how many bulbs are the normal trade? It is just however you want to offer them...or how many the trader might prefer. Now this is just me, but if I was trading for a named daff I would be satisfied to get 3 in trade...5 or 6 would be better. On some varieties a bulb friend might be doing me a favor by sharing, I would be happy to get even 1 or 2. If you offer in trades of 6 then you can maybe trade with more traders and acquire more varieties than say you trade 12 of one variety for 12 of another variety....but then maybe you were thinking of trading them for other things besides daffs...which would be another ball of wax. Really, it is what makes both traders happy but the final decision is up to you...the offerer. I may dig some of mine that have not multiplied much. I will likely offer them up in quantities of 3 or 5 bulbs....so I can get more varieties. In time, they will multiply anyway...some much better than others. Sue

Thanks for the follow-ups. Alex, they are there all the time. I tried searching it on google, but was unable to find anything previous to my first post- I will look up "guttation" and see what I can learn about it. I don't see any aphids on the peach tree, but it is definitely sticky. I don't notice any damage to the young leaves, but I do have (perhaps from a caterpillar?) holes chewed in the leaves and bites otherwise taken out. This is my first time growing fruit trees, so I'm not really sure what the leaves on a peach should look like- they are generally folded together until they get larger and then unfurl and they have an arc shape to them (the spine arcs). Is this normal?

At this point no suggestion is ludicrous, although I don't think that it's Angelica or Eryngium alpinum. It's growth has stayed very compact and it hasn't flowered at all. The leaves are shiny and leathery, but not as tough and leathery as a hellebore. I've sent off pictures of the plant to several other plant i.d. forums and to other Master Gardeners and no one so far has been able to identify it. I even took it with me to our Fall Plant Sale yesterday in the hopes that seeing it in person (in plant?) might help, but no one has come up with an i.d.

"I'll never be like that because I can stop anytime I want". They always say the first sign of addiction is denial. I remember when a friend whose garden was growing in size said the same thing. A few years later when I still had some control myself I reminded them of what they said. And was told to read her lips. And she said I said anytime I want and I don't want too. That is my boat now. My family and even friends wonder why I spend so much time gardening but also appreciate the produce they get. Of course this year my sister is beginning to wonder when the tomatoes will start coming. Another sign is when you can't wait to check the mailbox to see if a new catalog has arrived. But when someone says something about you receiving so many you say I can't figure out how I got on all of those lists. But just let them throw away one of the 20 plus and you'll notice it before you turn in to sleep. And the seed companies are like the people selling Christmas goodies. Start earlier every year. Now we can blame them for keeping our addiction growing. And then when they why weren't you at the wedding you were invited too and you say oh I didn't feel like going. When the truth is you wanted to take advantage of the nice fall day and spend it in the garden. And then when they say you were seen in the garden you reply I just went out to check on it and time got away. It is nice to be around a bunch of fellow addicts. Because we all need company and a non addict can never understand. Jay