planted my last load of neem seeds, and a few are showing radicals :) so with any luck i'm sorted. (germ notes..) i received them from india last autumn.. some germed then but didn't survive the winter. had slow germs and issues with fungus gnats in early spring. 24 hour soak, husked them.. i like to germinate in a tupperware with a 1/2" of perlite on the bottom and a 1/4" of water, occasionally dropping some h2o2 if there's a fungus outbreak. they go in soil when they've got a nice radical.

My research shows that those of you who bought Inniswood "did good". Alas, I have to be selective as space is now at a premium because of the energy quotient in regard to expanding beds. Hubby won't help but turns a blind eye as I sneak in new hostas. On my list of likes. Bernd, and Cowboy: I love the look of Ivory Coast but I'd have to be convinced I need it when I already have Sagae and Super Sagae. Some parts of 2012 were rough. I need an Irish Luck for 2013. I love the glossy leaves. Moccasin, I like yout Itty Bitty. Will be looking for it this year. Tepelus and Mctavish, I wish my Invincible were taller like yours. Mine has tree root competition. How old are your specimens? Any suggestions? INVINCIBLE

We use a combination of Nickel Plus and K-Phite. It's working great. We spray with both, using a sticker-spreader we got at Tractor Supply. We also add their blue dye now, because it helps us see where we have missed a spot. It isn't very easy to see through goggles, with sweat pouring down in your eyes. Just avoid spraying any blossoms, unless you are really desperate for a blue daylily. We were advised to spray once a week for 3 weeks, then wait 3 weeks before spraying again. I've only sprayed once this fall, since it has been raining off and on ever since. Occasionally, I will have a plant that shows sign of rust, but nothing like it was before I started using the nickel. I wouldn't use anything else. Well, let me take that back. I am going to try some Actinovate on just a few isolated and unimportant plants to see how it works. The only thing I don't like is having to don all that protective gear, but I wouldn't have it otherwise. I'm very cautious. We use goggles, a special pesticide mask we bought at Lowes, chemical gloves (also at Lowe's), rubber boots and a yellow rain slicker. My hubby and our yardman refuse to put on a garbage bag drawstring skirt, but if I'm doing the spraying, I wear that, too. I'll have to get my hubby to take a picture of me in that fancy outfit so everyone can get a good laugh. When the weather is warm, we get very sweaty in all that garb! We start very early in the morning while it is still cool. We have a big tank sprayer on wheels we pull behind our riding lawn mower. It runs on the lawn mower battery. We got an extra length of hose so we can cover more territory. One of us drives the lawn mower while the other sprays. I could do it by myself, but it takes longer to have to keep stopping to move the mower ahead. We wash the tank out thoroughly after spraying and run clear water through the wand when we have finished. Aren't you cold climate people lucky??? Nancy

It is really nice to see what hostas you all love the look of. Harryshoe, I cannot tell you whether or not your Northern Halo is actually named correctly. It looks gorgeous though. I have a sneakin suspicion that if it were in my garden, I would be loving the look of that one! I am not clear though about what it is you would like a suggestion on. Rob_sneyers, I had never heard of a hosta named Eos. As for Queen of the Seas, I just got it last year and I am hoping to love it too. Bernd, those are a nice bunch of hosta you picked. Don B. I got Brother Stephan last year. It had 2 eyes. It is now emerging with 5 eyes. I agree that Babka's Brother Stefan is gorgeous. I am crossing my fingers that mine might look that good. Did you see McTavish's photo comparisons of Brother Stefan and Paradigm? I have attached a link. Here is a link that might be useful: Paradigm & Brother Stefan Photo Comparison