I just wanted to post my experence with an old Echo. About 6 months ago I was given (for free!!!) an Echo PB-300E by a buddy I work with. He said it had been sitting in a barn of theirs untouched for years. His dad left it there when it became difficult to start. Well I got it and performed a general clean up of the exterior to get the grime/debris/dirt and crudd off it. Then I looked at the fuel. It looked like burnt coffee! So I dumped it then filled it about 1/4 the way full with fresh fuel and shook the crap out of it 3-4 times till the gas was clean (looked like it did from my fuel can) when I poured it out. I then removed the plug that was in it and gave it a thorough scrubbing till it looked almost brand new. I then filled it with fresh fuel and added the recommended amounts of Seafoam and also Licas upper cylinder lubricant. Reinstalled the plug, pulled out the chocke, turned the throttle to full blast and pulled the cord. It started right up! After it warned up (maybe 2 minutes) it blew some nasty nasty smoke for about another 5-7 minutes. Then I let it rip till that half a tank of fuel + additives was no more. I have been using it this entire season roughly 2 times a week and it starts first pull every time!!! It smokes for a min or two after its started at full throttle and for a min or so if at full throttle after left ideling for roughly 3-5 minutes too. The only thing I have a problem with is restarting when it's warm. Maybe I just haven't found the right combo of throttle/choke but I have tried many times and it just seems like its flooded. Any comments/ideas on that? I still have try to remove/clean the carb and I'm sure that would remedy the hot start, rather hot no start issue. I am just completely blown away with how great this old blower is and wish I could actually find some specs on it.

I am about a week past peak. I have some nice mid-lates and bud builders that will keep me going for a while. Here are some more of today's blooms. Belle of Ashwood - my most used parent this year Creature of the Night - the scapes tend to fall over. I will try a proper peony cage next year. Deliverer South Seas - this is the one that got me hooked on Moldovan daylilies.

Brad, Luckily I keep a journal of all my daylilies or else I wouldn't remember where I purchase my plants since I have ordered from just about everywhere...lol. I am at about 500 now so nothing is best left to memory! To answer your question: Cat Dancer was purchased in 2011 from Earlybird (Robin Calderon). I know she was selling off most of her plants because of years of drought and now her website shows only a few plants left for sale. She was a very generous seller and her prices were extremely reasonable so it's too bad if she is no longer in business. BUT, I can tell you that Sara Knackstedt of Daylilies by the Pond sells Cat Dancer for only $5 and I have bought from her before and was pleased. She has a website and her prices are really low. You can still order til the last week of this month. Northwind Dancer came from Maryott's in 2011. I do not see it listed any longer on their website. Bombay Silk came from Harmon Hill Farm here in New Hampshire. Carl does do mail-order business but it was not on his 2014 sale listing. He may have it next year if he has enough so you could check his website then. I can attest that Carl sells amazing plants. Another option is Solaris Farms. They have Bombay Silk on their website for $14 although ordering is closed for the year. You could check in January when the new listing is out because they also have Cat Dancer and Northwind Dancer (which were sold out for 2014). Their prices are good. I have ordered from them and their plants are doing great in my garden because they are grown in a cold climate with no pampering. I even have several of their (Nate Bremer) introductions and the best one is Windy Place which I will be featuring it in a post soon because it is still blooming! It began blooming July 7th and is still going like the energizer bunny (sent up instant rebloom). I'm afraid that you probably won't be able to get any of Spirit of the Dove. It came from a very nice lady named Christine Weitz of Gladsome Gardens and it's her own intro. She still has a website up the last time I looked but is no longer doing mail-order business so she can concentrate on hybridizing. (And Liberty Banner, Walk in the Clouds, etc. also came from her since I have many of her intros.). Sorry. Hope this helps! Celeste

My son died 19 months ago today. He had a climbing rose bush by my work shed that he took care of. Last summer it had one rose on it. So far this spring, I see 2 buds. I wonder if it will have a rose for every year? I also had one very large pink rose on a rose bush by my pool, that I thought had been long dead. These are ways that Joe sends me little messages to say, "I'm here Mom". And speaking of a cat. Joe died in Oct, and in Dec a "wild" cat showed up on my porch. I got this "feeling" that Joe had sent the cat. When I went to see the medium, Joe told me that he had sent the cat to me as a way of showing me that he was still here. She came every day to be fed and she slept on the porch. She had gotten very used to us but wouldn't let us touch her. Last summer while I was in Florida, she had 3 kittens on the porch. I gave 2 of the kittens away, and no one wanted the 3rd. I hadn't had a cat for years, but I brought the 3rd one in the house and kept him. After holding vigil outside the kitchen door for about a month, the mother cat finally left. My heart was broken that she never came back, but then I realized that the kitten was the one Joe intended me to have. He is all black, a boy, and he is only friendly with me. When anyone comes, he goes into the bedroom and hides until they leave. He jumps on my lap and meows, then puts one paw on my cheek as tho he's caressing it. I truly believe that Joe's spirit is making the cat touch me and love me. In those times I can hear Joe say, "I'm right here Mom. I haven't gone anywhere". Iris