Used to live in Salt Lake, nice city

Ah Salt Lake City was not quite was I expected. On 16th of september the first snow fell on the rockies. The first days it was 92 degrees and we were wearing short and shortsleaved shirts. But one morning we need the winther jackets. the temps were down to 48 degrees. Never seen such sudden fall in Temps here. The roses I saw where much bigger than I was used to seeing back home, canes like the trunk of a small tree! and so tall!! Very few roses had blackspot but, mildew seemed to be the most common rosedisease. Thanksgiving Point Gardens was awesome! What a huge great garden. i saw of the best garden design and plant-combinations I have ever seen. The theme of the gardens Was "Lifting he Human Spirit". It sure did. My Companions feet got so sore from walking around that huge garden. The Rose Garden was really not to my taste with so many modern and not very fragrant roses.But all the perennials and ornamental grasses and the combination of them was really inspiring ...the gardenarchitechts and designers there sure knew was they were doing. Reb Butte Garden was also worth the visit. I saw eagles circling around the mountain tops and saw my first monarch butterfly and I absolutely loved seeing hummingbirds so close up, feeding on some penstemon looking flowers. There was also a nice mass of roses in front of the Delta Airlines HQ in SLC. I even found one of my favourite fragrant HTs there. I was also really surpised to see all the irrigation devices all over the city, we dont use that here. And the Hibiscus Syriacus bushes were so big and floriferous. The Garden on Temple Square had some good elements and some new perennials I even recognized some that had been introduced in Europe some years ago. But the mixed beds were not colourcoordinated and looked like they had been planted with the perennials and annuals that were available ...a real mess!. A total lack of plan! Really not to my liking. The private gardens I saw was really neat and the roses impressed me. I also shopped at MillCreek garden center to get some products we can not buy in Europe since we have so strict restrictions on the use of fungicides and pesticides. Yes I smuggled a lot back in my checked in bagage. But the moutains was breathtakingly beautiful ...just like the moutains here in Europe but so much more colourful. well I will go next year again and spend some more time in southern Utah to see Bryce and Zion Nat. parks.

I'd LOOOOOVE to join one in Chicago. Sounds really interesting.

Good Morning, Jackie. I think your best bet might be to contact one of the many quilt shops there and ask if there's anything going on. Since National Quilting Day is in March, and it's pretty much taken over the whole month, you'd think something would be going on somewhere. SharonG/FL