jessie, I live in east central Mississippi. You say you are in Zone 7B, so I assume you are south of Atlanta (which is a cooler clime than I have). Assuming you are in mid to south Georgia, I can give you some recommendations. First, spring blooming crocus don't do particularly well this far south. But, the crocus tommasinius (tommies) do reasonably well. They become available in early fall and you should plant them in late October to mid November, along with daffodils, Spanish hyacinths (easy and gorgeous), Summer Snowflakes (Galanthus. They bloom in early spring. Also easy here.) and tulips. I would strongly advise against inter-planting crocus with iris. The info you were given about tulips is true, though incomplete. Tulips have to be chilled in a refrigerator separate from any fruit for 8 to 10 weeks before planting in the southeast. They bloom one year and then you may as well dig them up and throw them away. Their foliage will return for years, but if you get any (and it won't be many) blooms, they will be pitifully short and small. If you're just getting started with your yard, your money is much better spent on daffodils and some of the others listed above. However, not all daffodils do well in the southeast either. In general, the large cup and trumpet daffodils will disappear in about 3 to 5 years. When you are shopping, opt for the earliest blooming ones. Their flowers will last for weeks in the early spring. Late bloomers may wilt in a week or less because late spring can turn hot so quickly. If shopping from a catalog, for a beginner, your best bet are those in the jonquila division. Here are some varieties that I have found to be easy to grow and which multiply here. *Campernelle (early blooming) Grand Primo (blooms as early as Christmas) *Gigantic Star (a notable exception to the rule about trumpets) *Ice Follies (another exception) *Martinette *Fortune St. Keverne *Thalia (a late one, but naturalizes well) Early Louisiana * Easy to find. Try Brent and Beckys Bulbs, as they are southern growers. The more difficult ones to find are often available through Old House Gardens, but they're not cheap. On the other hand, I bought 3 expensive Grand Primos two years ago, and dug them this spring and had l8! If you have access to someone who grows bulbs locally, buy those. They will be ones that do well in your area, and multiply. The daffodils that bloom best in the south are small flowered, but they smell incredibly sweet, and when your clumps get large, their color is just as high impact as the big ones. For more recommendations (and not just on daffodils), I recommend "Garden Bulbs for the South" by Scott Ogden. He gardens in Texas, so watch zones carefully. Some of his recommendations will not be winter hardy for you. But still, his book is a great resource. Bearded Iris are very difficult to grow WELL in the deep south. The rhizomes (big fat roots) rot extremely easily in our dense soils. The foliage gets brown and ratty looking by mid summer. So bad looking, that you may wish they WOULD die. :) I have tried them from heirlooms to hybrids, and I am done with them. Iris pseudocorus are easy to grow and look great, but they are invasive. I am trying spurias this year, but so far, I am not impressed with them either. My favorite bulbs: spring blooming, fall planted: daffodils, spanish hyacinths (not English), snowflakes, ipheion, arum italicum pictum (foliage is the attraction. They come up in fall and stand through the winter. Great to plant under perennials that go dormant in the winter. They need shade.) Amaryllis, Byzantine Glads (get Cruentas or Alba and no other for the best show) Dutch Iris are maybe/maybe not from year to year, and the blooms don't last long at any rate. Summer blooming, spring planted: Crinums (the best, but they take several years to bloom. Don't move them ever if you can help it.) Caladiums (must be dug in the fall and stored inside) Calla Lilies (need constantly moist soil and bright shade) Tiger lilies (only plant them if you like them, for once you have them, you'll have a tough time getting rid of them) Easter Lilies. Yes. The kind WalMart sells at Easter. Fall bloomers: Oxblood lilies (try E-Bay for the best prices) To date, I have had very poor luck with Autumn crocus. I hope this info helps you!

Thank you Carol, peachiekien, Jim, Beth, Inga and Christina! Carol, I love Yves Piaget even though I have many complaints about it. It is by no means disease resistant in my climate and mildews quite a bit. Even in that shot you can see mildew on the stem. The spring flush balls most of the time:-(. The bush itself is lanky and sparce, not too pretty. But those blooms are gorgeous... Christina, thank you for your optimism. I don't think I will see any blooms in the next 6 weeks:-(, it is more likely to be 3 months here... Masha

Glenda, you are a kind soul. I have traveled down the colon cancer road. When diagnosed at age 48, I first completed 28 days of chemo/radiation then had my surgery to remove the tumor. After that, I had 12 chemotherapy treatments (one every two weeks- lasting 6 months). This is probably what your friend is having it is called Folflox6. I would be at the infusion center for about 4 hours and then went home with a chemo pack that I had to be connected to for 42 hours. A visiting nurse would come to my home and disconnect that chemo pack from me. If your friend is on the same chemo medication, she may have sensitivity to cold. Drinking a cold beverage was like razor blades. This lasted from treatment until about day 4 afterwards. Even touching something cold from the refrigerator was painful. Room temperature was key for foods and beverages during this period. As your friend progresses through treatment, she may experience pain walking and sore hands/feet. This is another side effect of the medication. At about treatment 6, I would get difficult shin splint pain. For me, the day I was disconnected from my take-home chemo pack was when I would crash needing much rest. Fortunately, I didnâÂÂt experience severe nausea as they had good medicine to help with that. I did have mouth sores and if she experiences this, have her request prescription mouth wash. Also, the taste buds go after about 3 treatments. I never liked spicy food but would crave it as it had a âÂÂtasteâÂÂ. I found cravings for foods with strong flavors. (I know you are a good cook). Chemo is difficult. I had treatments, surgery and a temporary ostomy too. My final chemo treatment was in April 2012 and my ostomy reversed in July 2012. Yesterday, I had my port removed two years from starting this cancer journey. I kept my port for this past year, as they monitored me frequently for any recurrence of the disease. Luckily, I am currently cancer free. Tell your dear friend there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

You all bring up very good points, and I know you're right. For me, it was more about being there for the ones they do love. Their grandmother lost her son. Their aunt lost her brother. Both of these women have been good to them and showered them with love and support all their lives. There is nothing they wanted that grandma did not provide, and I mean everything from new cars to houses and property to paying for their college education. For his daughter, college education included med school. I could never turn my back on someone who loves me so, much less make her cry and plead because her wishes mean nothing to me. People attend the funeral services of those they never met in order to support the bereaved they care about, so I didn't see the grandmother's request too much to ask. Dances, I know you're right also in much of what you say, but I doubt who did not attend mattered to her. She wanted her grandchildren with her. When I walked in the door with the program books, she took one glance and completely lost it. She melted into her daughter's arms despite having already seen the completed version on the computer. Times like this, we want our loved ones close. Her problem the other day was she feared she would have so little support. You're really right about it not being my pain to bear. What she was going through is what bothered me so much, but I shouldn't have taken it to heart. I'm delighted to report all the grandchildren were in attendance. The daughter arrived half an hour late, but she was there and grandma was happy. My niece was the pillar of strength for her mom. She took care of everything, as well as hosting everyone at her house for dinner after the service. All is well that ends well. Thanks for your responses and condolences. It's not a one size fits all kind of situation, so I know you're right that the children are entitled to their feelings, too.