They are not overly problematic for me with powdery mildew - we have had a horrid hot, humid, rainy year and so far they look great. I really should get out and spray them once to keep them that way. I have planted numerous ones around my gardens but these are my absolute favorite. There is something about the casual-ness of the cactus blooms that sings to my soul. I like dahlias in this form better than the formal decoratives, too. I think it is Park that sells all the individual color packets of the large ones but they aren't cactus. I'll have to see if anybody sells the cactus in individual colors. I actually love them all - there are a lot of orange in this group, further down there is another big patch that is dominated with pink and white. And there's a few yellow in there someplace. Next year I am growing more of them. :)

I have an Exopat mat that I bought on Amazon several years ago. It's made in France, too. I've always meant to get another, but somehow never get around to it. I like parchment, too - will have to see if they sell the sheets at Costco, as there is no restaurant supply near me. I usually buy mine at AC Moore with a 40% or 50% off coupon. They have all that Wilton stuff and it's about the same price as the supermarket to begin with.

This is a combination of a couple of recipes: Gazpacho 2 C. finely chopped peeled plum tomatoes (I blanch them for a minute or two) 1/2 C finely chopped green pepper 1/2 C finely chopped yellow pepper 1/4 C finely chopped flat leaf parsley 2 cloves garlic mashed with kosher salt 1/2 C. red onion finely chopped 4 T. olive oil 2 T. worcestershire sauce 1 T. snipped chives 1 C. finely chopped cucumber 1/2 tsp. black pepper Juice from 1/2 lime 4 T. red wine vinegar 2 1/2 C tomato juice (or V-8) 1 1/2 C. Mr.and Mrs. T's bold and spicy bloody Mary mix Tabasco sauce to taste (opt.) Mix in large bowl. Cover and chill overnight. ( I doubled the recipe so I'd have lots...great snack)

If you love your PC you might want to try my favorite recipe. German Potato Salad (pressure cooker) 6 slices bacon, diced 1/8 tsp. pepper 4 medium potatoes, diced 1 tsp. dry mustard 1 onion, thinly sliced 2 TBL. Water 2 to 3 TBL. Sugar 2 TBL. Parsley 2 TBL. Salt 1/3 cup vinegar Heat pressure cooker and brown bacon, pour off fat. Add potato and onion. Combine remaining ingredients and pour into cooker. Mix well. Cook for 5 minutes in pressure cooker and cool cooker at once. (I all ways double recipe) Enjoy! Kathy G in MI