Ok. I'm going to look for something flowering here. But, it's only 43f so maybe, maybe not. You did a masterful job planting those. Didn't I dump about a thousand on you?

---------- Post added at 11:14 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:10 AM ----------

TY, DC. I'm getting older and it chills my bones to imagine what will happen to our landscape when the younger generation takes over. Been seeing too much property disrespect around here lately. Last Lent I had to give up driving past the highway neighbors because I had such negative thoughts.

Thanks DC... but I just planted 'em. Dolly was the one with the good taste who gave me a few. Okay, a couple dozen.... okay, half a grocery sack maybe. :biggrin:

And yes, that bottlebrush is super. When is mine gonna bloom Dolly? It grows soooo sloooooow!

---------- Post added at 11:27 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:20 AM ----------

Just depends on the particular younger generation individuals. Younger daughter lives on a street where each and every house has amazing gardens. And they started up a "community garden" on an empty lot a couple of blocks from their house.

I do agree that most these days aren't as in touch with the earth as they used to be. Perhaps some longer enforced stay home orders will make folks look around their yard and decide to DO something instead of just stick their nose into the nearest electronic device. This is a PSA from an occasionally crabby old lady. :biggrin:

while i aint no spring chicken, I am 37 and my almost 4 year old daughter has her own garden, knows you don't pick flowers (except for her periwinkle bush) and can ID about a half dozen bird....

i think the disconnect you see is the unfortunate by product of the suburbs...people with a largely urban mind set who are relocated to the largely NOT urban areas...that and any of us agrarian types live there (suburbs) too because we need proximity to the cities, usually for work. if you want to learn more google "wagon Wheel" communities and spread. people followed the train lines in the past....now we can drive where we please


so don't lose all hope for the future!!! we CAN keep it green and flowering

I was trying to be kind and in trying to be kind I was not clear. People of the generation before us manicured their yards, cared for their properties. The younger people that have bought these lower-priced properties, because they're older homes, don't take care of them: engines in the trees, junk in the yards, broken windows things like that. You would probably not want to live next door to that either. And I don't want to broad-brush this topic, because there are many people who do take excellent care of their belongings. We are not so fortunate.

i can certainly relate to that...it seems that the concepts of civility, kindness and accountability are thinning more and more these days....accountability is a big part of the pride in personal appearance and the same goes for the property...

I absolutely adore Lupines. I lived in Portland, Oregon for about three years, and the climate there is perfect for them. I had seen them in pictures, but never in person and I was just stunned. The plants were much bigger than I had imagined they would be, like three or four feet tall, and the flower spikes were two or three feet tall, with all the flowers open at once. It was just breathtaking. Sadly, in Texas it is much too hot for them and I wouldn't even attempt to grow them (although we do have Texas bluebonnets in the spring, which has a similar look, but they are quite small). They came in every color you could imagine. I didn't love living in Portland. The weather was cold and rainy, even during the summer, but the Lupines everywhere almost made up for it. Our winters are mild, I wonder if maybe I planted the seeds or young plants in the fall, that would give them enough time to grow over winter and then bloom before that awful Texas heat creeps in. Maybe I'll try that. The heat would kill them and they would not be perennial, but it might be worth a try.

Try Select Seeds, I ordered some from them this spring. They grow wild in the Indiana Dunes but, only a small patch.

I think you're right that younger people today aren't as in touch with the planet as past generations. I am a millennial, but just barely (I was bore in '82, so I just barely made the cut), but I also know of a lot of my friends my age who are into gardening, keep up their houses and lawns, and love planting things and watching them grow. I don't know about the millennials that came after me, but the ones I know aren't the way some of you are describing them. Maybe they're just young, and as they mature, they'll find new interests that don't involve an iPhone, and maybe some of them will discover gardening. We can always hope. I think every generation has the same complaints about the generation that came after them. I think it's just part of getting older and seeing the world change. The younger generations might not turn out to be so bad after all once they've matured a little.

JScott... I will so respond to this, but not right now, and perhaps move to a different thread so this one isn’t hijacked.

---------- Post added at 05:04 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:04 PM ----------

This particular piece of the pie is close and dear to my heart

Feel free to send me a private message, or start a new thread. Whatever you are most comfortable with. I'd be happy to discuss this further with you.

---------- Post added at 10:24 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:31 PM ----------

We had that everywhere in Oklahoma. We called it purple heart, and it's a great ground cover, tho it can get a little invasive. I used to sell it at my little garden shop when I still lived in Oklahoma. I love the little pink flowers. It's a great plant if you can keep it under control.