Yes, the wildlife that comes IN with the plants . . . arrrgh . . . the ones I really hate are earwigs. UGGGGGGH.

Amaryllises actually like being a BIT pot bound but when they start producing children and bulging out . . . I’ve also been bad about feeding them this year, sigh, so I doubly need to repot them and give them something to eat. I’ve also got two bulging orchids myself.

So glad to hear that things went well. Congrats on getting back home–that’s got to make you feel so much better.

****Newsletter? The Great Danes of MN?****

No, I’ve managed to avoid the Dane Club newsletter over the years. I’m secretary for the working breed club and do its newsletter too, because I haven’t managed to find some other fool to take it over. :)

“No, no, no, gardening is TERRIFIC. It’s WORTH all the blood, pain, frustration, dirt tracked all over the house . . . um . . .”

***You forgot the money spent on plants, pots, gloves, dirt, fertilizer, secateurs, trowels, tetanus shots, etc. LOL!

Not only is bringing in 250 plus potted plants inside “special”, there’s nothing like sharing a small house with them!!! As well as the ants and the lizards that were cleverly concealed in the pots. We usually put a plastic tarp down and shove the plants all together and then draw the “Ring of Death” around them with some Raid. It doesn’t do much for hte lizards but it keeps the ants out of the rest of the house.

As for the orchid repotting- once they start climbing out of the pots, it’s hard to shove them back inside another pot because they start growing every which way instead of politely straightupwards. There’s probably a metaphor for life in there somewhere. But what iall this means is that there is a critical mass for orchid repotting which I have COMPLETELY missed. So now it’ll be three times as hard to repot them. I’m not sure if you have the same problem with your amaryllises?

ALso, I’m not sure what you mean by copper rings; i have’t seen any (maybe because I haven’t been looking properly). However, there is a catalog that sells three inch wide copper tape with sticky backings so you can stick it to anything you like. I wrapped the posts of my hanging orchid enclosure for example which seems to discourage visitors to my orchids. I’ve stuck the tape directly to pots which also works. It’s nice because you can stick it anywhere and to any shape. It really works well for me.

For something big like you have, I wonder if buying copper pipe, like for plumbing, and ringing the garden with it would work? You could bury it a bit in the dirt so people didn’t trip and also use flat copper tape for the entryways. You’d have to get rid of all the critters within the garden afterwards but once you did maybe it would STAY critter free? Just a thought. I’m sure it couldn’t possibly be that easy or people would have done it already…

Anyway, I repotted some cactus, some cannas, some amaryllis, and some citrus today. I’m happy to cross that off my list even though I have still more citrus and succulent repotting to do tomorrow. I also spent more money on pots today! This little plant addiction we have might just be a curse… But on the bright side, at least it keeps us off the streets and out of trouble! LOL.

I love all the Blackadders from series 2 on. Have you seen any Rowan Atkinson sketches? Genius in just calling a school rota…

And have you got AbFab and the Vicar of Dibley too?

Yes:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/susan_from_athens/2449930561/in/set-72157604862192392/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/susan_from_athens/2462654722/in/set-72157604862192392/

This one died in the frost. The new one hasn’t flowered yet :( but patience is a virtue, if I ever manage to find any :)