Tom, it does indeed sound like rhizosphaera needlecast you've got there. A tree so infected can be helped somewhat by: Removing badly infected limbs and removing them from the area, burning them, or some other disposition that removes their ability to reinfect more foliage, and by attending to the basic needs of the infected tree, especially with regards to adequate soil moisture. This latter is especially important when the tree is sited in heavy clay-based soil that gets very hard and dry at some point during the growing season. A treatment called 'vertical mulching' can also be helpful although it's no simple treatment. Basically trenches are dug down through the tree's root zone somewhat like spokes from a wheel hub, and a lighter, more porous mixture of sand and compost, or similar materials are used for backfill. Beyond that, you're getting into fungicides, particularly chlorothalanil-based products. Should you like more comments on that end of things, let us know. FWIW, this disease has been raging out of control here and down by you in the last few years. There seems too to be a complex of possible other pathogens at work recently on spruce. In all cases, blue spruce is heavily attacked. Great trees for sure, it is a shame that this is becoming so prevalent. Also FWIW, Norway spruce seems least affected........so far. +oM

Thank you all, for your kind remarks! But I goofed on naming 'Violet Vision'. Went out this morning to shoot more pics and realized the plant NEXT to it is Violet Vision, which hasn't even bloomed yet.....It's supposed to be a violet/purple bitone. What you all see instead of 'Violet Visions' is actually a bonus seedling, from the LA. I will wait until 'Violet Vision' really blooms and post a picture in the future. Again - sorry! Julie

Let's go with a 2 p.m. start then, and say all the plant swapping will be done by 4 p.m., so that people don't dawdle too much in arriving. However, you are all welcome to hang around as long as you want and eat and chat and so on. I am looking to swap FOR interesting looking hostas, so that is great to hear. I started a shade garden last year. By May 19th one should be able to just look at them and know enough re: color, variegation, leaf size, whatever. I am planning to get some photos printed of some of my things in flower since I have another purpose for that as well, but I think just a writen description like "Tall blue/purple iris, likes sun" is adequate. We don't need scientific or variety names, although they would help, so certainly list that if you know it! I too have plants to share that I don't know the real name of. I should mention again for the person looking for landscaping rocks that I have long heaps of them. So anybody who wants colorful rocks (described in an early posting in this thread) bring some containers to carry them home in. I have a LOT of them, enough for many people. I will serve pickled peppers and caulflower which we just canned that are excellent, also something else more main dishy, don't know what yet. I can make some ice, so whatever beverages people want to bring can go on ice. I have lots of soda, but no diet soda (Just say no to drugs, LOL) so bring diet beverages if that is what you want. Water is my diet beverage of choice, and I have a big water container for those of you who aren't so high class that you need bottled water. We have well water and I love it, also Milwaukee city water in 2 liter bottles for my city-boy husband. This is WI so beer is okay, too. :-) I have lots of glasses, silverware, napkins, that sort of thing. START INVITING PEOPLE! Marcia

You went wrong trying to grow them in Wisconsin... Seriously though, the mophead H. macrophylla are not very hardy and will get killed back to the snowline at temperatures below 0 to -10F. Most varieties flower on old wood so no flowers. There are newer varieties available now that flower on new wood...you still get dieback but you'll also get some flowers.