A treat! I would hate to have to lug around those big clay pots. Blond on the Inside is appealing. And yes, after seeing many wretched photos of a deformed Blissful Blackberry Pie, it is interesting to see what it is supposed to look like. A great setting for the daylilies--a slight slope. A bit surprised, though, that there was not some inclusion of other plants (for accent or counterpoint) in all that area. This post was edited by mantis__oh on Sat, Jun 28, 14 at 22:49

Great slideshows Paul.. Thanks for sharing them... was hoping someone was going to post pics. Wasn't able to attend the convention but did manage to get to Rochester yesterday to take in the leaf show and vendors area. From the people I talked to it sounds like it was a great convention.

Of course, *I* got the *$500* version--and my hubby was VERY PATIENT!! I was SO proud of him. I thanked him over and over for this opportunity and he just kept saying, "I just really loved seeing you so happy and enjoying yourself so much!!!" Is he a 'keeper' or what!!! Now you know how we've made it 41 yrs. and 'yes' it goes both ways! :o) Cynthia--with the *$500* tour, 'Colby' is included as co-host!!! Ken is pretty adamant about the 'etiquette' on his tours--be informed!! hehehe I think 'Colby' may be far more lenient about them, though! Actually--ken was a VERY tolerant host and hosta-tour-guide! He had to answer so many of my questions, and never really gave much of a hint of the weariness he MUST HAVE felt!! :o) Okay, ken--that's all of you--I know you want the *hosta* to be the focus, but these scenes, caught from Steve's vantage point, just begged to be shared and 'tagged'! :o)

I took my fancy camera and never took any good pictures with it. With my phone, I took one view picture and a couple pictures of one plant that really interested me. View 1 Plant of interest 1 Plant of interest shot 2 Note in the background of my plant of interest plant, there is a large Desert Willow which I was quite surprised to see as I did not think those would do well here. But it seemed quite pleased. The positive: the garden is very well constructed and has a fantastic variety of plants that include many of the recommended plants for this area. They even have the famous Hot Wings Maple tree. And it's the type of garden that will be different each time of year that you visit. It's worth seeing several times I have no doubt. The negative: The guide did not really provide much of a "tour" per se. He was there. But he never mentioned the main feature of the garden being the berms that had been created to provide many of these plants with the preferred drainage type, aka "please don't let me sit in water". It's also very deceiving to the novice eye because the berms are top-dressed with gravel. The gravel is great. But he really never mentioned that underneath is a very carefully crafted soil system. I think it's important to understand that it isn't just your basic Colorado clay sitting there, throw some plants on it, and cover with gravel. The landscapers clearly placed special soil mix, created berms, added nice hardscape "feature" rocks and plants, then top dressed with pea gravel and other stone. With all that being said, I'm really glad I went. I know where it is now and I plant to visit again. Plus there is a beautiful park with a big lake right across the street. Bonus!