I know exactly what you're going through. I moved at the end of June last year and the grieving process was started by me being unable participate or even to look at these forums, or buy any gardening mags and flip through them. The thought of leaving my 5 year old garden which I'd created from nothing - was unbearable. I'd read many tear-jerking posts here about the subject, so I knew what feelings to expect but it was still very hard. A member of my family moved into my old home and I thought it would be easier but its almost worse. My husband doesnt know why I can't go back there maybe couple of times in the summer and "fix it up a bit" LOL. The new owner said she couldn't wait to add to it and put her own touches in it, but I can see that she's not really interested, and by September last year it was so weedy and overgrown that I suddenly found it easy to say my private goodbyes and move on. So I concentrated all my efforts on looking ahead and transforming this place. It's 3 times bigger than the old one, and is much much emptier, so here I go with a soccer field again. Just a bigger one. There are some perennials here but its weird... I still don't feel much of a connection to them. Almost like someone else's kids were dropped off at my house. So from June to frost last year I begrudgingly tended to the odd combinations of yarrow and lenten rose... of ditch lilies and clematis... swore at the huge patches of mint and wild violets, swore louder at the price of plants down here (how does 3 x sound?), and looked for some strapping young men to dig a few new garden beds for me. One of them looks a bit like a burial mound so I'll be re-shaping that as soon as the ground thaws. There is no connection between anything in my yard yet, so I will enjoy working on that this year. I really need to keep looking ahead, instead of mourning for the past non-gardening year. Threedogsmom is absolutely right - don't look back. A very dear friend told me this last year -- your garden is a reflection of you, your artistic expression and your beauty. Without you, it has neither of those things.

That is a really funny story, northspruce! I've had the same kind of luck with any daylilies that I buy from local greenhouses or big box stores. I have all these NOID's, and I don't have room for both them, and the ones I wanted in the first place!! And to make it all worse, I can't bear to just toss a perfectly healthy plant, even if I don't really care for it's bloom! Gah. I try to give them away if it'll make someone else happy. I guess that is one justification for spending the extra money to mail order: you will be guaranteed you get the right plant - if you don't, they'll have to send you the right one!

I find that each years color is slightly different and most of the cause is weather and growing conditions. Festiva Maxima is supposed to be white with flecks of red. Sometimes the flecks are large sometimes very small. I did receive confirmation at this years APS meeting that whites tend to have a pinkish cast when the weather is cool. One of the growers from the west coast could not show very many whites because many that they brought were pink rather than bright white. Peonies can cross pollenate but it takes 3 to 7 years for a plant to grow from seed to blooming size. Some take even longer to obtain mature flowers and plant structure.

Hi Amazin , sorry I'm new at this web stuff ( mostly just a lurker) and couldn't find were I wrote to you the 1st time ... me feel so dumb with this puter stuff... but yes I have 9 begonias and 6 are from Logee's, some are named and other are ( pass a along's ) ..... Named ones= Begonia " Richardsiana" B." Snow Capped " B. "Tea Rose" B. "Hot Tamale" B. "Good and Plenty " B, "Tiny Gem " B. " Silver Queen " The Richardsiana has in pass week took a big flop , and so not sure whats up with it , taken it back into house , hope it was just heat stroking from 100 + daze we have been in for pass couple of weeks here in nastyville , so not sure about it. Two other's unknown named ones but pretty just the same and last one I think mite be B. " Sophia Cecile " not sure. I see you have " My Special Angel " have been looking at it in the catalogs . sorry I'm so long winded.... but sure there must be something in your long list that we can work with . P.s. I wont make it to any plant swap so..... not sure how we would do this if we've a mind to ???? But thanks for your time and effort if thats the only way .