A nursery in Topeka had a bunch of bulbs being treated as houseplants out in their greenhouse. They had no clue what they were, so I bought them ALL! Hahahahaha! If they bloom for me this winter, I'll be able to identify them. I have 10 unidentified flowering sized bulbs. How exciting!!! I think one of them is a Picotee because a HUGE bloom was laying on the ground trampled to a pancake. I wanted to find the culprit and slap them! lol I've been collecting since Feb or March, so I'm trying my best to run with experts like you guys :-)

Keep in mind that the zone maps are just rough guides, and averages of minimum temps. They can't predict how cold it will be in any particular year. Besides, hardiness is dependent on other factors, like:- Freeze/thaw cycles. A plant that can survive temps below freezing/temps above freezing a couple of times over the winter may succumb if that happens ten or twenty times. Wind: A plant that is subject to high winds is experiencing lower temps than one that's sheltered. Cover: A layer of leaves or even snow can act as a layer of insulation and protect a plant, and will obviously make it less subject to wind effects. I guess none of this is new news...I just wanted to point out that zone maps really are just general guides, useful but not the be all and end all. -R

We call that recipe Mustard Pickle - great on ham, beans, turkey, etc. You can it in the summer when the vegetables are plentiful or in the early fall when you have plenty of green tomatoes and then have it for eating all winter and spring. Others might call it Chow Chow.

I love the depth of your comments on human nature, Odinthor - "an inability to demonstrate the fullness of their hearts" for the deeply devoted in many respects. We all get passionately committed to something and then find ourselves building an overwhelming sense of responsibility and an awareness of how limited we are. I seem to find there are two possible responses to that growing awareness of the impossible in our lives - either we get anxious and focused on controlling ourselves and our environment to achieve that impossible perfection (like Kim's friend) or we develop a sense of humility and gratitude for being at least a small part of something bigger than ourselves (like Campanula and the endless joy of joining in the shaping of her wilderness). The same pattern often applies to us in other aspects of our lives, not just gardens but faith, family, and friends too. I was reminded of how much the latter attitude is both a choice and a long-term growing process for all of us last night. My daughter was chafing at the waiting and watching for her brother's Tae Kwon Do tournament last night, and I was reminding her to be patient and find something to be interested about in the activities. She turned to me exasperated and said, "Yeah, but nothing ever bothers you!" Shocked the pants off me, let me tell you - you mean you don't remember all the times I snapped at you, for starters? Then I realized that she's only 12, and her life has been absolutely filled with dramatic changes so far all the time - physically, emotionally, socially, spiritually. She doesn't have the luxury of a perspective to look back at the tapestry of her life and see the big picture of how things work together and work out - her tapestry is tiny and rushed and pretty jumbled up from where she stands (all gangly 5' 9" of her already, at that). That insight gave me the chance to do my "mom thing" and remind her (and myself) that an attitude is a choice and something you have to practice to get good at. Patience isn't something we're born with, but something we deliberately cultivate by not backing away from challenges (even the impossible ones) and handling the frustrations in our lives with grace and humility. Building that patience in the garden and life is something that all of you help me with at GW, and I thank you for it! Cynthia