I've always noticed and enjoyed looking at hostas. Unfortunately, I have to admit - like another poster above - that as a child I participated in 'popping' the flower buds. Shame on me! In my previous home/garden, we had some 'green and white' hostas that had been planted by either the previous owner or the builder/landscaper. I moved them, divided them, etc., but never added to the collection or even thought about getting different ones --- I don't think I really ever paid attention at the nurseries to just how many different varieties there were. And I certainly never knew that some would be happy in sun! I was gardening and planting, but hostas just weren't on my radar. When we moved into this house 5 years ago, I planted a little Japanese Maple and decided I wanted to fill out the bed around it right away because I know they don't like having their roots disturbed once they get established. So I was at Home Depot and saw some pots of Rainforest Sunrise. I thought - that will be a pretty contrast to the red leaves of my Bloodgood maple... so I bought them. I also saw some epimedium and decided to put some of those in that same bed. So the next spring when the hostas seemed to be taking a long time to appear, I started searching on the Internet for some info. I remembered how great Gardenweb was when we were building our house (couldn't have done it without the great info and pictures from people on the kitchen, bathrooms, flooring, appliances forums!!!). And I started reading the hosta forum, then the trees, shrubs, etc.... And my eyes were opened to these amazing hostas, and now I fear I'm hooked. I greatly expanded my beds last fall and so I've been making plans for planting this spring/summer. And thanks to you all, I have a pretty good list of hostas, and some companions, that I hope to get asap. So far, in the ground I only have 3 varieties: the Rainforest Sunrise, Cathedral Windows and Rhino Hide. In pots I have: Blue Mouse Ears, Fire Island, Prairie Sky, Wheee!, and the sport I removed from RS last summer. Edit -- Also - thanks to you all, I won't be buying my hostas at Home Depot any more. The RS, so far, seem to be fine and healthy. But I'm glad I've had the opportunity to learn about HVX and the need to be careful of sources.

Another Record-Breaker! Warmest Christmas Day Ever for New York City > Christmas Day saw record-breaking temperatures for the tri-state area, as the mercury crept to a balmy 66 degrees shortly after midnight Friday, eclipsing the 33-year-old record by two degrees. > Revelers flocked to the Rockefeller Center tree as the sun rose Friday, donning nothing more than light jackets, if any. It was the second day of record-breaking temperatures; the mercury hit 72 on Christmas Eve, shattering the previous record of 63 degrees set in 1996. New York City Sees Warmest Christmas On Record

Here's a few of my giants. Dasylirion longissima. Foliage tops out at about 7 feet. Stalk is from last year's bloom and was probably 16-18 feet. My baby Nolina nelsonii. Bloomed last year for the first time and is now bifurcating to develop two heads. A group of younger N. nelsonii. Nine foot cannas. Some 10 foot barrel cacti. Trichocereus terscheckii. These babies haven't bloomed yet and will eventually branch to resemble saguaro. A cuddly little seven foot Agave americana. Six foot common elephant ears under a very juvenile Sabal mexicana. The Sabal mexicana's same age sibling. Lastly, my favorite tree on the property. The burl at the base is 7 feet high and about six feet in diameter. The canopy covers about 6,000 square feet. A youngster -can't be much over 500 years old.

Folks, I'm going to shill on Paul's behalf. If you love once-blooming roses, you have to have 'Marianne'. She is one of the most glorious sights you will ever see (at least in rosedom) when she matures. She's healthy, robust, vigorous, has a beautiful bloom, and an awesome (literally awe inducing) flush. I'm pretty sure she produces a bloom at every leaf node. She also has a wonderful fruity and damask perfume. I've said it before, this is the best modern gallica available (unless it's Gallicandy, lol). Think of it as a healthy, once-blooming Abe Darby, with 20x the blooms. Mine is still relatively small, but was one of the highlights of my Spring garden, even after the not-dear deer trimmed her.