Well, I have to say that i am taking in all of these wonderful fantasys , and i have decided for one i want to start a biblical garden ... and of course somewhere i want to have an alice in wonderland garden not forgetting the tulips, daffodils, crocus and irises... see my husband and i bought a 20 acre ranch two years ago... with not ONE tree or plant or bush on it.. only southern california pass weeds... we have flat land and rolling hills... and i have started propogating my corkscrew willow and weeping willow to start planting my weeping tree driveway... i do want an enchanting forest with all weeping trees and vines... and maybe a few thin trunk wispy trees... but i have always wanted on at least this front five acres, covered in greenery with paths that lead to different areas... that are almost seacret and stunning, enchanting, cozy and peaceful.... i have a looong way to go but have years to do it... i am very excited to finally have our fist 25 trees we planted last year much bigger then when planted... before i know it all my areas will come together... i like unusual trees.. such as our giant sequoias, corkscrew willow.. my new lace cap hydrangea... and my in progress training of a wisteria tree...any more great ideas are welcome... thanx again guys!

Hello Everyone... I don't even know where to begin... Ok, I do know... ;-). Mike. Welcome back!!!! We/ I missed you.. I guess I missed your text to me. When you were MIA. ;-). I sent you one and I didn't hear form you, but I knew you would touch base when you were ready. I wanted to give you time, my friend. Soooo glad to see you posting again. That makes me happier than any bloom on this thread, but getting to the blooms .. OHHHH MMyyyyyy!!! How beautiful. Fragrant.. I have never seen such beauty. Congratulations!!! WES.. Always love your pics... Rosey, yours too... I wish I had some blooms right now. I have nothing.. ;-( Robert... I had to laugh at your room. I need to share with my DH so he won't send me off to some tiny island and say I'm missing... Lol. Everything you have is lovely... Fenius... Gorgeous.. I'm so jealous... Kandhi... New tree from FC? Can I ask what you ordered.. As I drool on the keyboard... LMAO!!! Sorry, but true... I always love to see your Jasmine pics.. Lovely!,, YES.. My Tuberoses came and they are potted up and I see some activity.. That makes me happy!!! Kemistry... Ohhhhh my!!! Getting the plume itch!!! Lol. I have had that itch for a long time, my friend.. I think Penang Peach is a must have. You will just love it for its fragrance as well as her beauty. BUY IT?? Mike... Glad to hear my Gardenia is going to bloom for you. This variety is an old heirloom type and is so large and fragrant. You will love it, I'm sure. Just glad you are doing well, my good friend!!! I have been busy keeping these people from stealing my pictures an using them on EBay to sell their Plumerias.. It has been a headache, but I finally got them to take my pictures down. I complained to the listing company on eBay and also filed a report with them. My friend who saw this has posted about them and the link on thenPlumeria forum as well as the Adeniums forum. They used my pic to sell their trees.. My greenhouse with the plumeria inside and then they took a pic from John at Jungle Jacks nursery and placed it next to mine... GRRRR... Ok, I'll stop. I have been working hard and as you can see it is late, but I wanted to stop by and say hello to you all.. I love this forum and all that post. You all are a great group and I just wanted to let you all know... Wes... I didn't know Paul liked granite? ;-). Must be in the "genes". Lol Take care, Laura

Had to put in my 2 cents on this one. I have two big themes in my garden. They intermingle and criss-cross freely. And I think they are both just a little odd, yes. 1. Historical Garden: Each of these plants has a story behind it, dating back hundreds, if not thousands of years. Symoblism and imagery. A rich and fabled history makes for a good garden. - Ginkgo biloba, sole survivor of a prehistoric order of plants. - Olive tree, the ones that Jesus like to hang around. - Bodhi Tree (Ficus religiosa), the very tree that the Buddha attained enlightenment under. - Myrtle (Myrtus communis), heavily symbolic plant of early Mediterranean cultures. 2. Botanical Family Match: I indulge my inner botanist and match plants of common Families. For instance... -Myrtaceae (Eucalyptus, Myrtle, Guava, Surinam Cherry) -Solanaceae (Brugmansia, Tomato, Brunfelsia, Potato Tree, Brazilian Nightshade, Night Blooming Jasmine) makes sense, right?? :)

A bed called Kokopeli would probably not appropriately have hosta in it (LOL). I have long been fascinated by the world-wide universality of variations of the word "Mano" as it applies to a great spirit or god in so many cultures. In some native american languages it is "Manitoon". In others it is "Manitou".Biblically food from God is called "Mano". Some of us believe we were made in the image of God so we call ourselves "man" and refer to ourselves as "huMAN": etc.,etc.---etc. I'd not made the association between the name Anisazi and Anishinaabe until you mentioned it. I read in the Michener book Centennial that the name Arapaho translates to "The People", which seems to have nothing in common. Pronunciation is important. One would have to properly pronounce Ojibwe to see how it could have been mis-interpreted as Chippewa. Ojibwe is a very complicate language. I am tirelessly working on how I would be identified in Ojibwe as "he who crawls through his hosta gardens with a camera in one hand and a clipboard in the other". Sorry - this is straying from how we name our gardens. Les Hwcthgwaciohaacbito (LOL).