I have to chime in here for just a second, I am an early planter too. I have only been burned, i mean frozen, one time, and that was by a freak extreme freeze in Mid-May. We covered plants with everything we could find, and the only thing that kept my tomatoes from freezing was the old styrofoam coolers that we had kept in the shed. I now collect every one of those things I see at every yard sale, flea market, road side. We got down to -10 during that freeze for several days, and those tomatoes looked wonderful. I lost everything else. I wish you guys could have seen the trees around here after that, it was so sad. I have never seen trees with black leaves prior to that. That was the most difficult season I've ever endured as far as gardening goes. Last year, I had to replant, but it was because of too much rain. Personally speaking, a seed packet usually contains much more seed than I can possibly use anyway, so why not plant early? If I extend the season, get my gardening fix, and become the envy of my neighbors, that's fine with me, and if I have to replant everything for whatever reason, well, I just get to re-enjoy it. I work hard, and I do it for what I love, my kids, my garden, and my chickens, and it really isn't anyone's business what I choose to spend my money on. Happy Gardening everyone!!!

Moccasinlanding thank you for the warm welcome. A tribute to the Queen is indeed merited. I would definitely have to agree with you. Like I said in my original post I knew once I saw these three that they were special. There are a few other cultivars of hosta in the garden as well but nothing like these Elegans. (speaking of which I shall have to put Steve to the challenge again identifying the other mystery hosta in this jungle of mine). Ken won't ID if you don't link pics directly � lazy bum :p j/k Let me clarify though, so as to maybe better offer me advice. We live about 11 miles north of Philadelphia in the burbs. This garden is old and overgrown. There are a whole slew of perennials (mostly ferns and hellebore) from the original landscaping design. But like I said there is nothing to look at except overgrown bushes and self-chocking iris. So when I broke ground and started clearing out the first perennial bed about a month ago I hit clay. Real bad nasty compiled clay that I would rather throw on a wheel and spin into a lovely container than garden with. So my goal as I go through these perennial beds is to amend the soil. Slowly in the process moving all the established perennials to rejuvenate them with proper spacing and a more cohesive design (I'm going for woodland floor since the sycamores are dominating all the light in the yard). With my Elegans I was not intending to move them from their current locations but rather dig them up, amend the soil underneath, and then replace them divided and refreshed. I have read and seen when a mature plant gets to big it starts to suffer and I don't know how long total beyond 8 years these have been in the ground. Am I in the wrong to touch them in any way ? I feel like they would only benefit from a soil amending. I would not dig them up every year, but rather amend around them in the years to follow. Should I leave them be and wait until I see more signs showing me it is time to divide ? Thanks as always ^^ You guys are great. Ludi

Im sorry jmcbackyarddigger!! I didnt mean to steal your post!! very sorry for that!! The poison ivy is gone (Thank someone, probably the doctor that put me on steroids!!) And yes Ken i am surrounded!! but i love this little city of Ferndale, MI!! cant think of anywhere else I would want to live!! But the yards are SO small and the double lots here are too expensive (and a double lot here is probably a 1/4 acre! I dont know!)It would be nice to live out in the middle of no mans land, but I really hate to drive over 40 miles to work one way. and that is how it is around here!! even the city of South Lyons (which was farm country 10 years ago "and is only about 25 minutes from home on the xway> now even has a McDonalds!!! would you believe that!!! it is so built up now!!! my parents used to drive out there when we were kids (8 siblings, and not much money) to go see a movie for less than a dollar each!! That is where I get my hair cut ( friend owns a barber shop) so I know how much it has changed in the last 10 years !! I would love to go back when nothing ws open after 9 pm and life was SOOOOOO much slower (not even a gas station was open on sundays!!! let alone a BEER STORE!!! (and this is not the Quadrillion acre woods that winnie the pooh lived in) this house was built in 1918 and so was this tight knit comunnity) probably spelled wrong there!! OOPS!! I am rambling..... uh oh yeah now I know, Pics on the hosta forum SORRY!! Ken you are bad for distacting me!! now i am onto wine cause i forgot to pick up the BEER when i got out of work!!! okay now for some answers I guess and hopefully in order as they appear to my eyes ( the wine is starting to hit me faster than the beer ever does!! ) and this cat is sitting in my lap which makes it more diffifcult to type (she is really ornery tonight!!) sunny east texas pic 3 the three hostas in the pic are Francis williams (behind the begonia) to the left of that is Sagae to the right of sagae is aureomarginata something (or Oreo Margaritta)! Pic #6 That is Perrilla Magilla (not sure on the spelling) grows just like a coleous, no flowers that i know of (which means no picking out flower buds, and is REALLY easy to start from cuttings, usually i do those in the fall) the one on the right is planted in a pot (with some blue hosta seedlings that you cannot see, and neither can I when i look at it, around the base)the perilla was about 6" tall when put in that pot, and the other in the ground, the hosta in the middle of all of this is Rich Uncle. and the black things in the background are my neighbors garbage cans that I cannot photograph around!! Thanks for the nice comments (always love to here them, dont we all?) Hey upnort!! I didnt even see myself in that pic until i read your post!! (there is a ghost in my yard, or did you get out the microscope to check out the pic? now i see the bird feeder in there, hope the birds arent hungry!!) was having a hard time juggling the two, (the beer can just wasnt taking the pics i wanted!!)so I had to hold the camera!! DARN and i was so thirsty!! Carol ( I should have said Sunny and Carol, Sorry!!) oh wait!! the dryer is done (have to fold and put in the other load) back in 15!! thankyou for the nice comments!! my head is swelling as my glass gets more empty (does that make any sense, this is the wine speaking , it is so much different from drinking BEER) Actually my pond does not get that much sun, only a couple of hours a day, (well maybe 6 at different times) I have a large canopy of MAPLE, elms and oak, all of them are mature. I love the shade that they all make!! which makes it so nice to sit on the deck and just watch the yard grow. and then go pull another weed b4 i take another picture or go grab another can of beer(or grab the 5 gallon bucket and fill it from the pond to water another hosta). that plant is also in pics #1 to the left next to blue angel #3front and center #5 to the left (which is the same plant in pic number, oh jeez #6?) Hey starina thanks for the Zanfel tip!! is that a cream? it only cost me $10 (and 2 hours)to see the dr and $10 for the steroids (insurance). which started to work on the second day!! but took about 2 weeks to finally clear up after 2 weeks b4 seeing the doctor!! oh carolreall tough! (well, and gross!) hey mctavish6! Thanks for the nice comments! pic# 2? is wide brim if i am correct or pic # (soory i have to go back and count) oh, have to go count again...oh and again... lost my thought here... #4? to the lower ledt (i think the wine spelled that one!!) uh left? is ... darn, one more time (darn wine, not like the beer)...hold on, let me go back....oh jeez! what is that!! let me think!! ummmmm oh yah ,,, uh uh uh OH!!! summer breeze next to the uh japanese painted fern. WOOO!!! that was hard to do (LOL) okay, and for the sculptures, there are actually 3 total, only 2 in these pics, a very nice friend of mine was living in an upstairs flat, just around the corner from me, such a really nice guy. was helping him move to an apt around the corner from where he lived, they were in his back yard when he moved there. when he moved out the land lord told him that he could take them with him if he wanted to. they are made of ceremic and weigh between (depending on which one) 150 to 400 pounds each. he told me and my partner that we could have them. (had to leave one behind because after moving 3 we were pretty well worn out) (and kinda upset to leave one behind) they were made by a previous tenant which the landlord (or my freind) didnt rememner the name of. so we picked them up( and not really that easely) and brought them over the couple of blocks to our house! and what a chore that was!! but they are SO WAY COOL!! oh and mctavish? I store my elephant ear in 5 gallon buckets over winter. no holes in the bottom in a sunny window. they like a lot of water. except the Xanthosoma in pic #(have to count again, DARN)4!!! (yes!! okay,getta grip) in a very large pot, in a window. my dining room in the winter time is pretty much a over winter plant area, I have a 7' ficus and some orchids and others to deal with. and for some reason i take the tropical waterllily in for the winter too!!(which all my freinds can attest too!! and the second load in the dryer is done, hold on, more folding and hanging stuff!! AAARRRGGHHHHH!!!!!'' did i tell you that i dont have an eye patch or a parrot? If this doesnt make any sense at all or I have spelled something inkorrectlie, I will blame it on the "charles shaw" wine that i am drinking!!! (or 2 buck chuck for those who shop at (oh no !! i forgot the name of the store!! oops sorry!!) well any who thanks for all of the nice comments (except for KEN, there are no cows in FERNDALE!! LOL!!) Paul ps I hope i got to everyone here! and id this message is rejected i will be so POed

Raybo: Yamagami's has BT. Don't bother with Lowe's or Home Depot around here. I found a "few" last year and just hand picked them off. However, there was a funny story. My wife, who happens to hardly go into the garden, was looking at the tomatoes. She happened to grab onto one of the branch and just happened to touch a full sized horn worm. Mine you this woman screams at every little bug she sees. She said she screamed loudly then looked around to make sure the neighbors were not looking. LOL. Hmmm, maybe I will buy some from you guys to scare the wife. hee hee. I think this year, when I find leaves half eaten, I will prune the entire branch off so I can tell when there are "new" catepillars/hornworms. Thanks for info on Katydid Damon. However, my 2 year old niece-in-law is named Katy. So when their parents ask me what ate my tomato plants, I can't tell them Katydid or I might get a dirty look ;-).