RE: Chocolate Smells....

Yes, I have both the chocolate mints; they're "rounded up" in a long 
wooden raised bed with other mints.  They still try to get away tho'.

I have the Starry Baby orchid with bloom I got from the orchid show 
at one of the home and garden shows at the Portland Expo several 
years ago but it doesn't like living here with me so it hasn't 
bloomed again yet.  

House plants and I have a hard time getting along in this old house. 
 We have wood heat from a fireplace insert and oil heat from the 
furnace which we rarely turn on.  Most of my plants live in the 
bathroom where I only have a western facing window and since the 
bathroom is farther from the heat it's not very warm in the winter.  
The summer is fine but mostly I've just given up on house plants 
except the foolproof ones who don't care about their surroundings.

I have fountains of some sort or another all over the house but it's 
just too dry and dusty from the fireplace to keep much humidity in 
the air.  (and the cats think they have personal moving water 
dishes conveniently located for them to drink out of)

I have a "can yard' out in the garden of plants I pick up everywhere 
because I can't resist them.. some day I'll get them in the ground 
where they can stay.  It's a mess in there right now because 
daughter talked me into getting some gallon containers of 
blackcaps and now they're all over the top of everything and rooting 
everywhere.

I've found the best place to "not resist" plants is at the local 
livestock auction which also sells people's valuable junk, garden 
supplies, small animals as well as large ones, furniture, or anything 
you can think of.. they sell plant surplus from all the nurseries in 
the area and I have gotten some really good buys there.. bare root, 
perennials, annuals, fruit trees, landscape plants, hanging baskets 
in the spring/summer, etc.  I just bought five 3 foot spruce to use 
as Christmas decorations for $1 a piece.  I went over today and 
managed to not even go back to the plant area.  A momentary 
lapse I'm sure.

The auction is in Woodburn every Tuesday if you're interested in 
coming out and taking a look.  Not too much there in the winter yet 
but spring's a comin' !!!!

Thanks for all the wonderful chocolate plant ideas.  I had forgotten 
about my mints... does anyone want a sprig or two or three?  As 
you say, they'll root anywhere and are quite invasive. (but when 
they spill over the box and you walk on them... wow!  what a 
fragrance you get!)  Actually I'll go out and root a few if anyone 
wants them.  I have several scents, I'll have to go out and see 
what's there and write in later.

Connie Wheeler
Molalla, OR
Zone 7
terconn@molalla.net

---------------------------------------------------------------------
To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@hort.net with the
message text UNSUBSCRIBE PERENNIALS
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index