Thanks everyone for the compliments... The azaleas are 'Mrs. GG Gerbing' that we planted 20 years ago. They have bloomed faithfully every year in Spring. The individual blossoms are gorgeous. I first seen them years ago on the Annual Azalea Trail in River Oaks & the Bayou Bend Gardens here in Houston--breathtaking gardens, click on the link below for a peek. I have been known to spend the day with my friends and my boys when they were little, and just wonder through the woods along the bayou and the spectacular gardens! Azaleas are very common here in Houston...the front of my house faces the east which is perfect for azaleas...the morning sun gleaming on them, and shaded from the strong afternoon sun later in the year. Pedro will 'skillfully' trim them back in April after all the blooms are gone, and trim (or sculpt...) them back to flowing peaks and valleys. Then, after fertilizing them with bags of a good azalea fertilizer and mulching them with a couple inches of pine bark mulch, the bushes push out beautiful new green leaves that are a gorgeous backdrop for my plants in the summer & fall. This year, the azalea bushes are lower to the ground more than usual, he gave them a 'hard prune' last year--something we do about every 6-7 years to help maintain the full, bushy look, and the reward is the super full look thickly covered with beautiful blooms. For some good info on Mrs. GG Gerbing Azalea care, see the following website: http://www.backyardgardener.com/plantname/pd_c0af.html And in regards to Blue...yes, at first I thought of the song you are thinking of Mary, but then found out the title is really: Song: Me And You And A Dog Named Boo Artist: Lobo Album: Introducing Lobo 1971 But, our eldest son's teacher had a beautiful blue eyed husky named 'Blue', and we named our pup after her. She is a beautiful dog, a husky, and even invited our dog, Blue, to a doggy birthday party a couple years ago--complete with doggie activities at a dog kennel and a doggie birthday cake, made especially for dogs--complete with 'carob' icing! You should of seen when everyone sang Happy BDay...some howled...and then to serve these dozen or so invitees (dogs...), the cut pieces of cake were set down on the count of three, but one dog gobbled his within 2 seconds, lunged forward for another's peice, the plate & cake went flying in the air...another dog jumped up and caught the cake in mid air...it was a 'Kodak' moment in our minds that we will never forget..like out of a movie!! Ha Ha ~Mary Jane P.S. And what did our Blue bring for the Birthday Girl (dog)??? We made homemade doggie biscuits cut with a cookie cutter in the shape of a bone!!! :) Here is a link that might be useful: Bayou Bend Gardens

fool4flowers, those poppies are a real no hastle plant. They are the opium poppies and they have reseeded themselves annualy to the point of becoming invasive. I pulled out literally hundreds of plants that came up EVERYWHERE. They are annuals and have a short blooming period, but the blooms are HUGE. The photo doesnt make it justice, but they are 6 inches in diameter or more if they get plenty of water. I usually pull all of them out once they have finished blooming, and keep only one to allow the seeds to mature. I can send you seeds of this one if you want. Im 100% sure they will thrive for you too.

Even though it is easy to dig in my garden I am planning on getting so many tulips that it still will be a very big chore. Of course I am drawn to the fancy hybrid tulips, darwins and triumph tulips. But I am really trying to find some that might be more perennial than they normally are around here.

@ PupillaCharites & happy_fl_gardener - fascinating thread, thanks! I was taken by surprise at a Spring Garden show where TG had a booth - I fell for it! But I'm not disappointed as I'm having fun with it. I come to realize that I really have a keen interest in growing plants, ones I can eat especially, and now have a complete fascination with hydroponics as a growing system, so I came here to learn. Its time I start thinking about buying more Tonic and like others, I'm looking for an alternative b/c Yes, the TG tonic seems expensive and I get the feeling I can find an alternative. My goal is to build some of my own designed hydroponic units just for fun. But the immediate goal is to find a alternative feed before I head out of town for a few weeks and have to leave my husband with the TG which is currently loaded with veggies. There's a LOT to look up here - many recommendations so I'm going to check them out today and determine whether or not I have time to get my hands on these and do what I need to over the next few days. If I don't, I'll have to resort to going back to TG for the tonic but I'm pretty sure it will be the last time. NOT at all slamming the system or the company - it was expensive but I am having fun with it. I bought it for fun and not as a way to make money. I'm a boring banker and certainly don't need to get involved in MLM. Tx again everyone. I'm going to enter my link here. I am NOT actively selling the TG and I can't say I disagree with what some of @ PupillaCharites describes as their marketing program. I agree with you and so what I did was start a blog to track my experience with the TG as well as other crazy challenges I'm having living on a lot full of clay. As an FYI - I am almost out of the complete hydroponic beginner category at the moment. But what a blast I'm having with all the ideas I'm getting from all the hydroponic literature I've been reading. If I had a HUGE aquarium I could use fish poop as a fertilizer like they do at Epcot! Tx again all for the great conversations and debate. Here is a link that might be useful: The Wonky Gardener