'Blackbird' has absolutely fantastic color. One of the best bold red I've ever seen. Personally, I do not like Pixie Lilies. The color looks a little muddy to me. I like combination of yellow and red, so I planted my 'Blackout' Lily with yellow 'Fata Morgana'. 'Blackbird' is very similar to 'Blackout', but the color is uniform (no darker centers). Lilies do not spread. They form clumps that have to be divided from time to time. Asiatics are very fast multipliers, so you will have to divide clumps every 3-4 years. 'Blackout' and 'Fata Morgana' (on the background):

As far as the daffodils, I planted them myself by hand with a potato planter (with the help of my wonderful wife and two sons). The first year I planted 5,000 bulbs (14 plastic milk crates full). I planted approx. the same amount each year for four more years. The last couple years I've only planted about 500 bulbs each year. The daffodils are 8 ft. wide and 400-500 feet long, lining both sides of my driveway. The foliage stays fairly green most of the summer. I've planted the hillsides with myrtle which I hope will eventually disguise the dead foliage in late summer/fall. (I've also heard that daylilies work well for this.) As far as hosta 'Rhino Hide,' I emailed pics to Hosta Library several months ago and waited for them to be posted. After a period of time, I sent a personal email inquiring why they weren't posted, but never received a reply. I can only surmise that the pics were either overlooked or perhaps not posted because 'Rhino Hide' is not yet registered. And I'm holding off registration until I can accurately provide the size of a mature plant. (I think it's a medium size plant, judging from the original clump that had 17 eyes before I divided it 2 years ago.) Hosta 'Rhino Hide': Hosta 'Pride and Joy' is my sport of 'Paul's Glory.' It has a thicker leaf, much wider green margin, and a faster growth rate. Possibly a tetraploid, but definately distinct from 'St. Paul.' Everyone who sees it says it's a much more beautiful plant that 'Paul's Glory.' It appears to be very similar, if not identical, to Wade's 'American Glory Be,' and possibly the same as 'Pete's Passion' (which I have never seen). I won't register 'Pride and Joy' unless I become convinced that it's different than theirs. The following pic really does not do it justice, since the pic is of a young plant growing in full sun: Another pic of my circle garden the first year: A couple more pics of rocks. Here is Colorado ruby spar (1200 lbs.) with hosta 'Boots and Saddles' and just a leaf of 'Rhino Hide': Colorado ruby spar (500 lbs.):

Dirtyoldman - I totally agree. People buy Hydrangeas for flowers, not foliage. And I would say that's especially true in the warmer climate areas like the Southeast, where there are lots of evergreen foliage plants available. It's hard to imagine someone other than crazed plant collectors (like some or many of us??) being taken in by this plant. Having said all of that, I did plant one this weekend (one gallon), and it has looked really nice for the past two days! LOL!! Now on the other hand - I think the new 'Endless Summer Blushing Bride" will be a major winner. I just planted one of these as well. The foliage is very dark green, and the big white mophead flowers look great with it. I'm looking forward to seeing how they look when they blush light blue. I'm betting on this one being a big time keeper! Beautiful plant. I also planted a couple of 'Big Daddy' Hydrangeas because I liked the dark green, large foliage and the promise of obnoxiously huge flowers reeled me in. The more shocking a plant is, the better!! LOL.

Always love your words of wisdom, Ed!