dragon....but (mine) is bright purple...and it is a great and very hardy addition to the garden...what about the tiger lilly? Mine are going insane with size againn this year...columbine...let me think and I will be back if I get some more thoughts...lol
thanks for the visit today...
How ironic...I just started a Perrenial gardening class.
First I would need to know what zone you are (climate wise). Do you know what zone you are in? I am way up in northern Michigan (near Lake Superior) so we are a zone 3-4, so many of the plants sold do not do well here...but many are hardy and do grow well....so I could help you better if I knew your zone?
Hello: Just discovered your blog, I can't wait to make a cup of tea, and visit with you....
Looking for ya a gardener, in the meantime ;)
First off loved the birthday wish! Both of you are lucky gals.
Like Jane said your best bet is perennials. They come back and many will bloom all summer. TOP TEN:
1) Knock out roses- great -will bloom all summer and are not finicky like regular roses 2)midnight blue salvia the perennial-gorgeous every year. 3)dianthus, showy little flowers will multiply, fragrant
4) vinca periwinkle-evergreen grown cover that has purple flowers in the spring
5)verbena- only the purple comes back,it is called homestead.
6)ivy is also lovely but keep it away from your house or anything you don't want covered
7) I love white shasta daisies and black eyed suzies these multiply , come back and bloom almost all summer.
8) clematis is a lovely vine that blooms for mailboxes and such
9) irises and daylillies you can not kill them
10) plant an ever green gardenia somewhere because though they can get big every time you go outside it will smell like heaven or a little Jim Magnolia.
There you have it my top ten.Of course, I live in the south but I think most of these are very hardy. Good luck and enjoy :)
omg I am a gardening FREAK!! I have TONS of perennials around my yard. Let's see- bee balm is fantastic- i have pink, purple and red. Then there are painted daisies- corieopsis, purple coneflower, gooseneck loosesrife, and various daisy's!!!
I'll be back with more ideas later!!!
helicopter rides in a basement...boy did i miss a good time!
happy birthday to your wonderful friend.
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