Thank you, Lainey, for painting that beautiful picture. I'm going to take some new pictures and try to post them. If anyone on the forum lives near Floyds Knobs, IN (near Louisville, KY) I'd be so happy for you to visit.

Have they limbed up the magnolia? Usually magnolia trees are Christmas tree shaped and the branches go all the way down. Well, anyway, many people grow cast iron plant under heavy shade. No flowers on it. Others grow hosta, which does not fit the orangey flowers but they can find variegated kinds. Impatiens would grow in shade and have many bright colors, however in my experience they need to be watered regularly. Depending on the size they want underneath (large or small), they can plant astilbe (several colors usually pink, red, or white), hydrangea (also needs watering), and ferns (no flowers). There are many choices. Magnolia leaves will take a long time to break down. But I think they could be used as mulch if mowed or shredded first.

Lpink, that is a very nice picture of you. Nice picture of your french toast, too! Glad to hear that you two had a chance to catch up and that Lpink could vent a bit. I've had the "estate plan" conversation with my mom. Thank heavens she is realistic about it all and it wasn't hard. I hope you weren't driving through those horrible storms we had on Sunday. What a mess.

Yellow can be a tough color to maintain on a Hosta as it depends so much on the lighting. Too much sun and it bleaches out. Not enough and it doesn't stay bright yellow. Orange Marmalade and Forbidden Fruit do not stay yellow. Autumn Frost can if its planted in mostly shade, but still gets dull later in the year. What size Hosta is she looking for? Grand Tiara stays yellow and green for me (if she wants a small Hosta) and I expect Emerald Tiara does as well. Dance With Me and Summer Breeze are great choices in a medium, but I don't grow those. How about Afterglow or Goodness Gracious (those might not be considered bright yellow) or Wolverine? Victory or Majesty. I guess there really are quite a few.