When we moved here to our country home (converted barn) it was a couple of weeks before Christmas. That first Christmas morning my husband and I woke up to snow, beautiful fluffy sparkly snow. We have 11 pine trees surrounding the barn. Of course the snow covered the pine branches. I looked out the front window , and there sitting on one of the pine branches was a bright red Cardinal. It looked like a Christmas card, all white with some green and red. I wish I would have had a camera ready at the time. It was just so perfect. It gave us that warm fuzzy Christmas feeling. As we sat and drank a cup of Hot Cocoa and a Christmas cookie. I hope we have fresh snow for Christmas this year. patti

I think your plants are just going dormant. Photos # 3 & 4 look just like my plants that grow wild in the woods. The lush rosette shows the root ball is still healthy. My CF's that are in pots and a bog are still tall and green, probably because they don't have to compete with trees for food.

As many picture takers as there are on this forum, the HLibrary is likely to be overwhelmed with great shots. Just think how many gardens SteveMass views, camera in hand. Not a slouch in sight when he takes a photo. And Myrle with her three gardens to snap pictures--complete with the plant history. Great place to start. And anyone with some unusual hosta not currently shown in the HL, or maybe with just a single shot and it is a young plant at that, your mature plant could add a lot to the resource value of our great HL. While the plants are in their prime, this is the time to do it. Go take that picture and email it to the HL. I might find a few to send in too, even though mine are generally two years old or less.

I think that you are right -- it looks like Ralph's Creeper. When I was searching for something else, I came upon a photo of a new rose called "Thrive" with blooms and leaves that remind me of your first photos. I'll put a link to the HMF listing: Here is a link that might be useful: Thrive photos