Cold every night this week! I planted: Santa Barbara Daisies Croftway Pink Monarda (interested in seeing the results from a trade) Native Persimmons Enchiops double blue aquilegia Spring magic aquilegia asclepias incarnata Dwarf blue balloon flowers Oenothera Lamarckiana Orange gerber daisies dianthus firewitch (mine doesn't come true but makes interesting variations) pink granny bonnets aquilegia Dianthus gratianopolitanus semi-aquilegia elecarta (renamed now, I think) Dark blue aquilegia blue flag iris I've been doing them in color pairings, and this year I'm using only tubs from lettuce/greens. I get them free from our church soup kitchen and they have been the best containers for me so far. So much more easier than using bottles etc. I can use these over and over and store at least 50 of them in a big plastic bin, under the house. They are a godsend!

Hey NC, Your plant looks fine, just do not start fertilizing her too much. As for my plants yes, the reds are turning darker, the yellows that are suppose to have red veining or red colors like Ruby Gold from Oz, Sherbert Town, Firestorm from JJs, Penang Peach, Lava Flow start to develop their reds. Up until the heat wave Sherbert town was solid Yelow, Jackie was solid Yellow, Kimo was more yellow now pink and orange, and Musk rainbow is loking more purple around the edges. So your plumies fine. As for Sheer Beauty that is another one I had 2 of, one from the source Anucha and another one from a friend who I think got it from BBB. Brad does have Sheer Beauty from time to time so you need to check out his site as it sells out quickly. I ended up getting rid of both of my SB as they did not perform well, did not look like its pic, save your money NC. JL Dane is another one that does not peform well.... So save your money. Get a purple Jack or a JL Golden Pagoda before Dane or SB. Golden Ray from JJ's is also nice and will perform to a degree in cooler temps and if you get in to the mid 80s plus GR is a stunner. Ok hoped that helped.

I think that noxious weed growing on the ground is called ground ivy. I am not sure exactly what it is, but I just call it yard cancer because it spreads all over the place. I pull it out literally by the buckets. That is not the worst problem. If you look at the Freisinger Morgenrote and Olympiad pictures, in the background growing up the tree trunk and not limited to that location, it is what looks to me like a sizeable stand of poison ivy. It grows all over here. It is trying to spread into the yard also. I sprayed it with an appropriate weed killer. Hopefully it will die off. I have a creek running through the property, and there is all sorts of stuff and sometimes critters back there where I don't even mess with it. That situation might change if I were to win the lottery and have some money to somehow integrate both sides of the property into a unit, but the area is a wooded area amidst all the houses and businesses. I would like to be able to keep all the trees, and the city might also have final say as to what can and cannot be done with the creek.

This is what it's all about! Jan I think that Mona was right. The inspiration and idea you had to crank this puppy up was a God-send! Look at where we are now. How many people attended that first MTPS? This year our Spring Swap attendance should be over the 100 mark for '06 and we've had Cheryl and Nat spin off and establish two successful swaps in East TN. If you can't reach around and pat yourself on the back then let me! We all owe this to you and Jim because it may never have come to fruition without you two. Thank you so much. Look at all the joy and happiness you have brought us all. Look at all the lifelong friendships that have come about because of the MTPS. Look at all the untold tens of thousands of plants that have been shared. You helped create love and bonds between people where there hadn't been before, what greater gift is there to give? In the past six years this forum and the people on it have become part of my extended family. I can't imagine my life now without you and Jim; Mona and David; Norm and Barbara; Cheryl and the kids; Doug and Bec & their kids; Joe and Kathy; Renee and her Mom & Eric; Marty and her husband; Marianne; Claudia and the list goes on and on because I can't name them all without taking up two pages. Actually it continues to grow every year! How do you repay someone who has blessed you with a gift this special? Mrs. Hobbs you are the bomb!!!! What a visionary. What a fine Christian woman. THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart. All our love and admiration, Jeff & Lavonne