bakemom - oh you are so sweet, thank you! I will update my page when I am finished here...I live on the coast of lake Erie, in that sliver of Ohio that some gardening books say is a zone 5 and some say is a zone 6. We are in the snow belt so some years we get very cold winters and some we have warmer snowy winters. Those lakes keep us in constant amazement in regards to our weather! LOL* I did plant some zinnias but I will do the same as with the impatiens, and I suppose I'm really only out $3 if they don't live! :) I will go ahead with snapdragons then, because I wanted to plant some of those too but wasn't sure when to start them. Know anything about sweetpeas? I've never planted them but they are so beautiful, I thought I might experiment.

Ive already done a few (hehehe) I had some fresh azure monkshood and delphiniums that I wanted to get in the dirt ASAP, so I started with that and followed with lupines, hollyhock mallow and some montbrietta (also wanted to get that in fresh). Limiting myself to perennials that actuallY NEED the cold for now. I think I made a mistake in DSing some california poppies in the beds in front, not sure if that was a good idea or not. Not sure if the seeds should be frozen, not sure if the slugs and earwigs will eat them as soon as they sprout. I think tomorrow Ill do balloon flowers (I got pink --I hope).

I have not been on much this year...have had a summer full of family visits and a long vacation in Europe while DH was working, but came home refreshed and ready to put my heart back into my business next year. This year I had too much Neon Dianthus. I sell to a very small group of people and after about 3 weeks of a flower no one wants it again, thay want something different. So once again my problem is not to plant too much of any one thing, but to keep different varieties coming on. Spring bulb flowers start us off about the first of March, but this year most of my beautiful tulips were virused. They were beautiful Colorblends tulips so I think the virus falls out of the madrona trees that form the border between the street and my garden. I think it is just a plain garden variety of Botrytis, rather then the Dreaded "Tulip fire", and so I am cutting way back on tulips and mostly growing the viridifloras that seem more resistant. THe few others I plant will be in crates(Prefereably early tulips to force) or in sunny spots completely away from any trees! Clarkia and neon dianthus were big space wasters this year. I think about a dozen plants of white clarkia to use for fillers....another dozen neons, and more white lacy things would be a better use of space. I also have poor luck with the annual chrsanthmums "Merry maids" but could probably sell all I grow. I grow a lot of dahlias and they are my mainstay in the autumn but I need more fillers to use in their bouquets. Favorites I never get tired of are Delphinium Blue Bouquet, the cloud larkspurs, and snapdragons. I grew 3 kinds of snaps this year and will do the same with possibly a 4th kind next year. The Madame Butterflies open the season for me and give me buckets and buckets of lovely azalea type blooms in wonderful color combinations. THis year I tried "Snappy Tongues", not sure where I got them, but they have a white trumpet with bright colored crown,,,very striking! THen the wonderful Costa II'S, that have lasted, rust free, until frost. We had a cooler and greyer summer then usual here so the zinnias did not do well...but even what we had were very useful. I will move them to the sunniest spot available next year and plant lots! I need more summery foliage and fillers like dill, fennel, etc. And much as I Love Cosmos they do not sell well here at all. OH yes, I use lots of lilies, roses, and other bulb flowers and plan to plant atleast 500 butterfly glads next year. And I will be opening a stand at my home, and trying to switch my customer base to buying direct, and enticing in "Cut your own bouquet" customers. Also more advertising about subscription service (I deliver) and about doing weddings and parties.

I got 3" pots of celosia, alyssum, coleus, and iris(don't know if they are Dutch or Bearded) from a landscaper friend of mine and all are growing healthy. Here are my other plants: two lilacs - one died, the other growing good and healthy S facing fence Celosia pulled when they died but wow they are beauties so I will plant them again White alyssum has a nice scent which I can't describe, the purple one has none. Will someone please tell me how to propagate them. They are planted on my north facing wall. Iris flowered last spring hoping they will flower again next year. My favorite is clematis as soon as the one I planted in the fall of 2004 showed the most beautiful blooms I had ever seen. So this year I planted more and have 44 planted in my 800 or so sq. ft. of garden with a few more coming this spring. 3 bush and 3 tree peonies - the trees all bloomed, but none of the bushes bloom at all. Rose of Sharon standard form on container growing good and bloomed all summer in direct sunlight. Tulips and daffodils all rotted last 2004 (heavy rain on clay soil) so the replacements were planted this fall so I hope to see some blooms this spring. I now have a raised garden because nothing seems to grow on our clay soil. Fraxinus Americana and Fraxinus Pennsylvanica are planted in my front lawn - mostly clay but it now has a drain system. What are my chances that they will not die as we are having lots of rain again this year? Any advice or suggestions will be greatly appreciated especially plants good for clay soil as my north facing wall only has a 6 inch raised bed. This is celosia: This is a clematis named 'Bees Jubilee'