We've been kicking around a get-together up here in the Pacific Northwest this spring because there are several of us on this forum.  My wife Tracie and I were thinking of having you all over for lunch at my garden in Marysville if you can make it. 

We might pre-arrange a few trades if anyone has extras (not so common this time of year around here I know), although the main focus would be just a good visit.  I would also love to have your ideas and a critical look at our garden design ideas (I know, more brugs!).

June has been recommended by a couple.  It seems Saturdays are difficult for a few members, so Sunday might be a good possibility.  I have the 10th, 17th, & July 1st open.  I guess the 17th is Father's Day, not a problem for me but it might be for others.  How about Sunday June 10th?  Can you make it?  Everyone that can come and likes brugs is welcome.  I think I'll have some nice arborea seedlings ready by then.  Let me know!

Tom H.
Marysville, WA Zone 8a

Hi Tom:

I think this is a great idea. Any of those dates work for me. Let me know what the date is and what I should bring to eat/drink and I will be there.

Sally in Federal Way

Well, that is so nice of you Tom! If i lived nearby, I would surely go. Hope you take lots of pics & post them here!

Patty
Milwaukee, Wi
zone 5

Sally don't you have a 3rd cousin-in-law out here that you need to come visit anyway???  We're practically next door.  ;^)

Tom H.
Marysville, WA Zone 8a

I'm so jealous! Here I sit alone in Connecticut...does anyone have a 3rd cousin-in-law in this state who would like to BECOME a brug addict? I need some company...

Kathy
USDA Zone 5
Connecticut

Tom, this is going to be the "greatest" get together. I am going to a plant swap this Saturday where I will be able to visit with a lot of Texas GW gardeners. They are not all brug lovers, but many are, and it is fun exchanging other plants that we love as well. If I were visiting Patrick in June, I would definitely put my name on the list. And for all of you who do not have anyone nearby to share your enthusium with --- we are always just a click away.

USDA Zone 7/8
Copper Canyon
North Central Texas

Well, Carrie...you certainly know where DFW airport is. Hop on ol' AA and get yourself up here for a few days! You'll bring my Texas accent back & I'm sure we'd entertain everyone. lol

Patrick
Brug Moderator
USDA Zone 8b
Heat Zone 3
Sunset Zone 5
SeaTac, WA...one cool place

Hey, Tom...it's really great of you & your wife to host this get-together. Hopefully, it will lead to more in the future so we can see one another's brugs & gardens (hmmm, sounds like a new magazine title - or maybe a new HGTV program!).

So...lunch, huh?! Food is always popular! Potluck sounds like a good way to go...everyone agree? Put me down for macaroni salad & dessert - I'm better at desserts than most other things, and unfortunately, my sweet tooth was not one of those 4 that were just extracted..lol.



Patrick
Brug Moderator
USDA Zone 8b
Heat Zone 3
Sunset Zone 5
SeaTac, WA...one cool place

Hi Tom, we make a wicked bacon-wrapped water chestnut appetizer, but like I said, probably can't make it until 12:30-1: Pm. Put in an order for good weather please.

Patrick, if you had ALL your teeth extracted, you would still have a "sweet tooth" - unlike me, of course!!!!

USDA Zone 7/8
Copper Canyon
North Central Texas

You bet, Carrie...and I have the triple chocolate birthday cake to prove it! My office took me out for dinner & bowling last night after work. It was my 1rst day back at work after my week off, so they waited to celebrate my birthday. There were the usual "you're so old" trappings of gag balloons & cards, plus a pretty fancy cake. I had to wear a "60" badge that had little lights that flashed rapidly & very brightly. When I got a strike or picked up the spare, I had to turn my button on. We had a really good time, but this morning my body feeeeels 60! Was it the over-used weedeater on Monday...or last night's bowling?! lol



Patrick
Brug Moderator
USDA Zone 8b
Heat Zone 3
Sunset Zone 5
SeaTac, WA...one cool place

Hey Patrick, some friends invited me an hubby out bowling about a year ago, and I could barely walk the next day. I didn't know I had those muscles. In fact, we had the lanes put up the bumper bars for the last game--that was so much fun, to see if you could bank a shot and still get a strike! But---I/we decided not to do the bowling thing any more (or else we need to do it a LOT more!)

Sorry we got a little off topic there...back now to the discussion of attendance and food! Sally, Selma & I have responded & I'm trying to get in touch with Carol, who gets busy & doesn't visit the forum often. That leaves Allison and Robin...can you gals make it on June 10th?

Patrick
Brug Moderator
USDA Zone 8b
Heat Zone 3
Sunset Zone 5
SeaTac, WA...one cool place

Sounds like a fun time. Wish I lived closer. Have fun everyone. Someone be sure to get pictures of the attendees.

ChSam (Shirley Morr)
Chariton, Iowa
Zone 5

Shirley, maybe you and I could show up and surprise them!!!!

USDA Zone 7/8
Copper Canyon
North Central Texas

Well y'all are sure welcome.  I would even grant exceptions to the pot-luck thing for any out-of-staters that we could lure in.   ;^)

Tom H.
Marysville, WA Zone 8a

You have no idea how I wish I could, Tom!!!

USDA Zone 7/8
Copper Canyon
North Central Texas

Hi Tom! I'd love to come!! June 10th sounds great. Can I bring my 2 girls with me? They are gardeners in training.

Robin in Everett

Of course, kids welcome.  Maybe I'll have an extra Datura seedling for each of them.   (Are they old enough for poisonous plants?)

Tom H.
Marysville, WA Zone 8a

Kira, the six year old is, definately! Gigi is only 1 1/2, so probably not. She'd kiss it to death.

I can't wait!

Sorry it has taken so long to resond. Been spending my evenings out in the yard or recovering from the yard. The tenth is great. I may find out about a neighber who has a couple brugs is interested also.

Allison
Sunset 5
USDA 8
Heat 2/3

So, the get-together is just a week away. At last count, I think all of us who live in the Puget Sound region indicated we would be attending.

I also believe our get-together is slated as a Pot Luck lunch. Maybe we should list what we're bringing, so we have some variety...I'm sure Tom & his wife would appreciate our input.

I volunteered earlier to bring:

Macaroni Salad & a dessert (I'm thinking a cake)

Can we all chime in & help pull the plans together?
Thanks!



Patrick
Brug Moderator
USDA Zone 8b
Heat Zone 3
Sunset Zone 5
SeaTac, WA...one cool place

HI, yes, it is on the calender. I said I would bring bacon wrapped water chestnuts (appetizer).
One minor problem. We need directions to Tom's house!

Hello everyone.  Sorry I've been a bit absent, just got my daughter married off this weekend, been a little tied up.  But we're still on for Sunday, Tracie & I are really looking forward to it.  Everyone of course is welcome, only requirement is that you like brugs (Allison definately drag your neighbor along). 

Please send me an email at plants@hulsetile.com if you think you can make it so I can reply to you with an address & directions. 

We'll be providing drinks and also a dish, and I hope you all can bring a little something as well. 

I think a 12:30 to 1:00 time was mentioned, and that would work great for me if everyone else can make it.  Look forward to seeing you all there. 

Tom H.
Marysville, WA Zone 8a

Sounds great, Tom. Is there anything extra we can bring...lawn chairs, etc? If you have a need, put it out here & we'll all try to give a hand.

Everyone cross your fingers for dry weather!

Patrick
Brug Moderator
USDA Zone 8b
Heat Zone 3
Sunset Zone 5
SeaTac, WA...one cool place

Well, let's see, everyone could bring their favorite weeding tools...  LOL.  No, just kidding.  I promise not to make you pull weeds for your lunch.  (well I promise I probably won't)

Actually a couple lawn chairs would be nice if anyone has the room to bring them along. 

Tom H.
Marysville, WA Zone 8a

HI Tom:

I wil be bringing either a yummy Bean dish (sort of like baked beans, only better) or a pasta salad. Do you have any preference?

The Madam
Zone 8b
Heat Zone 3
Sunset Zone 5
Federal Way, WA

Patrick has invited me to attend and I would love to come. I will bring Patrick and his sweet tooth with me and would love to bring a ham-macaroni and cheese dish. Looking forward to meeting you all. Carol

Yes of course, everyone is welcome.  All those dishes sound delicious!

Tom H.
Marysville, WA Zone 8a

Selma, I don't think you've been getting my replys; I've sent two.  Do you have an agressive spam filter?  I also sent it to Patrick so maybe he can get through. 

Tom H.
Marysville, WA Zone 8a

HI Tom, no, I haven't gotten them, why don't you try sending to aol.com instead of yahoo. Thanks. s

I know we're all getting together for just a good visit, but would anyone like to do any trading as well?  I've got lots of extra stuff and I'm sure I'll be sending everyone home with something from the garden, even if it's not brugs. 

Here is my trade list on Gardenweb:  http://members.gardenweb.com/members/exch/grrrnthumb  Sorry I don't have too many established brugs this year.  I lost most of them in a freezing accident over the winter.  I do have gobs of great young seedlings from very high quality named parents (like Ecuador Pink x Creamsickle (double), plus many others).  Also some B. sanguinea seedlings.  I also have some young delphiniums out of the extra tall, disease resistant New Millenium varieties from New Zealand.  Some vigna caracalla (snail vine) seedlings; do a google image search on that one, you'll love it.  A couple ornamental morning glories (double blue & purple with a picotee edge!).  Plus billions of great perennial garden plant seeds (oh yes, you're required to take something home from the big seed box) and tons more stuff in the garden we can take starts from. 

So anyone up for some trades? 

Tom H.
Marysville, WA Zone 8a

Oh yeah, how about some triple yellow datura?  I've got enough for everyone to take a couple. 

Allison do you have any more of those same seeds you gave me before (thanks again btw)?

Tom H.
Marysville, WA Zone 8a

Tom, tell us again which brugs survived...maybe if we know what you currently have we can round out your collection a little.

I had to modify my potluck contribution...failed to buy eggs 7-10 days in advance and fresh eggs aren't going to peel properly, so no deviled egg! I'm bringing a macaroni salad instead, plus a cake.

Allison...Robin...what are you bringing?

Patrick
Brug Moderator
USDA Zone 8b
Heat Zone 3
Sunset Zone 5
SeaTac, WA...one cool place

Gee Tom, I'd love a blue delphinium, but I don't have anything to trade.

That's ok Selma.  I'm don't have any blue in full plants right now, but I do have the dark blue seed (from the Pacific Giants strain), and I have young plants (about 4" high) of the mixed colors New Milleniums from New Zealand.  I can give you both. 

Patrick wouldn't you know it but the only ones that survived are the ones I didn't care about really; they were in a different area.  Charles G, Frosty Pink, & Weiz Posaune.  Just received unrooted cuttings of Painted Lady & Daydreams.  I've also got little seedlings of sanguinea, arborea, and a bunch of new crosses. 

Tom H.
Marysville, WA Zone 8a

Tom, I still have some of the aborea seeds. I will bring them on sunday.

As to what I will bring I was thinking of chicken teriyaci and rice.

 

Allison
Sunset 5
USDA 8
Heat 2/3