Reports are that Joey's house came through without much damage. However no one is reporting on the Princess collection. He did sell many cuttings this year so he may be able to recover most of his collection back (see Maui Plumeria Gardens Forum for details).

I'd be interested in either. I will have a "Gentle Shepherd" daylily division available this spring. I can also root you some Harison's Yellow and/or a mini spinossima. Check out my trade list for what will be available (the only rooted babies I currently have are a 'John Cabot' ). Thanks! Nancy (nancy_rynes @yahoo.com)

I'm guilty of deadheading and cutting off hips until it's practically winter. I just lucked out on PAoK's hips because several were down inside this big rose. Other rose hips I came across today were nothing to write home about--the typical orange ones, not very big, and the blossom end was kind of ugly on some. The other rose that has lovely hips and huge numbers of them is Morden Sunrise. I kind of leave this rose alone, and so the hips ranged from green, to light orange, dark orange, and bright, shiny red. Just as I was starting to photograph them, my battery went dead (of course). Tomorrow, I'll give it another try. Still, PAoK has by far the largest hips I've seen on any rose in my garden. Julia Child has many, but they were all green still. She is still blooming, while PAoK has pretty much stopped. Morden Sunrise still has a few blooms, but apparently is farther along in the hip forming process. It's also the first rose to bloom for me in spring. Diane

Final word on the princess cake: You know those amazing friends who tell you the truth? Such a blessing! The jam was the best part. The cake tasted good. The sponge was "biscuity". I'm not sure what that means, because it formed that sponge cakey meringuey crust. I think it densed up as it went along. It was feathery out of the pan, striff the next morning, and biscuity the next night, so I'm thinking "biscuity" must mean dense, whereas real sponge should be a feather. I should have gone with a really nice sponge recipe, instead of the "authentic" Scandinavian one. I'll make her another one sometime...