Ditto on the largest cloves for planting. BUT... just because you happen to have small bulbs (and/or smaller cloves) this year, doesn't mean that you won't get larger bulbs next year if you replant them. I first planted an artichoke type, "Ron's Single Center", next to my foundation (the garden was full) and it performed poorly. But the next year, I planted it in the sunnier, more fertile ground of my rural plot, and had huge bulbs. So for my 2 c's, Obrionusa, I would recommend replanting the best of your existing stock. I'll be testing that theory again this year. A combination of bad weather & extended working hours kept me out of the garden for most of May & June, and the garlic had to fend for itself, unweeded. Most of the hardnecks are much smaller than usual, but that has happened before in bad years. Given proper care, they will be normally sized next year. Worth noting was the fact that the artichoke types were least affected by the weeds, and still produced bulbs of pretty good size. They also did well one year when I did no till planting (I drilled holes in the ground with a cordless drill). If I were growing garlic for subsistence, I would choose an artichoke variety.

Hmmm...winter makes me buy plants. To many catalog's and faulty memory for all the work I swore I would curtail next year. Long drawn out mucky/icky springs inspire me also to chase the winter blues away, garden therapy you know. Watching the sizzling summer heat weather reports seems to make me forget all about my cool maritime climate especially when I dream of gardens past...buzzing bees drunken swaying in the hollyhocks, the whine of mosquito s and the scent of bug spray. Autum rolls around, hints of yellowing leaves, shorter days makes me think of purchasing "just a few more bulbs" before winter settles in again. Then there are the memory plants, the ones I grow or purchase because they remind me of people I love or those that have passed...and pass along plants-must not forget those! Old fashioned flowers, the kinds that children delight in picking a big bunch of for their mama's before they head out for home, plants that smell good or have some outstanding feature that carry them beyond the blooming season. I grow plants that self-seed, the ones that knit the garden togather like a quiet friend you always know will help you through the rough patches though you may not see them often. The reasons are as varied and many as the hours I have spent in my gardens.

I have H. nummularioides and I love it ,,, it's definitely one of my favorites. Love the soft, velvety leaves and the fall blooms. The smell of the blooms takes me back to childhood, but I haven't been able to figure out exactly why that is or what the smell reminds me of (maybe flowers in my mother's garden). If you end up not getting it now, I'll send you some of mine next spring during the trading season. Jennifer P.S. I had read somewhere that hoyas were part of the milkweed family, which seemed odd to me until I got this hoya. It may sound silly, but I also like its "milky" white sap.

You might try entering your orders during normal trading time. I notice the time of your order seems to be 4:00PM, which is the exact closing time of NASDAQ. After hours trading does take place, but it's much harder to match the bid and ask prices and you can expect to pay more if you buy that way. My wild guess is that the weird bid and ask quotes you saw have to do with the fact that your order was entered exactly at 4:00PM. I'm guessing the after hours market associated with your online trading program takes a short while after NASDAQ closes to reset actual bid and ask prices and what you saw weren't real numbers. Why not call your online brokerage service and ask them? They know vastly more than anyone on this forum is likely to know.