Thank you Debra.Wisest of Wizards surprised me today, as I wasn't expecting a bloom on it for a few more days.I was expecting Happy Face today , as it was starting to open just a little just before dark last night,when I went out to bring in my bird feeder. I have a little more expensive bird seed in my new feeder and I I leave it out, the raccoons tear the roof off it and scatter seeds all over the ground, after the nuts and big sunflower seeds in it,and I refuse to feed raccoons.I had thought it was squirrels after it,and I took it and hid it on the front porch, but the next morning the roof was took off and seeds scattered all over and I knew that was no squirrel doing that.just the nuts in the mix was gone.squirrels like the large sunflower seeds, too.and a squirrel would not have drug that heavy feeder that far either,and get the roof off it.. NANCY;Thank you for looking and commenting, too KAY; yes that sun does get out early and gets very hot too,early.I know when july gets here it will be unbearably hot out.I don't handle heat very well, no more, but, don't like it real cold either. jean

Julia, Mabou is from a more Northern hybridizer. After several bboming years, last year was just so-so for Citrix, but it has mnay more blooms this year than last. Mantix, Indigo Edge is about the same size bloom as Citrix. Brad, I lost my first Spoken in Parables to voles, but liked it so well I replaced it. Jean, some of the fancies take more than one season to really settle in, and I will wait6 for this for CB. Debra, my eye is too easy to catch:). Thanks, Ruth, I like too many of them myself. Chris, I really figured Indigo Edge would have trouble opening, but it opened well, early. I bought Mabou because I love the photo New York Rita posted of hers. Thanks, Jean. Sorry I've been off a a couple days. My grandkids gifted me with a virus that put me down:) kay

Kay, Yes, it is wonderful to have a few daylily blooms now rto look atA week ago,i had quite a few roses blooming, but today only maybe 4 blooming today. Nancy, wont be long now, you will have blooms to show us, too.I cant hardly wait to see every ones blooms, too.I have a few Asiatic lilies blooming, all the red ones, ome where out there I have a couple yellow and red ones,that hasn't bloomed yet.,I really love the lily blooms, too. The blooms are soo big/. jean

I just planted Japanese forest grass (Hakone) this spring, I am hoping it does well, I haven't been able to keep Dicentra alive more than 2 years, but, maybe if I try again and mulch it more often, it will do better, and the tree is bigger and provides more shade than when I first tried A Dicentra, I had tried the fernleaf one. I have very nice Lamium under a dwarf Maple, it was planted in my parents yard when I was a baby, and getting an ID on the tree hasn't been successful, but, anyway, the area under the tree had had lottsa bird seed under it for probably 15 years, most of the birds had not eaten the seed husks, so all of those husks composted over all those years, so the soil is likely nice and rich compost, and the shade from the tree has made the Lamium grow really nicely. I've just tried Nasturtiums this year from seed, I have them planted in sun and shade, and I have foliage, but, no flowers, I have some in full sun (not looking good) and some in mostly sun, they are okay as far as foliage, but, the ones in just a tiny bit of sun, but mostly shade, they look the best, but, no flowers yet. I have 1 nice Hellebore, but, i never seem to see it bloom. My Primula must be in too much shade because it never has bloomed for me, I have great foliage, but, no flowers so far, unless they'll bloom in late summer, they must be in too much shade. My Lungwort died, not sure why. I've always wanted to try St. Johns wort, but, I hadn't been aware that it will grow in shade, it's always in full sun at the nurseries, will it flower in mostly shade? I would love to grow "Ditch lillies" if that is the Orange blooming Tiger lilly that is native to roadside ditches in Pa and surounding areas. I bought some bulbs that I thought were those wildflower orange lillies, but, they are likely asiatic lillies with flowers that look like those flowers, but, the foliage shows that I chose wrong. I love Goutweed, the vareigated groundcover, I had a nice bunch of it growing under a Sycamore tree years ago, but my Sycamore tree started rotting, and after getting rid of the tree it hadn't been growing so good. I want to grow another Sycamore in my yard, and have the Goutweed as a nice little groundcover under it again, the Goutweed seems like a nice groundcover underneath the Sycamore, it goes nicely together. Also, sorry this is getting long, I know, but, as far as Astilbe, I have had so many die on me, but, I have 2 plants that have been doing good for me, them along with another shade plant, which I can't remember the name of, it has similar foliage as the Astilbe, MAYBE Foamflower, Tiarella(?) BUT, I think the AStilbe has done so well, is because the p;lace they are so happy in is where we used to have horses, and it was a manure collection area for about 15 years or more, plus I feed it bunny poo tea, water it regularly when there isn't rain. I haven't ever had any success with Astilbe before planting these 2 plants where the horse poo had composted for several years before it was planted there. Lastly, I had wondered about Peonies, they are long lived and flower nicely, but, I had always shied away from many sun perennials, because I am planting shade trees everywhere, my goal for my yard/property is too have mostly shade in my whole property. I have just made 2 raised beds in full sun in my yard and I have some sun plants there, but, I am mostly trying to have a largely treed property, mostly all shade, and besides a couple places for some Tomato and pepper plants in summer, I want mostly shade, well, anyway, just how much shade would you say the Peony plant can take and still bloom? My good friend has one in full sun, so another reason, I never thought a Peony would perform well in shade.