I am a rose lover...your arch of roses is beautiful as are the other pics. I especiallylike the green between the pavers...so spring-like. We are recovering from ice/snow over the weekend which has 60% melted off today. Your pics are like CPR to me! Thanks for posting!

Thanks Greg/Alex!(-: jos- Korean waggies are said to be like the true Japanese Waggies, very stout with very tight formation-we'll see. Ken- here's picture of the Abyssinian when I planted it 6-6-09 In Aug-(30th) of 09 9-7-10 -it get's lifted and put in the basement,stored like a Canna,EE-hopefully to fight another year! Frank the Tank! The Castors have been flowering for a few months,I think yours should have time to seed but it's not hard to get seeds. houstonpat- I bought mine from a seller on e-bay,they are wicked expensive! There is one for sale(presumably Princeps)at a great price but check out the shipping. If you are serious about getting one,I can send you the e-mail of the guy I went through(-: Looking good Mike-you da man! I just ordered a bunch more Takil,that I will hold on to!- also some Geminisectus and Oreophilus(-: What can I say? The bug bites hard!

thanks cathyck! Good luck in your house build, I remember how many details need to be decided in a short period. Where in Rockland are you? We hired companies to spray the gunite and to plaster the pool (although we don't love the plaster job, my husband has been sanding it while using his scuba gear!) but pretty much everything else was done ourselves. Although we have saved a bit of money, its still pricey. We are happy because we have been able to upgrade all of our materials and to really customize to our specific needs. We've changed a few things on the fly. I'd say just the pool is around 50k (including the fence) - which doesn't include landscaping, decking, the curved brick walls or the staircase coming down to the pool, the bluestone stepping stones, the eventual pavilion and outdoor kitchen, furniture etc etc etc. In my head I'm hearing cha-ching, cha-ching ... I actually don't like thinking about it all together! There seems to be an endless way to spend money in and around the pool, but we feel the investment has been worth it so far. We've been able to see many of our friends and family over the summer as it was so easy to hang at the pool. That's why we can't wait to make entertaining easier with the pavilion. Good luck if you take on the challenge.

I welcomed the first crocus tommasinianus 'Roseus' Monday. That was the day the snow melted (about a week and a half cover and the only snow this year). I'm looking forward to 'Albus' coming in by weekend. The first hellebores are coloring up and expanding. The ozark witch hazel is spicing up the air overhead. To contrast with Rogue, it's almost not enough chill time for crocus to be happy here, but that species seems to do pretty well, though spread by seed doesn't seem to be a thing :( Still a lot of the challenge/fun of gardening is trying to make species happy in niche spots.