I do find the selection at van englen great! I am going to try out several smaller daffodils this year as the foliage of some if my bulbs is just now dying down. I am hoping to find varieties that have less noticeable dying leaves through the summer. Last fall was my first with costco bulbs and all went well. Those bags just find a way into my cart...I try to be sure I actually count the total number of bulbs I am buying as a reality check! Last spring I tried some spring bulbs but they were dried up in the bag. Costco has always been good about returns though. Not sure how they'd deal with the wrong fall bulbs though...hmm. When I have had wrong items from van engelen, they have sent replacements, resulting in now hundreds of odd ball daffodils in my woods. I kind of wish now I had just received a refund.

I think it depends on a particular type of maple.... some get full while others stay bare. Just like some of mine are more delicate. 'Waterfall' didn't make it through the freezes... where as 'purple ghost' did fine. 'Waterfall' has thinner branches, smaller leaves and was more open. I've ordered maples from 4 different places. All places I've received at least 1 maple that was 'thinned' out. Here are some from Eastfork. These photos were taken after planting in spring/fall 2011. These two are very full. I received 'waterfall' (no pictures), but it was thinned out. It's already lost 2 sets of leaves this year due to the cold, so I don't think it will return. Acer shir. 'Autmn Moon' Acer palmatum 'Purple Ghost' Here are the new ones from SongSparrow Left: Acer palmatum 'Geisha Gone Wild' Right: Acer palmatum 'Orangeola' - The front finally turned red after leaving it in the sun all week! You can see a huge difference in the two coming from the same reputable nursery. Geisha Gone Wild has a very delicate appearance to it, its very thinned out. Where as Orangeloa is more full and has thicker leaves/branches/etc. Both are of the same age. (If you look closer you can see I still have 'girards special #1'. The other 'specials' are further to the left in the picture. Poor trees... they have been sitting there all winter with no care, yet starting to bud out lol.

http://members.iinet.net.au/~ewan/garden_thugs.pdf http://www.esc.nsw.gov.au/weeds/Sheets/herbs/H%20Succulents.htm http://www.weedscrc.org.au/documents/mr_waterwise_150307.pdf http://www.arc.govt.nz/environment/plants-and-animals/search-for-plants/index.cfm?63E0F20E-14C2-3D2D-B905-50098EBBE4B9&plantcode=Agaame http://www.sydneyweeds.org.au/weeds/centuary-plant.php http://members.iinet.com.au/~weeds/western_weeds/mono_alliaceae.htm http://www.pittwater.nsw.gov.au/environment/noxious_weeds/herbs/centuary_plant

While this is bumped, will circle back to say my 'Perfume Princess' was planted last weekend. In a raised mini-bed abutting a north facing stone wall. Amusingly enough, after waiting years to get one of these suckers, and finally ordering it from the very reputable Dancing Oaks which was one of the first mail order nurseries to offer it...suddenly Monrovia's website has changed/updated in a way that "allows" it to be sold to an east coast zone 7. But I'd prefer to support Dancing Oaks anyhow - and Monrovia wants 2X as much for it - it's just that for at least the 2 prior springs I had been trying to order it with Monrovia's "order and pickup at a local nursery" which OUGHT to be the wave of the future for large wholesalers, but it wouldn't let me. I don't think the way they are going about implementing it is particularly intelligent. If there is some reason they think it isn't suitable for your area, the website ought to inform you of that. "We shall see what we shall see"