Thanks everyone for the thoughts and prayers. I left work early today cause I was worried about her. She has been sleeping all day. I was up several times during the night with her...she's 18. Thanks for all the comments on the treasures. I don't know what the tear shapped thing is. It's very heavy looks like it's hand blown maybe was a part of something else...only $1 I had to have it!! Barefootin where's the pictures!! We love to see everyone's treasures. Twomonths how nice of you to give up your space! Please post photos once it's all organized. Susiesunshine you are a sweetie as always. And Susiewants roses... I'm soo glad you are having a good time with the houses. I love the address!!! Dh has been in sales for years so he's actually trying to make a change. The bad thing is the companies have sooo many people for each opening so they are taking their time... two or three weeks to make up their minds. It's all so stressful. That's why I feel soo guilty for spending any money. Cait I have a few photos organized in Photobucket I will post a link ... feel free to browse. Here is a link that might be useful: MOSAIC ALBUM

I was behaving really well when Rita posted about Earlybirds big sale collection, then posted about it again. The second time nosey had to look and bingo! Bass Gibson and Hyacinth Macaw were both on sale by Mark at Abundant...an excellent vendor. I had to at least post a bid, since none had been made, and Hyacinth Macaw was a steal at $35! Bless goodness, no one else bid on it...just three minutes before the end of the auction, I saw that no one had bid on Bass Gibson. and there were two of them offered with no bids. I had to bid on one of them. And there were no other bids on either one. So I am awaiting two new daylilies when I wasn't going to buy anymore. I've already blamed Rita, so I will just blame the addiction. kay

I recently (bout 2 years ago) had to sell my property and move in with my parents (mother was terminally ill), so I've somewhat started over. It was traumatic giving up land that I'd been planting natives on for twelve years, but necessary. Unfortunately my father feels they're all weeds, so we fight about it. What I decided to indulge in is below, I've grown them all before, but didn't have any now. asclepias purpurascens,asclepias syriaca,callirhoe involucrata,helenium flexuosum,heliopsis hellianthoides,nothoscordum bivalve,lobelia silphitica,carex eburnea,salvia azurea,mimulus ringens,rudbeckia subtomentosa,delphinium exaltatum. Most will go in the fencerows (only "safe" non-mowed place), but a couple are going to go in the flower beds by the house. I feel ridiculous buying rudbeckias, false garlic, and milkweeds. I had such a natural population of all those on my property in Oklahoma, that buying never entered the question. However, I'm also a photographer, and having subjects to photograph close by home is quite valuable. I can sympathize with Georgia O'Keefe, who said, 'I hate flowers - I paint them because they're cheaper than models and they don't move.' I don't hate the flowers, but still love that quote :) Here is a link that might be useful: To see some of my native wildflower photos, click This post was edited by dbarron on Tue, Apr 1, 14 at 16:27

So, did ya get a good deal $$$ ? The only time I bought plants (cactus cuttings) on ebay I ended up being a victim of shipping cost rape which wasn't apparent until the deed was done and it was too late. I've never ordered from e-bay since. In late November I ordered $85 worth of mostly little bluestem along with 3 asters and a few guara's that SRG is kindly holding until March for spring shipping which I bought in a weak moment when they had the last gasp 2015 Fall Sale for late planting in zone 8. Talk about falling off the wagon. BS grows everywhere here and I always think how ridiculous it is when I buy them but the cultivars look better in urban landscapes because they are uniform, have the best form and color. About collecting in the wild, I view each situation differently and act accordingly. If there are miles and miles of very common plants, such as asters, dogweed, smakeweed, cowpen daisy, Maximillian sunflowers, grasses etc that you see growing in abundance all across the state or growing for acres in rural areas with no possibility of becoming endangered or threatened I have no qualms about collecting either seeds or plants. Some people would disagree. My conscience is fine with it but more to the point, my common sense is at ease. I learned some people throw a fit over this so I no longer post about it. If an area is slotted for development, I have no qualms on a 'rescue' concerning anything growing there, including cactus. I frown on people collecting with the intent to sell or those collecting rare, threatened, almost threatened or protected species such as cactus. There is a local man who sells rustled cactus here, he doesn't even take the trouble to dig them well, just whacks off most of the roots. Some plants won't transplant or survive a move which is another factor to consider. Its varies from one situation to the next.