First... Welcome to the forum! The more, the merrier! Second... I've had some minor trouble with these microscopic mites, myself. I use Schultz's 3 in 1 spray, which is an insecticide/miticide/fungicide all in one. I spray the leaves and bulbs, and about 2 weeks later, I follow it up with another round of spritzing with the 3 in 1 spray. I've found that if the bulbs aren't too infested, the spray will work. However, these mites usually show themselves with red or rusty looking streaking on the leaves and scapes... not blotches or circle shapes. You may not have mites... you may have a fungal issue, instead. Captan does wonders for fungal issues... in fact, I use it as a preventative when potting up any bulb. I use a small paintbrush and lightly dust some Captan powder on any part of the bulb that looks bruised or raw, and I dust a bit around the bottom of the bulb, where it connects to the basal plate. Then, I pot them up. Dusting your bulbs with Captan before storing them for their dormancy is a good idea, whether you have fungal issues or not. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure! If you've been doing some reading here in the forum, then I'm sure you've run into many posts that talk about the different mediums us bulb lovers prefer, and why we prefer them. One of the main reasons I stopped using bagged potting soil is because I experienced a lot of rot and fungus issues. Since I've begun using a more porous, bonsai-like inorganic medium, I've had no rot or fungus issues, whatsoever. Most regular potting soils are too fine in particle size, and decompose too quickly, which causes the soil to collapse. The roots literally suffocate. The soil may stay too wet for too long a time around the rootball, and because there's very little aeration, there's no exchange of oxygen to the roots and gases away from the roots. A plant's roots need to "breathe". When you run into any of the links I've posted about mediums, please read the articles. They will explain in detail the relationship between roots, the soil, water... and they'll give you some very nifty medium recipes to try. After much experimentation, I've come to the conclusion that my bulbs are happiest and healthiest in an inorganic medium made up of larger particles which allows for excellent and quick drainage, aeration, and I have complete control over moisture and feeding. Anyway... glad to have you joining us! Keep reading... you'll be glad you did! There are a lot of very knowledgeable gardeners here, and we think we've got one of the greatest groups on GardenWeb!

This is only the second flower for PC. I did post the first one which wasn't like this. The color and edge on the second flower are much better. This is also the first year for it and I hope it gets better. I got it at the ODS babysitting program. The information I got with it was that it was a slow grower plus the usual info. It does seem to hold up well in the sun where I have it. Marg

Steve, I just ordered a container of the Foliage-Pro, if those Container Forum folks recommend it, it has to be good. With my selection of hosta, I'm hoping that a couple of them will get together on their own and make a good cross. I do not mind having little green baby plants, but make em shiny and frilly and maybe a white back, standing up showing red petioles that continue as a red margin on the leaf. I think Bob Solberg has something great with H.'Beet Salad' which has a teeny narrow red outline around the leaves, which may one day morph into a more substantial red border. I read the book BOTANY OF DESIRE, and think the hosta are outwitting us to their advantage. Look how we are helping them to take over the garden, giving space to their progeny, helping them grow in circumstances they previously could not. Yeah, I do believe plants have survival strategies. I noted some recent item in the NYTimes about them remembering the light levels etc, but forgot to go back and read it....that's not quite LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, but it is interesting. Maybe one day we'll be looking for the SMARTEST HOSTA.

Hi Marie, missed this one. Beautiful bloom and the number of blooms on a young plant, Beautiful. Marie, Is there a way that I can contact you. Wanted to ask a question, but not able to send message. Could you send me a message? Rick