I think I can answer some of the questions raised here and the cultivation requirements for this species. RE: "The combination of sandy soil with lots of peat seemed strange to me, --sand = good drainage, peat = moisture retention)." As someone else pointed out, true bogs (where this species lives) are sunny, acidic, moist AND well drained. Yes, I know that moist and well drained sound like a paradox, but that paradox is exactly what makes these places so special. In fact, it isn't unusual in bog ecosystems in New Jersey or florida to see succulents and cacti less than a meter from bogs containing carnivorous plants. RE: "Thus, these plants usually enjoy good drainage at the rootzone, but constant moisture and cool conditions. This is tough to replicate, thus growing these gems can be a challenge! I think the key is to abandon the idea of "replicating" bog conditions at home..." Well, not really. If fact, I've found bog gardening to be quite easy if you change some of your basic assumptions about gardening. First of all, you must think in terms of an ecosystem, not a garden bed. Here's the basics: Step one: Dig a hole 1-2 ft. deep and slope it very gently towards one side. Works best on a slight incline. (You can ignore the slope if you plan to cut holes in the liner) Step two: Place a plastic liner in the hole. If you've not sloped the hole, then cut a few small holes at the bottom to allow for gradual drainage. You can go fancy with a pond liner, or just use heavy plastic sheeting (which I've found works just as well). Step three: Fill with 50/50 peat sand (You can go up to 2/3rds sand if you prefer more drainage). Canadian peat is best, and don't use anything but Sphagnum peat. Step four: Chop up live sphagnum moss and gently press it onto the surface. Water frequently until established with rain water or distilled water (othe water may contain too much fertilizer or salts). Since it can hold many times its weight in water and alter water chemistry, Live spagnum is the corner stone of this ecosystem you're building. Step Five. Plant your Bog Rosemary and watch it TAKE OFF! It won't keep that nice mounded form, but instead will form a ground cover of sorts mixing in with whatever else you plant (Pitcherplants, bog orchids, cranberries, etc.) See? That's not so hard. Unfortunately, Wayside or Walmart are never going to tell you all this. They'd prefer to sell you this plant that looks nice in a pot without telling you that it needs a bog garden to develop to its full potential. In the long run, you'd be far better ordering from a place like Evermay (http://www.evermaynursery.com/) who actually know how to grow the plants they sell.

I'm almost finished with winterizing the deck, just a few more things to store today; all in its proper time. First I had to drain the hose and put out the heated birdbath, install the squirrel resistant cage around the rhododendron Percy Wiseman (tasty flower buds) and start protecting a few shrubs before the ground freezes so I can't put a stake in. This was the first morning with temperatures below freezing and my heated birdbath failed! It may be just the GFI - I reset it and we'll see tonight. I had to break ice and refill all of the birdbaths, to the great relief of the turkeys that were clustered around the frozen baths when I looked out this morning. The row in the back is turkeys bellied up to the water bar. I saw an article in the Cape Cod Times online today about Birders wonder if snowy owls will return to Cape. Apparently they're beginning to trickle down to New England. Claire This post was edited by claire on Sat, Nov 15, 14 at 10:50

Hi again, Thanks for all the great information. Okay Denise, which delphinium is that? Do you know? Linda, is that phlox a tall phlox or a creeping one. I have a creeping one called emerald blue. Okay here's my list of blues in the garden: Already mentioned: anagallis 'Monelli', borage, chicory, Columbine alpine blue, flax, forget-me-nots, morning glory Heavenly Blues, scilla, Siberian Iris 'Caesar's Brother', Virginia bluebells. Some others that I have are nigelia, bugloss-anchusa, blue bedder salvia, and Salvia frainacea (this one is really just electric blue and the foliage turns burgundy when it gets cold and looks really cool and...I just found out it comes in white too.) Some that I have had and lost are: lobelia blue, Blue eyed grass, certain pansy's And what about stuff with bluish or silver foliage. They look really good with the blue flowers: seedum blue spruce and blue fescue to name a few but this is almost a whole new topic. Last but not least there was a great thread on the moon garden forum about this a while back. Maybe I'll try and look it up on my next surf, but here's something I copied from that thread back then: In the first pic there is Rooguchi (left) and Perle D'Azur (right). Rooguchi is smaller vine that David has growing within a wire clematis cage. In the second pic David has Perle D'Azur (left) and Betty Corning (right). Both are classic blue clematis that come highly recommended for the novice. They are tall climbers. Of particular interest is Betty Corning. Why? Because she is fragrant and for that reason is my top pick among the trio I'll be adding a lot of the things mentioned here to my wish list :) which is allready way too long, more like a dream on list :) Catrina

Here are a few more pics. I discovered they were taken in Oct. 1985. I don't think Graceland had been opened to the public for very long. One reason I'm thinking that is because his aunt still lived upstairs and they had it roped off for her privacy. She was there during our tour along with his cousin who showed us around the grounds and Elvis' trophy room, TV room and all of his vehicles. All separate from the main house. 'I think'. Sheesh, it's been a while folks. LOL There were a number of rooms you weren't allowed in. The kitchen being one of them since the aunt still lived and ate her meals there. Since his bedroom was upstairs, you couldn't view it either. I scanned two at once here. Another photo of The King along with his wife Priscilla. Looks like we fudged and used the flash on this one, unfortunately. This maybe when they told us no cameras with a flash. Also, this was either off the entry or in a foyer. Sorry it's so dark. I should have scanned it separately and lightened it. Of course, this was the formal dining room. I couldn't find one of the jungle room where they jammed and recorded the Moody Blue album. Or, the pool room, which was walled in, I'm thinking, a paisley fabric. All 70's colors of course. Jungle room too, best I recall. Here is a picture of Elvis' grave. Not a very good one. He was laid to rest by his father, Vernon and I suppose his mother, Gladys. However, the name on the headstone to the left looks like it ends in a nnie, like it would be Bonnie or something. I'm confused. Maybe someone can help us out. I know his deceased brother's name was Jessie.