Thanks, linnea. Do the Kaufmannianas bloom with the Greigii? I have some Greigiis and they don't seem particularly early for me. They've just finished, while my neighbor's multiflowering hyacinths were done a week or two ago. So I'm hoping for the Kaufmanns to bloom just a bit earlier. About 75% of what I can find on 'Avalanche' describes it as early, so I think I'll just go for it. Dianne

Woodyoak, I certainly always enjoy working with clients that like bold color in the garden, but have a hard time with those who also insist on roses! It is particularly easy to use color in the landscape here in California; as we have the bright light, year round growing climate, and the ability to use subtropicals, succulents, temperate plants, etc in unique combinations that are only possible as summer annuals or container plantings in more severe climates. I do tend to find myself biased against some long time traditional plants used here in the northern California landscape, as they don't seem as well adapted to current conditions, or have developed diseases that tend to mar their beauty. In that respect, Camellia japonica is not one of my favorites, as the flowers are almost always disfigured by petal blight these days. Most Rhododendrons are also suspect in my view, too many get disfiguring thrips that mar the foliage, or look tortured from lack of ideal conditions, they don't gracefully accept our drier summers and lack of rains. Roses, except for a few, generally don't have the form to look good in a garden when out of bloom, and I hate getting pricked by them, moreso than any of the other various spiney things I do enjoy growing. Fall blooming Chrysanthemums are another pet peeve, with an all too short bloom season for the amount of space they take up and pinching they require to keep them in bounds. I've never understood why the fall blooming asters aren't equally popular,(I really do know why, they can be rather thuggish in a border), or less common but equally beautiful fall bloomers like Nerine bowdenii. In general, I am most attracted to those flowering things outside of the spring season. I want to see flowers in the dead of winter, which would give me a reason to venture out into the cold and the wet to experience them. And if you can incidentally combine subtle or strong fragrance with late season bloom, this combination in particular gets to my own heart and soul... Color in the landscape is something that speaks to me in its own language. While the deep greens of a lush northern forest or a japanese style garden can be beautiful, it is not a style I would seek to surround myself with. Give me the brilliant jewel tones of massively blooming bougainvillea against stucco walls and azure skies, the steely blue foliage of a Blue Hesper Palm, a sweep of deep blue Blue Chalk Sticks/Senecio mandraliscae set against the deep purple black foliage of Aeonium 'Schartzkop', or the equally intense nearly black foliage of the Purple Smoke bush, etc, etc. Vivid color in plants and trees is all around us, and there to be exploited visually in gardens in any climate. In fact, in some of the most severe climates, massive displays of color seem to outdo themselves; such as the west coast deserts(Namaqualand) of South Africa or the Sonoran deserts of southern Arizona in early spring bloom, or the alpine meadows of the Sierra Nevada or Rocky's in June/July after snow melt. I also enjoy seeing strangely incongruent color combinations such as hillsides full of Euphorbia dendroides in red leaf in May in Crete, ready to go dormant for the dry season and giving an early taste of fall color to the landscape. This is a plant that is found growing across much of the mediterranean, but never seems to have made it into gardens looking for compatible plantings below the Olive trees, but they belong together. In the same way, some of the most vividly blooming subtropical trees also bloom when they are naked of leaves, and are much more dramatic as a result. Tabebuias, Jacarandas, Chorisias all come to mind as examples of this phenomenon, or our more typical spring blooming stone fruits or California natives such as our Aesculus californicus. If you are really attracted to bold use of color in the landscape, it is worth getting more familiar with the Brazilian landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx's work. At his best, he was a master of using plantings much as paints to create modernist gardens full of swirling and contrasting colors. Certainly he has influenced current american landscape architects such as Oehmes and Van Sweden as well, who design plantings in similar large blocks, but with temperate plant materials. It does seem as if many landscape designers and architects are not familiar enough with the planting possibilities to effectively use flowers and color to their maximum impact. Or could it also be that the use of color other than greens does not call out to them in the same way as it does to those who crave color? Don't apologize about your preferences, get out there and design something that makes people take note of the other possibilities, establish your own style and see whether you influence anyone to your point of view!

Boy, you Guys are about as subtle as an elephant..! If I can figure it out, (I did think that was what it might be, but didn't remember the first picture posted as being so wavy, and curvaceously beautiful) then the "photo thieves" can figure it out too! ;-) Anyway, it is a treat to see 2 scapes bloom at the same time. Doesn't happen all that often...! Cindee, I hope your Papilio blooms for you..I've already pollenated 2 flowers and they seem to have taken.. Jewel( I wanted white and that's all I had) and I selfed the second flower and then thought better of it thinking I would be wasting the flower, so the next day I put some Lemon Sorbet on too)Looks like that one has taken too, still early, but they look good! I've got another flower ready to accept pollen, but can decide what to use. I have Shirley May, Rebel, scrawny Misty, Lilly Star, Rebel, a dab of Indian Fairy, Lemon Sorbet and Sweet Nymph and Green Dragon..and Red Peacock... ANY SUGGESTIONS?? Thanks, Donna

Get the flowers now and then prune in the fall or spring to bush it up.