I saw the title of this post and it reminded me of my attempts at growing morning glories in my bedroom when I was very young. I love that that the cardinal climber is working for you though. My experience suggests that morning glories dont like to grow in the bedrooms of kids but the memory of my "magical garden thinking" makes me smile.

I figured that the only really good climate for artichokes was in the Salinas valley area of northern cali. So for years I never gave them a try. However 30 years ago I started with cardoon a very close relative. The seeds were hard to germinate. I must have started over fifty of them in trays. Finally I nicked the seed cover and was succesful. Now I think it would have been better never to have started them growing. They volunteer all over the yard including the lawn. I allow certain ones to grow and they are a beautiful big (6ft) plant with the purple flowers etc. Sometimes we will blanch and cook up the stems but it is very difficult to keep the aphids off the leaves for a clean stem. Since these grew so well a few years back I tried Globe artichokes from bareroot. They grow just as well as the cardoon and sometimes have decent artichokes for eating. When we have a long cool spring with overcast skies into the end of June we get a good crop. If you are trying to grow them just for the plant and flowers, try cardoon.

Geeezzz. I didn't think it would take that long. :O) But you are right Terrene - it is surprising how fast the years go by so I just might take those tiny seeds and sow them this week. I have an area where I could just forget about them for a while. I have waited patiently for other things, so why not this. I'll also make it one of those things that 'if it makes it, great, if not, then that's OK too'. Mor - Now I know why I didn't find them on Clothier's. I wasn't spelling it with an a! Love the photos Lois and PV. You are both making me ache for spring!

Howdy..ladybugs stink? What do they smell like? Considering we had large numbers, nobody mentioned an odor, and we sure didn't smell anything unusual. I heard that ladybugs bite..It was mentioned on the news, I think, two years ago. Someone said, those that bite are brown/red w/spots which happen to be the most common in Il.. As children, we'd catch ladybugs..not to harm, a friendly game, same as catching lightening bugs.. They'd land on us, hair, arms, even hands..no one got bit..We'd recite, ladybug, ladybug, fly away home..etc Mike, you've got it..Between horror/suspense/mystery 'books' and 'movies,' lady bugs are about as scary as a loaf of bread..lol. Oh yeah, when dogs bark at 2am, books/movies or not, someone is lurking around the house..The dogs bark when they see/hear someone, some 'THING'!!! It's dark here. If a prowler or 'whatever' is stalking the area, dogs detect sound sooner than people. Besides, I believe dogs, most animals, sense danger and/or other things most people cannot..only sensitive people have The 6th Sense... Mike, since lady bugs have an odor, I guess you're not planning on adding any to your home..lol.. I've talked to people who buy Praying Mantis, lol, but who'd want 2" bugs scooting around their house? lol..Since I've never handled mantis, other than the roto-tilar, I don't know if they'd be too scary to hold. Besides, my Shih tzu would chase them around the house..lol. A local (indoor) nursery sells insect eggs, but I think they're meant for a green house or perhaps outdoors???? Toni