Next year's show should prove interesting, as the new buyers are Davis Dalbok of Living Green here in San Francisco, and Rock and Rose Landscape Contractors, both past garden creators in the past, and both very good. Another entry on the scene this year, if funding holds up, will be the Late Show Gardens, to be held at Cornerstone Gardens in Sonoma County this fall. It will be actual outdoor gardens, at a different season than all the spring shows, and fall in northern California is actually prime garden time around here, especially for gardens featuring subtropicals and cloudforest plants from Mexico and Central America. The economy and threats of water rationing may yet prove too much for a successful launch of this new garden show, which had originally aimed to premiere last year up in Napa at Copia. The vertical wall plantings seemed to be a common thread in many of the gardens, (the latest "it" item?), but I fully agree that in concept they are wonderfully inventive, and would love to do a three or more story garden wall for some client if I could interest one in the idea. As I mentioned, I did buy Patrick Blanc's book on his vertical wall gardens, and he is the French designer/horticulturist who first launched this trend. I found it interesting that he was doing phd work in Kuala Lumpur at the same time that I was living/working there so many years ago, what a small world it sometimes is... Kim, You should go for that wall of bromeliads/staghorns, and don't forget to add some Rhipsalis into the mix, and maybe Echeverias and sedums too, as these often grow epiphytically on trees/rocks in Mexico. In looking at Patrick Blanc's plant lists for many of his wall gardens, I was amazed to see that the list virtually duplicates many of the plants that I most often use in my own northern California garden designs.

how does this sound? 12 MP CCD sensor for excellent resolution and prints up to 20" Ã 30" 5X optical zoom and 5X digital zoom allows sharp close-ups with fine details Features 2.5-inch TFT LCD display lets you view brilliant and sharp pictures Includes KODAK EASYSHARE Software to view, edit or save your pictures Click professional looking pictures with the EasyShare Z1275 Zoom Digital Camera from Kodak. Equipped with an effective resolution of 12.4 MP lets you take brilliant image. It features 5X optical zoom lens to deliver remarkable precision and sharpness. The 2.5" LCD lets you view your pictures, even in direct sunlight and lets you evaluate the details of your shot before you take a picture. It features digital image stabilization to prevent blurring due to camera shake. It also features Smart scene mode and panorama stitch mode to deliver enhanced image quality for pictures that come to life just the way you remember it. It even lets you capture motion video with sound of your loved ones with a resolution of up to 1280 Ã 720 pixels at 30 fps in VGA mode. With the incorporated digital red-eye reduction feature, you need not worry about red eye effect in the image. The Kodak EasyShare software helps simplify the way you organize, print and share your treasured photos. Its on-camera share lets you tag your favorite pictures, enabling them to be ready to print or e-mail later. Compact and stylish, this Digital Camera is an ideal way to capture and share your lifeÂs special moments.

Hello Beerhog! That peony is a beauty. Is it fragrant? I like the more simple blooms on the peonies and just have one, Krinkled White. It is not a tree peony however and has no fragrance. I think the white bleeding heart is prettier than the red one...which is what I have. I may just have to get a white!You got a great picture of the white blooms. Mine always seem to blur a little. Your yard is sure looking pretty and springlike.

Thank you all. The tree has been buzzing with them for the past couple of days. I might even buy some tomato plants if the bees stay around. Have had very poor luck getting tomatoes to set in the past. Audrey...I used a Canon EOS Rebel XS with a telephoto lens with the focal length set at 300mm. Sam