Hello Stephanie, Stan and Kawagoe, Here is my first bloom of 2017! It seems I will have only three of my 20 plants blooming. This is a cutting I got from a front yard in LA in 2015. I drive down there quite often and that is from where most of my cuttings come.....relatives, friends and strangers who like to share. Of the seven plants I ordered from Maui Plumeria Gardens last October only three are still among the living. I planted and kept them indoors all winter. These are the first plumeria for which I paid. I will try to go back to Maui in September and purchase a replacement for the Scott Pratt (red) variety. All of my other plumeria remained outdoors under overhangs during the winter. I planted a large four foot cutting into the ground a couple of weeks ago in Prunedale. I live in Santa Clara during the week which is warmer so I will definitely have to cover my newest addition over the winter. I'll keep my fingers crossed. It was a freebie from a very fragrant yellow plumeria tree in LA that some ladies gave me from their front yard. I'm sure your are all also enjoying your blooms........ Take care, Aileen

Bahia, Thanks for all the great suggestions. I am a member and I hope to make it to the Strybing sale. I'm a big fan of their sales, but I have yet to go to one of the major ones. My P. 'Mission Dolores', P. gritensis, P. exoniensis, Salvia dombeyi, and Brugmansia vulcanicola (hybrid) are all from their smaller monthly sales. I've seen both P. antioquiensis and P. membranacea at the monthly sales several times, for those who are looking for those plants. The vines are all young, but the P. membranacea is the one that scares me because it grows so fast--I'm constantly hacking at it. The P. 'Mission Dolores' and P. exoniensis are in 5 gallon pots, so they are constrained in size. The other two are much smaller (but in the ground) in a small space. I'll be forced to keep them reasonably small. I do have a couple others in the ground that are fairly large (P. tripartita and P. edulis) and a few others in pots as well. Gary, I used to have a lot more orchids when I lived in L.A. and I really should try more up here. We are right on the edge for being able to grow a lot of high altitude plants (and this includes the Passifloras and Brugmansias I listed above) because of our extremes in temperature and low humidity in the summer. Afternoon shade, a protected spot and lots of moisture are key for growing those guys here. Here is a link that might be useful: Plant sales at Stybing (San Francisco Botanical Garden)

Your peonies look planted at the right depth. You would not normally have the tall blanched stems you have this year, from having been in too little light before you got them. Those stems are too delicate for full sun, protect them with some shade until they get hardened off. I agree that peonies in California sunshine often benefit from some protection from the west sun. Al

Pictures below are from Cupertino location. I've also included photos of the plants I bought to show you cane size/condition of plants up close. They're already in new pots, since I want to see what they look like before I put them in the ground. I'm pretty new to roses and only have english roses and edens thus far. I already have orders to Palatines and Rose Unlimited for 6 new roses this year. So this windfall at Summerwinds was not part of the plan >_<. I can see how hanging out on this forum can be bad for the budget =). Hybrid teas are new for me, so I'm looking forward to seeing Dee-Lish, Memorial Day, and Heirloom blooming. Very grateful for this forum and the many Californians on here giving out advice for my region. I'd be so lost without it! Happy hunting at Summerwinds, I hope folks find great deals this weekend!