Southern NY, Dutchess county and below

[Imprfctme]

Oh, my goodness!! What a dizzy-making adventure. Wishing you strength and courage. Hold onto the belief that you are going to a future of delightful new surroundings, new friends and new success. And see if you can dig up the peonies and take them with you. Just think, through the magic of the computer, you get to keep all your old BYC friends, almost as close as when you still lived here.
Stay strong,
-Carolyn

Thank you Carolyn, as for the flowers and the fruit trees, I will just have to hope that the next person enjoys them and allows them to stay. I supposed leaving a trail of peonies and flowers behind you in various properties isn't the worst possible legacy one can have.

I am still going to miss all of you, and yes, I'll still be on this thread. Isn't there a show in NJ in the spring?

 

[Imprfctme]

Thank you, everyone for your well-wishes. It feels super fast but on the other hand it's not really. I have about 6 months until I'm out of here, and I think that's how fast I planned my wedding. I think if you drag it out too long it makes it worse. I'm going to leave my apple trees and peonies behind, but I am trying to find a house that will let me have chickens. Dallas has this weird thing though called "HOA"s or homeowners associations. With these new developments come all these crazy *** rules. It's not something we have to face here since our land was all developed like 100yrs ago. I am just hoping if we can get a big enough lot no-one will notice the chickens. It's not like they're entirely legal here either. I'm not looking to expand to a 2 rooster breeding flock. I did ask my friend at the Bronx Zoo if she wanted them but she hasn't gotten back to me. I figure if she can care for an Emu she can handle a few more birds. I do want to try to make that happen but it depends on her getting back to me.

In the meantime, if anyone is looking to relocate to Westchester send them my way......

 

[JerseyHen]

Heather, maybe you can find a ranch just outside of Dallas? I can say from living in California, that you might find year round gardening to be a nice change. You can also grow some amazing things that you cannot grow in the snow zones. I had bird of paradise, rubber tree plant, begonias, all kinds of tropical flowering plants, figs, passionfruit, guava, tangerines, jasmine, year round rosemary that got so big I trimmed it with a hedge trimmer, ditto on the lavenders, the most amazing roses, sugar cane, bamboo, bouganvilla, and a rose of sharon tree that was cut bonzai style. I had tomatoes growing year round. You are going to love the options. Stone fruits don't do well, but they now have some varieties that only require a few hundred hours of cold weather. Citrus has the most amazing smell when it is in flower (takes a lot of water though to make that juicy fruit though). Jakaranda are really beautiful too (the tree blooms in purple), but they make a huge mess when the flowers drop. Herbs love it out in the arid land. Salvias, milkweeds, and lantana are easy growers in the dry climates. Of course, you will need irrigation, but if you do rain barrells and drip lines you can keep it pretty eco friendly. We did arid plantings on our parkway (area between the sidewalk and the road) so it didn't need irrigation. You can also do succulent plantings.Avoid grass. We had a lawn for a few years, it cost us a fortune to keep it watered. We changed to a groundcover for the lawn when we bought a place and planned the garden zones based on irrigation needs. I miss my garden in California (in case you can't tell) so I know what it like to leave one behind as well, but the thought of leaving a wake of beautiful gardens behind you actually made me feel better (thanks for that ). I am sure you are about to beautify a small patch of texas as well.

 

[Carolyn252]

Heather, maybe you can find a ranch just outside of Dallas? I can say from living in California, that you might find year round gardening to be a nice change. You can also grow some amazing things that you cannot grow in the snow zones. I had bird of paradise, rubber tree plant, begonias, all kinds of tropical flowering plants, figs, passionfruit, guava, tangerines, jasmine, year round rosemary that got so big I trimmed it with a hedge trimmer, ditto on the lavenders, the most amazing roses, sugar cane, bamboo, bouganvilla, and a rose of sharon tree that was cut bonzai style. I had tomatoes growing year round. You are going to love the options. Stone fruits don't do well, but they now have some varieties that only require a few hundred hours of cold weather. Citrus has the most amazing smell when it is in flower (takes a lot of water though to make that juicy fruit though). Jakaranda are really beautiful too (the tree blooms in purple), but they make a huge mess when the flowers drop. Herbs love it out in the arid land. Salvias, milkweeds, and lantana are easy growers in the dry climates. Of course, you will need irrigation, but if you do rain barrells and drip lines you can keep it pretty eco friendly. We did arid plantings on our parkway (area between the sidewalk and the road) so it didn't need irrigation. You can also do succulent plantings.Avoid grass. We had a lawn for a few years, it cost us a fortune to keep it watered. We changed to a groundcover for the lawn when we bought a place and planned the garden zones based on irrigation needs. I miss my garden in California (in case you can't tell) so I know what it like to leave one behind as well, but the thought of leaving a wake of beautiful gardens behind you actually made me feel better (thanks for that ). I am sure you are about to beautify a small patch of texas as well.

That was inspirational !!!

 

[Carolyn252]

Thank you, everyone for your well-wishes. It feels super fast but on the other hand it's not really. I have about 6 months until I'm out of here, and I think that's how fast I planned my wedding. I think if you drag it out too long it makes it worse. I'm going to leave my apple trees and peonies behind, but I am trying to find a house that will let me have chickens. Dallas has this weird thing though called "HOA"s or homeowners associations. With these new developments come all these crazy *** rules. It's not something we have to face here since our land was all developed like 100yrs ago. I am just hoping if we can get a big enough lot no-one will notice the chickens. It's not like they're entirely legal here either. I'm not looking to expand to a 2 rooster breeding flock. I did ask my friend at the Bronx Zoo if she wanted them but she hasn't gotten back to me. I figure if she can care for an Emu she can handle a few more birds. I do want to try to make that happen but it depends on her getting back to me.

In the meantime, if anyone is looking to relocate to Westchester send them my way......

Heather: I've never lived in an area controlled by an HOA, but from all the stories that I've read about them, I seriously suggest that you avoid them at all costs. Hunt and hunt again for a non-HOA property if at all possible. HOA's can make your life a nightmare of stress. (Of course, my saying that is a stressor in itself, and I apologize for that, but forewarned is forearmed. I figure better to hear this advisement now, when you can actually implement it, than to hear it AFTER you've bought into one and are stuck trying to sell out and get out from under their power.)
-Carolyn

 

[smkchick]

I miss my garden in California (in case you can't tell) so I know what it like to leave one behind as well, but the thought of leaving a wake of beautiful gardens behind you actually made me feel better (thanks for that ). I am sure you are about to beautify a small patch of texas as well.

That WAS inspirational! Leaving behind a wake of beautiful gardens. I love that image.

When you feel stressed, check out some gardening websites and start planning a Texas garden.

I have to agree with Carolyn. If you can find a non-HOA area, so much the better. Too many rules, which is funny considering how anti-government Texas has a reputation for being. (Oh boy, does the grammar suck in that sentence!)

 

[Imprfctme]

Heather, maybe you can find a ranch just outside of Dallas? I can say from living in California, that you might find year round gardening to be a nice change. You can also grow some amazing things that you cannot grow in the snow zones. I had bird of paradise, rubber tree plant, begonias, all kinds of tropical flowering plants, figs, passionfruit, guava, tangerines, jasmine, year round rosemary that got so big I trimmed it with a hedge trimmer, ditto on the lavenders, the most amazing roses, sugar cane, bamboo, bouganvilla, and a rose of sharon tree that was cut bonzai style. I had tomatoes growing year round. You are going to love the options. Stone fruits don't do well, but they now have some varieties that only require a few hundred hours of cold weather. Citrus has the most amazing smell when it is in flower (takes a lot of water though to make that juicy fruit though). Jakaranda are really beautiful too (the tree blooms in purple), but they make a huge mess when the flowers drop. Herbs love it out in the arid land. Salvias, milkweeds, and lantana are easy growers in the dry climates. Of course, you will need irrigation, but if you do rain barrells and drip lines you can keep it pretty eco friendly. We did arid plantings on our parkway (area between the sidewalk and the road) so it didn't need irrigation. You can also do succulent plantings.Avoid grass. We had a lawn for a few years, it cost us a fortune to keep it watered. We changed to a groundcover for the lawn when we bought a place and planned the garden zones based on irrigation needs. I miss my garden in California (in case you can't tell) so I know what it like to leave one behind as well, but the thought of leaving a wake of beautiful gardens behind you actually made me feel better (thanks for that ). I am sure you are about to beautify a small patch of texas as well.

Too true, Christine, too true. I'm already a subscriber to Southern Living magazine, and have been for ages, but the one thing that gets me upset are all the gorgeous plants I can't have - and how much longer their season is. It'll take me awhile to figure out the climate and the soil, but I'm sure I'll get there. John and I are not big on lawns, we have organic pesticides here and could give a crap whether or not it looks like a putting green, and I'm already aware of droughts so yeah, there'll be some interesting things to plant.

I am really concerned about HOA's trust me, you're not scaring me. I've had friends via the internet before and the horror stories are legend. On the other hand, if I have a 2 acre lot (which a lot of them do) what are they going to say about my back yard? My hens aren't entirely legal here as it is and we have just a 1acre lot. I went on the Texas thread and asked them about it, and said exactly that - the Texas spirit doesn't really jibe with HOA's to me - and they all agreed. Most of them live outside of the towns. The only problem with that though are the schools. So unfortunately I am going to have to choose schooling over chickens. If there is a way to have it all, I will figure it out. Heck Neiman Marcus, the store with the $100,000 Versailles chicken coop, is based in Dallas so there has to be some sort of exclusion for pretty coops and birds. I bet the only people that would be mad are those that would prefer to not let anyone know their own past. Whatever, I will find a way. It does crack me up though how many of these McMansions are made to look like French Normandy castles. Does anyone like real ranch houses anymore? John and I are hoping to find something actually "western" that fits in the environment, naturally breeze cooled, etc. Three story stone houses just seem stupid in 110o heat.

 

[smkchick]

Heather, I found some avatars for you.





I'm kinda partial to the egg...

 

[Harborview Hens]

I kind of like the wistful look of the chicken looking back .....over the shoulder.......sighing....remembering of where she had come.....but then, knowingly, she looks forward to the new adventures to come!

Understanding how you love your garden...and the chickens.....the south offers so much more. Sunlight, longer days, eggs all yer long, no snow ( I do know it snows in Texas but don't recall where you are moving), offering more time to be with your flowers and chickens.....more color, more flowers,...more beauty.......so much for to look forward. (grammar police please notice .

The Monarch Butterflies come through Texas. Plant for them, for they will come. I tag them for Monarch Watch. Another thing for you to look into there. Perhaps some of my tagged Monarchs will fly your way

Haven't been on here that long, but will miss you. Six months will afford you time to gather what is most dear to you. As for your chickens, we here, will make sure that if you need to leave them behind that they will be left in good hands. That's what we do....because we are all in this together....

Love this place.....love these people......love chickens

Irene

 

[Dahlisgrams]

I am a transplanter Southerner.. you'll love it. A completely different world..