Friday, February 20, 2009

Welcome to Boggy Gully Farm

I followed my friends to find out what super hero I am...get me with my big stick...be afraid, be very afraid...then go to M104 (look at my blog role) and see who you are...I'll try to put the link in when I figure out what I'm doing wrong!!!
Now, back to my real life...

Yesterday we went looking for garden fertilizers not common to most. We needed Aluminum Sulfate for the blueberries most desperately. Our house sits in the middle of what was once a cow pasture and the soil doesn't hover around 7+ alkalinity, it hangs onto 7+ with a death grip...well, death for acid loving plants, anyway! We heaped in the cotton seed meal and mulched 2 inches deep with pine straw, but still it keeps creeping back up past the 7 mark. We watch a show produced here that is called "Making It Grow". It is presented by Clemson University (all dirt roads lead to Clemson) as an educational show for gardeners. Rowland and Amanda do a great job of answering any query you might have about any plant you might have. Then there's Webby Debby who runs the live link online chat during the show and for awhile after. (The older shows can also be seen weekly on RFD a new network we have discovered.) But I digress. We learned from Rowland that the best and quickest soil acidifier (and longer lasting) is Aluminum Sulfate. So we headed off to Hartsville yesterday to try to locate a few bags. I called the Mayor's office in Hartsville to ask which nursery they might have nearby where we could check if no one else had it.

The Mayor's secretary was so nice. She gave me the name of the Boggy Gully Farms. Boggy Gully Farms...the name just rolls off the tongue and is such an inviting mind picture. I knew I would be visiting there whether they had any of Mac's magic elixir for the blueberries or not. I just had to see this place. I called and spoke to Shirley Best, the owner, who told me that they didn't really carry fertilizers. I asked if she had any pomegranate bushes and nearly fell over when she said yes. We've been looking for replacements for ours for ages! I told her we would be seeing her sometime late morning, and she gave me directions to her door.

Okay, it was a great trip. We went to Ace Hardware where we found the Aluminum Sulfate, then to Lowe's for Spragnum Moss...had to go by WalMart for the weekly cat food fix, then off we went to Boggy Gully. It was 11:55 in the morning when we arrived. Shirley immediately began apologizing for the "mess" the place was in. What mess? It was a shrub and tree farm. There was no mess. There was heaven. I was hooked. We walked amongst the many plants she had for sale and my eyes lighted on the double bloom knockout roses. The picture showed a deep red. I asked how much for the roses and she told me ten dollars. I pulled two out of the crowd and Mac took them to the truck. He had already picked out three pomegranate bushes and know she was showing us the Paulownia Trees she had for sale. They are more commonly known as the Empress Tree and are extremely fast growing. Shirley explained that they grew ten feet per season. Okay, I was impressed. I was impressed with the tree, the nursery, and Shirley's knowledge. We talked about the lovely pond that is a part of the nursery grounds, and her Koi. You all know by now how wild I am about Koi. She always worries that the Cranes or the Otters are going to get them, but so far, so good.

Okay, I've yapped enough about this delightful place that I am going to becoming a frequent visitor to (unless Shirley gets tired of the sight of me and bans me). I'm going to give you her website address so you can see for yourself! To visit Shirley and Mike's place just go to http://www.boggygullygardens.com/ and you won't be disappointed. Check out the Paulownia trees. Amazing!

36 comments:

Suldog said...

I have few regrets in life, but one of them is that I don't have enough land to really go all out planting many wonderful things. I have a black thumb, so they'd likely die too quickly, but I do love working in the soil.

Denise said...

I love the dirt.... got to dig in the dirt to live... Can't help it.. When the temp. gets above 55 or so I am out in the dirt! AND where in the world do you live that you can grow pomegranates...... I have to know how to do that.. We bought a house 4 years ago with 10 ACRES !!! OMG...... I have dirt to dig!

and as for the comment on my blog.. Most of the time I am trying to remind MYSELF to be nice! hahahhahh

Have a great weekend

Country Cottage Chic said...

Love that name - sounds like a home for cute little mice & rabbits who have tea parties & picnics!

Everything Stops for Tea said...

mmmm Pomegranates.... lovely, the only thing I can grow reliably are budleias, sticky weed, nettles and dandelions! Sounds fab!

Pam said...

That sounds like a fun place. I love to go plant shopping!

Vee said...

Now that sounds like a really fun place for a garden lover such as yourself...Mac, too, of course. The trees that grow ten feet? Wow! I've never heard of them. I'll snag your link and plug it in. Thanks!

Nessa said...

You're a chemist.

Strawberry Jam Anne said...

Sounds lovely Sandi - I'm fond of wandering around places like that too. Good luck with your pomegranates. Haven't tasted one for ages. I'll be looking at the Pawlownia later. A x

Penny from Enjoying The Simple Things said...

It sounds like a wonderful place! I love visiting locally owned garden centers. I am off to check out their website.
Hugs,
Penny

Carol Murdock said...

Hi Sandi.....sounds like a great discovery! I can tell you about the Empress Tree. We have two. One was planted in Spring 2005 and was about a foot tall. It is now about 18-20 feet. It is spread out huge. It was getting ready to bloom and has hundreds of blooms on it, but after a low of 25 last night and three more nights of this yet to come, we figure we are going to lose the blooms. Its blooms resemble Wisteria blooms and are a real pale lavender.The leaves on these trees are HUGE and resemble Toggle Worm Tree leaves, kind of heart shaped. The biggest one is on the South side of the house.
The other one is on the West side and was a tiny sucker off of the one that was there that Katrina blew down.It is now about 12 feet tall. I love these trees and plan on blogging about them when they bloom!I want a Pomegranate Tree myself. I saw a huge one years ago in full bloom (rusty orange)it was to die for!
Carol

sybil law said...

What a great place!!
I think I'd love your land, with all those plants growing!
Where's your superhero?!

��Radio Mihalis Thalassis - Athens Greece said...

Hi Dutch VERY GOOD
GEIASAS MICHALIS

Maggie May said...

A bit far for me to come, Sandi for my plants!
I love to browse round those places and usually come home armed with yet more plants that I have no space for!

Sally said...

Nurseries are SO much fun to visit! I'm glad you found that one. Have fun!

Nancy said...

Mmmmmm can almost smell spring.

larkswing said...

I love neat names like that! I recieved my engagement ring driving through two egg florida! There are some pretty fun names of towns and streets . . . have fun planting!

Anonymous said...

We're considering doing a raised garden this year. We have the "need" for "real tomatoes and lettuce". But then we want to spend time at the lake.

I need to do something for the soil around the Endless Summers. I want blue, so I think I need acidity. I am forever mixed up on that one. That comes as no surprise to those who know I took not one but 2 long naps today!!!

J discovered RFD last year. Once a farmboy always a farmboy. Lots of useful information there and for some reason Molly is intrigued by the cattle auctions. I think she believes cows are just big dogs.

Janice said...

Sounds like a real fun place to go and visit and shop. I'll have to check their website out. We love RFD, although we have to go to my in-laws house to catch a few programs occasionally (we don't have cable). Happy Planting!

Anonymous said...

I wish I had more room for a garden and farm. I have two blueberry bushes and they never do much. What should I start to do?

tlchang said...

I love that name - Boggy Gully...

My neighbor has an Empress tree - which he cuts down about every 8-10 years, and it grows back from the trunk to its former size and glory. I enjoy the clusters of blossoms in the spring and the huge, heart-shaped leaves - but am not so crazy about all the seed pods it drops all autumn and winter.

It is so coniferous here that our soil is acidic (blue hydrangeas!) - and I have a passel of very happy blueberries. It's one of my happy things.

Hadriana's Treasures said...

Yeah...sounds great...please send the recipe for green fingers our way please? ;) Hx

SandyCarlson said...

What a great gardening adventure. I bet your garden will be gorgeous this summer. I just learned plenty from reading this. I think that the dirt road journey would be a long one from Connecticut, though!

PanAmerican Properties said...

Root cuttings are one of many ways to propagate paulownia but it s the way that is most susceptible to transmitting disease.

The best paulownia stock comes from seeds and in vitro cloning.

For more information on paulownia and how to purchase seeds you may refer to the web site www.paulownianow.org or there is another site I found for paulownia investment www.panampro.com

rosecreekcottage-carol.blogspot.com said...

Ahh......blueberries, pomegranates...spring.....where are you???? Great post, Sandi!

Shrinky said...

A pommegranite tree (bush)??? I want some!! I buy 10 pommegrannites a week and they never last a day with my lot, they always fight and bicker like hell over who ate the last one.

It's so satisfying growing your own produce, isn't it? Not only does it taste sweeter, you also know exactly what went into it. Keep us posted on those pommegrannite thingies, I want pictures!

Rhoda @ Southern Hospitality said...

Hey, Sandi! Thanks for stopping by to see me. I know you're an expert on the growing stuff. Thanks for following me too!

♥ Boomer ♥ said...

We live on a cul-de-sac in what we thought was a perfect-sized house, until all the grandkids started being born. Nonetheless, here we must stay.

Our little pie-shaped back yard, delightful though it is, has 23 trees. No place for the sun to streak through for a garden, no ground to plant more things, though I would love to do that!

Your day trip is inspiring, though, and I'm looking forward to putting tomato plants into our big pots again, and lining them up on the driveway. That's my country living for you - and about as far as my green thumb extends!

sybil law said...

It looks great!!!

Dr.John said...

On top of all that yopu got your fertilizer. What a wonderful day.

bARE-eYED sUN said...

i stopped by the Boggy Gully Farm website, there wasn't much to be seen :-(

i wuz kinda hopin' for a glimpse of a koi pond. luvem meself! :-)

the closest we have is at the Bronx Botanical Gardens there's a concrete pond with plenty of koi, but its mostly there to show off giany water lily pads.

then there's the The Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden - - - this one is great. first off its a natural pond, and huge stocked with koi.

anyhoo, taking up too much of your time. :-)

thank you for todays' post, and much luck with your gardening (another favorite of mine, 'cept i do mine in containers) - -

c'ya soon. i likes it here.

..
.ero

loong said...

thank for visting my blog . can speak chinese ? i think you can speak chinese from posting comment.

Thom - - Dr. John said...

I have what I like to refer as my own blend of eleven herbs and spices that I put on my lawns. They are the greenest and lushest around. Good soil is the key I know, but this blend is unbeatable.

Mima said...

Hi Sandi, sorry to be awol so long, but the garden sounds as if it is going great guns, and what a successful shopping trip!

bARE-eYED sUN said...

loong, no, sorry, no Chinese here. :-0

i speak Spanish and English [i mangle both, i know}.

having been born and raised on the Lower East Side (NY) i HAVE picked up words here and there (Chinese, Italian, Yiddish, German, Polish, French, Portugese, Viet Namese . . . ) but words only. enough to draw a smile and/or prevent an ass-whoopin' . . .

i DO wish that i COULD learn another language, or even proper English . . . but ize not dat brite :-)

again, best of luck with your gardening.

..
.ero

Anonymous said...

Aaaaaaah! I arrived at your blog just in time to hear K D Lang's rendition of Hallelujah. I never thought I'd hear anything to equal Cohen's own, but that was utterly captivating. Sheer joy. Thanks for that. Normally I turn off blog music, because I like to read either silently or with my own choice of backgroud music and they kind of clash, you know? But that was just lovely!

Anyway. Back to Boggy Gully!

I wish I could grow pomegranates! I love them and they sell for about £1.25 each over here.

As to soil acidifier, can't you just buy the stuff they sell for acid-loving shrubs? We use a proprietary one for the potted (dwarf) magnolia and it does very well.

Tessa said...

Boggy Gully! Delightful name. It sounds like the title of a song you'd sing around a campfire!