I'm Ania from Southern CA. I live with my boyfriend and 2 of our own little terrier dogs (also known as terrors) and a third foster terrier. We just purchased a house a year ago so this is my second year gardening. Until we bought the house, I was one of those people that would kill every plant that was in my care. I'm trying to change that and I have several houseplants that have lived a year for me now. For me, that's good. I did some landscaping on the property last year and well, let's just say I did it again this year with plants that would actually work for the area. They are working so far. I grew a few things in pots last year with limited success. I started really late a got a just a few tomatos from 3 plants that got attacked by hornworms, some Jalapeno's and Cubanelles and some Okra. My herbs did well and I had a lot of basil and still have pineapple sage and mint from last year. I tried, unsuccessfully to grow eggplant as well. This year, I decided to actually learn how to garden and here I am. This year I'm growing 8 varieties of tomatoes, several varieties of peppers, a couple of eggplants, tomatillos, several squash and zucchini, green onions, lima beans, and a few other things all in containers. I am also just now sprouting chard and amaranth. I also have a lot of herbs growing. I made some big mistakes to start with and got a late start on some things but all is going fairly well. I'm really glad to have found this place so I can learn and maybe I can know what I'm doing with this gardening stuff one day. Ania

For areas of wet I am interested in: Swamp milkweed(rose colored) Veronicastrum Chelone cimicifuga Aster(moist) Eupatoriums(joe-pye-weed+boneset) marsh marigolds(early spring) for the wet areas where I don't have swamp saxifrages growing

Hi leafwatcher, and welcome to the forum. Warning: it's as addictive as the hostas! I live about 100 miles due east of you with similar conditions, and Great Expectations is my favorite of the 800 or so varieties I grow. This is a hosta that, unlike most, has some very specific requirements to grow well. And if grown well, it will be truly spectacular--my largest measures 32 inches tall, 5 1/2 feet across, and looks good all season. First and most importantly, GE must be planted shallowly. Too many people plant this one too deep, since it's going to be a large plant at maturity. When planted this way, GE will, over the course of a few years, dwindle in size and then simply disappear. You want the crown of the plant right at the top of the soil, with only a very thin layer of dirt covering it. Secondly, GE need plenty of sun in order to thrive. If planted in heavy shade, it will grow at a glacially slow pace, taking years to throw a new division. It needs at least half sun to do really well, and it will take absolutely full sun. Most of mine are planted in half to three quarter sun. The third requirement is lots of water, which this year just isn't a problem! But in a dry summer, make sure you water GE quite deeply and regularly. If give these three things, GE will be the most beautiful hosta in your garden. The same growing conditions apply to Thunderbolt, Dream Weaver, and Dream Queen, as these are all selections from GE. Your hosta list looks very nice indeed, not a bum plant in the lot. You do, however, need to add a Montana Aureomarginata to your garden as soon as possible, unless the one you have listed as Aureo Marginata is a montana rather than a fortunei or a ventricosa. If you can't find MA at a good price locally, email me privately--I have about 20 of these that I'm growing out. And then of course, you will want to get a few minis and small hostas--everything you currently have is medium to large. And then you will want to start digging up your lawn to plant more hostas, and raiding the kid's college fund to buy more hostas, and, well, you get the idea--these plants are majorly addictive. Enjoy!

Marie -- I forgot that we're not supposed to call you Idabean. Sorry.... I can't access your email address from your member page, so I'll post the recipe here, tho I fear it is OT? Easy Plum Torte by Autumn Hills Orchard in Groton MA 1/2 c uns butter 3/4 c sugar 1 c unbleached flour, sftd 1 tsp baking powder pinch salt 2 eggs 10-12 pitted purple plums, halved sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon for topping Preheat oven to 350. Cream butter and sugar in bowl. Add flour, bkg pwdr, salt and eggs and beat well. Spoon batter into 8 or 9" spring form pan. Place plum halves, skin side up, on top of batter in circular pattern. Sprinkle with lemon jce, cinn, sugar to taste. Bake approx 50 min, til center springs back and edges are lightly browned. EAT and enjoy!