Michelle2013, You should very good germination from seeds you get from Rinoa. I have. She is trying very hard to build a good reputation for quality plants and seeds. I believe she has done this already. It is a sad thing for people as you speak of buying all those seeds and getting so few to germinate. This is topic of conversation on a few groups that I frequent. The concern is not just germination rate, it is finding reputable sellers of seed that actually send you seeds from the pod parents that you carefully selected. I am sure most people realize that they are not going to get a clone of pod parents with seeds, but hopefully something similar in one characteristic. One person purchased 2000+ seeds of a few different hybrids and they got a few mixed colors and all the rest "Pink". Rick

I have huge clumps of WS Digitalis that will bloom this June. Very excited to see how they bloom! I've purchased plants in the past, but this is the first time growing them from seed, and it was SO easy. I did not plant HOS, but as teeny little seedlings in between other perennials. The idea is for the Digitalis to shoot up and flower in a mass, while the surrounding perennials/grasses are still clumps of foliage. Then as they go to seed, I will cut them back. My experience is that they have been easy to move in either the Spring or fall, and it doesn't hurt the blooms. Since yours are HOS, this may not work so well - but if you have lots it worth a try. Dig out carefully because the roots may be intertwined.

Annas are plentiful all around the Puget Sound area - I've been tending to an overwintering family group for years now. I only put out feeders in the winter to assist with their needs during this sparcely flowered time of year. Fortunately my feeder is right in front of my dining room window, so the show is visible from inside the house on nonstop basis. digsdahlias, 'Gardenmeister' is not a hardy fuchsia - it is a tender hybrid and is unlikely to overwinter well even in our mild climate without protection. OTOH, there is a huge selection of very hardy shrublike fuchsias that offer a long and prolific bloom season - I grow about 15 different cultivars to keep my hummers happy and because they offer such a long blooming colorful addition to the garden. For winter attraction, try planting Mahonia x media hybrids (Charity, Hope, Arthur Menzies, etc), sarcococca, witch hazels, Viburnum bodnantense 'Dawn', Lonicera fragrantissima, Corylopsis and Chimonanthus (wintersweet). I've even seen my hummers feed at blooming hellebores and winter blooming heaths and heathers. If it flowers in winter and produces nectar, they will find it! Nectar only makes up a portion of their diet and is very helpful to keep up calorie intake and energy levels in cold weather, but they also feed very heavily on small insects. A well diversified garden filled with a range of different plant types as well as those that are noted hummer attractors will keep your hummers happy year round.

Thanks for all your feedback but nothing sounds like what I remember. Let me re-state it.... I call it a bread because it was probably flour, salt, water and maybe a bit of fat. It was about 12" by 12" square. It was a package of maybe 6 of those squares. It was in plastic wrap and not refrigerated as I may have said earlier. To use it you would lightly sprinkle water on it and then spread something like cream cheese, turkey, cheese, cucumbers etc., anything yummie. Then roll it up like a log and refrigerate it overnight. In the morning cut it into 1" logs. As I think more about this I probably did this in the 80's not 1960's. Even if I can't buy it anymore I might be able to come up with a recipe and try it myself. Thanks so much for your ideas! Ginny