purpleinpop - The jade is fairly new .. I got it in a trade last month.. the person wasn't sure if it was gullom or hobbit (I think that was the other option) and I don't know a thing about jades so I'm just letting it hang out and see what happens. Yes, that's a Prince of Orange. I've been wanting a Pink Princess but no luck so far. That particular callisia is from my grandmother's house. They didn't know what it was. They have it planted in a plastic dollar store bucket and just take it in and out throughout the years. I cut off those pieces to bring home (without knowing what it was) so I just stuck it in water til I figured it out lol ... Then, I was told it was a callisia. It doesn't look like my other one :) (my other callisia is growing beautifully outside under a tree btw) - Then it was pointed out in a post that it's the same plant so it will get potted up soon. The Begonia -- That came from my grandmother's house. She has it planted outside under the hostas. Never touches it. Leaves it out year round. It comes back and spreads year after year. I got a few pieces when I was there a couple weeks ago. My aunt who is still living there had no idea what it is, just that it spreads. So I don't know much about it other than it is old lol. I brought it in to see if I could grow it indoors and I still have some in a pot outside. I haven't planted it yet to see what it will do. Here's a picture of it As for the pictures - I took them with my iphone, transferred them to my computer, then uploaded to photobucket .. so I don't know

Thank you all very much! Jerome- Larmarque has always been very top favorite rose. Like Audrey said it has such nice clean blooms and the smell is a wonderful sweet citrus scent. I also just love the green apple color of the leaves.Very well behaved climber. Krista- Duchess de Brabant has grown very quickly for me. Always covered in blooms. Denise- Thank you for the complement...I too just love that birdfeeder, got it at our Flowertown Festival 2 years ago but I wish I spent more and got the larger birdhouse instead as now that vendor hasn't been there since...got to remember to go with your gut and just buy it when you see it. Audrey- I have Ducher too but I got lucky as she was sent by accident so they told me to keep her and I love her. Very clean, nice rounded shape, and a citrus scent similar to Lamarque. I love white roses but they are hard to get full bush shots as the white seems no matter the time of day is bright and it just doesn't show up very well. Here is mine... Here is a link that might be useful: hennypennyrose cottage

Hello Pat Thanks for dropping by my post and leave your comments. Re potting medium in these succulent dishes, I used crushed granite (very fine pieces, around 2-3mm in size) and fine pine bark (also in the same size) in the ratio of 2-1 or so (I'm sorry I don't remember exactly the ratio because I made these dishes over a year and my memory is not very good. But that ratio seems 'right' to my eyes.) If you want to use the same thing, you can just judge by looking, ie the medium should not look "dark" meaning too much bark. It should look somewhat "white" meaning more granite. I use that medium for all my succulents. All dishes have drainage holes. Bigger dishes have 4 holes, some others have 2. I always place a little piece of broken clay pot to cover the drainage hole. I fertilize the plants once a month or so with Osmocote, or similar NPK fertilizer. I water the plants in the dry season and/or when there's no rain for 3-4 days in a row. My climate is rather wet but I have never had any rot so I think the medium works fine. Best of luck to your plantings, Pat. Xuan

The black/brown fence actually came out very well. I decided on this early on when I noticed we hadn't had much room in the back and I wanted to hide the ugly fence and to create a perception of depth. So borrowing the idea from inner city gardens here in Toronto, I used it to 'expand' my space. I will post more photos later in the season. My limelight hydrangeas, astilbes, phloxes, lunaria, veronica candelabra are not in bloom yet. The rhododendron and lilac are done though. I use a trio of clematis sharing the same trellis and the one you are seeing in bloom at this moment I think is a simple Jackmanii. I'm afraid I don't take notice to what kinds I have. The pink clematis is just beginning to bloom. An earlier light pink/white clematis is past bloom. I started my verbena from seed indoors. that's because I've failed each time I sow them out directly. I think that's because I have a tendency to weed the soil early in the season and may have killed off the seedlings by accident.