Oh yes, Julia, these plants do indeed like the rain, but so do the weeds and grass!! I cannot get in there to work! Nancy, I have no idea how much rain has come in but it has been a lot!! Many of our counties are on Code Red alert which means flash flooding and dangerous flooding over roads. I am liking Forest God very much also-it came from Laura last year. Kay, the blooms have shown great color although as I told you if you get close to them, they are very much rain damaged!! I think the plant you are talking about in that bed is Lady Dragon showing the last of its blooms. Debra, Tall Dark Stranger may be more reddish if it ever sees sun! Truly, since it has been blooming, it has been cloudy and rainy!!

I am late to the party here, but Woody came up with the great idea to meet in the RBG. I had been in the renovated rock garden once, shortly after it opened, and at that time it had a lot of maturing to do. This time is was just perfect, the perennials had filled in nicely, while the old bones of mature trees and rock formations are still there. I didn't take any pictures, but Woody shows one of my favourite groupings: the Anemone 'Honorine Jobert' under the river birch. 'Honorine Jobert' would be on my short-list of favourite perennials. Hard to beat that elegance in pure white and clear yellow. Mine is still blooming today, proving that we have not had a frost yet above ground level. It instantly turns to dirty brown at the first touch of frost on the blooms. To improvise on Henry Wadsworth: in a good year it is very, very good, but in a bad year it turns horrid ;-). I am looking forward to seeing the early spring bulbs in April! Coming, Woody?

I am a huge fan of Munstead Wood and grow two of them. In fact, Munstead is my favorite Austin and takes heat and cold like a trouper, blooming continuously every month from May to November. Last summer was our hottest on record and it does get hot here, as well as dry semi arid desert, zone 7). Diane Munstead in June Munstead in July Munstead in August September

Bob, that's a little cemetery up in the Delta area . . . Closest big city would be Sacramento. It's a peaceful place, though many of their roses are dying, now. But there are graves there from the mid-to-late 1800's . . . To the present. There is also the most-remarkable 'Sutter's Gold' I've ever seen. Planted in the year it was introduced, on the family plot of early Anglo residents -- farmers.