My late arrivals were astilbes and columbine. I had given up on the astilbes. I considered them failures, but I hadn't gotten around to dumping the dirt out of their tubs yet. (A good thing, too.) The columbines came up a little while ago, about the time everyone else noted it had turned up in their pots. Today, I all but finished planting out the last of my tubs. It's a good feeling. I'm tired and looking forward to a nice supper. This winter sowing has been a blast! Thank you Trudi and RBrady!

Butterflyman, 1. Thanks for telling me about it needing support. I'll either plant it in the middle of my other plants or buy something to support it. I think that first will be my choice because I sure have enough plants going in the garden this year. 2. Um, because I can? :) I wasn't really sure if the clover in people's yards, being that it's mowed, would be sufficient. I guess I have it in my head that since it gets mowed, the caterpillars wouldn't be able to be on it without being chopped up. So I was going to plant the bush clover in an unmown area. 3. I wasn't sure when the Polemonium blooms, but that's a good point. If it blooms that early, the butterflies would mostly not be around anyway. I know the tiger swallowtails are here when our lilacs are blooming, which is about the first two weeks of May. 4. Uh oh, I think I'll cross the Hh off my list! Your saying that it can be invasive is a good enough reason for me not to plant it. 5. I'm trying Sweet Peas this year, so I'll see if I have any luck with them. I started them inside because of them liking a cool climate. I am hoping that they will have their "day in the sun" before it gets too hot here. I think that they are a lovely looking flower so thought I'd at least try them. They have tendrils on already but I'm not sure if I should plant them out this soon, as it still gets below freezing at night here and will for about a month yet. Wow, you really have the butterfly plants! And here I thought I had a lot. I figure the more the better. Sherry, 1. I just ordered the gnaphalium from PM and pearly everlasting from J.L. Hudson. With those two and the Antennaria plantaginifolia that I also ordered, I'm hoping that I'll have enough bases covered that I'll get some AL cats this year. The butterflies were here last year but I didn't have anything for them to lay their eggs on except three sad looking Antennarias that I think I managed to keep alive through the drought. I think I'm going to make a bed of just that kind of plant since I'll be receiving the seed in the mail within the next week or two. I hope I don't have my plant names mixed up. I was thinking that gnaphalium is sweet everlasting. 4. I didn't realize that the PL might not be a frequent visitor in eastern gardeners but what you say makes sense. I don't know why I had been under the assumption that it would be easy for me to get them. I didn't see any last year, only the AL. I have mallow planted for them, but if I don't get them, maybe the Common Checkered Skippers will lay their eggs on it. I saw the butterflies here last year but no eggs. Anyway, after what you and Butterflyman have said, I think I'm going to skip the sunflowers. You're right about them taking up a lot of space. I had grown them years ago, long before I became interested in butterflies, and I remember thinking that they used up a lot of space. I think I'd be best to plant something...

Hi- My huge white flowering moonflower vine (Ipomoea) is blooming for the first time tonight this summer! I wanted to get photos, but remembered my hubby took the camera to C.A.(darn!) Anyway, it is the most heavenly scented honey- sweet-like perfume I've ever smelled! It was so incredible, I wanted to shout to the neighbors to come & sniff it! My Daturas also smell like peanut butter- that's so weird! Concerning Mandevilla, my neighbor says she overwintered hers in her cold cellar for years, but she got sick of dragging it in & out every winter & spring. Mandevilla's another thing I'm trying this year. Does anyone know what a "purple people eater" is? Some type of Datura? is it hardy in zone 7? How well do double purple daturas grow? Might get them on a trade soon...Thanks for sharing all the info... Kasha77

Good luck with your recovery Marin, I've heard horror stories about nasal surgery. To offer my 2cents, 1. Kill the ants, they spread various types of scale and are a nuisance when you try to bring your pots into the GH or worse the home. 2. Kill the ants. 3. Did I mention kill the ants? Find out where their nest is (in your pots) and soak those suckers. I've been using Bayer spray lately and it seems to work OK. I use it to spray a line around my house and garage and now have a kill on sight policy towards those little buggers. If I come across a nest or a trail to follow back to the nest, I will stop almost whatever I'm doing to douse them. 4. While at the box store buying poison to kill the ants, check on masks, maybe in the paint dept? I've seen them from simple surgical mask with filter inserts to serious canister type with micron filtration, carbon, etc. It might get pretty miserable wearing to heavy of a mask around in you heat and humidity. 'Course you could just get a bubble suit so at least it is air conditioned? Did I mention, kill the ants? best wishes, -Ethan