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newbie

Greetings from Iowa!

I'm a new subscriber to this list, but certainly not a new gardener.

My grandfather started me on vegetables when I was around 5 years old.
He taught me how to prune trees and shrubs a few years later. He wasn't
a commercial grower; just a darn good dirt gardener who could grow just
about anything. I've inherited his green thumb and love of plants.

I, too, grow a lot of different varieties and am successful with most of
them. In face my wife, Pat, seeing the lawn get smaller year by year and
plant shelves expanding in the house, tells friends, "He has terrible
luck with plants; none of them die."

Pat is the practical gardener; she runs the vegetable patch. We've been
enjoying tomatoes since July 1; also beans, onions, lettuce, peppers,
cucumbers, egg plant. Because the garden is small, we don't grow sweet
corn or melons. 

Dry to the bone here; have to water deeply every 2 days. Haven't had
rain for nearly 2 months. Severe thunderstorm warning was out last
night; huge, dark clouds everywhere; thunder and lightning show was
great. Five (at best) sprinkles of rain. 

We moved to our current house July 1 1996 after spending 11 years at
another location, where I developed nice perennial borders and operated
a small perennial nursery in the backyard while also working part-time
for a nursery/greenhouse business and as a freelance writer. The people
who bought our big old house were not interested in flowers so as part
of the sales agreement I put in that we would take whatever plants we
wanted. We hauled 5 van loads of perennials, a few shrubs and a few
roses to our new house July 1-4. All made it into their new locations
before late fall, and only 3 failed to make it through a miserable
winter.

It was quite a challenge, not only because of the number of plants
involved but the fact that I have been disabled by arthritis. Yes, I
still get around, but not as well as I did 2 years ago. I've had 2 hip
replacements and other joints are starting to go, but I keep plugging
away. I use certain tools now, and crawl carefully. Can't use a spade
anymore because I can't lift either leg high enough to get a foot on a
spade. Shovels still work fine, thankfully; I just have to watch what i
do and how a do it. I'm not used to this slower pace of gardening.

I am addicted to hosta and daylilies but have many other perennials in
the new borders (now a little more than a year old). I have several
everblooming shrub roses that are doing nicely (they were set out in the
spring. Have only one hybrid tea remaining; they and I have not gotten
along very well, for some reason. Now I grow floribundas and the hardy,
old shrub roses (only requirement: they must have season-long bloom).

The vast majority of my perennials require little care, which is a
blessing now that I've had to slow down. But they do get plenty of TLC,
because I don't want to spend much time out of the soil and away from
the plants.

I was in the newspaper business for 35+ years, then left because it
wasn't fun anymore (I'm not a corporate team player). I decided I would
enjoy gardening-for-pay. I got a horticulture degree after 2 years of
study at a community college, then work for several years for a
nursery/greenhouse business while at the same time running my small
perennial nursery and landscape consultation/design business. Then about
3 years ago arthritis decided to set in, and eventually I had to give up
working at the nursery and close (a year ago) my nursery. I still do
landscape consultation/design, and I write horticulture articles and
take photos (always must do something involving growing).

I've also become active as a volunteer for disabled patients at a local
hospital and help teach disabled gardeners how to change their growing
habits so they can continue to enjoy gardening.

Although I am totally disabled, or labeled as such, I can walk around
pretty good. I'm just limited to what I can do in lifting, bending, etc.

I'm looking forward to meeting new friends on the perennials net. I also
belong to gesneriad, begonia and hobby greenhouse sites and am a member
of the Good Earth Garden Club in Cedar Rapids. I'm considering starting
a saintpaulia/begonia retail business at home (less hard on the body). I
have a light setup in my basement workshop and am planning more.

Great growing to you all!

John G. Adney
Marion, Iowa (next to Cedar Rapids in east-central Iowa)
Zone 4-5 (the line appears to run through our back yard)

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