Batya- you might want to give planting those wildflower seeds from the states a second thought. Most wildflowers are very successful plants, some are very invasive, and if they were released into the wild where you are they could wreak havoc with the native plants. The ecology of the US is a mess from wildflower seeds that came over in the ballast of boats from Europe. The tumbleweed many think of as a symbol of the West came from Russia, where insects kept it in check, etc. I'm sure you will have plenty of the beautiful native wildflowers you described to enjoy.:-) I've read there are a succession of red flowers with black centers, unrelated family-wise, in the Negev, that host a certain beetle. As for greywater, we used to take major steps to save water in S. Cal, and we ran the washing machine water into 55 gal. garbage cans, then put it in buckets, and used it to flush the toilets. This way you use the equivalent clean water on the garden and turn the greywater into blackwater. It's a lot of work but that's what makes you strong. I also used to save the water from washing dishes and used it in flushing toilets also. Just pour from a height... Another thing you can do is use the rinse water of the washing machine to put back in the machine and use for the wash water of the next load. Chai Adonai! I would love to be somewhere hot enough to grow okra.:-( It's too cool here in summer. But I might try again this year because I have read that the leaves are edible, though I can't picture eating them because I remember them as fuzzy. I'm growing some new Malvaceae this year to try their leaves as they are supposed to all be edible.

Bruce, in looking up the double flowering hosta, one hit was for Tony Avent's piece on his nursery website about fragrant flowering hosta. He was writing it I think not long after Aphrodite came available. One of his statements was to the effect that people south of Baltimore seldom got to see the fully opened blooms because it takes moisture, humidity, warm days, and cooler nights--or else the blooms turn to mush. I believe your location somewhere around Baltimore's latitude (not close to Baltimore, but westerly from it), and in the foothills at least of mountainous area, could give perhaps cooler evening temps. Sounds like a spot ideally suited for the plantaginea to bloom spectacularly. We have had a lot of rain on a regular basis. When it rains, the temps drop from the 90s down to 80 or thereabouts. Not exactly cool, but better than 90! If it is a temperature drop and not an absolute temperature that is the secret, then perhaps we might have a couple of the buds open anyway. I am anxiously awaiting the fate of my lone Aphrodite scape showing some white on its lower buds. Regardless of what happens with this one Aphrodite this year, I note your quarter-century (wow just think about THAT) dedication to perfecting conditions for the lovely Aphrodite. I don't have 25 years left to spend in any fashion, but what remains might as well be spent waiting for flowers to bloom, instead of watching paint dry. :) Your updates are unparalleled and thank you for sharing them here.

Love Black Fathom Depths, such a nice color. Web of Intrigue is nice too, this was its first year in my garden & I am really enjoying it. It has bloomed amazingly well, was the first one to bloom this spring on May 16 & is still blooming. It was a nice clump when I received it, but I never expected it to do this well. Bowie looks like he is doing his daily inspection.

Thanks all. Maryl, I may be able to find that rose name. I actually bought it as opposed to rescuing it from someone! Although if memory serves I rescued it from a box store. It has great arching branches loaded with these fragrant blooms. Mantis, this phone takes pictures as good if not better than my camera. Colors are indeed realistic and I do like the portrait option to focus on the object without background interference (like grass and weeds!). I just need to research more on resizing the photos.