Thanks, Abby! Hot Cocoa is a rose purchased through Wayside, I believe... it was on backorder for quite a while, but we finally got it last summer. It barely survived the winter, dying back to the ground... and I wasn't sure if it would make it. It appears to have gotten a good start this spring, and at present, there are two more buds about to open. I will try to get good pictures when they open. I suppose you could stagger your hippi bulbs' bloom times so you could enjoy them in succession... as long as they get the proper amount of growth time to "refuel", I suppose it's possibly to force them at any time of year. Personally, I prefer to allow my bulbs to grow and flower naturally... which means I'll have a lot of flowers next spring. I'll also have some winter blooms from bulbs I plan to purchase this fall! Depending on how much room I have after I rearrange my "jungle", I may put some bulbs to rest at the end of summer so Christmas blooms can be had. Indoor bulb space is at a premium... my orchid collection is growing, not to mention the fact that more bulbs have joined the ranks! I may just have to put some bulbs to rest and stagger bloom times... if only to have enough space for them all!

I am so sad I missed it. My pride and joy additions from Rice Creek include (but are not limited to)the 'Leonard Messell' magnolia which has reached proportions far greater than any information at the time of purchase led us to believe possible; petasites giganteus/japonicus (yes, Betty warned us about this, but I still love the thug); and my personal crown jewel, my acer japonicum atropurpurea (I'm sure I must have screwed up somewhere in typing that!) which is now, after about 10 years, a gorgeous, spreading 9 x 12' dazzler. It was an 8" pup when I selected it from a group of 30 or so. Best plant purchase I ever made. There are other wonderful plants that have graced my gardens for lesser periods. What I will miss the most is the inspiration and the idea that anything, even this far north, is possible. Kate

I've been trying to think of decent ones - for a while there I had a deal that every time I renewed my newspaper subscription, I got a free magazine subscription, and I always picked gardening mags. But none of them really were worth actually paying for. Sunset was the last one, but once again, it really didn't fit with anything I'd actually do - But maybe it's just me, but I've steadily cut down on the number of mags / papers I subscribe to, and I'm now down to a couple of local and regional newspapers, no magazines left - I realized I hadn't tried a single recipe in about 5 years from the cooking mags, and I wasn't likely to go to any of the restaurants they reviewed, palm trees don't grow here and I really don't want a whole garden full of potted cactus, and so on. Now, I just spend way too much time on the internet:-).

I *am* exhausted! & sunburnt! (went out there on an overcast morning, wearing a scoop-necked top, forgot to notice when the sun came out. duh.) The gardens were *gorgeous*, of course, & the swap/sale was loads of fun! We had a woman who sells plants/bulbs/seeds on ebay, the Master Gardeners had a booth, Waxahachie High School had a booth, there was a "flea market" with proceeds going to the Garden Club,...can't remember everything. The brown bag lunches were very good (& the Club now has arrangements with the to-go barbeque place to take up the slack in case they run out of food in the future!) I moved a lot of plants in pots, so my summer watering schedule is considerably eased (sold a few & traded a few.) This was the first time my friend Vi had been to the Tour & sale, & she had a great time, didn't bring very much but took several things home. Unfortunately, although the Extravaganza continued until 4 PM, Vi had to leave early to help her husband with a garden project, & my sunburn began to really burn & nauseate me, so I left a little later, by probably 2:30. Lots of nice people, helpful hands all round-several of the guys helped with loading & unloading, setting up tables, etc, & one kind person gave me some lotion for my back. It was great! can't wait til next year... (when I'll bring an extra shirt & a hat & some lotion!)