When I returned from delivering the mail today, a package was waiting at my case for me, and what a package! Lorraine (paradisa) sent a wonderful package to me! So nice, that I had to take pictures so I could share them with you all! When I opened up my box, I found another box wrapped in blue tissue with a white bow. Once I had that open, there were a lot of smaller packages, all wrapped up in blue tissue with white ribbons. One of my co-workers watched while I opened up everything, and she kept saying how good of a time SHE was having, just watching me open up everything! Well, here are a couple of pictures of the box, which Lorraine sent for me to keep seeds in... and here's a picture of everything with the box opened up... And now, let me tell you what was inside this wonderful box! First, Lorraine sent a lot of stuff, including the see box, which had a wolf theme. I love wolves, consider them my totem, and love what she sent! Now, here's what was inside this box! a CD by Jim Gaffigan, a comedian, so I can relax and have a few laughs. I've already listened to some of this CD, and it really is funny! a peacock feather (don't know why, but very cool!) a wonderful card package of 25 plant labels dehydrated tomatoes (I'll use these in my cooking) homemade strawberry jam 2 packs of seed envelopes a small wolf notebook wolf-themed calendar/checkbook cover wolf bookmark medium-sized wolf-themed notebook 11 different types of tomato seeds nasturtium mix double-click cosmos white brown-eyed susan vine chinese lanterns yellow clasping coneflower cosmos - bright lights cosmos - orange fluted cosmos - tall yellow cosmos - picotee calendula toothache plant geum trifloreum morning glories nemophilia - penny black rose seeds (I've been wanting to try to grow roses from seeds!) gomphrena hardy pink hibiscus (from Lorraine's hibiscus) blue sweet peas fan fare gallardia this box was incredible! THANK YOU LORRAINE!!! (and to think that she was worried I wouldn't like what she sent. how could I NOT like it???) now, all you other e.g.s, aren't you just jealous? hehehe ***heading off to bed now*** -Dan

Lisa, this is my creeping phlox that I have planted in my rock garden. It gets full hot sun nearly all day long and is super happy there. The ones that I have planted in my shade garden are being very slow to sprout this year. They are coming but very slowly. I took this picture this morning. These come in two different forms paniculata (tall, larger leafed) and subulata (creeping, low growing, usually evergreen). I do have some phlox paniculata that I received from a friend but it is unknown too. From what I remember it is a bright pink, nearly fuschia color. She just gave the division to me late last summer so it hasn't bloomed in my garden yet. The campanulas (bell flower) do come in small compact varieties and tall varieties as well. Mine are compact. I divided the heck out of them last summer and the small divisions look like they haven't come back. The large division looks nice and healthy though. The seeds I planted this spring are for the larger varieties. It took me a while to start writing them all down and try to keep track of them. I didn't really care that much until I came to GW. It helps to know species for private trades. Some members look for very specific information to help make sure they are receiving the right hybrid, cultivar, genus species, etc. I now keep a map of my flower beds. I try to remember to add each new plant to the map and update it when something gets moved around. I number the plant and place a circle on the map with the number in it. Then I keep a "key" with the plant name along with the genus info. I don't always keep up with it and then kick myself when I don't have it to refer to! lol! I can't wait for your box! I know I will love what you sent! You are such a sweetheart!

LOL Becky!!! What made me have a fear of it was because I watched the guy till up my garden area and I thought that thing was gonna shoot straight up in the air a few times. I almost went running across the garden at one point to catch him! Which would have probably hurt me more than him! HAHAHA! Good thing he didn't see me, he probably would have died laughing at me. I'll use the lawn mower, weed eater, edger and blower though... Go figure. ROFL! (At least Becky has an excuse not to mow! LOL) Bonnie! That's funny too! Neighbors, ain't they great for a good laugh. :D Christy, I'll cross my fingers that you get that tiller when they move. :) I did my flower beds by hand again this year and it was horrible! Took me 2 weeks to get them right. Don't wanna do that again EVER!

My banana is not only doing better but much better! He seems to be extremely happy now! He's got his 7th leaf coming out! (Ignore the boxes. They are critical to maintaining his happiness, I swear!) So spring seems to have come absurdly early. I'm both really excited and enjoying this warmth and really really worried. My peach is blooming 3 weeks earlier than last year. As well as my nectarines. Ralph, remember I had a bunch of baby purple leafed peaches? Well I guess they're old enough to bloom too! Completely unexpected! The ones I potted up but didn't bring to plant swap (potted same time as plant swaps) didn't bloom so I guess they got too much shock from being transplanted, so whoever got them last time it probably won't this year, but next year seems likely! But most worrisome of all... 3 of the 6 blueberries I have are in bud, and one of them has started blooming... I know there are various types that bloom at different times of the year but this seems absurd! Of course after checking out weather for the week looks like we're going to get a frost! Obviously! I just hope I get SOME peaches... :( Anyone know what this is? Its in a few spots of the garden so I think its a pack of bulbs I got and planted and forgot about... but they're anemones right? Just that most of the pictures I looked up have black insides not yellow. In addition to all those... I see that my pink banana (musa velutina) is coming up. My black magic taro, midori taro, black and blue salvia, purple and black salvia, my crinium, all those irises I got from the swap, the canna lilies you gave me Ralph, my candy lily, and my toad lily (which ALSO seems to have spread some! there's a sprout about a foot away from the main body! WHICH IS AWESOME). I'm just worried that some of these are tender and shouldn't be arriving so quickly =___=; Like the taros and bananas... But some like this quince is perfectly fine to bloom now. No fruit expected so go enjoy yourself lil quincey! What sites do you guys use to check for frost? What's your assumed last frost date around here? Do you use the 50% value or wait longer? As for the plant swap coming this spring... (when is it again?) I may have gotten a little excited with seeds: Of the things I should have extras of to bring... some cardoons and artichokes (started in beginning of January so would be nice and ready for spring), some edible hibiscus (Roselles), cape gooseberries, naranjilla, and maybe some others... have 27 varieties of tomatoes which I need to separate the seedlings for and throw into other pots so we'll see how much space I have for spares :3 Ralph, the coleus you gave me at last swap is doing great btw! I gave him a haircut and making some more cuttings of him... should have some cuttings from various salvias as well (although I'll be honest... I let too many of them sit in tray of water too long and got root rot :( whoops... added a bunch of pebbles/stones to them now so pots sit above the drained out water so hopefully the rest survive .___. ) Also, if there was anything anyone wanted from these seeds https://imgur.com/a/trPlW I can throw in a pot and start for you guys before the next swap :) And Karen, you are right. There has been a lot going on outside, although to be fair right now its getting confused with all this warmth. I do need to get myself some more winter plants though! Like lenten roses. And yes... the greenhouse... I'm debating going halfway and getting a quick cheap(ish) throwup structure to enjoy now and then later getting a fullblown one (...maybe I'll get a different house w/ more land... hahaha.) or just going all out now... I do kinda wanna do everything which tends to be warmer/humid environments but that could get really expensive in winter so still debating on what the focus should be... did you buy a prefabricated one or completely create it yourself? Any recommendations for which sites to look at pre-fab ones?