Last weekend the ground in my yard was fine! Thinking there was plently of time left in the season, I was easily taken in by the great sale at bloomoingbulb.com and I ordered more 100 bulbs on Monday. They arrived on Thursday-- with free extras! I forced myself out into the sunny, but 30 degree garden this afternoon and planted half of the sale bulbs. I planted 66 bulbs through 2 inches of frost encrusted top soil! I have enough bagged dirt to pot up and force the daffodils and "queen of the night" tulips included free with my order. Now, I just have to figure out what to do with the remaining 50 mixed darwin tulips once destined for a fixed, raised bed (an idea abandoned due to advice from this site). Taking a tip from cindi_in_ks' post in another thread, I had the idea tonight they could be planted in the still exposed electrical trench dug this summer for our new garage. The trail of mounded dirt runs right through the middle of the lawn, but is probably the last open area big enough for 50 bulbs. Like cindi says, I can always move them next Spring. I'd cut a new plot in the grass, but the grassy areas *do* seem to be frozen. I'll be back outside tomorrow-- it should be close to 40! Good luck to the rest of you. Just remember you are saving the life of a flower with every bulb you get in the ground this Fall.

I was charged $400 for the meter when the irrigation system was put in because it was done at the same time. I paid it then, so it's probably not added to this bill. 10 minutes per zone doesn't seem like enough to me. When I was first watering, I did 20 minutes, and within an hour, the first zone was completely bone dry on the top. Well I'm just hoping that the areas that still have to come in, do so with just watering once a day in the morning for a week, and then 2-3 times next week, and the back to my normal schedule the week after for what is left of the watering season before my system gets shut off. Oh yes, and my $183 wasn't for one month, that was spread out over 3 months. I pay quarterly.

Sigh, Jeff, confession time. Remember where I said above about Sum and Subtance being a late emerger? Well Peacocks are even later and I didn't know that. I dug up the roots and tossed them! It should have been my first clue, that the roots looked perfectly healthy, there just wasn't any green poking up.It was my first yr to have one. Live and learn. I know what you are talking about in the dish gardens, "prayer plants." They do look alike but they are a different genus. Had to look that up cause I wasn't quite sure. The ginger that I had grew quite nicely with BIG leaves and tiny little flowers. I'm replacing it with the same named cv, next yr I'm buying different kinds. Kaempferia 'Alva' Jan I have two ginger gurus. One in FL and one in TX. I grow hedychiums almost exclusively but I saw the Alva in person and had to have it. I'll email you. Daffodillady your surprises sound very nice!

You might want to braid the softnecks so you can hang them. In your case, you will need to clean them up. I clean and remove roots and excess foliage before drying/curing. Haven't had any problems with that method yet. Same for the hardnecks, except that you cut off the cane a couple of inches above the tops of the cloves and store them in mesh onion or citrus bags. I store them in my second bathroom (in the shower stall, actually) which is only used occasionally for guests and has no outside windows and is not particularly damp. If we do have a run of damp weather (such as right now) I will put a small fan in that room to keep the air moving. Right now, the softnecks are done and hanging in the BR and the hardnecks were taken on the 4th and are hanging on their new rack in the "sewing room." As far as the heat in your home, I don't know how to help you with that. Up here we worry about being warm enough all year long.