The oleander is the variety they sell at WalMart on clearance when it has a touch of scale and is potbund. I realized today that technically I protected the oleander because I sprayed it with Wilt-Pruf late last month. I'd like to hit it again before it turns cold again. I killed a gloriosa last year with no protection or special siting. It was buried under snow and ice for upwards of 3 months. This one hasn't had snow on it for more than a day because all of the snow on the ground is melted around it. We only had 7" of snow in December, it will be gone tomorrow, but it's been consistently cold, 10 straight and then 12 straight days below freezing with a monthly low of 8. Could've been worse.

Michelle, I received my seeds today !! What a wonderful treat it is to find such an awesome collection of seeds waiting for me in the mailbox after a long day at work ... I just sat down and went thru them all, one by one (drooling) and now I really can't wait for spring, there are so many great seeds here ! Thank you so much ! ~Iris

And the same to you! I think that's about when we got our second computer and were able to get on line. Tami

Happy New Year to you, too! To take more pictures. There really is something to having an annual video diary of the garden. The Juniperus scopulorum I planted as 6 inch seedlings in 09 are now 5 - 6 feet tall. I have an apricot I planted as a 2 ft whip 2 years ago that's now approaching 8 ft. These are wins I should celebrate more! Last night I downloaded a couple of maps of champion tree tours in nearby towns. I plan to visit them over time. I'm hoping that will help me learn to work smarter, not harder by choosing trees that will grow here. And yes, worry less! I think that's on my list every year. Barb