Hi, Amanda! I live near Traverse City (near Elk Rapids). Some easy things that do very well in our area and that are favorites of mine include: SPRING - peonies, siberian and bearded iris, oriental poppies, nepeta, candytuft, brunnera SUMMER - shasta daisies (esp. Becky), monarda, rudbeckia, tall phlox, daylilies, hosta, purple coneflower, asiatic lilies, oriental lilies, achillea Moonshine, heuchera FALL - several of the summer plants continue well into the fall; ornamental grasses --------- ROSES - buy 'own root' roses, not hybrid teas... try Buck roses, shrub roses, etc You can find all of these things at local garden centers. I grow LOTS of other things I haven't mentioned here... if you have questions about any specific plants, please feel free to ask! Also, if you want garden center recommendations, let me know. Beth - Zone 5 MI near Traverse City

If you should be coming the weekend of May 7&8th, the Victoria Conservatory of Music has lined up 16 private gardens to visit for a nominal charge of $25. This event takes place every year and the gardens change every year. I have now attended three of these events, and most of these gardens are really superb, full of flair and innovation. I second Royal Rhodes garden (free), the Horticultural Centre of the Pacific gardens (small admission charge)and UVic's Finnerty Garden (free). Also, UVic has a wonderful facility to the north of the peninsula called Dunsmuir Lodge with breathtaking scenery from its dining room which features a fabulous buffet for lunch and a great menu for dinner. It also has accomodation and is just a bit north from the route you would take to Butterfly World and Butchard Gardens. It is a wonderfully quiet location, perched next door to John Dean Park with lots of hiking trails. Another restaurant no one has mentioned and one of my favourites for great cusine is Camille's in downtown Victoria. I believe the Carden Street Cafe was closed the last time I drove by. On some of our little weekend get-aways, we have stayed at some absolutely wonderful B&Bs, and really recommend this as a great way to get information about things to do and places to go. If you are going to Tofino, the Wickaninnish Inn (if it is in your budget) is a truly wonderful experience. Each room has a private balcony where you enjoy the roar of the breaking waves on the beach and romantic sunsets. The dining room features all organic and unparalled cuisine, a wonderful private dining experience and the most impecable service. Enjoy your visit to the island..we did and moved here 13 years ago!

We just got back from our vacation to Michigan a week ago today and I can heartily recommend it. I was born and raised there and miss it a lot especially in the summer and Autumns. While we vacation with family on Michigan's Lake Huron, which is lovely, the area around Traverse City on Lake Michigan , the U.P. (Upper Peninsula) and Mackinac (pronounced MACK-i-naw) Island are also wonderful. I've been to the island many times. and have stayed at the Grand Hotel, which is drop-dead gorgeous. If you're a fan of the movie, "Somewhere in Time", which was filmed there at the Grand Hotel, it still looks very much like that. But, I do want to mention a few things to consider before booking a room there, though. * At the Grand Hotel, men over the age of 11, are asked to wear a sports coat after 6PM in the dining room. This wasn't a problem for my DH or DS, but some guys may not like this rule. * During the summer, the town can be wall-to-wall people, which can turn an anticipated casual shopping trip into somewhat of a nightmare. * cars and trucks are not allowed on the island, except for police, fire and rescue . . . and probably maintenance. It's a fairly small island and everyone gets around on bicycles that you can rent many places, horses (ditto), walking, or horse-drawn carriages. For months now, I've been seeing Michigan's "Pure Michigan" ads on tv. Although not all of Michigan is as scenic, many, many places are . . . including beautiful, quaint Lexington on Lake Huron where we vacation every year. Lynn

Oops, I might be accused of being a fair weather poster since I haven't posted anything in so long. My recent thought about New England and snow is that a niece who is teaching in the UAE is depriving her two young boys of sledding and snowballs. Although our son did not want to take ski lessons when he was young, he enjoyed snowmobiling from our doorstep and eventually did some skiing. Our granddaughters have taken ski lessons thru school programs and this year have their first season ski passes to a local mountain (Ragged). Our son actually had exciting winters when he was in middle and high school because he cleaned kennels for people who own Siberian huskies and they let him help with mushing. When he was 17 he mushed one of their teams in the Sandwich Notch Sled Dog race which I think was about 50 miles through Tamworth, the area where sled dogs were trained for polar expeditions. There's a time when I've had enough of garden chores and food preservation (even though I don't do much) and welcome the frosts. Nowadays I think it is exciting that high tunnel technology has helped farmers produce something year round. I like one particular market farming couple who sell on Saturdays at the small winter farmers market nearby and the posts they make on facebook about what they are doing. Love the interior shots of beautiful spinach growing right now. I also follow the Eliot Coleman farm near Ellsworth ME and what they are growing. Four Seasons Farm - he wrote several books on marketing gardening in the northeast. Loved how he and his wife researched season extending techniques in Europe. I'm glad we live with wildlife even if I curse the voles and other brazen furry creatures. Yesterday I talked with the library volunteer who posted a great picture of a bald eagle here in town having lunch. We live under the flight path of a loon or two that fly between a lake and a pond. We get excited to see a flock of Canada geese coming in low and circling but since the corn field is now a hay field, they rarely land. We can see the passage of history when we compare an old photo of the house that used to be here (burned) and a hilly pasture behind it taken when sheep farming was popular and the woolen mills were running in Manchester and beyond. A lady at the craft fair makes wonderful socks on an antique knitting machine. There is barbed wire embedding in trees along the property line. Where sheep once grazed is now deep woods. Oddly enough, I had to plant lilacs here although there are old grapevines. I don't think my husband's grandmother and great grandmother had time to grow flowers. We lived here for years before someone identified a flowering shrub they said was unusual this far north and, finally, we went into the woods at the right time to see it blooming. (I forgotten the name, a laurel I think, but looks something like an azalea). I agree with loving the changing seasons. I don't think we ever get bored. And nobody has mentioned the wonderful apples that grow in New England. We are blessed to have two nearby orchards that grow a wide variety of heirloom apples. I have been buying a bag of Caville Blancs which are a good for cooking. I finally got out my mother-in-law's antique apple peeler which did a pretty good job although Cavilles have bumpy shoulders that need hand trimming. I love the vibrancy of farmers markets and enjoyed going to the one at Wentworth Greenhouses just before Christmas. It is larger than the one at Cole Greenhouses in Concord so I think it is worth the extra drive once in awhile. Love the summer markets in Norwich VT. Love fresh apple cider! Love buying maple syrup from people we know and enjoy seeing the farmer's grandchildren gathering syrup from buckets along our road. Fall isn't my favorite time and I hate November except for Thanksgiving. Spring is my favorite time especially the colors as the trees start budding. So far so good and no serious problems with ticks as long as we check and remove any we find. Sad to hear a long time 4-H leader has retired. He ran the Working Steer club where kids also learned how to make their own ox yokes. Thrilled that we have places like Sanborn Mills Farm in Loudon where old time skills are still being taught. I remember when NH Fish and Game started re-introducing wild turkeys to NH because at the time our town was one of the best places to release some. It's a treat to see baby wild turkeys and we keep our fingers crossed that the babies make it to adulthood. Last summer for the first time we saw a spotted fawn nursing. We started two new asparagus beds last summer so I look forward to a future of fresh asparagus. Our old bed wasn't properly maintained but does give us a few meals. I read that it is sweetest right after picking so now it is a treat to cook it right away instead of putting it in the fridge for hours. And also love the PYO farms for fresh strawberries and blueberries. Made red pepper relish for the first time last fall and it is so good. I started life in the city but always longed to live in the country. I'm glad my dream came true.