I guess I have changed some of my strategy as well, now that the garden is more full. Also with the changing weather patterns, I buy new hostas mostly in the fall when they can get fully established over the winter, so they can go into the summer heat more easily; and as large a plant as I can get. I am not buying any more greenies. I have plenty of green seedlings, and they are all shapes and sizes, from tiny leaves to big round ones, long, narrow, wavy leaves; satiny, shiny, dull, and I want to see what they all grow up to be. I'm filling bare spaces in the woods garden with them. And now, I'm going through my lists of wants before I order, and marking where each plant will go before I buy it so I don't over-order and go frantic trying to make sense of it all. Not that I won't buy too many plants in the spring anyway. But I have to start somewhere! Sandy

If you get to Milwaukee, let me know. I have clumps being given away all the time. tj

tHANK YOU, jO. yOU ARE A good activity director! This year I'll be ready. And waiting. I'll try to get some of my pictures with 9 seconds of sound uploaded to Flickr later today. The problem with that is, it is my turn to cook tonight. Plus a lot of other things happening today. First off this morning, the USPS delivered a real surprise package which I'll give a feature in a special thread, I mean it is THAT SPECIAL. Then I set about watering the first section of the garden. It was maybe 10 am and already 100 in the shade and I was wet with sweat simply filling the bird feeder and the birdbaths. Then I took a big bag of veggies to the hardware store and saw a hanging basket which jumped in the car with me. I took it home because I had to do a trip to Lowes and needed an empty car. Yes, I got 30 bags of compost/manure, 6 bags of play sand, 3 cement pots on sale, 3 more LED solar garden lights, and 3 yellow blooming milkweeds. It was too hot to unload mid day so now I must wait until after dinner to do it. Once it is out of the car I'll be able to pick up 20 bags of cypress mulch in the morning. That should get all the materials I need to complete the reshaping of the garden floor to better use the rainfall and make the garden paths easy to walk. I know that is off-topic. I just don't want to find another spot right now. Thanks for listening to my rambling. What I meant to say is that Fragrant Dream is a beauty. Eleven yours is certainly in great shape. Please let me know when your fragrant hosta come into bloom. A good number of mine are blooming now, and it is freaking me out....especially the ones with fasciated scapes, big leaves on the scapes. I have ONE seedpod (so far) on 24 Caret Gold with more flowers still to open. Fragrant Dream in late April 2014

Like the form of your War Paint/Niagara Falls NHL - it's also looking totally unblemished... great for this time of year. To answer your question, my plant hasn't altered that much since the beginning of the month - the first flush is still quite colourful whilst all new growth is solid green. I highly doubt that it's a sport. Originally purchased in late Sept. 2013, it arrived already green with no variegation. Equally, it had reverted to all green by August last year. So what's new this year? I'm not sure - maybe it has something to do with the abnormal weather patterns we've experienced. Anyhow, below are a couple of pictures taken today. Since I already have a Niagara Falls, I'd prefer the plant to maintain its variegation this late every year. Somehow, I don't think that will happen - shame! BC