I know that so many of you have had a long, cold winter, ....but I'm glad it wasn't me this year. ;-) Usually I still have snow while other zone 5ers are posting their pips, but this year I've got hostas in various stages of growth, and they're eager to get going. Here's a couple of the biggest ones near the house: Satisfaction Arc de Triomphe Our last (average) frost date is just under a month away, mid May, so I'm hoping for the best because I won't baby them if the temps get low. And some early tulips just because they're so pretty!

That's kind of the weird thing. It was either 'from' or came in with only two hosta I had. However, it could have been a stray seed in the pot that didn't germinate until this year (maybe?), fell into the pot from another pod patent is or some throw back. The two smaller, lighter ones were under France's Williams. I am pretty sure she is their pod parent. The dark fleshy green one was near Patriot. I have really no idea if it wandered over from FW, is actually Patriot's or some unknown parentage. I am waiting until it gets a little older and its character comes out but I am thinking about it. I am going to plant all of them if they survive since I have so few and I will give them garden names. :)

I’m always trying new plants and pushing the limits in all directions - heat or cold tolerance, wet or dry, alkaline soil, shade or sun. I have a large garden that allows me a lot of room to play. I often acquire plants from impulse purchases, whether browsing a nursery or going to the big box store for lumber via the plant area. Then there’s plant lust. I see something on line, in print, or someone’s trade list and I just have to have it. No idea where it might be planted. Sometimes these impulse plants spend a year or two in pots in my nursery area while I try to figure out what in the heck I’m going to do with them. It can get embarrassing and sometimes causes feelings of guilt for the poor orphans. As my garden has matured I do find myself more frequently evaluating an area of the garden and making a pre-acquisition decision about adding a new plant. Could this be a sign of horticultural maturity or, possibly, old age, creeping conservatism? I probably have several hundred different types/species of plants in the garden. Never bothered to count. But I’m pretty darned sure I’ve killed many more than that. I remember seeing the “graveyard “ at Peckerwood Gardens. They label every plant with a metal marker as soon as it is planted. If it dies the marker is pulled and placed back in the ground in their maintenance area in a dense forest of such markers. This was pre-pc days. The concept was to have a record of failed trials. I’m just not that organized and fall back on Tony Avents philosophy to not give up on a plant until you have killed it three times. So what if I loose track if this is the third or fifth time? It’s all about having fun.

Arcy_gw, you reminded me of when my DD was in high school. She had the option of walking about 5 blocks to catch a bus, or walking to the school which was just under 2 miles. Sometimes I was able to drop her off on my way to work. When I did, I would be shaking my head at the other parents as I waited in the back up, watching them crawl up the U shaped drop off area until, one car at a time, the student would get out exactly in front of the entrance. I would bet that nearly all of them had been to an amusement park and experienced the way they load/empty 5 or 6 cars at a time at the popular rides, then move the empties along to make room for the next 6 cars, but couldn't think to replicate that at the school. I would make DD get out of the car and walk 30 feet so that I didn't have to get caught in that stream of molasses.