Hi Parr, I saw your post at the Test Forum, and then came here to see if you had posted. Have you tried contacting GW about not being able to to to The Violet Forum Exchange Page? Back some time ago when folks were having problems, they were told to log out, and then go to The Main GW Page and log in there. Sometimes that 'fixed' the problem. Another time it was found that not having all the info filled out on one's profile was causing the problem of not being able to post on the exchange pages. Try going to The Personal Profile Set up page and inputting all info again and submitting it and see if that will do it. You also might try using a different browser, for the time being anyway, if you have a second browser on your computer...If using Internet Explorer, you might try Firefox. Lastly, if all that fails, try contacting GW at the Contact Us link found in the green banner at the bottom of any page. Good luck. I will place a link to this post over on the Round Robin thread on the Exchange page too. Oh...suggestion...Please see addressing newbie and newer member issues For instructions on getting your Member Page email link set up so that you can easily be reached and also for setting up your garden zone/location. You can do that when you are resubmitting your profile info. chemocurl...aka Sue

Hey, maybe if we just do a new thread in both places, as "Spring Plant Trade 2013". Copy everything absultely pertinent to the event and go from there. I read some were unclear about it if they were not following it from the winter. GGG- I am told I am doing better than 99% of people who have this surgery, I am 'younger than most', healthy and active enough, the Ptherapist said he could they would have to put a bit in my mouth to hold me back. Almost, it is hard to keep me down, and I may be pushing it a bit. Mine is called a long segment fusion, illeac fixation, then from sacrum to T10. I also have a C5, 6 , 7 fusion that is over 15 years old. This surgery was a long time coming, the objective was a complete reconstuctive correction because of scoliosis, the spina bifida had caused a lot of my problems for 35 years, but the spine was collapsing, causing all the stenosis and nerve compression. Many problems, symptoms, affecting my whole lower body from armpits down. It was a tough pill to swallow, but it was not hard to decide to do it, the other options meant not walking, etc, eventually losing all function of my lower body. I was going to email you, but didn't see the option, hope your back doing better, maybe it would be best for just a smaller group. I would still be in, and have a friend who loves to trade, etc. she is just not active here. It is up to you entirely. I have been here about everyday, I'll keep checking in. :-)

The U.S. Only Hoya Exchange Forum (lol j/k I'm sure they are just trying to avoid appearing to endorse illegal cross-border transactions or something) is here. You can see the link on the main Hoya page, above all the threads (aka "Switch to Exchanges") I believe Keiko is suggesting that rather than resorting to dumping your Hoya trade threads in the general "Canadian Garden Exchange" section, you should just do it in this thread, where all the Canadian Hoya people will see it. And then, say, for example, another Brazilian showed up, Mitzi could start a Brazilian exchange thread. I assume GW won't try and shut it down as long as it's just Canadians trading amongst themselves. Not sure whether or not they would feel compelled to intervene if people were openly discussing trading across borders.

The Heracleum very likely IS actually from Mongolia or at least that region. Youd be amazed how many of the perennial "new introductions" come from all over the world. A lot come from China and other areas in Asia! There are people that travel all over just looking for possible new perennials to growand sellover here! Panayoti Kelaidis from DBG does itheres a link to his blog from his most recent trip, and Kelly Grummons from Timberline used to do it sometimes too. Dont know if he still does. Re: the "cow parsnip," I found this in the Encyclopedia Britannica: ".....the giant hogweed, is native to the Caucasus but is grown elsewhere as an ornamental." That reference is to a different species (H. maximum) that gets even BIGGER, and I found another species specifically linked to Mongolia, and I found this at another site: "Heracleum lehmannianum, originally from Tajikistan. A thumping furry thing with huge cut leaves and big plates of umbels. The seeds in particular have a weird slightly indian spicy but not quite pleasant scent." There are apparently at least 60 different species of Heracleumsome called hogweed. As near as I can tell, the lehmannianum is pretty unusual, and I wish I had an appropriate place to grow it. Theres another reference to the H.l. being from Tajikistan in the article Ive linked below. Its mentioned in the paragraph by the white flowers! Its all kind of interesting when you start to research it! Aint the web a great thing! :-) Skybird