Yours is still one of the most romantic and beautiful gardens, Florence. Thanks for the lovely pictures of your big, beautiful roses. Ingrid

dawiff, go back to the dollar store and buy all the dollar wind chimes you can get your hands on. then hang them around the plants the umm ah, 4 footed critters are attacking. make sure they are low enough so that when they go near the plants they have to bang in to them and they will make noise, but also high enough to also blow in the wind. It helps with the keeping them away. I didn't get mine out in time and you saw what "chuck" did to my lupin. they where hanging around the lupine last year and nobody bothered with it. Trust me, you don't have druggie bunnies, besides it's the seeds that are poisonous with the MG and give the high. same with the seeds of foxglove, salvia, poppies and all the other goody seeds. Deer off hasn't worked for anyone I've known, nor has any other attempt with stuff that supposed to keep "our 4 footed friends away". Don't think the garlic poweder and the hot pepper flakes will work either. If the groundhog doesn't like the entrance/exit hole because of what you did to it, they will just dig a new one. The odds are they already have quite a few entrance/exit holes already, they usually have several. Good luck and welcome to the never ending battle with these awful critters. Fran

Thank you everyone for your sweet compliments. Plantmaven- The day it snowed was kind of strange, it was a fair amount above freezing with snow. The children loved it. Today on the other hand is perfect, 20c clear blue Sky and no bugs. My gardening heaven. Schoolhouse- Right now the cottage is being rented out to GI Joe and Polly Pocket but I will be sure to put your name on the waiting list. :c) Sweetannie- The neighbor who gave me the tiny irises told me that while she was on vacation she saw a house with a sea of these instead of grass. (I wish I had seen it) And the home owner gave her a clump of each colour when she stop to investigate. Such a treat! Do they multiply quickly for you? Ianna- I know you are right. But it was all the beautiful wild flowers that Mother Nature had plant here that inspired me to start gardening. And they are what keep me inspired (along with all of you of course). I love it when things pop up in unexpected places. For the most part, if they can find a home they are welcome to it. GGG- Yes they are pink and blue Forget-Me-Not (perennial) another one Mother Nature planted for me. I love them! Kay- Yes I am proud :0). I pour my heart and soul in to my family and my garden. And like anything in life, you get out, what you are willing to put in. CMK- I grew the English Daisies from seed. Actually they were the first thing I grew from seed. I just through them at the ground in early spring. And they have been coming back ever since. They bloom twelve months a year for me in my zone 5 garden. I am constantly brush the snow off of them to show people. They have done well and bloomed in every condition I have thrown at them, sun, shade, wet, dry it just doesn't seem to matter. If you are the type of gardener that likes everything in it's place you might not care for them though. They are a really good seeder. You would have to be pretty vigilant with deadheading if you did not want them to spread a bit. I would be more then happy to send you lots of seeds if you would like. A few more shots from today. Carrie B.

Thank you, everyone, for your nice comments. Jadie-Berry Smoothie is a more intense pink in spring and Georgia Plum is truly plum. GP is also pretty small in size. Both glow in the garden and are worth having, IMHO. GP packs quite a whollop of color into its little size. They both age differently (color wise) as well. Berry smoothie gets almost a grape color to it with very veiny leaves. DGregory-Ophir is quite a show stopper in the spring, but unfortunately it does go green in the summer. Still an attractive hosta, though and well worth growing. Mine is young yet. I've seen pics of mature ones and it's pretty amazing when it grows up. Dark Star is definitely worth growing. It's truly beautiful, which is why (I think) a lot of people have it. It gets darker in color later in the season, hence the name. Mocc-I think your boat with hostas idea sounds awesome! It could be such a focal point. Make sure to post pics if you actually decide to do it. I'd love to see how it turns out.