Such a lovely garden, Connie. Did you make the birdhouse? I love it. Adds a lot to your garden. lesley

I got plants of Cinco de Mayo and Distant Drums in a single package from one of the big box stores. I really just wanted Distant Drums, but planted the Cinco de Mayo as well. I was not happy with CdM as it clashed with colors of the neighboring roses and dug it out after a year or so and potted it up. We started another rose bed in another part of our property. The front row had alternating bushes of "Easy Does It" and "Colorific"; the rear row had CdM in in center; on either side of it were plants of "Chilhuly". On the ends of the rear row were plants of Benjamin Britten. We had a row of the Scarlet Magellan zinnias (5 inch flowers on 12 inch plants) in from the the roses and taller zinnias in reds, orange and yellow planted behind the roses. CdM looked very much at home in all of this.

A couple of shrimp ideas..... I am making the second one for Sat, but we are not sticking to completely Mexican, it will be a Caribbean/Gulf of Mexico theme. Have fun! Alexa ********************************************************* Mexican Shrimp Cocktail 1 lb shrimp with shells ü cup olive oil 4 garlic cloves ý - 1 tsp chili powder Guacamole for dipping Toss the shrimp with the EVO, garlic and chili powder. Heat a pan to med-high and sauté shrimp until it is no longer pink. Move to a bowl and chill. Serve with a squeeze of fresh lime and guacamole and chips. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Jerk Shrimp Cocktail Ingredients ⢠3 quarts water ⢠1 teaspoon salt ⢠2 pounds uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined ⢠1/3 cup olive oil ⢠1/4 cup white wine vinegar ⢠3 tablespoons lime juice ⢠1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped ⢠4 teaspoons honey ⢠3 teaspoons Caribbean jerk seasoning ⢠1 medium mango or 2 medium peaches, peeled and cubed ⢠1 small red onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings ⢠1 medium lime, quartered and sliced Directions ⢠In a large saucepan, bring water and salt to a boil. Add shrimp; boil for 3 minutes or until shrimp turn pink, stirring occasionally. Drain and rinse with cold water; transfer to a large resealable plastic bag. ⢠In a small bowl, whisk the oil, vinegar, lime juice, jalapeno, honey and jerk seasoning. Pour 3/4 cup marinade over shrimp. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for 1-2 hours. Refrigerate remaining marinade. ⢠Just before serving, drain and discard marinade from shrimp. On a large serving platter, layer with shrimp, mango, onion and lime. Drizzle with remaining marinade. Yield: 15-20 servings.

Cinco de Mayo's blooms change from coral to salmon to lavender as they age. Sun or shade doesn't seem to matter. The blooms last a fairly long while and it blooms freely, so you have a mix of colors on one bush. That picture you admired with shades of russet to lavender must not have had recently opened blooms, because they open - as you describe - vivid fluorescent orange. Even in the lavender phase there is so much warm undertone - IMO, it's better to go with the warm rather than try to tone it down with cool purples. I've moved mine a couple times and changed its companions. Initially I planted it near dark purples (Intrigue, Midnight Blue) but didn't like that. So I tried Blueberry Hill, a slightly warm lavender with semi double blooms. Sadly my Blueberry Hill was a weak plant and Cinco overwhelmed it to the point that it Blueberry hardly ever bloomed. I do think that might have been a pretty pairing, especially with the similar bloom forms. I decided to move Cinco out of my primarily purple/white bed and stuck it between Easy Does It and Hot Cocoa. I think either would have been OK, all three together was an orange riot. Now I have it in a large planter where it can be its own exotic color show without any competition. I believe my favorite companion of all that I tried was Hot Cocoa. My garden is primarily roses so I don't have specific suggestions for perennials companions. I think something with burgundy or chocolate foliage would look nice; CdM's new foliage is burgundy.