we're all in the same happy boat, aren't we? :) another way I look at it is that the long term healthful benefits of: de-stressing when walking around the daylily beds, feeling it's Christmas morning everyday during bloom time, exercise as in stretching when trying to reach to pull that weed, mental activity as in thinking about which ones will bloom next, or to buy next, or ..., meeting awesome people in the online community who provide so much inspiration, and enabling, is it? :) and undertaking more positive activities...like trying to be computer literate and post pictures, learning to take photos (including the umbrella and white paper trick), make the endeavor sooo worthwhile... Ben who's trying not to purchase any more daylilies this year.

brittie, Thanks! That red rose is LAVAGLUT. It is my favorite of all my roses and I have a lot of roses. As for the folliage I spray with a systemic fungicide which I mix with Neptunes liquid fertilizer. Kay, I know you love the roses and they really are looking especially lovely this year. But at least you have your own lovely roses to enjoy whenever you want in your own yard.

Your red rose is stunning - I want to reach out and touch it. I also love the picture of your Tango Lilies, the little bit of blue (can't tell what they are, some kind of salvia?) really helps to set off the warm colors of the lilies. I especially like pictures showing an entire flower bed, and I would love to see another shot of this same bed in a few days when it is really going strong as you have hundreds of buds showing. Christine

Thanks for your comments, all. I thought it was neat coloration and worth sharing. NC, I remember Bill commenting that LF never develops much depth of color in coastal Cali. It's a shame for you guys, 'cause it's a lovely one to have--compact growth, beautiful fragrance. Mike: awesome indeed. There's nothing more heartbreaking for us plumie freaks than to watch buds drop. This one dropped a lot. Sucked. DelWH, I do use ProteKt religiously and am a big believer in its benefits, which are readily apparent (unlike many other products where you have to guess whether it's actually making a difference). I even stopped using neem oil earlier in the season because I had so few pests on my trees, due to the ProteKt, no doubt in my mind. As great a product as it is, however, it won't always prevent every harmful insect from dining on our leaves, and this infestation just slipped under my radar. I guess the blooms distracted me LOL. I still believe, though, that ProteKt can lessen the overall damage that occurs when sucking insects do set up shop. Thanks also for the control tips. Mike, fish emulsion and I are NOT friends LOL...just...can't...but I like neem. Problem with it and other oils is that we can only use it once a week. I eventually settled on the water and Murphy's oil soap, because I can use it as much as I want, supplemented by neem here and there. I think these proly are mites, not aphids, but, see my earlier comments...LOL Take care, y'all.