Mike’s Plant Farm
4850 North Ridge Road
Perry, Ohio 44081
I have to thank my daughter-in-law Lorelei for taking these photos for us.
The rest is pretty self-explanatory. The solid dark brown donkey is Fergus, the white and light brown one is Finnegan. My subscribers helped us pick the Irish names in honor of my Irish father.
The little blonde dog is Ally, she’s 11 years old, the donkeys were born in the spring of 2013.
Me and the donkeys, we’ve got this daily ritual where we make a lap around the pen before they get dinner. They get so excited they kick, buck, and snort as we make our lap. It is funny!
As we make our lap I have to push off Fergus as he tries to kick me. This is his daily ritual. He’s really as gentle as can be but he gets all excited when we run and it must be instinctive to kick something. Never fails, everyday we make a lap, every day he tries to kick me as we do. I either have to stay ahead of him or push him off so he can’t get his butt pointed at me.
Finnegan bucks too as we run but I normally don’t see him, I’m too busy trying to keep Fergus from taking me out.
Thank you so much for allowing us into your lives.
When I bought two miniature donkeys people asked me why.
This is why. We all love them!
The donkeys are now two and half years old, they were
born in March and April of 2013.
Here are a couple of recent photos.
Yep, I love those donkeys and as often as possible, almost daily, I like to spend just a few minutes with them. As soon as I sit on the stool Finnegan comes over and puts his head over my shoulder for a hug. Fergus does this as well, but not as quickly as Finnegan will.
For my birthday I got this awesome hammock that I don’t spend anywhere enough time in, but I hung it from a tree in the donkey pen. I had to put a pulley up in the tree so when I am not using the hammock I can raise it up in the tree so the donkeys don’t tear it apart. They leave nothing alone!
All the while I’m in the hammock the donkeys are pushing, pulling, shaking the hammock, walking underneath it, raising into the air, trying to steal my pillow. Or just standing there getting the head and ears rubbed. In this photo, Fergus managed to turn the hammock almost perpendicular to the ground with me in it!
It’s the best hammock ride ever!
Wouldn’t be right to not include a photo of the little yellow dog. I have a Jeep Wrangler. Around Memorial Day I take out the canvas windows, pull down the top, remove the doors and leave it that way all summer.
Most evenings Pam and I put Alley in the Jeep and off we go. Too often we end up at the Ice Cream Store. Or Geneva on the Lake, our own little tourist trap here in northeast Ohio. Lots of fun little place so to grab a sandwich.
If you’re in the area, stop by;
Mike’s Plant Farm
4850 North Ridge Road
Perry, Ohio 44081
Mike, I’m so grateful I came upon your site online…you are a treasure trove of information! I love your emails and all that you share of your plant knowledge and of your beautiful family—2 & 4 legged! I have a question—I have 2 tree form PG Grandiflora Hydrangeas & 1 shrub form. Can I take a cutting from the shrub form to start another PG Hydrangea Tree?—do you have any videos on this? Right now, it is coming towards the end of October here & I live in Wisconsin. Is this a good time to do this?
Thanks for everything & God bless you & your beautiful family!
Nancy
Nancy,
You can, now or closer to Thanksgiving is a good time. See this; https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2015/10/annabelle-hydrangea-propagation-how-to-root-cuttings/
Happy Thanksgiving!
Mike, you make my day. You and your wife take away the strain of an upside down world. Love those donkeys!
Thank you for being you!
Thank you Deb, happy thanksgiving!
Thanks, Mike, and Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. I loved your pictures of you and your wife and dog, and of course, of the donkeys! You made me laugh at all the antics you and they go thru together. Especially funny was the hammock story and the donkey trying to bite your boot. So glad it’s steel-toed boots. I used to raise goats, and steel toes sure came in handy when they accidentally stepped on my feet! You and your wife look very happy. I’m happy for you. I appreciate you and all the information you’ve given on plant propagation, grafting, etc. God bless you and your family.
– Kathy in SC
Thank you Kathy!
Have a Happy Thanksgiving Mike. thanks so much for sharing your experience with us.
You’re welcome Wayne, Happy Thanksgiving!
Thanks for sharing all your gardening secrets and helps. Your donkeys are adorable.
Have a happy happy Thanksgiving.
Thanks Joan, same to you!
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Certainly thankful for folks like you in the world! All the best to you and yours!
Thanks Lynn and Jim!
Mike, My life wouldn’t be complete without my critters too….It’s great that you share you furry family with us too! Have a Merry Christmas as we start into another blessed new year!
These donkeys look like minitcher horses.
Is it true when a male donkey and a female horse mate a mule will be the result ?
It is the first time, I read your web site.
I am very impressed with everything and of all your plants and gardening expertise.
Mike, you are a very humble and beautiful person and blessed with a lovely family as well. Hard work, patience and persistence pays off sooner or later.
It is a gift of satisfaction, happiness and many blessings when you put love and faith into everything you do, even during hard times and adversities.
Best wishes to your family and congratulations for your great accomplishments!
I love gardening and you are so right that there is a sense of peace and tranquility and love when one connects to the soil, the plants and the beautiful flowers.
You are a complete inspiration to many with your wonderful story. The donkeys and the dog are awesome and we all know that behind a great man, there is also and extraordinary woman. Stay healthy and God bless you all. Keep up your amazing work! You are an inspiration. When one falls down, get up and look up to the horizon with optimism and hopes, that at the end of one’s journey, one can be sure that had lead the right path to the eternal gardens.
Best wishes to your lovely family!
Lidi,
Thank you so much for your kind words and appreciation for what I do.
Mike,
I have always enjoyed the plant photos and advise you give. Today I watched
your pictures of all the fall colors in your yard. It truly was beautiful. I mostly
enjoyed the pictures of Fennigan and Fergus. I can certainly see how they can
bring you so much JOY. They certainly brought some smiles from me.
Don’t stop the emails.
Thank you
Marie
Thanks Marie,
I appreciate that.
Thanks for all the great information. Your donkeys are great. I loved the little yellow dog in the wrangler with the hat.
Mike, I love your donkeys! And, they LOVE YOU! You are an amazing person! I love all your articles. One question: Can you propogate Peegee hydrangias the same way as Annabelle?
Thanks Irene and yes, do the P.G.s the same way.
My wife and I are new to owning mini donkeys. We adopted a mother and daughter. My question is what do you do with all their doo?
Jay,
Right now I have a large compost/manure pile out back. Eventually I’ll likely spread it out over an area that I intend to plant and till it in. If I were to allow it to compost enough I could work it into my potting soil mix. But the pile contains a lot of hay and straw so composting is slow. Enjoy them, they are awesome friends!
AWESOME!!!
LOVE seeing all of you…wish your Daughter was in these also, but someone had to take great pics! right? 😉
I love your website and all the wonderful information; but watching as the donkeys grow it makes us feel part of their (and your) lives as well. Thank you for sharing with us.. brandy
Brandy,
Thank you! I need to add some updated donkey photos and videos. We’re doing fine, I just put a hammock in the donkey pen for me, not the donkeys.
Ive been wanting to drive up and buy a truck load of Japanese maple seedlings When are you going to open ..This spring..Thanks dennis….
Dennis,
We should be open by late April but we don’t always keep regular hours unless we are doing an advertised sale. Keep an eye on this web page and watch for us to updated it with fresh information for 2015. Right now the ad from last September is still on the page. http://mikesplantfarm.com
Apologies to Finnegan. Misspelled his name every time in other post. But at least I kept it Irish. Are donkeys forgiving?
Bonnie, they are very forgiving. A handful of chops carrots and they’ll forget anything you ask them to.
Aw. Mike,
In all these years, I’ve never known you to do a mean thing before. and now you’ve gone and shown me Fergus and Finnean and provided a link where I fell in love with foals. To top it off, the foal I especially fell in love with was a little baby-faced thing named Cabinwood’s Dockside Doug. The reason I was so drawn to him was that I had already fallen in love with your little Finnean’s face and he looked so much like him. Then I looked closer and saw in parenthesis that baby “Doug” is none other than your Finnean. The mean thing? You’ve got me losing sleep thinking about donkeys trying to figure out how I can possibly manage to have one—–or more—–and knowing I can’t possible manage it.
It’s great to see you and Pam looking so great and obviously continuing to have a good life and doing whatever you can to share it with others. God Bless.
Bonnie,
You do have donkeys! Finnegan and Fergus are ours to share with you and anybody else that wants to love them. I’ll do my best to include them in as much as I can in all of our future work.
Thank You for sending your family photos. Those donkeys are the cutest. I loved seeing them. I wish I had a farm so I could have one or two! Best Regards, The Wiltzius family
Are you sure they are both males? That Fergus looks pregnant to me!
Mike I have been a paid member of your website for several years. My computer crashed I have losted every thing the link to the site my password and all. I was down sick and someone cleaned my desk and threw my hard copies away. Would you please send me some info so I can get back on the backyard growing Board Thank You Kindly
Geraldine Keller
2709290321
Mike, thanks for sharing your pics. I love animals and really enjoyed this.
Are those some of your plants behind you in the pic. of “Donkeys Love Wheat Thins & Triscuits?” Thanks again for sharing. Bette from the board.
Bette,
The red trees in the background are some of my Japanese maples.
I want to start composting.
Mike and family,
I’ve always enjoyed just reading the no nonsense, down to earth way that you write and share your life while teaching readers about plants.
Thanks for the inspiration
No, you don’t look rediculous. Maybe it’s the daily run that is helping you lose weight. Looking good!
Love Love Love the donkeys!! and You guys….. and all the info you provide. Look forward to raising plants after I retire….
Our son is building us a new house and the landscaping will soon begin. (We are old folks) I see the builders have put down black plastic, then rock under the deck. I think you would say that is a no no?? Son lives in MN ——we are in northern WI so we have to be the “bosses” and what do we know?
Betty, the plastic under the deck with stone over it isn’t a huge problem.
Foolish me….Your blog is last comment last, instead of last comment first. Sorry about the stupid comment about the last comment being in Nov……Still interested in your answer to my question in that comment.
Have enjoyed your letters for several years now…thanks a bunch.
John
Mike, the latest comment here is Nov. 10. Is this the latest blog comment? What happened?
Say, tell me this – I live in South (very south) Louisiana. What kind of plants should I be planting for market. I am interested in your system but cash strapped at the moment. I will be looking forward to your next offering. In the meantime what plants should I be looking at to plant for Far South Louisiana or that would have a market in my area?
Thanks, John
John,
That’s easy. Just pick things that are growing and selling well in the garden stores around you. People will happily buy them from you.
Hi Mike and Pam ,
Mike, that is the first time I ever saw you without your bib-overalls ! You and Pam look like you are even closer ( marriage-wise ) than ever before .
I love those donkeys ! I can see that you both do , also.
1. ) What made you become interested in the first place., before you ever considered getting those 2 ??
2. ) In the back of the fence of where you are sitting on the bench, are those red saplings, Japanese Maples or a red dogwood bush/shrub ? Or burning bushes ? in the background ?
3. ) what NEW direction , that you have mentioned in the last 2-3 months , when you said you were taking your business in a different direction…..I am curious about that, if you feel like sharing that with us.
4. ) What is the huge silver/gray colored ball/globe made of ? It looks like a cement globe.
5. ) in the photo where you and Pam are both handing out the wheat thins and triskets, what are the long, long rows of green plantings , in the background ? How do you keep those long rows weed-free ? Do you use Glycophosate ? ( Roundup )?
My Hydranges survived the winter ! They were 4 brand new ones (from the huge Wegman’s grocery store here in Rochester, N.Y.) that I planted in July and August when they went on a 50% sale last year , and I covered them with 2 blankets , that I anchored with big stones. I was so shocked that they all made it , because they had no light for 6 months.!
I get so discouraged…I fell here at home and broke my neck in 2 places ( in the worst part of my spine as that comes within MM. of touching my brain stem and if it dislodged the B.S., I would die in one minute , and on the day before I was to be discharged from Rehab, I had a major stroke ! That was my 7th. stroke ! I have been in a rigid neck brace for 6 months.
So, I have a high school senior and also a senior in college who are going to come here and do the weeding and planting of my beloved flowers ! They have helped getting the flowers planted every year and love coming here., so that is something that brightens my outlook.
I am also a female Magician ( for 23 years ! ) and I am hoping I can still do some low-key performances again.
God Bless you all.
Magigal
Magigal,
I’m not sure how or why I became intrigued with the donkeys, but we love them. The long green rows are not mine, both of my neighbors have nurseries as well. There are about 100 nurseries in this town if you can believe that. I hope you health issues get better. You take care.
Thanks for the pictures….your donkeys are really cute & your love for them really shows through. I always enjoy your letters too, though I’ve not been able to play in our yard for two years. I had scoliosis & surgery for it & am recovering this summer & looking forward to next summer, as I love to play in flowers & little trees. At 77 years old I won’t be able to do all that I really want to do, & my hubby is not in good health & not able to do all that he wants to do either. but I can live vicariously through your letters & pictures. I loved the pictures of your landscaping. We have 4 acres & it’s a job for us to keep up all that needs to be done here. Hubby still mows the place, but we really need someone to prune, trim & set out flowers & transplant trees that have come up from mother trees here. We have golden raintrees in a flower garden that need to be moved & some given away. A Korean Spice bush came up that needs to be transplanted & most springs we have little Buckeyes that we could transplant if we were able. I can’t stand to just destroy the little trees, though I do have some little maples & such that have sprouted up in the wrong places & need to be cut down. This place used to be a nursery & we have plenty of big trees here. They keep us busy picking up limbs that have fallen from them…..Fred, now that I’m not able to bend well.
Again, thanks for the emails & may the Lord continue to bless you & yours.
Mike you have a beautiful life. Love all your photos and love reading all your tips about gardening. You look amazing by the way. Nice you see you looking so happy and healthy! Take Care
Bonnie from St. John’s Newfoundland
Bonnie,
Thank you for the kind comments, especially from Newfoundland. I appreciate you saying that.
Loving plants & loving donkeys = two good people! Mike and Pam! loved the series of photos of your fun with your pets. Thanks for sharing!
Love the photos! You have a blessed life! Many more years of it to you all.
What happened to the info re the rhododendrons???
Dear Mike and Pam, wonderful photos, and I LOVE the donkeys. One day, I hope we get to meet. We tried last summer, but I couldn’t find your place on Rt 20. There’s times I wish we lived back in Madison, that area has such wonderful “dirt”. I love playing
in the dirt, but at almost 74, it’s hard to get back up sometimes…so I’ve been slacking on the “weed-pulling” and we did loose a lot of flowers and bushes over this past winter. I’m doing the “nail scratch test” like you suggested.
I’m close friends with Diana, love her to bits…..Take care, and keep on playing with your donkeys. I once had a Nubin goat, Jasmine Marie…I house trained her. Honest. Nancy Williams
Nancy,
Any time you are in the area stop in. 4850 North Ridge Road in Perry, Ohio 44081
Hello, Just want you to know that I was happy to see the photos of you folks and your four legged friends. Joyce
Excellent pics of all of you!
Love them!!
Oh my gosh! Fergus and Finnegan are so cute! And I love their names, too. Must be good exercise running around with them. Thanks for sharing with us, Mike. This brought a smile to my day.
Oh, my gosh, I love the pics!!
You folks are having way to much FUN!!! Love your newsletter
You are such a beautiful family. Love you all, thank you for sharing your family and lives.
Blessings Galore to all of you
Geri
Can see why you are crazy about the donkeys. They are lovely.
I don’t have the energy to do much heavy gardening or have large animals anymore. but I sure do love to hear about your family’s pets and business. Thanks for the entertainment, information and memories.
Hey Dave, really enjoyed the pictures and the information. Live in Tennessee and the soil here has a red mud effect so have to put together our soil to grow in. Thanks again and say hello to Pam. …………………….Bill Lyman Sr
Dear Mike and Pam,
I absolutely love ALL your emails and look forward to each and every one of them! I love gardening so much but still have lots to learn! I wish you guys were our neighbors……………now if I moved closer to my daughter and son-in-law (Macedonia, OH), maybe we could be neighbors!
Keep those emails coming and THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart! You don’t know how much your emails mean to me!
Irene
I really enjoyed these photos. Love the family time. We have much family time also. I also get good info from your website.
THAT IS SO ADORABLE!! This is why I love having you all in my life, even though we have not met yet. But I live in SW Ohio, and when I get my life on a Keel of any kind, coming to see your amazing business. Keep it coming, please.
I know I am late to wish you a Happy Birthday but HAPPY BIRTHDAY. I work full time so I don’t have much time to garden. I do try to look at my emails from you. You have been very helpful and I learn alot. It is always a pleasure to view your life. I did try getting rid of my crab grass this fall with your help and now waiting to see what spring brings. I did not put off pruning my trees and I even pruned my lilac bush. This bush was way over grown. I did buy a compost and tree shredder and was able to shred alot for my compost pile. I have tried to grow roses from cuttings but just cannot seem to root them but I will not give up. I am also going to try to use scions for some damaged plum trees that I have. I could go on and on. You have helped me tremendously and I appreciate all that you give to your followers. Thank you.
Kandy, you are welcome. I wish I could reply to all of these comments but there are far too many, and even seeing that is more than I can really process in my head.
Hi Mike and Pam,
Great photos. Thank you so much for sharing so much of your life with us, your fans. I have learned so many great gardening tips. I just wanted to say a hello and thank you, I feel like you are family. Your blogs and post come across so wram and friendly. Stay well and hope that you have a great year.
Thanks Bev, we are delighted to be a part of your life!
Hi Mike,
I’m a newbie, here happy bday this is my first newsletter look great ! We got some ice rain for the second time in 2 weeks. And got a freeze but looks better for the weekend. Got my first shipment of hardwood should I have them in sand right away? Outside or keep them indoors? Right now I have them in the fridge as my home is worm… Outside is 37 F but will get in the 70’s by Friday
thanks ! For the input your books are great!
Gerardo
Gerardo,
The hardwood cuttings should fine outside. All of mine are outside covered with snow.
Life looks good at your house! The donkeys and pup are cuties. Stay healthy and happy. Thanks for sharing all the good stuff – I really appreciate it!
Mike I have received your newsletter a long time and have enjoyed each and everyone of them. But, I had no idea that you and your wife live in Perry, Ohio. I lived in Concord, Ohio before moving to North Carolina 10 years ago. I was born and raised in Ohio and that will always be home.
And happy belated birthday and keep up the good work.
Barb Rogers
Many years ago my husband and I bought 2 donkeys to help us break colts to lead and they were so gentle and good at the job we have kept them to share barn and pastures with our 2 gray quarter horse mares. We named them “Taco” and “Tico” and they absolutely adore banana peels. They will stick their noses right into our faces to beg for the peels. Although we are now retired, we kept them, the barn and the pasture to live out their days–they really have earned their retirement! Thanks for all the good pictures of your pets–makes my day!!
Doris,
Thanks for sharing your story. Donkeys really are special.
Oh, my gosh, how cute, and sweet! I love hearing about your stories of the donkeys, and I get a lot of good out the gardening tips you offer, keep both the pics & the tips coming 🙂 THANK YOU.
Before they get old and lazy and fat, put these bad boys to work.
We rescued a baby goat from a livestock auction, $10 and he became one of our owners! Herman was fun, playful, and we taught him from day one to butt our cupped hands, not our tempting butts! As he grew, and grew, and grew…we would hold our our hands and say “Get me, Herman!” He would rare up and gently land the middle of his forehead in our hands. Herman was so gentle he was allowed by our neighbor, Linda, to play with her 18 month old son, Jonathan. Herman would butt little Jonathan gently in the tummy, Jonathan would sit, laughing, Herman would back up and look at him then step forward to offer Jonathan his ears to help him stand again, then back up, rare up high, and plant one in the middle of Jonathan’s tummy, very gently. They’d play for quite a while, and I asked Linda if she was not worried about it, she said no, and loved their having fun together. That was many years ago, God bless our neighbors and the memory of our dear farm creatures, all of them!
Pennie =), Rascal ^–^, and Tribble ^–^
Thank you for sharing. Enjoy all your emails. Happy Holidays, and God bless.
Your family, finnagan & fergus as well,are a happy looking bunch. Hope you always stay that way.
ps I miss the bangs the boy use to have.
Dear Mike and Pam,
I so enjoyed the videos and pictures. I am having trouble getting any sound from the videos, but will try and figure out what’s wrong. I’m sure you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family and burros! I miss my horses so much, but am too old to care for them anyhow. Better just to enjoy the memories!
Love and appreciation for you all,
Gail Huffstutler
Dear Gail H.
I to have problems finding sound / I don’t understand P.C’s. … click on sound/ speaker located on vidio … I found that to be the problem just this eve. …once I found I didn’t have the speaker cable pluged into PC tower … also YOUR sound (lower right on your desktop / screen) BEST of luck and have a MERRY CHRISTMAS
Curt
Beautiful animals & family! Love your videos Mike. Keep up the good work.
Thank you and.. a happy thanksgiving
Thanks guys! Happy Thanksgiving to all of you too!
Your donkeys look REAl REAL cute and adorable!!! Lovely photos. How I envy those who have extra land and space like a mini homestead to grow different types of fruit trees and plant vegetables, herbs, flowers when they bloom like you are surrounded by so many rainbows of colors. You can also keep a few cats and dogs and other farm animals without neighbors complaining about …. …..Good health to you and your family. Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy!!!
Love all the family pictures. Fergus and Finnegan are absolutely adorable!!! Can’t say enough about that. Your little yellow dog is adorable also. What a great life you have!!! Thank you for sharing. Linda
Thanks Mike & Sherly,
May God bless you both, you are doing a wonderful job.
The donkeys are very healthy, happy, and so are you and your
lovely wife. You made a lot of people very happy.
I also need all the information you have on gatdening,as soon as
i can my wife and i will get one of your book.
Rocky & Irene.
Your Donkeys look great, in Australia most donkeys have a cross on their back,
story is that ever since Jesus rode on a donkey, they have a cross on their back,
and it is tradional to give them a biblical name, as I had a female donkey I had to
borrow a bible as I only remembered the bad girl’s names, we called her Hannah
I can assure you she is the first good girl in the bible. Merry Christmas to all.
Peter Lindstrum
Thanks Peter and thanks for the donkey story!
Happy Thanksgiving, Mike & Pam…Love your post, so fun and informational.
Thank you Darlene!
Thank you mike pam justin cathy and the kids, and especially the donkeys for their cuteness!
I loved the pictures. Happy Thanksgiving and a blessed christmas
You guys sort of feel like family. Happy Thanksgiving to you all!
Oh, and by the way, I love Fergus and Finnegan. What cuties!
I also love the pictures and thanks for sharing ,they were outstanding!!!
Bless you all with a great Thanksgiving as well as a very blessed Christmas for you all!!
I and my wife are in a rest home now.
I am 93 and she is 88. Been married 67 years.
I just love the pics of you, Pam and the donkeys! You’re right, your daughter-in-law does a wonderful job!
Wishing all of you a perfectly wonderful Thanksgiving!
Debbie
Beautiful pics, but you need to teach Fergus some manners. As he grows, even tho he’s a Mimi, he could do some major damage to you, accidentally. You should teach him to respect your space. Carry a riding crop with you, and every time he gets his honey too close tap him with it, til he learns to keep his butt away from you at all times. He is not a large dog, and I’m finding, as I get a little older( we are the same age, I think) that its easy to lose your balance in the pasture. I have two Morgans and a large donkey, and am training two of them. Same principles, bigger bodies and brains. Keep up the good work, and don’t let Fergus and Finnegan boss you around.
*Mini, not Mimi…
HAPPY THANKS GIVING TO ALL TO USE AND YOUR FAMILY– AND TO ALL YOUR ASSOCIATES—INCLUDING FINNEGAN & FERGUS- –MAY ALL YOUR DAYS BE FRUITFULL -WITH THE HELP FROM GOD ! ! NICK & IRENE
Hi: I signed up to get the news letter quite awhile ago and love it. I am always eager to see what the next one has to say. However I never recieved the book offered. All I got was the email newsletter. For that aI am greatful.
Dean
Thank you, Mike and family, for sharing your excellent gardening advice and your lives with each of your subscribers. It is quite obvious that everything you do comes from your heart full of love for your family, people and gardening.
The donkeys are fortunate to have you as their caretaker. They bring you much joy, but in turn, you give them a wonderful home, good care and a lot of love. I enjoy seeing their pictures and hearing you talk about them.
While I have never ordered anything from you or begun a backyard nursery, I love your videos and comments and thank you for sending them to me. I am hoping to re-landscape my yard in the coming year and who knows, maybe I will find some plants that I need to order from you!
Happy Thanksgiving wishes to you and yours and all good wishes for a wonderfully blessed Christmas season!
Patsy,
It’s great to have you as a loyal subscriber. I am going to do a post about landscaping ideas sometime over the winter. stay tuned!
one of these days those donkeys are going to kick your rear end ha like your web sight.i love gardening.have a great thanksgiving.
Ruth, I’m sure you’re right. It’s all in good fun and all three us enjoy it.
Thank you for sharing. The pictures are wonderful. The donkeys seem to be such a joy to your family
Mike, I love the pics, you are right your daighter in law is really good. There are some super good shots there. And the donkey’s are adorable. The familiy foto should be in postcards!! 🙂
Happy Holidays!
Every time I see these critters I try to figure out how I could have one in my back yard here in suburbia. Guess not but they are so darn cute! In another life we had 18 ponies and a matched pair of pony mules Doc and Jim – loved them! I was the only one in the family who could catch those bad boys.
Kathy G , I find it fascinating that you said ” in another life” I get it, very interesting. ☺Melinda Rhodes
Great Photos!!! My question.. We live in South Texas where the weather is unpredictable..Summers are extremely hot. Our winters are short, hardly reaching under 30 degrees , so would those beautiful Japanese Maples survive in our area? and where can we purchase them? Thank you, enjoy reading your e-mails.
Bertha,
Japanese maples don’t do well in intense sun. We have a member that does a great job of growing them in Alabama, but all of hers are in shaded areas.
Great photos…Love your site.. Have a Happy Thanksgiving.
How I miss our horses, and especially the foals! Wish someone had taken more pictures for me!
Best of everything, God bless you,
Gail
Mike,
Started watching your videos at FreePlants,com, at first out of curiosity. Your simple, down to earth delivery and vast knowledge of plants and gardening is charming, as well as educational. You have even inspired me to make a couple of videos from ‘Grammy’s Kitchen’ that I have shared on Facebook. We raised Nubian goats for 12 years, likely the best years of the three and a half decades I have lived in this home! Wish the capability to make videos had been available to me back then! Love learning, and teaching, as you obviously do!
Do be careful while playing with the donkeys! Thanks for all you have shared over the years! You are making the world a better place! Thank you!
Carol Page, Kansas
Thanks Carol, I do appreciate your kind comments.
Thank you Mike and your faithful staff for the Easy Plant Propagation books. Can hardly put it down.
Love your donkeys, the pictures of you and your wife are sweet. Wishing you, Pam and your family
a wonderful Thanksgiving and Blessed Christmas. Love your gardening tips. Thank you , Arlette
Arlette, you are welcome and thank you for your kind words. I’m glad you are enjoying the book.
I am a near 84 year old female that grew up here in Massachusetts. I live in the same house I grew up in but my heavens how the Town has changed! When we were kids, my father raised chickens, rabbits and goats. I can’t imagine telling the neighbors I’ve decided to buy a goat for companionship instead of a dog but wouldn’t it be fun to scare them anyway!. We had so much fun with the goats as they were our playmates at times. I have pictures and am so glad they didn’t get thrown out because the memories flow back when I dig them out.
I hope you take many pictures also as they grow and you turn into a kid yourself playing again!
Have fun and thanks for sharing them with us here in the “outside world”.
You’re welcome Jean, I appreciate your comments and sharing your experiences.
Thanks for the great pictures, now I know how you are losing weight – – -the donkey run! For some reason I had pictured Pam as a blonde and rather aloof. Now that you showed us the pictures, I see her as much warmer and like her better.
As to the kicking, I agree with the other comments. I hate to think of you in a hip cast, all bruised up. I don’t know about donkeys, but the larger horses use it as a means of herd dominance, and they are not the least bit playful with it. Please remember discipline is love. Don’t get hurt!
Awwww, you guys make a great family!
Mike, it is fun seeing these pictures of Pam and your animal family. Looks like a good Christmas card possibility in there. Thanks for all your gardening tips!
Ann Marie in Madison, WI
Thanks Ann!
Mike, it is fun seeing these pictures of Pam and your animal family. Looks like a good Christmas card possibility in there. Thanks for all your gardening tips!
Ann Marie in Madison, WI
P.S. I live in Southeast Pennsylvania just a bit northwest of the Philadelphia area.
Hi Mike,
Thanks for the fun pictures! I always enjoy reading your posts and getting invaluable information from your website and your emails. I do have a question for you. I have a Red bud that has been in its original pot for 2+ years now. We have had a freeze here but today it was 60 degrees out. 1) Is it too late to plant my tree? 2) Must I add compost or any other products before planting and 3) Can i just dig a hole and put it in after loosening the soil around the roots? We have red buds growing all over this area in the woods and they seem pretty resilient. My tree blooms a little bit each year so far but I’m sure it is stressed out being in that pot. Thanks again for your help and information! I look forward to your comments and suggestions. Have a great Thanksgiving and holiday season!
Thanks for all your postings…Have learned a lot and surely enjoy watching all u do.
Poo
Love the pictures and love the donkeys. I have 3 goats and I love taking care of them. I have thought about getting a donkey.
Hi, Mike, for many years i´m folowing your advise about plants,and every time I learn something, today I was pleased to see the fotos of your lovely donkies, I ask apologize about my poor english, but I´m living in Portugal and we do not speak english so often. I love as well the yelows and browns that represents Autum, some of my trees have those beautiful colours. Thank you for sharing all your knowledge with us, and I wish you Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Filomena Braga
Filomena,
It’s awesome to hear from you in Portugal and your English is pretty good I’d say! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you as well!
Good job, thank you
Great pictures of everyone!! Love them!!!! Thanks for sharing!!!:)
Mike, I loved the pix of your jaunt with your donkeys, we have 3 and they’re so sweet. Your website is the best I’ve been with you for about 4 yrs now and you have some great info!!! love it!! ❤❤❤ keep up the good work!
Thanks Robin, fellow donkey lover. I am always happy to hear that somebody has stuck with me for a long time. We coming up on the 15th anniversary of my first website, http://freeplants.com!
Absolutely loved the pics! Thanks for sharing this slice of your life with us!
Thank you Mike for everything you do for your web site. I read all your e-mail and i love them!
Unfortunately, here in Romania, we don’t have so many beautiful plants like you have there, even if the winters are milder than yours. Thanks to you, my garden will be very nice next spring, summer, autumn! All the best to you!!!
Evelina,
If your winters are milder than ours I am willing to bet that you do have beautiful plants in Romania. Maybe not as readily available as they are here in the United States, but all you need is a few to make lots and lots of plants. Just think how happy you can make others by growing a few beautiful plants they have not seen before.
Good ideea Mike! I started with Cornus kousa, Albizzia, Wisteria, Pampas grass, some Acer Palmatum, all from seeds. I will see next some results!
All the best,
Evelina
Evalina…You must go around and look at all sorts of gardens. When you see a plant you love, go ask the owner about it and how to raise it. If you can raise it from seeds, ask them for a few seeds. If they need to be divided, ask if you can have a piece . I have met people from all over Maine this way and have many plants from many gardens. I have a lilac bush from Connecticut, Massachusetts,New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Maine, California.. Try it you will find wonderful plants…Look at your weeds too.. Good luck Priscilla
I had a pony, when the kids were cubs, cart, saddle, etc. Great fun, small town so we had to make our own entertainment. Take plenty of pics for your old age. Memories, you can’t beat that.
This fall/coming winter I have made a Box for my rose cuttings I have been allowed to get some from the Cape Cod Ramblers introduced by Michael Walsh in the 1900s-1920s they came from WOODS HOLE MA. yup thats where Ballard went from to locate the TITANIC i have enjoyed your videos ….what I would like to do is have a crb apple tree but dont know what stock I can use to join a cutting to
I am still learning and practicing Budding on Multifolora stock…Just discovered your web site and enjoying it….Gib
Gib,
You should have some kind of a crabapple seedling to bud or graft to.
I AGREE WITH STEF. Your donkey is misbehaving when he tries to kick you. Her recommendations are sound and you and anyone else who goes in the pen with your donkey’s will be safer if you become the one in charge. Since you donkeys are young, now is the time to establish the boundaries for them. They are very cute.
Love the pictures of you, Pam and the donkeys. Looks like you have a lot of fun. Love your emails and how you are helping a lot of people. Shirley
You do NOT look ridiculous! You look HAPPY! BOTH of you! All FIVE of you!! And PAM looks fantastic AND well and you both look just a little bit giggly! Pure awesomeness! You should call it “Donkey Therapy” – Good For The Soul. Looks awesome, in person, but photos are the next best thing to bottling it!!
Cindy,
You’re right, it truly is donkey therapy.
Love the photos – have you heard of Parelli or natural horsemanship? You are doing a lot of the same things with what they call the friendly game with your donkeys. They sell something called a carrot stick. You can get them used – but they are not the same as a crop or lounging whip. With it, you could keep Furgus (I think was the one next to you) fro getting close enough to kick you on those trips around the run. They would still be running, but you would not be in any danger and he would know that you are definitely in charge. With equines – he who does NOT move his feet is in charge. When you are playing it is almost the same, if he kicks out at you he is being a naughty kid, trying his boundaries. You get to tell him, “you are more than welcome to buck and kick, but you need to be respectful and do it further away from me”.
The carrot stick is not for whacking them, it is for giving you as much reach as you need to be away from kicking or biting distance.
you can u-tube search using Parrelli carrot sticks well or something like that and find a wealth of information.
for $10.00 you can join the Parelli on-line club and get X$$ off all merchandise and they have specials. But the lookalikes do not bend or flick the same and are not as gentle or controllable – I have tried a lot of them.
You guys look like you have a great relationship and you all look so happy. That is a blessing to see. Thank you for sharing your joy with us. I personally feel very blessed by that.
Stef,
Thanks for the tips. I truly haven’t really been around farm animals since I was a kid so some of it seems natural. But these guys are young and have energy when they care to show it. But they truly are fun. Right now we are digging hundreds of Japanese maples so I can make the donkey pen larger.
Hi Mike do you do veggies? If you do do you sell them? Thank you for responding to my comments.
Tyler,
No, I don’t do vegetables but Amber does a few at the nursery just for her family.
How do you take cutting from Boxwood bushes?
Please make something to show that thanks.
Tyler,
Boxwoods are easy and do them just as you would any other cuttings. They’ll be shorter, probably 3″. You can do them now if you want, but the ideal time is July. More here: http://www.freeplants.com/homemade-plant-propagation.htm
Thanks.
I have a fragranced snow ball tree. not the big round white ball but smaller white ball pink small flowers inside area, but beautiful. It got pruned a nearly killed it. I did not prune it my son did, got mad about the branches in his face. I just about knocked him off the mower (lol). Several times I have tried to root a limb but without avail.
Also are you going to make a video on hardwood cutting an update version? If not please do.
Tyler,
When we do our hardwood cuttings this winter we will do a video. I’m not burying any cuttings, just direct stick them in the growing medium. Check this out. https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2012/12/how-to-get-paid-for-selling-sticks/
Hi,
Mike can you make a video or take pictures of the huge field of plants in the background of the picture below or something people that agree please repost this comment so mike sees it.
Tyler,
The plants you see behind me in those photos are not mine. My nursery is between two other nurseries, one of them huge, farming over 1,000 acres. Here in the Perry, Madison Ohio area we have around 100 wholesale nurseries with sales in excess of 85 million dollars.
Thank you
way better than the headlines,
keep up the good work!
but watch out ,they protect their female;
between 2 laughs ,you could have a blue or other.
muttons do protect and cut between you and their female .
Love the pictures! Keep up the good work 🙂
I love the pictures! I know nothing about Donkeys, but they look like fun. Do they make good fertilizer? lol Thanks for all your emails! John in Alliance
If the hay they are eating is clean (no weed seeds or rhizomes), it would probably be okay. I got some well decomposed mule manure about 20 years ago. The following year field bindweed began growing.
You are better off with manure from cloven hoofed animals as they chew their cud. Members of the equine and asinine families have only one stomach, while cows, sheep and goats have two to four stomachs. Much better for weed control.