I don't listen to music when I'm outside except if I'm on a walk or in my car. I got in a complete rut listening to practically nothing but violin music for 20 years, but then I rediscovered other of my roots and got back into stuff like Tom Petty, Beatles, Stones, Joan Baez and others. I hear lots of kinds of music at my house because my husband is a big collector of vinyl records and it is going on all the time in our bedroom. He loves all sorts but especially old jazz, r&B and big band. Melissa, your comment about being laughed at reminds me a bit of Simon Cowell on American Idol. I like the guy ok but I really think he goes too far when he tells some people they shouldn't even be singing in the shower. I bet he sticks to that rule and is mute himself. Too bad. Oh, I do listen to music outside when my neighbors are performing it. There's a guy. He used to sit outside by himself all day long every day doing nothing I mean nothing, just sitting. Meditating? Then he started getting visitors. Sometimes they sing. It's great..makes me want to go on over. Also another neighbor is a fairly well known bluegrass mandolin and fiddle player who plays outdoors sometimes. Also I have to listen to people turn their bass up in their cars. Linda

The company replied, and told me that if I researched Ryusens, the characteristics would all be the same = same cultivar even if not same clone. Unless they thought Joe Public wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the two anyway, and since information on 'Eric's Weeping' was scarce descriptions of the other would do. Yes: it's not unusual for wholesale growers to have "their own introductions" that look a lot like existing, familiar varieties with different naming. For instance I've had a grower representative in my area use the same phrasing to characterize a conifer that had their own naming on it as was used about the 'Eric's Weeping'. That is that it had the same features as another, widely sold kind. As with the response about the 'Eric's Weeping' it wasn't an explicit admission that they had put their own name on an established variety, but... I've also had a grower here explain an unfamiliar variety name for a flowering tree they were offering by saying that it consisted of propagations of unlabeled specimens that were already on the property when they bought it. That they had actually assumed that this existing planting was the same kind as a variety they knew in the old country. But had gone ahead and made up a new name for their own sales here in the US. The way they came right out with this story made me think such looseness with cultivar names was thought to be standard operating procedure in the industry. There certainly are cultivars that have acquired multiple synonyms over time, same as with various wild species plants.

I'm saddened to hear of Papou's passing, but so happy to hear he was at home surrounded with Love from his family and friends. I will always remember his quick responses to me a few years ago (as a beginning Hosta collector) and his willingness to share great ideas and tips. He gave much to the Hosta gardening community. May God keep his family in His loving embrace during this time of grief. I rejoice in knowing he is in a Garden of Eternal Life now. Julie

We continue with our walk along the woodland trails which open to beautiful spaces like this ... There are many interesting individual plants like this variegated agave that Eric has collected, but my focus today was mainly on the overall landscape ... If I'm not mistaken Eric told me on my first visit that he had a load of holey rocks dumped in this spot which created a raised and well drained area and then planted some of his plant collection among them. Have you ever wondered why they call a boxwood a BOXwood? Maybe because it grows naturally in a box like form. Eric has never pruned these two boxwoods. They look like boxes from every angle ... We approach the back patio ... ... with a magnificent palm; just one among many varieties of palms that flourish in Eric's garden ... Eric laid the patio with what is called 'ripple stone' which is quarried from a site near Boerne as well as other areas, and is essentially fossilized beach sand from the time when shallow seas covered much of Texas a 100 to a 150 million years ago. He cut and fit each piece by hand ... A closer look at the stone. Maybe we'd find tiny dinosaur tracks or bones of little fishes in there somewhere if we just looked hard enough ... A glimpse of a small part of the plant lined running 'creek' built by Eric. It runs into a large pond which I somehow managed to miss taking photos of ... We end with this treasure of a huge and very ancient live oak. Wouldn't you love to camp under this tree and/or climb it? ... There are many, many more photos just waiting to be taken. Maybe you can take them yourself as Eric plans to have an open garden after the SPRING San Antonio swap. We had planned for it this fall, but unfortunately there is a conflict of dates. He says it will be better in the spring anyway. We'll take it anytime we can get it ... :-) Thank you Eric and Dave for a wonderful tour of your garden on this relatively cool morning. How lovely, lovely, lovely it is -- in every way.