OMG, Stage Rat! You are sooo wrong! The camera may not lie, but the photographer may point that box whereever she chooses. Notice there isn't a 5 gallon bucket in the pictures? That because no matter where I point that camera, I have to stop and move another bucket out of the frame! LOL. Oh, and most of my seedlings were annuals which grow 5x faster than perennials -- that probably accounts for the disparity in the sizes of seedlings. However, you are also sooo right! Nothing would do last year but that I had to have Larkspur. I got some mixed colors in my very first trade, so instead of being happy, I realized I really needed electric blue Larkspur! LOL. (and I got it, later on, too!) AND you are also right about the over two feet thing, too. My beds look out of alignment because I don't have enough of the shorties. And I don't have enough of the shorties because I was so SICK of them! That's all you see at the garden centers, when you think about it. So, I went too far the other way. In fact, I think I was in a wishlist swap where I told people I didn't want anything shorter than 15" LOL! Luckily I had some petunias from swaps & trades and 100 miniature (bedding) Snapdragon seeds that ALL germinated from Nettasaura and Drippy. NEXT year I might get it right, but the reseeding sounds pretty good, too. I have little yellow birds perched on my Bachelor Buttons, isn't that funny? They perch on the stems and just eat-eat-eat -- all day long. Every once in a while you see the whole stems start to lean and that one flies off only to come back again and test its weight on the fallen stem. Now they have added the Liatrus, but I can't figure out why because they just started blooming and surely haven't had time to go to seed yet, even the first flowers. The chipmunks ate all the poppy seed, the squirrels won't let any of the sunflowers germinate and the Japanese Beetles have ruined every dahlia and coneflower. It's a veritable feast around here....guess I should have sown double what I did. ROTFLMAO because I would be dead if I had to plant even one more jug! I'm sorry to be missing your shindig this weekend but I will probably be going up to Chicago for a birthday party in Sept and could make a short stop for a cold one on the way up or back. I'll email you when I know the dates. Lime

Good morning Joe and Martin. Joe things have finally started drying out and warming up. As soon as your tree wakes up, just to make sure it does, I'll get it in the mail to you. Have you done any fishing yet. I'm a little late in starting but hope to get in at least a trip a week for the next few. Martin, yes I plan to put a few of them in the ground this year. I'm trying to decide which ones. I know a Martin's Unknown is going in for sure. I think I'll also put in one of the two Richard's Unknown which are suppose to be ever bearing. I have room for about 10 if I keep them properly pruned. I own some property down in the country that I might plant some of my extras at. They will be in danger of flooding if a hurricane comes our way so I'll will only plant those of which I have extras. Some will go to friends and some I'll try to make a deal with people to let me plant them a tree and have the right to visit it during fig season. I will keep some in pots for this year at least while I decide what to do with them. I'm hoping to buy some property to plant them on. "gene"

I bet it’s very exciting to see signs of the coming spring, Alana. I’m with Rosefolly. We have had some good rain, and cold(for S CA.) temps, but not enough yet. My Duchess de Brabant has been so much happier since late November. Tomorrow will be 77F, though. I also heard rumors of a Santa Ana on its way. It’s not the best news for my my recently planted chilled tulips and other chilled bulbs. We don’t get the cold they require, so I have to provide a “winter” for them in the garage fridge. They usually go in the fridge as soon as I can get my hands on them, (September or October.) All the months of chilling is being undone with our sudden jump temps. Hopefully, the ones in small containers that are still chilling will force nicely. Thank goodness things are still wet enough that the predicted dry winds shouldn’t spark wildfires. Vap, I’ve had a bird’s eye view of a eucalyptus grove burning out of control. They literally explode from the oil they’re filled with. It’s terrifying how hot and quickly they burn. Plus, they are incredibly tall. I often see trees that are 150’ to over 200’ tall. They can put on 6’ of height per year! One tall eucalyptus tree will turn a single-home fire into a multi home fire when it goes down in a blaze of ........; I can’t call it “glory”, so I’ll call it “an exploding blaze of destruction.” I wish they’d never been brought over here. Most of the nearest eucalyptus trees have been removed from the park adjacent to my house. There’s much less mess when the wind blows, and I’m no longer nervous about them crashing down on my house. They are shallow rooted and have hard, yet brittle wood. Since the removal of the closest tree, I really notice that the eucalyptus roots aren’t sucking up every available drop of water from my soil. Eucalyptus is also extremely poisonous to cats. Cut eucalyptus logs do make great firewood, other than all the popping sparks they throw out. I’m happy every time I see it for sale. The fewer of them we have the better, IMO. I shutter at the thought of all that eucalyptus ablaze in Australia. It’s so sad to see on the news. Enjoy your signs of the coming spring, Alana! I’m truly happy for you. I’m sure winter feels, and is, incredibly long in cold areas. Our “winter” is never long enough, cold enough, or wet enough for me. I love wintertime in the garden. I hope you’re feeling well, and enjoy a wonderful 2020 gardening season! Lisa

Find independent nurseries in your area and see what they have to offer. A couple of larger nurseries in my area offer design services for very reasonable costs. They also do as much of the installation as you're willing to pay for. Both nurseries then offer a discount on any plants you purchase off the plan they created. Smaller nurseries work with landscapers regularly and may be able to give you referrals. NextDoor is another good resource for referrals. IMO landscape architects are overkill for most home gardens unless you have a grand property with an even grander budget. Landscape designers from big and small companies can help you plan and execute a beautiful garden. Good luck!