Dragon

Thanks sheftali. You're a peach. (No pun intended)

Dragon

Ok, that pun was totally intended but anyway...

There are so many gardeners here on Channel Baldur I thought I'd ask some advice. Now that the renos are mostly done at the clinic we now have a great deal more space in the recption area including 2 floor-ceiling windows that used to be in the doctors offices. Problem is that outside growing against the building is a very old shrub (juniper or cedar I think). It looks fine from the outside but from the windows all you can see is the gnarled old stems and they're extremely ugly. We're trying to convince the doctors to have them removed so we can put a flower garden in there which would look nice from either side. Here's my question, does anyone have any suggestions for some perrenials we could put in there. A nice selection that blooms at different times through the spring and summer would be ideal. I'd love to see some irises and daffodils but that pretty much just covers early spring. It'd be a North facing bed that gets full sunlight through the day. Any thoughts anyone?

Baldur

Heavens, a drowning would certainly put a damper on my day. I hope you are faring well after the ordeal Dragon.

Baldur

Well Baldur has just looked at climate maps and is a bit concerned about Alberta's endless Winters when it comes to landscaping your flowerbed.
It seems to me that you need to put in at least one element that would be interesting to view when there is snow on the ground.
I don't believe holly would do well there so I would recommend a small clump of paper birch trees, The white trunks would be pleasant and sculptural even in the dead of winter. Also consider a boulder or two.
Beyond that impatiens would be nice for a constant floral display.
You could perhaps plant coleus some years in place of the impatiens.
Another plant to use with either would be Dusty Miller.
Whatever you choose I would resist any attempt to add too many types of plants.

marius

Hi Dragon ... Baldur made some excellent suggestions. I love the idea of the birches especially. Here's my idea:

If you look at the link and map below, (the map will click to a large size) it seems that Red Deer is located in an area that was native prairie. It that is the case, marius would recommend looking into native grasses. They look quite beautiful summer through spring, when they begin to grow again. (But, erm, you get more snow than we do so maybe in Red Deer they grasses would mash flat? I don't know.) At any rate, you might consider native plants because they are genetically adapted to your weather and hence, will survive just about anything. There are also many delightful native prairie flowers. Most bloom late summer through fall. Am sure you have a conservation department of some kind that will recommend specific native plants if you are interested. Good luck. Sounds like a fun project.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Prairies

One more idea. Here's a link to the Alberta Native Plant Council. Not sure how such groups work in your area, but in Missouri they are pretty active. Volunteers from our Native Plant groups will actually visit a business, or home, and advise about plantings. In some cases, they will even donate plants and maintain garden areas, especially if this gives them a bit of free promotion for their cause.

http://www.anpc.ab.ca/content/index.php

Dragon

Thanks for the suggestions guys. Unfortunatly the birches would be a no go as it's a pretty narrow strip right next to the building. Too close for trees. It would lie between the building and the parking lot/access to our back lot and is about 2.5 - 3 feet wide (hard to tell right as it's completely full of juniper. Actually we don't even know if we'll be able to pull those junipers (if that's what they actually are) out. I'm just dreaming at the moment I suppose, but I though if we had a good plan for putting something in it might be easier to sell to the powers that be. I really like the idea of the impatiens, they seem to fill out nicely. I'm also intrigued by the Alberta Native Plant Council. Right at the top of their page was a crocus which is one of my personal fav's, maybe some wild rose too so long as we make sure it doesn't get out of hand. It grows wild out here and is our provincial flower so I kno it wouldn't take to much effort to keep healthy. hmm, lots to think on.

Dragon

I enjoyed reading the wiki thing on the Canadian Prairies too. I was interested to see in the "Politics and Culture" section that they had a little blurb about Metis (pronounced May-Tee for those who didn't know). My boyfriend is Metis, his brother just got his Metis card and my fella will probably be applying for his soon. It's funny because Metis are the descendents of Natives who married with Europeans (mostly the French and Scottish) back before Canada was even Canada but my boyfriends whole family could not be more Scandinavian. They're all tall, blond haired and blue eyed. Not who you'd peg as descended from Native Americans.
My sweetie's dad is looking forward to having unlimited fishing rights, which he will once he's got his card. He's already taunting his non-Metis friends about it. hehehe

Qsilv

Not sure how hard it could be to yank that juniper/cedar thing, but if getting at the roots is a misery, I'd consider thinning its branches to where its trunk and a mere handful of branches become a sort of Japanese-style see-through sculptural element.

This type of thinning is easily enough done by hand pruning and a lot of patient looking - sort of like ThinkDraw fussing on a slightly larger scale. ;>

If you do get it out, a climbing rose working its way up on the slimmest of lattices or even only on twine laced to tiny stables driven into the wall would add height back in, and again could be pruned to openness.

I'm a huge fan of one big boulder with a couple smaller ones, and clumps of vertical stuff (native grasses work perfectly). Gives a feeling of transition from the building structure.

Baldur

CGRGZMUHG OAYPTGS FMZGB:
YOHH DOZNEGB FOZE ZFL JPMBZT NLHC FMZGB,
MSS LAG TIMHH ZEOAHQ THONGS TNBPUUGS NPNPIUGB,
MHTL TGCGBMH ZLBA IOAZ HGMCGT,
DGBEMDT ZFL HGILA THONGT.
NEOHH YLB MZ HGMTZ TGCGBMH ELPBT UGYLBG TGBCOAR LCGB ONG.

Baldur

Well it's happening again, Baldur is getting computer prompts telling him that he needs to install 'language packs' to properly view this site.
After closing the prompt several times it finally gave up asking.
Of course the site works perfectly fine.
I wonder if I'm still missing the Hebrew characters or if it's something new this time.

Robindcr8l

Baldur, I think the computer Gods are punishing you for this difficult cryptogram. I was admittedly trying to solve it at like 2am, so maybe that's the problem. I'll go back to it in awhile. Maybe.

Qsilv

they're punishing you for the typo... albeit just a small one -- NLHC should be NLHS

; P

Baldur

oh oh, you are quite correct Qsilv.
Looking at my master copy i can see how my S was a very lazy one, causing me to transcribe it incorrectly.
Here is the corrected puzzle:

CGRGZMUHG OAYPTGS FMZGB:
YOHH DOZNEGB FOZE ZFL JPMBZT NLHS FMZGB,
MSS LAG TIMHH ZEOAHQ THONGS TNBPUUGS NPNPIUGB,
MHTL TGCGBMH ZLBA IOAZ HGMCGT,
DGBEMDT ZFL HGILA THONGT.
NEOHH YLB MZ HGMTZ TGCGBMH ELPBT UGYLBG TGBCOAR LCGB ONG.

Baldur

Does this mean you have solved it?
or did you just get that one word?

Baldur

Heavens
Baldur just discovered a delightful trove of horrible histories on YouTube.
What fun!
I will add 2 links here, but there are many more, all of them evil.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCmogoGpnxg&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUBPqCa-tiE&feature=related

Baldur

I am guessing this is to the BBC what Schoolhouse Rock was to television in the US way back when

indigo

Thanks for the links Baldur.....very funny!

Dragon

That gave me a good chuckle. I went on to watch their version of Wife Swap - Athenians and Spartans. Very cute.

Baldur

Baldur just returned from an opening at an art gallery in Providence.
It was very nice. Baldur always enjoys such things.

Qsilv

Q wanders in.... looks around at the wreckage from last night... notes the empty overturned chairs and benches... starts sweeping away the mess and bagging up the broken bits... nods... let's open the windows and let some fresh air in for an hour or so here, shall we?

Baldur... since you kinda just left a post-it note there, I took it as bait, hook and all, and googled "art gallery opening providence ri" ...glad I did!

I'm reasonably sure this is NOT it... but it's intriguing anyhow.
http://www.risdmuseum.org/

I especially liked the main sketch in the opening banner... at first glance, grassee bending in wayward breezes... a second look gets me thinking, hair! scalp! ...lol... and I do like that almost woodcut quality butterfly.

Will Baldur be attending the Gorham silver display?