I am disinclined to fire off specific names for pink locusts based on such limited information as one or two pictures on the internet as "Some botanists split Robinia into as many as 20 species. The genus is homogeneous as a group, but distinguishing species, varieties and hybrids is daunting" and "...some cultivated pink-flowering locust trees seem not referable to any cited clone, yet were clonally distributed" (Jacobson, North American Landscape Trees)

I'm thankful for ... ...finally being able to have a full-time garden. No more traveling from NYC to MA to garden, then having to leave after a week and not come back for a month or two. ...being able to save shrubs and trees and plants that grew up with me, and seeing them thrive in a new setting. ...the >10' tall winterberry which is covered with red berries. The leaves are now gone and its feet are encircled with fuzzy seedheads from the white wood asters. The blue jays and cardinals fly in and out of the winterberry taking turns at the birdfeeder as if they know how pretty they look there with the red berries. All this is visible from my kitchen window too. ...having free rein to design and plant anything I want in a totally new garden setup. ...having planted everything in time (I think) and having the garden all buttoned up for the winter. Just have to wrap the new Osmanthus Goshikis with burlap. ...having the hope of a brand new garden exploding into life next spring. ...still being able to dig and carry and plant, even if the back grumbles a bit. ...the houseplants that stayed outside this summer and came inside when it got cold. All five of the Christmas cacti are at different stages of bloom. Claire

Somehow Toronto missed the big storms that hit the US last week - I was sure we would get it when New York did. Last winter we had our biggest snow storm of the year the day spring break started - many people were stuck at the Toronto airport for 3 or 4 days - and to say that we received our heaviest snowfall says something because there was no where to put it. I am expecting a huge storm some time over the coming weeks - so far not in forecast, but it will happen. We have had too much snow this winter already.

Hi all, Measuring out on the “flattest parts” of my yard, it looks like I have about 9” of snow on the ground from this storm! When it first started the ground was warm and the first stuff was melting, so for a “real” total, I estimate at least an inch or two more than that. I was REALLY surprised when I got up this morning! Thru the whole thing, including right up to when I went to bed last nite, it had only snowed “fine” snow, and pretty lightly most of the time, and it really didn’t seem to have added up “that” much, but “overnite,” and I was up till 2:00 a.m., “something” happened, and there was a whole bunch of it out there by daylight! I shoveled the sidewalk yesterday while it was snowing—heavy stuff since it was melting on the bottom, and then a neighbor shoveled my whole driveway (which I won’t be using!) and a “shovel wide” down my whole walk, which makes it “legal!” I was out earlier and “widened” my sidewalk, and got some of the stuff left on the neighbor’s walk! I need to get exercise somehow in winter! Wonder if we’ll get any more Big Ones this year! Zach, Mr. Snow Hater, were you here the year we had a new blizzard every week for a month or more? I think it was ‘06/’07! The first one was just before Christmas, and then they just kept going. Thousands of people were “stranded” at the airport for DAYS, and they ran out of food and everything else. I think that was the storm when United “lost” an unaccompanied minor at DIA for something like four hours—and the airline didn’t even know she was missing! And there was somebody selling Genuine Colorado Snow on eBay! The buyers, of course, had to pay the shipping! The ruts in the street in front of me were a foot deep—for most of a month! Denver had DIRTY SNOW! For at least a month! Dirty Snow is a rare creature here along the Front Range! I had lived here for more than 40 years and had never seen anything like that winter! And I’m sure I never will again in this lifetime! So, Mr. Snow Hater, it COULD be worse! How much did everybody else get this time? Skybird P.S. I was composing this when you did your post, Zach!