Ria, they ARE huge. haha. they range anywhere from 5 to 7 inches in diameter. The blooms are really heavy and they sometimes break off or bend and touch the floor and get all dirty and muddy, so staking is required when the stems are too thin. Notice there is an old tennis ball near the bottom right hand corner of the third picture, you can use that for size comparison. Also notice on that same picture that there is a bloom that has broken at the stem and is just dangling to the side. The white ones are even bigger. The smallest ones are about 8 inches across and i have gotten some up to 10 inches across. I guess that's why they call them dinnerplate dahlias huh? haha.

The azalea looks edible...LOL! There's so pretty scattered among other early spring bloomers. I'm hoping to grow some of the larger Teddy Bear sun- flowers this year to mix with hydrangea arrangements for the market. So many catalogs...sometimes I have to just put them down and breathe:):) What sweet peas do you grow? They're always on my list, but...I never get around to growing them. When spring does arrive, there is so much to do and it seems like so little time.

eliza_824 wrote: "Well, pictures from our little humble home are going to look pretty contrasting compared to...." I say DITTO. Eliza, You have wonderful color and beautifully laid out! But I'm going to steal your words quoted above after seeing all these spectacular gardens....obviously created with pride and lots of love. Here I thought I had some colorful surroundings, some not-so-average ideas and ....then I saw all these pictures, drooled, and then had second thoughts about sharing pics of my little piece of Humble Haven. I THANK EVERY ONE OF YOU who have shared pics/links of your beautiful surroundings, your pics....each one...have inspired me, left me jaw-dropped, made me smile with their color and given me more ideas! I'm in Southern California so most of the pics were taken within the last week...except for the "before" pics in the album linked below. All pics in album have explanations. Here is a link that might be useful: More Back Yard Pics

I am hoping for a good year. We've had LOTS of rain and fairly mild temps, but enough cold for the roses to finally go dormant. I do see signs of my roses waking up. I have planted one whole new bed and I'm working on another. And waiting for roses that I ordered to come in. I still have a lot of work to do. Hopefully the weather this weekend is cooperative. I've already pruned some climbers. Ken, are you coming to Rose Day? I have your Barrone Prevost for you! It's next Saturday.