Great to read your posts. I moved one year ago from an acre in the Fraser Valley, BC (30 yrs. there) to 12 acres here in Grande Prairie. It is quite a change but I'm in the "loving the sunshine/brightness here" camp. I could imagine moving back to a milder climate when I'm "retirement" age but I would prefer the Okanagan or Vancouver Island as they get considerably more sunshine than the Lower Mainland. I am pleasantly surprised by how much does grow here but I honestly have had a good laugh that my daffodils (planted by the previous owner) are blooming in JUNE! It's interesting to see (in my mind) spring plants bloom so late but I kinda like it because it is warm enough (most days) to be outside enjoying all the flowers and shrubs. Back in Chilliwack, although the flowers started much earlier, including those gorgeous azaleas this thread was originally about, one enjoyed them from the warm dry house. Lonnnggg cooool weeeeet springs were expected. Summer weather was awesome for 2-3 months and then the lonnnggg cooool weeeeet fall would blur into the very gray, wet, slushy winter. Great for cozy reading by the fire but tiresome after awhile and the kids go a little stir-crazy. So far we have loved living here but I can appreciate the long cold winters could feel like a burden after some years. Hard to complain right now with the light lasting til midnight and a perfectly great day revamping an old flower bed. Planted hydrangeas, a willow, a dwarf spruce and transplanted sedum, but no azaleas yet. Happy gardening everyone wherever you are or wish you were.

The one I'm proudest of, since this plant was given to me, almost dead about 6 weeks ago. She had been dried - and all her leaves turned so brown I had to cut away half of her branches. But she's been doing much better - and, she'd been showing quite a few buds - although, she's dropped quite a few of them too. This beautiful flower presented itself when I opened up the shade to get in her weekly watering session. So, goes to show what full indirect light will do for a gardenia plant... this probably isn't thriving - but she appears healthy. I'm so happy to see her flower! So while my MOO jasmine at home has 35 buds (none yet opened) - I still am most impressed that I salvaged a gardenia plant. (Yes, I'm patting myself on the back!) :D LOVE THE variety of orchids that folks have posted! Makes me want to go orchid shopping again...

I think I'd be careful how I spent it, but if you will enjoy the process and this is your "bucket list", then I'd go ahead (again, carefully). The longer the wait to do it, the shorter the time you will enjoy it. I have done things many times and wondered why the heck I did not do that sooner. I am very cautious and it sounds like you are too. I bargain shopped and am pinching pennies til they scream, lol. However, I have waited a long time to get a home that is done and is where I feel is our family nest for the long term. I work hard and save everywhere else, so this is our splurge. I think it may also make your dh happy to see you getting what you have waited for for so long. It would be lovely if he could enjoy it for a while with you. If he is with you on this and likes planning and working on it with you, this could be a project that gives you time together and it may be therapeutic to see tangible results. We can't always control our health, so maybe controlling your surroundings is a way to feel a little power again. I do like that your focus is on looking forward. I would just caution that you do not mortgage more than you could get for the house, although since most banks won't let you do that anymore, that is less of a concern. You don't want to find that you can't afford to live there and yet can't afford to sell later on. I'd also hate to leave any heirs with a financial mess. You do not owe anyone to make them rich, but I'd hate to have my passing make someone I love poor. I do like your plan for taking on a roommate or renting out an apt. It is a great fallback position and a way to generate money regardless of your health. We rented out part of our first house and it helped us be able to move along and gain equity enough to now be in our second house and in the process of fixing it up. Some people were aghast at having to live with a tenant downstairs, but then again, most of them are not as well off now as we are ;) I wish you and your dh all the best and hope you have longer with him than expected.

Bumping this up! I have a small collection of 5 hydrangea macrophylla. I'm going to post a link to the variety and explain the history/ location for each, along with an update. Winter was pretty mild this year, but had several sudden dips into cold temperatures. I'd say overall it was more like a zone 7 winter, but it was pretty shocking for plants as it would go from 70 degrees (Fahrenheit, obviously) to low-teens and single-digit temps very rapidly, and that happened several times. I think it stayed above 0 degrees all winter. I have alkaline, clay soil so blooms are pink. Everlasting Revolution (Hokomarevo): two planted, both in full sun (south exposure). Plants Nouveau link This is the second winter I've had them, both years they've die back to the crown but come back well. These are very tiny little hydrangea bushes and they definitely are dwarf and grow very slowly-- the "mature size" of 18 inches is probably at least another year away. The whole plant is miniature compared to my other hydrangeas. They both have broccoli. I intended to move the one that gets more sun this year as it didn't bloom last year, but I didn't get around to it-- and it appears to be doing better! From past experience, the blooms are beautiful, though small. They start pink and white and gain green streaks as the blooms age. Pistachio/ Horwack. Western exposure, pretty shady and fairly shielded. Pistachio link. I don't think it died back to the ground, but I forgot to check on it early when it would be easy to tell. Again, second winter in my yard, and growing well, but not very quickly. The blooms are already opening (whether that's because it's sheltered or because it's an earlier bloomer is uncertain), and are pea-green as they are always until they mature. Will develop an intense fuchsia color with green accents as the bloom matures, no blue center in my soil. It's starting to demonstrate the iron chlorosis coloring, on new leaves, it's interesting that it doesn't show that coloring until the blooms form and are opening (it's not on the first ~30 leaves). The plant continues to grow and bloom with no real maintenance on my part, and I like the look of the yellow leaves. Together (RIE05)- planted on the north side of the house, gets sun from early morning to about 10 am. Together link. I got this last summer as a mildewy plant on clearance. Whether because this is heartier, or because it's in the ideal position, this was my only hydrangea that did not die back at all, so it's the biggest. Has lots of broccoli. No experience with the flowers yet since it was an ugly duckling when I got it. Peppermint (RIE14). North side of the house, essentially no direct sun. Peppermint link. Also got this last year, but it handled the crowded box store conditions better and didn't have mildew. This died back to the crown overwinter but came back really well and is nearly as large as Together. Has fewer groups of broccoli than Together, but the clusters it has are HUGE. I am looking forward to the blooms, they are very impressive. Everlasting Revolution I can definitely confirm blooms on new and old wood. Peppermint and Horwack bloom on new wood, and Horwack also blooms on old wood (Peppermint and Together did not have a second flush of blooms last year, but they were recently transplanted). Together may or may not bloom on new wood, but it's definitely showing broccoli at the same time that the other plants that died back to the crown did. Together may be more cold-tolerant than the other hydrangeas I have. None of the plants are showing signs of downy mildew this year, and there's been a lot of rain. Overall, I'm pleasantly surprised with the new entries, and pleased that both Revolutions are gearing up to bloom this year! It matches your experience, though--all of my plants are in your "reliable" group.