Ditto! George, you and donnabaskets gave some great tips about digging the holes early. And here I was like a dope out digging in January, lol! Of course, I *had* the bulbs in October... I just never got around to planting them then. It's not like I knew I was going to get some late bulbs in. I just kept putting it off until it got too cold. Lucky for me we had some warm weather in January, and I decided to give it a shot! :) Dee

We who live in the 8-9 growing zones are pushing reality is it.....but when we do it with containers, we have a chance to hedge our bets. We can push the limit, by moving with the sun. It keeps me busy, of course. And when something looks really bad, I try to give it a more moderate location. But surprisingly enough, the ones I'm having the problems with are the ones with a lot of shade and not much sun. That was the case with the one hosta which succumbed to southern blight, my lovely The Razor's Edge. It grossed me out having to bag it and throw it into the kitchen garbage which is collected tomorrow. I picked it up like you would doggy poop in the city, and never touched the pot at all. And I'll throw in a picture of my area reserved for the plantaginea offspring. The space gets a good bit of morning sun, and then the long rays of the afternoon sun as well. I patrol the area because our lot is not laid out according to the cardinal directions, just a hair off. When the first day of autumn, about Sept 21, arrives, I always mark the shadow pattern, where the sun rises and sets, because that is the true east/west for my location. The hottest spot in my garden is along our northern privacy fence. That is for the summertime. In the wintertime, that area, which is about 22 feet wide, is in total shade. I could (and plan to) place some of my hosta (in containers) along that strip of land but against the foundation which is enclosed crawl space. My original thought of locating the dwarf or minis in a strip I call the "allee" (alley I guess) turns out to be too shady, too dry, and not enough air circulation. Where we need to avoid humidity and heat, we must have air circulation or the southern blight can find its way into my garden. I know that the original hosta that I bought were planted in mostly sun up in Massachusetts, zone 5b or now 6a. I did not see them blooming, but my DH sent pictures of the plantaginea, which started my obsession with fragrant hosta. Ken, you say to throw them on the driveway, and now you copping out as a "crazy man?" No way. I remember Bruce Banyai saying that he tried everything to get his Aphrodites to bloom, including scraping the roots. Which is just about the same as throwing them on the driveway, right? Or dragging them across rough cement? So I realize that I've babied my hosta way too much. And today at the hardware store they wanted to know what I was doing with all the mulch and I said HOSTA....every one of those ladies....there were four of them....were familiar with HOSTA. And I learned that the local big garden that is so popular, Bellingrath Gardens, has its CHRISTMAS open house and tour, and that featured in their GREENHOUSES, are BLOOMING HOSTA. I hope no one takes exception to my shouting, but it is worth getting excited about it. Guess that this Christmas I'll be headed to Bellingrath with my camera to document the event and share it. I'll also have to call the gardener there (the one who does the greenhouses anyway, they have so many)and see if they are the folks who ordered a lot of hosta from Naylor Creek last year. Gary said I was not the only Mobile buyer, which intrigues me. I'd love to find another hosta lover here in town. Wouldn't that be great!!! You might take it for granted that other folks grow hosta and you can chat over the back fence about them, but HA, not around here. I said my goal was not to create a display or tour garden, but for my friends, that may be what I have to do.....as well as giving away some hosta when I run out of room and cannot say no to a pretty plant! Here is some of my fragrant hosta where they get more morning sun. The nearest ones are not the fragrants, they are beyond the sasanqua out there closer to the 7' high chain link fence. Once my star jasmine fills in, no more chainlink showing....

I don't understand why the OP couldn't call her measurements in and mail a check. As you live an hour or so away, I don't think you need to volunteer to shop with her, etc. And you are NOT responsible for giving any parties -- not because you're busy (who isn't, after all?) but because NO ONE is ever required to give a shower or bachelorette party. Many brides seem to believe that a MOH has a "duty" to give a shower, but think about it: then you could never have a sister as a MOH, because immediate family members don't give showers, or someone who lives across the country, or a teenage cousin, etc. Giving a shower is a lovely and generous thing to do, but it is never a requirement. Participating in a wedding is always going to be SOME trouble and expense, though, and the OP knew that when she agreed, although the change in time frame has made it harder. But I would try hard not to drop out, although you might say something to the effect that you regret that the distance, your budget, and your schedule with your kidz makes it hard for you to do all the things you would like to do as MOH, and you'd understand if she wants to have you be a bridesmaid instead -- something like that. Would that feel right to you?

I hear you. I've been in similar situations. Although I completely agree that you don't have to go, if you're sure you don't want to, I know what you mean about it being hard to decline without fearing it will make you look stuck-up or judgmental. I'm not sure you can completely make it fine, but you can make it good enough, if you know what I mean. I agree: don't blame it on your husband. At most you can say, "Cuthbert and I have never been to Las Vegas, and we promised to go together the first time," although she might take that as sort of petty (if she even believes it!). I like Talley_sue's idea about money. That's the easiest way in and out of it, unless you think they will offer to treat you. But then you could just say you'd be uncomfortable with that. I think the key is to get past your decision not to come and on to "But you guys have a GREAT time!" as quickly as possible. If you have a suspicion that they are going to feel like you are being stuck-up or judgmental, consider sending flowers or a bottle of champagne to their suite as a surprise. Then you are definitely not being a killjoy.