This thread is making me so happy I saved this Krossa Regal. For years the poor thing languished in a dry spot. I kept reading all these glowing reports about that particular hosta, and looked at my pathetic specimen. I thought it must have been mislabeled. A couple of years ago I noticed it had diminished so badly the leaves were the size of teaspoons. So finally I decided to do something about it. Honestly I felt like it was a waste of time. The roots were so tiny. But I potted it up and cared for it and put it back in the ground in a much better spot for the winter. Then last year we were having construction done and I had to dig it up again. It spent the winter in a pot sunk in the garden. I have now planted it in a good spot, I hope. This is what it looks like now.

hey amber, i wanted to tell you that i use to live in mission viejo for a long time and i went to san juan capastrano high( capo). you still live there? anyway, mabey when some of my plumerias get bigger, we can trade cutting? i have some hybrids that are absolutly beautiful? what do you think? i really like your white with the yellowish green center. i think it was the one you got as a suprise. let me know.

Thanks, Sharon, for taking the time & effort to do this. Your concentrated series has been more informative & interesting than many local classes. Another reason that makes this forum so special. Hester

Thanks folks, for the kind comments. I do love by birds and gardening. Kathi-MDGD..."Oriole" nectar is just hummingbird nectar (4 parts water, one part white sugar) served in a larger "Oriole" feeder. The way to prevent feeder dominance is to put out more feeders and spread them out as much as possible. Perhaps put one on the east side of the house and one on the north. Or put two or three feeders out but have several feet between them. The more feeders there are, the harder it is for a dominant oriole or hummer to claim them all. I rarely fill my feeders all the way, since I empty and replace the nectar two to three times a week. Sour or fermented sugar water will do more harm than good to the birds. So I normally fill them maybe 1/4 full. My oriole feeders are the older style with rubber plugs over the feeding ports. I remove the port plugs on at least two sides and the orioles, hummingbirds, finches, woodpeckers, and all the other birds can all drink the sugar water. If you have the larger nectar feeder, with larger ports, nearly all the feeder birds will drink it. Once the yellow jackets arrive, usually mid- to late-August here, I replace the port covers to slow down the YJs. The orioles and hummers can continue drinking. . A male oriole at the feeder. . Mr. and Mrs. House Finch at the oriole feeder. . A hummingbird at the oriole feeder . And the oriole feeder here in Larimore with an oriole. You can't prove it by these photos, LOL, but I normally only color the water in the early spring for the first filling. After that it's usually clear. It seem like every photo I had shows colored water. I'll have to fix that. I don't want to set a bad example. LOL