English conversation

[elena_11293]

for Melissa: I don't know if it could have the same strong effect of a common chemical herbicide, but if you have the time to try something different, more natural, at first you could use a mixture of salt and vinegar (in water). That's what I was told to use for some invasive plants (bay/laurel, palm) that keep growing here, since like you I don't want to poison the soil.

 

[elena_11293]

Just read this quote, and thought to share with you

"The grass may be greener on the other side of the fence, but you still have to mow it."

For more quotes on different subjects (some of them are also in English):
http://forum.giardinaggio.it/parliamo-tutto-po/145473-questa-proprio-mi-ispira.html

 

[belvedere]

for Melissa: I don't know if it could have the same strong effect of a common chemical herbicide, but if you have the time to try something different, more natural, at first you could use a mixture of salt and vinegar (in water). T

for Melissa: i know that someone use also sea water (of course its effect is natural but very strong!k07, but you live far from the sea....:storto:
if roots aren't too deep and too large you can try to spill over them a lot of boiling water.. but i think it's too difficult to do it.... (boiling water: it's a fantastic way to wipe out ants... and it's an ecologic way!)

 

[Harma]

@Elena:They say that the roots have the same diameter then the crown(?) "chioma"..
@Belvedere:I know that the dung must be"old",I hope that I took the wright one,because the man who clean always the boxes of the horses was nor there,and there where mountains of dung

Something else that might be interesting for you (last year the man that came to help me pruning made me notice this very logical thing, about which I had never thought before) is that, around trees, it has to be spread not too close to the trunk but all around, thinking of where the roots might be, so that when it rains it could go down there and reach them.

The news you are sharing are all very interesting, and I'm enjoying this thread too

 

[LucaXY]

Even the light of the last day of February is gone. Tomorrow is March but do not rush: only ONE swallow doesn't make spring! :lingua:

How beautiful are they?

Pictures from Internet.

 

[Harma]

Sooooooo beautiful they are.For a long time a didn't know they have a white stomach(I prefer the word in italianancia)

 

[elena_11293]

You can say: belly

 

[Harma]

Yes that's nicer!!!!!!

You can say: belly

 

[jp60]

But tummy is much nicer! One of my cats loves having her tummy scratched.

Sorry I have been busy and I haven't been in to talk to you all. Everything always comes together.

I've put some new Hellebores in my garden and I have done a lot of weeding. Today I have only one lesson and then I am free to do some more work.

I think it's a good idea to post anything you read and find strange or perhaps incorrect. Then we can help you.
Sometimes the subjunctive means the 3rd person singular isn't used. We use the subjunctive (rarely) to give more importance to what we are saying. You only really notice it in the 3rd person anyway. For example: It is important that he attend the meeting.

 

[MelissaP]

Elms are very tough trees; they resprout and they sucker, and their roots spread for meters and meters, FAR beyond the crown of the tree, which is generally modest. My experience with them has been such that I prefer to poison them and be done with them: we did this once some years ago with no evident harm to the area, and the elms were gone for good. They had had murdered a beautiful magnolia we planted, and I became murderous in my turn. As I had mentioned before, this is the one exception to my rule of no poisons in the garden.

English notes:
When speaking of gardening, the usual word is "manure", not "dung", though the two words have essentially the same meaning.
I've noticed some confusion about write/right/wright, three different words with the same pronunciation. "Write" means "scrivere"; "right" means "giusto", "diritto" and also "destro"; "wright" is an older word meaning a skilled worker or craftsman, nowadays now found principally as a last name (cognome), either by itself or in compounds such as "cartwright" and "wheelwright".
Examples of "right": You're right about that. That's the right (correct) answer. You were right to act honestly; you did the right thing. Right and wrong. The Rights of Man; civil rights. I have a right to speak up for myself. I'm defending my legal rights. I'm right-handed. I use scissors with my right hand. Turn to the right onto the paved road. Our house is to the right of the red house. You'll see the castle on the right. Look to the right: you'll see it.
"Belly" is good; "stomach" often refers to the digestive apparatus. For birds you can refer to the "underside". "Tummy" may be more of a British word.
jp60 is correct about the 3rd p. sing. subjunctive not using the -s. Americans often don't get this rule, as the subjunctive has few distinct forms in English, and because as a population we tend not to get a lot of grammar instruction. So the rule is there, but you will often find it ignored, at last by Americans.
"Crown" is the right word for "chioma" (when talking about trees).


Today is the 1st of March!!!!! Spring is on the way!!

Melissa

 

[belvedere]

goooooood morninggggggggggggg to everybody!:hands13:
do you know that today i's my favourite day???k07:
tomorrow morning i'll go to my cottage... i know now there's no more snow and it's milder...it's a long time that i don't go there, because we have only a wood stove and when it's too cold i prefer my city home's comfort... but i wish see my neighbours's cats: they are sixteen and when i stay there they arrive immediately...

what are all you going to do this week end??

 

[elena_11293]

Oh my gosh, 16 cats?! Wow.

Enjoy your stay at the cottage, Belvedere!! Take pictures!

Speaking of animals.. Melissa, I read what you wrote in the 'dogs' section, interesting, and have to say I just agree. (your Italian is great, compliments!)

 

[Harma]

Melissa:you are fantastic........thank you.....

elms are very tough trees; they resprout and they sucker, and their roots spread for meters and meters, far beyond the crown of the tree, which is generally modest. My experience with them has been such that i prefer to poison them and be done with them: We did this once some years ago with no evident harm to the area, and the elms were gone for good. They had had murdered a beautiful magnolia we planted, and i became murderous in my turn. As i had mentioned before, this is the one exception to my rule of no poisons in the garden.

English notes:
When speaking of gardening, the usual word is "manure", not "dung", though the two words have essentially the same meaning.
I've noticed some confusion about write/right/wright, three different words with the same pronunciation. "write" means "scrivere"; "right" means "giusto", "diritto" and also "destro"; "wright" is an older word meaning a skilled worker or craftsman, nowadays now found principally as a last name (cognome), either by itself or in compounds such as "cartwright" and "wheelwright".
Examples of "right": You're right about that. That's the right (correct) answer. You were right to act honestly; you did the right thing. Right and wrong. The rights of man; civil rights. I have a right to speak up for myself. I'm defending my legal rights. I'm right-handed. I use scissors with my right hand. Turn to the right onto the paved road. Our house is to the right of the red house. You'll see the castle on the right. Look to the right: You'll see it.
"belly" is good; "stomach" often refers to the digestive apparatus. For birds you can refer to the "underside". "tummy" may be more of a british word.
Jp60 is correct about the 3rd p. Sing. Subjunctive not using the -s. Americans often don't get this rule, as the subjunctive has few distinct forms in english, and because as a population we tend not to get a lot of grammar instruction. So the rule is there, but you will often find it ignored, at last by americans.
"crown" is the right word for "chioma" (when talking about trees).


Today is the 1st of march!!!!! Spring is on the way!!

Melissa

 

[Harma]

Hi......
@Elena: You wrote speaking of animals,but you can also say:Talking about animals?????
@Belvedere:This evening I go to a "green" evening of A.DI.P.A ...The object is:the synergistic vegetable garden.I made a very small one ,and I want to know more about it....The rest of my week-end I'll clean my house and clean my garden(I prefer my garden )))))

 

[LucaXY]

Good evening

 

[Harma]

@jp60:On 17 and 18 March there is a very nice fair in Florence(Scandicci) in the nursery of Paolo Borgioli....They call it:E L'ora di piantarla....Look for it on internet.I am not sure but maybe Floriana bulbosa will be there too.I'am sure to go there,if you like to visit it,maybe we can meet eachother...will be nice!!!!

 

[jp60]

Nooooooo.... I'm going to the UK on the 17th! I don't believe it! Whenever there is something nice here, I'm not about! Is the nursery open to the public? Perhaps I could visit when I come back.

 

[Harma]

Yes,you can visit it.It's a normal nursery,but they are specialized in Hydrangeas....In the springtime you have to stay home jp60(can you tell us your name please,I don't like to call you with a number,hahaha)There are always a lot of things to visit...

 

[MelissaP]

I have spent a delightful day pruning 'Cl. Papa Gontier' and digging weeds. This was truly very pleasant now that the garden is waking up. A gardening friend gave me some hellebore seedlings last fall and the latest to bloom has freckles! And I'm finding out which plants are still alive. A young peony that died back in part has new red buds; and my tiny golden-leaved scorpion senna ("emero") that I planted in the garden is leafing out. I'm extremely proud of this baby: it comes from cuttings I took from a plant growing on our land.
In a word, spring is coming in a hurry. Have a good Sunday, everyone!
Melissa
P.S. Elena, thanks for the kind words. Harma, you're welcome!
P.P.S. Re-reading my comments on the English language I notice that the editing program took some liberties with my text that I didn't notice at the time; plus I made a couple of mistakes of my own. Names of nationalities and languages are capitalized in English, so "American" ought to have been capitalized.

 

[Harma]

@Melissa:I have a Senna too!!!!!It was very difficult to find it here,so my sister send me seeds....I love the leaves !!! It didn't flowered last year,I hope this year..

Yesterday evening was very interesting(Synergic vegetable garden),if you have the possibility to make one,you have to do it....There are a lot of sites which explain how to do it!!![video=youtube_share;pNJGGjbeHkc]http://youtu.be/pNJGGjbeHkc[/video]