Walkers and amblers, LOL! I am a pokey person, too, and it drives not only DH but DD#2 a bit nuts. But like you and Dan, we've sorted out enough of the differences to make the whole thing work. Sometimes it amazes me.

I'm amazed to hear everyone comment on how difficult it is to grow lavender. I've been growing it my entire gardening life, and it's always one I took for granted as guaranteed to grow when nothing else will. Whether it was from seed, transplants, or spindly leftovers at the end of the season, lavender has always done well for me. It usually more than doubles in size each year. I give it a serious trim every spring just as the new growth is starting to show on the woody stems. I do try to put it where it will get as much sun as possible, and the ignore it. No extra water, no fertilizer, and it grows like a weed. Now, watch. Now that I'm aware that it can be a challenge, all my year-old seedlings from last year will fail to return this spring. Murphy's rule. Well, good luck to all of you. Martha

You're welcome "girl" for not thinking I got TOO detailed. I tend to do that alot..lol. For #1 - the color in pics is very true (well, depending on your monitor, I guess). I'd defintely say more purple than blue. Paler, like Lavender color, I guess (dont have lavender but have seen it) but even then, more intense or deeper in color (bear in mind...that's my soil, my zone, etc). #2 - Because I leave most everything alone until spring (unless it requires fall pruning)...I'm partial to leaving all dead stuff for birds, etc. So not sure if my taste is like yours. Past two falls/winters I left it alone since it lived for so long yet kept the same shape. We have very mild winters but did have a couple freezes and yet, nothing got brittle and only lost about half the flowers. Of course it turned brown (lol) but basically looked like the same plant, only dead. Don't know if that's what you're looking for...but if you're looking for something to fill up space during winter, he definitely did the job. And I'd say it's the perfect plant to leave alone until you mow it down before bulbs come up. BTW, just for zone comparison -- I'm couple blocks from beach but not sandy soil. Have 6-8" good soil before clay, summers are humid as hell, over 100 some days, and often no rain for weeks (I do water during those times). Let me know what you figure out !! Bonnie (aka Brit)

Good job Karen! I tried to search for the very first segment, but it must be bumped off the site now. So this is only the story of Gomer and Margie, which have had quite the adventures of their own.