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Although this could very well be a picture of me finding a new treasure at a favorite nursery, it's actually an illustration by David Catrow for a children's book called Plantzilla.

Monday, October 20, 2014

The Migration Has Begun!

Sunday afternoon, I finally had some free time to begin bringing plants inside for the winter.  I'm thinking that I'll have lots of time when it's gross outside to arrange things, maybe paint, hang some lighting, etc. For now, the important thing is to get everything inside that needs to be there.


It's interesting how much more space plants take up inside than they seem to outside!   It looked much better when it was light outside but I worked until after dark moving about 2/3 of the plants.  A nice shelf above these plants would increase the available space.

Things seem to have grown during the summer.  Hmmm. More tulip bulbs to be planted.  

The Trevesia on the right doubld in size this year!  Loree, I'm trying out the blue you suggested.  See the cabinet?   Love that color!

By tomorrow night, perhaps all the plants will have made it inside and I can look forward to playing with stuff a bit.

Hope you enjoyed this moving experience.

36 comments:

  1. Wow! Aren't you having fun?!? I'll look forward to seeing your creativity in organizing your plants for the winter. Won't you be busy?

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    1. I had an hour after work before dark and got all but a couple larger plants inside today. Now bulb planting then I'll be able to play in the green house a bit. Even when I'm busy, there are little pieces of time that I can use to play with plants!

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  2. Oh, this is wonderful! Of course plants will fill every available space; not only are they bigger than they seemed outside, they continue to grow and multiply when they come inside.

    Majorelle blue is great with terra cotta. I see a trend in the making.

    I'm in there virtually moving things around and making plans; such fun to watch progress in such a fantastic space.

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    1. Thanks Jean! I'm finding myself looking at lots of your previous greenhouse posts for ideas. Majorlle blue and terra cotta is one of my favorite combinations but I think green will be the predominate color at least while there are so many plants in there!

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  3. You certainly have been very busy! You moved lots but once they are they're done and you can move on to something else :)

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    1. All in but a couple of big plants so this weekend will be about bulb planting! Yea!

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  4. Peter: With limited space, I think you'll find that removing all of the Ensete (red banana) leaves except the one that's just starting to unfurl will be the way to go. More space, less shading of other plants, and the Ensete itself should quickly rebound once it warms up -- or even this winter depending on how bright and warm your gareenhouse is.

    (Although maybe bananas are not as vigorous in Portland as they are in places with hotter, more humid summers?)

    Take some flashless photos during the day so we can see how much light there is in there! (and get even more jealous)

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    1. I used to cut all the leaves off and store the Ensente in the dark basement and it would still pump out a leaf or two with no light or water. They do pop back fairly quickly here so if the leaves start to get in the way, I'll chop them off. Thanks for the tip!

      I will take some flashless photos one of these days when I'm not working until after dark to get some tasks done.

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  5. So, why is the gnome in jail? Was he naughty?

    Wonderful space. I imagine you in there on drear days, being happy with plants.

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    1. This is where the Gnome be gones put the gnomes they catch. http://www.perpetualkid.com/gnome-be-gone-gnomebearers.aspx I'm not sure what they do with them after that.

      Even on gloomy days, it's bright in there and it is fun to walk around the indoor garden!

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    2. I've come close to buying one of those gnome-be-gones several times.

      It occurred to me after the fact that I should have asked if the gnome had been gnaughty.

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  6. Love the gnome in the birdcage, it's ever so much nicer a birdcage than the thrift store/crap store ones that I usually buy. Great tip from Alan about the banana leaves, I think I'll try that with mine. I had no idea that Trevesia got so big, it's fabulous. Can't wait to see the greenhouse all decked out and filled up to the brim. It will be nice from now on to have such a big dry place to play in. I think Sunday was our last sunny day in quite a while.

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    1. A friend gave me the cage which she inherited from an aunt. It came with a couple of imitation doves and had hung in her aunt's home for years. I had it outside for a few years but it's so heavy that it was hard to find a way to hang it that didn't fall over so it got stored in the garage. We'll have to find a time when we're both free for you to come and see!

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  7. That Trevesia is amazing! I passed on one at two nurseries in California, they just looked sort of ragged, not as pristine as yours. And that blue, are you serious? Or was the cabinet already that color? What ever the answer I LOVE it!

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    1. I've been happily surprised by that Trevesia myself. The smaller one on the left in the bigger pot is 'Micholitzii' which has shinier and more deeply cut leaves and grows very slowly compared to the straight Trevesia. I'm thinking that it's pretty close to Majorelle Blue and I loved you suggestion but wasn't sure how it would read inside as it's usually on exterior walls. The cabinet was a really dark blue and had years of dirt on it from being in the garage. Easier to paint than to clean I always say.

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  8. Nice collection. That's great you put things inside each winter, out of dreary weather's harm...but to get the inside things done, best of luck! I forgot to bring in my aloe last winter, and it surprised me by surviving...finally came back this Sept. This year it goes inside, I doubt winter will be as mild.

    I planned on finishing up some things in the garage, once winter hits and nothing is growing outside...since 1993. Just the other day the thought hit me, except I don't have that house or the next one - off the hook!

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    1. Hard work often pays off in the future but procrastination always pays off now and you've shown that procrastination sometimes pays off in the future! Good work (or lack thereof,) my friend!

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  9. I'll bet you're having a lot of fun! Must feel great to have that space to protect your tender collection.

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    1. I'm looking around and thinking that I have too many tender plants! How did this happen?

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  10. That looks like a lot of heavy lifting indeed! I have been bringing all of my tender container plant over the course of the last couple of days as well.

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    1. It's that time of year, isn't it. Work, yes but also fun!

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  11. OMG ! Mr. TOG !
    You have a hoard of amazing plants! .. I can't imagine having so many wonderful plants as you do! .. I looked down and saw that gorgeous spider web and then the stained glass door and all I can say is WOW ! you are one talented guy! ... I love stained glass and the way it looks at night glowing with light .. the green house is going to glow for sure! Beautiful!!
    Joy : )

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    1. Thanks, Joy! There are lots of great plants, maybe too many, in my collection. I'm thinking that some of the duplicates will go with me to the next plant exchange. Glad you liked the door. Stained glass is great fun although I haven't been taking the time to do much of it lately.

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  12. I so enjoyed this post and the reality of what you do each fall to prepare for the cooler months. Do you have windows in there? Is that your greenhouse I remember reading about earlier? Wow! Lucky you to have so much space! That will be a great place to hang out this winter! ;-)

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    1. I'm glad you enjoyed this post. There is one window left but it is beneath the heavy shade of a bamboo grove. The roof and one wall had their coverings replaced with polycarbonate. It is the greenhouse/garage that you read about earlier. I feel very lucky to have this as it was only something we were talking about doing in the distant future.

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  13. How exciting. I love the gnome in the cage! And that blue is very cheerful. Can't wait to see it once you've finished moving it all/playing.

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    1. I think that the playing and moving around might never be finished but it will be fun to have a space to keep the plants in the winter where I can see them all!

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  14. It looks like you still have free space. Do I see more tender plants in your garden future? I'm glad you explained the gnome in the cage but those gnomes-be-gone are pretty frightening in their own right.

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    1. All the existing plants weren't inside yet. Last night more came in and the cramming began. Tonight more will join them!

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  15. I still can't believe I talked to you a few months ago about this then-future project, and already it's mostly done and you've moved plants in for the winter. Great work ethic! Of course saving your beautiful plants is a powerful motivator. Love the slatted container on a tripod!

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    1. That conversation seems like it took place so long ago even though it was only a few months. I was lucky and got great people to do the job fairly quickly and at a very reasonable price. The slatted rusty container came from a long ago auction. It came from France and we were told it was used to hold some sort of burning container over which turn of the century street people would stand around warming their hands.

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  16. Ooh...you are going to have so much fun! Then we get to have fun vicariously. And you just made sure that there will be a big turnout for the next swap.

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  17. Oh what fun. It is wonderful to have such a big space to keep all your treasures in. I expect you will soon fill it up though.

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Thanks so much for taking the time to comment! I love to hear your thoughts.