HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
Newsgroups: rec.gardens

In rec.gardens, account@mtu.edu (Eleanore Kyllonen) writes:

> We are thinking about adding a greenhouse and have sent for and recieved the
> "Janco" information.  EXPENSIVE!  Any information from others who have built
> or researched and planned but haven't yet built a greenhouse would be most
> helpful.  We live in a rural area so we don't have access to dealers.  The closest market with showroom or dealer displays would be about 4+ hours away.  We
> are looking at something attached to our house that would double as a sun room
> and would need to be heated in winter.  Winters here in northern Michigan are 
> very cold (30/-30 degrees) with hundreds of inches of snow.

We have a "Four Seasons" 2 story greenhouse attached to our house.  Since we
bought the house with the greenhouse already attached, I can't tell you how
much it cost.  I like the design except for the window shades which are poorly
engineered.  I am told by the previous owner that this was the first 2 story
greenhouse that the company produced, so perhaps they have improved their
design by now.

We heat the greenhouse in the winter with electric heat-expensive!  However
during the day at all times of the year the greenhouse actually heats the 
rest of our house.  We have a fan that automatically turns on and blows heat
from the greenhouse into the heating system of the house.  We live in Colorado
and the house routinely stays in the high 60's in the winter during the day 
without our furnace turning on!  Of course, at night the greenhouse needs to
be heated and since electric heat is more expensive than gas, winter months
make us end up higher utility bills for the greenhouse.  Hmm, I need to look
into fixing this!

The last two numbers that I have for Four Seasons are 800-257-4501 and  
516-563-4000.  Hope this helps.

Ethan Gannett
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: kathleen@casbs.Stanford.EDU (Kathleen Much)
Subject: David Austin roses--help?
Originator: kathleen@casbs.Stanford.EDU
Organization: Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences
Distribution: usa
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 1992 03:38:55 GMT

OK, folks, I've read the catalogs and the Organic Gardening article
and decided to take the plunge and order some David Austin English
roses.  Now I really need to know HOW BIG they will get in northern
California (Menlo Park on the SF Peninsula).  The people at David
Austin Nursery in England said they might be double the size of the
ones in England, and that their catalog gave English sizes (it's about
the same as the descriptions in US catalogs).  I'll be ordering Mary
Rose, Heritage, and an apricot one whose name I forget just now
(starts with A).  So far, I haven't found a source for Pretty Jessica,
Ambridge Rose, Emily, Sharifa Asma, Chaucer, L.D. Braithwaite, or
Evelyn, which I would like to try (any suggestions? I've tried Wayside
and J&P, plus local nurseries).  Most of these are reputed to be less
susceptible to mildew and rust than some of the others.

Can anyone help with the projected size of these varieties? And has
anyone had DA roses that weren't deciduous? If so, which ones? 

I'd also love to find an evergreen climber besides Lady Banksia
(preferably pink). Any suggestions?
-- 
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Kathleen Much, Editor		|E-mail: kathleen@casbs.stanford.EDU
CASBS, 202 Junipero Serra Blvd.	|Phone: (415) 321-2052
Stanford, CA  94305		|Fax: (415) 321-1192
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: billmc@microsoft.com (Bill McJohn)
Subject: Re: The &%$#@ Weather!!!
Date: 06 Nov 92 18:40:17 GMT
Organization: Microsoft Corporation

In article <1992Nov04.155111.2900@ux1.cts.eiu.edu> 
csjan@ux1.cts.eiu.edu (Jan B. Faires) writes:
>
>Madonna lilies, anemones, allium and astilbes are still waiting to
>go in the ground.  If I put them in the fridge, will they be ok
>until I get time and conditions suitable for planting?  I notice
>the lilies are already starting to sprout.

Madonna lilies (Lilium candidum) have a different annual cycle 
from most lilies.  They sprout in late summer or early fall, 
and make a rosette of leaves which overwinters.  Then in the 
spring they make more basal leaves and a flowering stalk, bloom, 
and then wither and go dormant until August or September.

This being the case, I'd get those lilies planted as quickly
as possible.  You might consider growing them in pots; they
do very well in containers, since that provides them with the
perfect drainage they prefer.

L. candidum also differs from most other lilies in that it
should be planted very shallowly--not more than an inch of
soil over the bulb--and it likes lime, rather than an acid
soil.  And, again unlike other lilies, if you grow madonna
lilies for cut flowers, you can cut the whole stem without
starving the bulb, since the basal leaves will produce food
for next year.  (With most lilies, the leaves on the stem
are making reserves for next year's flowers, so cutting 
more than about one-third of the stem will diminish the 
quality of next year's display.)

Bill McJohn
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: mcnc!fns-nc1.fns.com!hph (Paul Holzworth)
Subject: Chippers,Shredders, Lawn Vacs
Organization: Fujitsu Network Switching
Distribution: usa
Date: Tue, 10 Nov 92 23:14:08 GMT

Well it is fall again and that means cleaning up the yard of leaves and debris.
My wife and I are interested in purchasing something to grind up the leaves
for compost and chip up various tree branches from pruning.  I am also very
interested in finding something that will vacuum up the leaves so I don't
have to rake them up before throwing them in the shreader.  Lo and behold we
have found a device that claims to do all of these things.  Troy-Bilt has a
unit that vacuums leaves, shreds them up and chips up branches up to 3.5 inches
in diameter. (Slices, dices, and makes julienne fries. :)  )  Does anyone have
any experience with this device in particular and Troy-Bilt equipment in       
general?  I would appreciate all comments pro and con.  The unit also comes
in a self-propelled version and a push version.  I would like the self propelled
version but can't justify the additional price.  How pushable is the other
version?  My yard has a moderate slope.

We are also considering a shredder with vacuum hose by MTD.  It isn't pushable
so you have to bring the leaves to it.  Does anyone have experience with this?

I have only recently subscribed to this group so I apologize if this has
already been discussed or is part of an FAQ.

Paul Holzworth
fns-nc1!hph@mcnc.org

Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: psmith@alfred.carleton.ca (Peter Smith)
Subject: Re: Hand-powered chipper/shredder?
Organization: Carleton University
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1992 15:07:58 GMT

In <1992Nov10.183331.19175@edsi.plexus.COM> gcs@edsi.plexus.COM (Greg C. Steiner) writes:


>Is there such a device as a hand-powered chipper/shredder?  I 
>don't have $200 to spend on a 3hp electrical one.  I also prefer 
>to use elbow-grease to get my yard work done.  
>I'm not looking to chop logs...just leaves, grass and a few 
>branches that get trimmed each year.

Yes!

You are the first person I've run into who has had the same interest
as I.  I have combed many a hobby farm magazine; spoken to a number of
farmers and I have concluded that the best available option is to find
an old "root chopper" and try to fix it up.  I found one in the barn
of a retired farmer (along with tons of well-rotted manure).  It will
be my winter project.

One caveat:  I don't think it will chip anything substantial; it is
probably more for shredding/chopping.  My goal is to be able to reduce
things for the compost heap.

If you don't know any farmers, watch the paper for local auctions.  As
a last resort, go to an antique dealer (one guy locally had about 6 of
them for $100-150 each, and they were all in lousy condition).

Good Luck, and let me know if you find someone making anything like
this today.  I can't believe some entrepreneur hasn't thought of this.
I would, but I'm too busy.

bye
From: brighid@bass.lkw.com (Brighid)
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Subject: hillside retaining plants for the NE???
Date: 12 Nov 92 22:35:56 GMT
Organization: Lakewood Corporation


All the talk about hillside retaining plants for California
has made me realize that while I can relax now that everything
is a frozen hunk of hill, sooner or later, spring, rain and
mud will arrive again. And I will probably realize that the
plants I planted this year, may not make it as hill-holders.

So, any suggestions for the other side of the country? I'm
a cold zone 5, with some shady and some sunny areas. About
80% is a slope of one variety. And, luckily, I don't have to
worry about too little water. Just too much in March through
May! :)

And, um, cheap would be good too! (We couldn't afford the
7-10K for a retaining wall and steps... and so plants must
do it!)

thanks!

Brighid			a quiet gardener now that eveything is
brighid@bass.lkw.com		frozen solid!
From: RMCCU@CUNYVM.BITNET (Robert Chambers)
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Subject: Re: CATS and LAWN
Date: 3 Nov 92 19:26:52 GMT
Organization: CUNY/UCC VM Systems

In article <4850008@hpnmdla.sr.hp.com>, olney@hpnmdla.sr.hp.com (Doug Olney)
says:
>          o Cats do in fact poop on lawns.
>          o They never poop on their own lawn.
>          o It usually seems to be part of a turf battle.  One
>               cat starts pooping on your lawn, and suddenly you've got
>               several cats pooping on the lawn.
>          o Well cared for cats don't do it.  Its the strays and the
>               cats whose owners neglect them 95% of the time who do it.
>          o Chemical repellents don't work well, particularly over
>               extended periods of time.
>          o Humane cat traps work great, except then cat owners hate
>               you.

A few shots in the backside with a pellet gun dissuades most cats from
pooping on the lawn.

(And before anybody screams - No, I don't own a gun nor advocate shooting
 pets).

>                                           Doug Olney

Robert
From: langston@langston.cs.utk.edu (Mike Langston)
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Subject: Re: Tree eradication?
Date: 6 Nov 92 14:27:57 GMT
Organization: Department of Computer Science, University of Tennessee
Distribution: usa
Reply-To: langston@langston.cs.utk.edu (Mike Langston)
NNTP-Posting-Host: langston.cs.utk.edu

jill woods continues:

> In article <lfj6goINN8ki@utkcs2.cs.utk.edu>,
> langston@langston.cs.utk.edu (Mike Langston) writes:
>> simple mowing takes care of ailanthus around here;
>> birds seem to be the real vectors
> I have tried this.  The plant does not die or go away, it just sends
> up two starts to replace the one mowed down.

interesting jill -- my initial reaction would be that either
   1) you don't really have ailanthus (have you checked for
      little give-aways such as leaf notches) or
   2) maybe you're not mowing often enough or haven't been mowing
      long enough -- this sort of thing happens, for example, with 
      brambles, in that someone occassionally asks for drastic
      measures when persistent mowing suffices
keep us posted :)

--
mike langston <langston@cs.utk.edu>
department of computer science, university of tennessee
From: stevem@gold.gvg.tek.com (Steve Miller)
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Subject: Re: hedgeapples
Date: 13 Nov 92 05:38:06 GMT
Article-I.D.: gold.5595
Organization: Grass Valley Group, Grass Valley, CA

In article <1992Nov9.132112.8549@iscsvax.uni.edu> klier@iscsvax.uni.edu writes:
>Hedgeapple, Maclura pomifera, is a member of the mulberry family, the 
>Moraceae.  The "apples" look like oversize warty green tennis balls,
>and *reek*.  Personally, I'd sooner keep Ginkgo seeds in the basement.
>
>Interestingly enough, there is *no* known animal that eats or disperses
>hedgeapples.  Speculations include that the plant coevolved with the
>extinct giant sloths.
>
>Kay Klier  Biology Dept  UNI

Sorry, Kay.  There IS one animal that disperses hedgeapples.  Humans.  When
I lived in Kansas (most of my life), we kids were always playing with them,
throwing them, etc..  I had a friend that always said he grew up so poor,
all he had for toys to play with were hedgeapples.  They are a pretty
tough tree, they deserve to be here today, that's for sure.  And the fruit
does indeed stink when it gets ripe, and man are they sticky, but hey,
we were kids!  My mother always got made because we had this sticky stuff
all over us.  No sense of humor.  Sheesh!

Steve

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Steve Miller, Grass Valley Group, Grass Valley, CA. 95959, Mail stop N32B
916-478-3059, stevem@gold.gvg.tek.com.  The Six Phases of a Project:
  1. Enthusiasm  2. Disillusionment  3. Panic  4. Search for the guilty
  5. Punishment of the innocent  6. Praise and reward for the nonparticipants
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: drogers@epcot.spdc.ti.com (Daty Rogers)
Subject: Re: Weeping Willow
Organization: TI Semiconductor Process and Design Center
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1992 17:13:15 GMT

In article <1992Nov11.160520.18033@porthos.cc.bellcore.com> sll@aries.bellcore.com writes:
>
>I just bought a 7 foot weeping willow.   

>I live in Northern New Jersey and am wondering how long I should expect to
>wait until this tree looks more like a mature wipping willow.  I have
>been told that they are considered fast growers.  How fast is fast?
>
>It is planted by a lake, in good top soil.  How often should I fertilize?
>What should I fertilize with?
>
   It's sad looking because it's that time of the year.
If it's withen 20-30 ft of a lake, in good soil, then
don't bother fertilizing. it will grow VERY fast there,
get to the size you hoped for in 10-15 years, then die
because that tree does not live very long.
                                           Daty
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: jessup@dot.cs.colorado.edu (Elizabeth Jessup)
Subject: Re: hedgeapples
Organization: Universtiy of Coloardo, Boulder
Date: Tue, 10 Nov 1992 19:07:13 GMT

In article <1992Nov10.154237.9215@infonode.ingr.com> jimreed@b23b.b23b.ingr.com writes:
>In article <1992Nov9.225227.11612@samba.oit.unc.edu>, Doug.Hemken@launchpad.unc.edu (Doug Hemken) writes:
>|> Klier writes:  
>|> 	"there is *no* known animal that eats or disperses hedgeapples"
>|> 
>|> Except people, perverse creatures that they are!
>
>I still remember how amazed I was that they actually float.
>
>BTW, in Arkansas we called them bodark balls.  It was years
>before I learned that "bodark" was really spelled "bois d'arc"
>(or something like that).
>

Are hedgeapples the same thing as Osage oranges?  I once saw a home 
decorating magazine that effused over the decorating value of a "well-placed
basket of Osage oranges".  Hard to imagine.

Liz
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: dmiller@theory.lcs.mit.edu (Dick and Jill Miller)
Subject: Re:spiders
Organization: Laboratory for Computer Science, MIT
Date: Sat, 7 Nov 1992 00:23:25 GMT

Hi Caroline, <ceb@dbrus.Unify.Com (Caroline E. Bryan)>

>>I take an empty plastic glass and a piece of stiff paper or thin cardboard,  
>>place the glass over the spider/insect to trap it, slide the paper between 
>>the wall/ceiling/window and the spider/insect, and, keeping the paper 
>>tightly against the top of the glass to keep said critter entrapped, go 
>>outside and flick the glass away from myself.  Mr. Spider/insect is now 
>>outside; I return inside to my de-crittered house.
>
>Multiply the time that method takes by a couple of thousand (I'm not exag-
>gerating), and bear in mind that more are coming in while I'm escorting the
>latest captive out:  does this leave me time to work for a living?

WOW!! Where do you live that you have so many spiders *IN* the house?? This 
last comment of yours has blown my mind.  I guess I just have a hard time 
understanding this kind of situation which is entirely different than my 
experience.  I have lots of questions.

How are the spiders coming in??

Do you live in South America or somewhere that doesn't have screens for the 
windows?

How about mosquito netting over the bed?
Or I can picture a greasy barrier around all openings that they are getting 
in.

In Venezeuela, they have little chemical pellets which go into a heater 
shaped like an upside-down smokedetector and produce a steady poisonous gas 
which gets rid of mosquitoes, etc. while you are sleeping. I don't remeber 
how the spiders reacted.  I hated the heaters and always worried how the 
gas would affect me. :"}

I don't think there are any herbal repellants for spiders and anyway, if 
there were, it would not keep them from falling off the ceiling onto 
whatever is below.

--Jill

--
A. Richard & Jill A. Miller            | Miller Microcomputer Services |
InterNet: dmiller@im.lcs.mit.edu       | 61 Lake Shore Road            |
Voice: 508/653-6136, 9am-9pm EasternTZ | Natick, MA 01760-2099, USA    |
From: GC.SUL@forsythe.stanford.edu (Sullivan)
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Subject: Re: domestication of Poison Ivy
Date: 12 Nov 1992 16:27:12 -0800
Organization: Stanford University
NNTP-Posting-Host: morrow.stanford.edu


    : cl27111@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Christopher  Lindsey) writes:
Subject: Re: Domestication of poison ivy

        This brings up the interesting issue of ethics in gardening.  Is it
ethical for people to plant species that may damage native habitats (i.e.
kudzu, Purple loosestrife) if they find it attractive?  Is it ethical to
plant harmful plants that have the ability to spread off of your own
property, such as Poison ivy?

        When I worked at the Morton Arboretum, they had a plant (I can't
remember the scientific name off the top of my head) called a varnish tree
or varnish plant that produced SEVERE dermatitis on contact.  Once it started
spreading, they just yanked it out even though it was their only specimen.

Just thought I'd bring that up...  :)

Christopher Lindsey -- Dept. of Landscape Architecture, Univ. of Illinois

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Aha, you had to ask!  No, I don't think it is ethical to plant
species that may damage native habitats.

Main perpatrators are wholesale growers, nursery owners and
landscape architects.  The general public has VERY little knowledge
regarding native plants and ecosystems and rely oN THESE peope  for
their gardening needs. For years they have been growing, selling
and planting exotic ornamentals that naturalize and compete with
native plants.  the nursery industry heavily lobbied against a bill
in
California that would limit the sale of:

Pampas grass
Scotch and French brooms
Tamarisk
Gorse
Fountain grass
Acacia decurrens
and also would like to ban:
Ice plant
Cotoneaster
Alianthus
Pyricantha
Vinca
Eucalyptus globulus

According to  WEEDWATCH by Tom Ness, "If professionals who deal with
plants every day choose to ignore the rapid invasion of natural
areas by escaped exotics, how can we expect laymen to understant the
long-term implications?"

He goes on to say "If you polled Marin (County) residents I would
guess you could find ten times as many people who are aware of rain
forest extinctions as people who can see that a handfull of excqped
yard plants and Eurasian weels are heading their own country toward
a similiar debacle"

The proplem is that non-native species can outcompete the natives
(Often because they have evolved along with man and grazing animals
in the near east under harsher conditions), and take over an entire
acre.  For example up here in Lake Co. we have acres of nothing but
Broom, which, aside from being a fire hazard provided limited
wildlife habitat.  The same acerage in the native state would have
hundreds of native plants, insects, birds and animals in balance.

Oh well, you had to ask.

Karen
From: klier@iscsvax.uni.edu
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Subject: Re: lady slipper seeds
Date: 11 Nov 92 11:59:14 -0600
Distribution: rec
Organization: University of Northern Iowa

In article <ALS.92Nov10183638@bellatrix.linus.mitre.org>, als@linus.mitre.org (Alice Schafer) writes:
> I live 25 miles west of boston with piney woods with pink ladyslippers
> scattered here and there.  For the first time, I noticed that one of
> them has a seed pod! 
> 	Can I just scatter this seed or is there a good technique for
> helping them to take hold?

Pink ladyslippers-- Cypripedium acaule, with the split pouch, or do
you have C. reginae, the big white one with a pink pouch, the state
flower of Minnesota?   Either way, the best advice I can give you is
to let nature take care of things.  We *really* don't know what we're
doing on native orchid germination techniques or transplanting techniques.
If you want to scratch up the surface of the soil in the area (just the
top 1/2") or toss a light mulch down after the seed disperses, you've
probably done about all you can.  The seeds are *tiny* and dust-like,
and the capsule opens by longitudinal slits.  Chances are the seeds
have dispersed by now.

Will look for the old files.

Kay
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: C11815@maccvm.corp.mot.com (Josette Giacobbi)
Subject: Habaneros Peppers
Organization: Motorola
Date: 9 Nov 1992 09:17:24 CST

Mark, You mentioned you have Habaneros Peppers.  If I have you my address
could you send me a few seeds?? josette
My jalapenos and habaneros remain at reasonable 2-3 foot heights (a bit rangy
though) and also continue to bloow and fruit.  I'd say keep on harvesting and
see what happens...


Mark A. Breland
breland@mcc.com  "...speaking only for myself, no others and vice versa etc..."
From: mulvihil@oasys.dt.navy.mil (Lawrence Mulvihill)
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Subject: Re: fungus gnats
Date: 10 Nov 92 20:09:31 GMT
Article-I.D.: oasys.27390
Reply-To: mulvihil@oasys.dt.navy.mil (Lawrence Mulvihill)
Organization: Carderock Division, NSWC, Bethesda, MD

In rec.gardens, nrlfs1.nrl.navy.mil (Judy Karpen) writes:
>
>Also, could someone please repost suggestions on getting rid
>of fungus gnats around indoor plants?
>

Ah, the twice monthly fungus gnat question!  My question is:
is there a carnivorous plant which would take care of the little
*%#&@s ?  I dislike the pesticides, and the passive beer traps,
pyramid shaped voodoo arrangements don't seem to work.

-------------------------------------------------------
When they outlaw bonsai, only outlaws will have bonsai.
Newsgroups: rec.gardens