@Smivies I think alliums - or at least the non-miniature varieties - do benefit from deadheading. Year to year I routinely cut some Allium "Purple Sensation" flowerheads off after they are declining, while allowing others to go to seed and then scatter the seeds. I do leave the entire stem, just cutting off the head. I've noticed that the ones that I deadheaded return with larger globes the following year. Digging up bulbs that were deadheaded also reveals they are much larger. Lastly, the ones that are cut back are more likely to "double" and turn into two mature plants after 2-3 years. However, whether deadheaded or not, they do return and bloom, the only difference being the flower size. So if you want a truly naturalized garden, neglecting to deadhead is fine. It makes sense there would be some energy loss when alliums go to seed, because the leaves are dormant by the time the seeds are developing so the only source of energy is stores in the bulb. I don't know if that would remain the case for varieties that keep their leaves longer or even stay green all spring and summer. @Highlander I'd be pretty optimistic your bulbs will perform well, but I do think they should be kept cool to begin rooting. Bulbs begin rooting quickly in fall as temperatures drop but don't plummet. So a cool - but not frozen - garage will probably be better than a room-temperature basement or closet. As for your problem with finding sunlight - is your yard covered by deciduous trees, or is it conifers? One of the best things about spring bulbs is that they do most of their growth before deciduous trees leaf out. Since that means they still get sun, many gardeners use the opportunity to put "full sun" plants in what would otherwise be shade under a tree. I'm in an especially sunny climate here in Colorado - Denver has very low average % cloud cover in addition to more solar intensity because of the altitude - so in general we get to push sun plants farther into the shade than is possible in other regions. But I've found that bulbs planted under trees actually perform better, by leaps and bounds, than those planted in full sun. I've also found that bulbs planted under trees keep their leaves around much longer into the summer, whereas those scorched by sun go dormant sooner, which results in weakened performance the next year. So in the cool spring months, they get full sun which is truly unfiltered, in the summer as the weather warms they get gradually-increasing shade to protect them. But there are other reasons spring-blooming plants can adapt to shade in May/June: the total solar energy increases drastically in summer because both the day length and the sun's intensity do, and both those factors are compounded. I am not sure of the exact figures, but I remember from a college class discussing solar energy that there energy availability is something like five times stronger on June 21 compared to Dec. 21. So for a narrow period in late May/early June, many "sun-loving" plants will do OK in shade - and in fact the average 24/hr brightness in a shady area is close to the average 24/hr brightness of a sunny area at other times of the year. I'd try planting a few bulbs in areas with dappled shade or under late-emerging trees, and see if they perform; I suspect they can.

How nice to see a post from you, PM - even if it was inadvertent, LOL.... that was surely an odd nursery - but I find just like catalogs of plants, photos can be deceiving and nursery websites equally so. If you think about it, even shopping for a new house online -- photos are meant to be the very best presentation of what exists -- with plant photos one seldom sees the full plant and you're lucky if you see foliage - it's often just the flower (which could in reality be 1/2" size, LOL)....and we won't talk about reality of color for plant photos... what a huge disparity! I recall stopping at a NE nursery years ago whose website I loved and had ordered mail order from - but I was shocked to find out how truly tiny the place was upon visiting it - and I drove about 2 hours out of my original destination to check it out - you just never know..... Thanks for the best wishes re the pup - I will miss my Chloe forever, but hope to have a new character in the house and to share in August sometime. Wish u the best of health and fun in the garden and rest of your life! Keep checking in with us, please. -cindy

all of that in 1 bathroom? you might put the fan and 2 lights just inside the door and put those for the skylight and heat (not used going in/out of the room on a regular basis) on a different wall - maybe to one side of the vanity?

I can sympathize with you. My mom and dad joined us for a Thanksgiving for the first time in 5 yrs. My dad had his legs amputated and is scared to leave his home for fear of getting sick. His is 83 yrs old and is very unhappy and bitter. Us kids found a way for my parents to join us because my brother bought a large house with a bathroom that can accommodate his bathroom necessities. Although all of us visit on every occasion and at least 4 times a week we were so excited to be altoghter this holiday season. We are 21 in all. Well my dad and mom came and he was so miserable that he was nasty to all and just wanted to go home. All the kids were wonderful to him but I'm afraid if he dies no one will have pleasant memories of him of how he treated everyone. I wish my dad was a nicer person, we all understand his disabilities and really try to accommodate him but to no avail. My mom is so wonderful and she is his sole caretaker but I guess he wants her legs cause he doesnt have his own. At least your memories of your mom are great ones and your dad made his Thanksgiving day a happy one, my dad doesnt know how to be happy and cannot enjoy life at all, how sad, anyway I'm glad you had a nice day.