I'm about to bite on getting my 1st HFGH, but not certain if should get, the 10x12 or 6x8 or any. Both of the HF are on sale right now. The 8x6 is $300 (25% off reg. price, which seems to be the usual discount). The 10x12 is $600 (17% off reg. price). I have a coupon for an extra 15% off any one, in stock item, only one to a customer. I suppose that's a one time only, for life use? I sort of hate to use the 15% off coupon, since the small GH was on sale for $279 last spring--but I thought, wait till fall when they drop in price. Except they never did. Anyway: With the coupon, if in stock, the prices are: 8x6 $255 10x12 $510 I have a vinyl coverd, 6x4 cold frame, that I built out of cedar. It has a vent that raises the lid, shade cloth and has done fairly well. Although after 15 yrs, it's time to rebuild. I start my plants indoors, under lights then move them to the cold frame for hardening off or growing on. Usually though, they've out grown it, prior to the time they can safely be set out in the Utah spring, when we can get snow up to memorial day. I did try a "hoop house," once. It lasted about 1/2 day, then the wind ripped it to shreds. I didn't know how then nor now, to secure the 6 mill poly to the pvc. The poor thing got hit and blew apart. To buy the large HFGH, will push hard on the budget. I'm disabled and can't work, but I might be able to swing the money. I do sell a few plants--I suppose that makes me a "grower" of sorts. It will be very good therapy if I can sit in the sunshine, in a warm, moist climate, with lots of oxygen and plants around me. --I'm originally from Louisiana. Can grow just about anything there, and it's moist, sub-tropical, rainforest climate. (I need a solarium, but my house won't accomodate it.) So, I want something I can sit in and relax. The little one will give me experience and probably, fun of building; but subtracting 2' for a walk way, will there be enough room to sit there and enjoy? Will it even produce much more than my cold frame? I hate dilemas. Isn't there a wholesaler around that will sell us greenhouse kits? Then someone who will pay the electric bills? --I might be able to go solar. We have more days of sunshine than most of the USA. So what would you do, go for the big one, which I suppose will be lots more work but give twice the space at twice the cost; or the small one which may be fun and easier to build, but less than 1/2 the space at half the cost? Or do I save my money, figure out how to secure poly to PVC and try another hoop GH? btw, whatever I do, this will have to be a free standing unit, able to withstand the high UV of Utah, strong canyon winds and heavy snow loads in winter. --which begs the question, once the UV has destroyed the panels in 3-4 yrs, are they easily replaced? Thanks, Bob

Definitely a learning experience, birdhope, and a very enjoyable one. Weatherstripping - I applied it to the side panels this week, planned to caulk the roof panels, but really like the way the w.s. went on and works! Insulation - found 1" foil-faced foam insulation at HD and installed on north wall and rear 1/3 of side walls (don't want to block morning or afternoon sun). Solar pool cover question - It finally arrived and is (mostly) installed. It's large enough to "gift-wrap" the gh, so I have a question ... how does one vent the structure? Obviously, the roof vent won't open without slitting the pool cover, but that must cut down significantly on the effectiveness of the cover. Heater question - still debating whether to get a forced hot air, convection or oil-filled radiator type. Somehow I'd expect the latter two to provide a more consistent and gentle heat, and be less drying than the first. Any comments? In the meantime, we've found a carefully-placed 500-watt worklight keeps the frost at bay. 30* outside last night and the inside temp was 41, with incomplete weatherstripping/caulking and no pool cover yet. Benches - took a backseat to "winterizing" efforts, but one is partially complete and looks great. A local fence mfr. sells their seconds of 3x8 white cedar picket fencing for $12 apiece. Cutting the pickets back flush with the crosspieces yields a 22"x8' shelf. Thermal mass - still painting the accumulated 2-liter soda bottles and 1-gallon milk jugs. (This is the one area in which my two younger children have been most helpful, being more than willing to empty as many soda bottles as I'd like.) I read somewhere that dark blue or red will absorb almost as much heat as black, but still reflect some useful light back to the plants ... will try some of each out of curiousity. Noticed also difference in soil temps in green pots vs. white pots (no big surprise, actually, just never thought about it). Except for the impeded view due to the pool cover, it was delightful in there today. Diane

Thanks Janet. I didn't even think of looking in the Toomey and Leeds book. I do love it but wish it were more Harry Potterish like and would automatically update with all the new cultivars out there! Everything I have seen shows the parentage of Duchess of Sutherland is unknown so the more important thing for me is whether it has viticella in its bloodline or not and how much viticella there is in its genetics. Pruning group doesn't really matter since a type II can be pruned as a type II or a III and not really be affected for the most part in most zones. If it does have viticella in its bloodline (and I would love to know how they determine this for clematis of unknown parentage), I wonder how diluted the amount of viticella a plant can have and still be considered a viticella? In other words, if a viticella is crossed with another type of clematis and gives rise to a new hybrid, and this new hybrid is crossed with another nonviticella, which gives rise to a new hybrid, ad naseum. At what point does the amount of viticella genetics stop being to the point of it being able to be called a viticella? Still no word yet from Richard at COTW. I will post when I hear anything.

It was a gorgeous day, and warmer than I expected along the coast, with just a light breeze. All 4 gardens were just north of Portsmouth, NH, in York, ME (just off exit 7 on I-95 in ME); 3 of them in the Cape Neddick area and one less than 5 miles south. There were quite a number of MA license plates that I noticed. Jane, that third photo is the only one including the ocean where the gardens were really visible against the water. The photo here with Alliums is just seedheads, but at least one of the gardens had shorter (~18") Alliums with huge irregular heads that were still blooming amongst the hostas. I am looking at going to a second one this coming week-end since it's based in Concord, NH, and surrounding towns, just a few minutes from home.