I was there in August and surprised myself with all the photos I took of bark features. The gardens are celebrating their 150th anniversary next year. Those metasequoias were planted shortly after WW II, and are truly majestic. Nearby is a zelkova with wonderful fluted trunk taper. I noted a parrotia that was peeling and flaking, and several maples, not just paperbark, with beautiful bark. Guess i need to go back after leaf fall and take more pics. Truly a world class garden. brian

waitingforspring - I think you are right that my NOID is Fairy Tale Pink. Wow! And I've had this 2 years and I ordered FTP last year and it will bloom for me this year so I can compare them to each other. I can't believe I ordered something I already have.

I am so happy to see your pictures again! I was here back then, but mostly lurking, which I still do a lot because I am not very good about id-ing my plants since the dogs destroyed my labels and I gave up There are a few I know the names of, but not too many. You were one of my secret mentors when I started my hosta planting! I am sorry your 'When I Dream' was a disappointment, but there is so much to love about your gardens! Thank you for that!!!

dcarch, The sea bass and scallops look delicious! I'd enjoy having that for dinner. I love the summer when DH is fishing frequently. DH and his buddies' tuna trip is scheduled for Sept. 9 this year. They'll go a couple hundred miles past Montauk. Boat is being readied now. What is that red/yellow striped tomato - is it Berkeley Tie Dye? If so, we've got lots of those this year. Beautiful and delicious. We will definitely plant them again next year. About the BER on Green Zebra - have you tried liming in late winter? This year's weather has been so unusual. Normally we get pretty consistent rainfall but this has been a boom or bust season, dry in the early part of summer and torrential tropical downpours every 8-10 days since the end of July. Our locations are so close geographicaly but Mystic's weather pattern is much different because of our location at the entrance to LIS. There's a permanent "stable air" mass overhead - fun to watch on radar, rain will seem to be overspreading all of NYC, LI, SECT and when it gets to the Mystic River just disappates...poof, gone. Yet, we still get about 55-58" annually. It's those ocean storms that nail us. Anyway, my guess is this year at least it's the very uneven rainfall that's led to BER for your Green Zebras. /tricia