Kate: In winter when we do this alphabet listing I always wonder why I didn't get more pictures of such and such. The reality of bloom season is somewhat romanticized and the realities ignored. Like the constant wind, the rain, the hot sun, the other time consuming chores that also have to be done before picture taking can commence. So it was with Wayah Valley last season. I managed to get one good picture of it which I showed under Debra's red daylily header. I had two pots of it and lost one to the arctic blast of Feb. 2021, and now I'm hoping the other pot will survive this Februarys cold bout of arctic freezes. How has your weather been this winter? Any serious cold snaps that worried you? Oh and yes, here is a repeat of Wayah Valley Pic. It's such a good one. It's one I always recommend Wayah Valley: Maryl

I agree with Brad. You have quite the selection of lavenders. I envy all those people who get lavender not mauve. Don't get me wrong, I like my mauves, but would also like a little variation............ Christopher Hitchens is one that draws my attention. Don't see that working in my garden though. I also like the pattern on Contributing Editor as well as the color. Really, all of them look lovely so hard to single out only a few................Maryl

Quite a clump of Heavenly Christmas Cactus! Does yours get the doubling that Gossard talks about? (Maybe not a positive.) The Deadliest Catch seedling looks impressive. I added a couple of Hensley reds after Maryl's enthusiasm. Fear Not has bloomed on short scapes some years. I deleted Fire on the Mountain because of its growth habit (blooms just above the foliage and a space hog), but it is a big brilliant red. Cliffjumper attracts attention. I hear it is a moderate increaser. Cherokee Star certainly deserves its prominence in this post. Harper's Bazaar was not good this year (poor bloom and splotchy). Might be a site problem. Debra, are any of your red seedlings on the path to introduction? Richard Norris always said that good reds were difficult to hybridize (adding ruffles or different shades or edges). They seem to lose their marketplace value sooner than many colors (though not yellow). Stone Palace Swagger (deep burgundy). I am wondering if it will have good plant habit. I am trying a couple of Evick's. Red Headed Hussy has great vigor and prominence in the garden. Vision of Things to Come --good grower Larry's Twilight Bite --good height. Favorite toothy here. Velvet Hammer --a star in the garden this past year, but this was a year with little splotchiness. Vying for best edged red, though not a brilliant red. Geneva Firetruck --I like this vigorous one. Cherokee Star Daniel Howard Norris --a year after division. Dips tend to have low scape to fan ratios. Ruby Grandeur --a later blooming Norris Jelly Roll Morton --it has to fit somewhere Dragon King --great year Dark Gethsemane --to me a red, though purplish tones very early. Tall and vigorous Goldner's Red Velvet seedling --some double scaping this year. Holds brilliant color. A later one. Thick, velvety texture. Dixieland Band --a later delight Mama Drama the old When I Dream Arrogant Bastard has never gotten the height at Crintonic Rogue Primate is such a dominant bully I had to move it. Vivid and floriferous Atomic Inferno Omega Red Hooked on You --low this year. Future? Court Troubadour. I like this oldie Playing with Crayons Man Eater --looks very promising Garry Bewcyk --quite clean this year. Difficult to capture its dark color, especially in a sunny summer. Clash of Absolutes. Smoldering color, but sprawling plant habit. mitch lynd --hard to capture its darkness

Ethel Buccola here is a tale of tenderness, but not the usual one that northern gardeners envision. When I first got it from Maryott's years ago, I was delighted. It bloomed at decent height with good bud count. That continued for about three years. And then downhill for three years. Oh, it continued to multiply, but blooming was greatly reduced and scapes generally short. I was embarrassed that I had touted it as a northern hardy plant. I bid adieu. Perhaps it would have returned to previous floriferousness, but I doubt it. Ethel is a reminder that tenderness is not just a dead plant after a winter, or immediate lack of vigor. A reminder that vigor and hardiness need to be measured over several years, as well as a reminder that multiplication does not mean that the cultivar is suited for an area. I like the color of Mr. Skeffington. I never know which of the Owens will look good here. I like the midrib on Acclaim. Marlee Jane is such a beautiful color; I wish that Waldrops were more reliable here. Coral Corduroy looks like a good pot plant at 22 inches. Safe Island is an earlier bloomer that I like a lot. Good scape height. A Kirchhoff. Cancun Candy is also a favorite. Large flower combining a delicious blending of hues. Riot Act looked good this year. I am hoping that this year will not prove to have been unusual. Pictures tend to enhance its vibrance a bit, but it had good size this year and was vigorous. Mai Tai had sort of an off year, with not as many blooms. It is not a fast multiplier. Tahitian Waterfall is an alluring color. Tropical Fruit Fight seems to me to be the best in these Hanson colors. Better height than the next two. Rainbow Mesa Papaya Gumdrop Bass Gibson didn't have the best of years, but always attracts attention. A bit shorter than desired and blooms of uneven quality. Miss Money Penney certainly fits this category. Typical lanky Hansen scape. Big Bang Theory. Big flower. Limited bud count. Butter Pecan is best with a little shade in afternoon. That can be said of many. The Food Channel has a striking eyezone and elaborate color. Belief in Vein is a bit too upfacing for me. I wouldn't want to fall off this railing trying to take a picture. Curtis Montgomery took a long time to establish, and I thought I had lost it the first few years, but it has shown fairly well the last couple of years. The Zone 5 winter with snow cover may have helped. Nice pencil eye. How else would one describe this unusual coloration? I see that I have another picture with better opening. Around 5 inches. Modest bud count. Cantaloupe Souffle. In the ground now, but I doubt this evergreen will prove hardy. Too bad that more of Floyd's (Boatwright) are not dormant.