Happy Birthday, Drema! Happy Birthday, Babs! Im running behind this am. I want to get crackin in the garden. So Ill catch up on the last couple posts later. Sue, thanks for the info on "Snow Fairy". I thot that was the case but didnt know. Hows the foster puppy doing? I cant imagine you being able to give him away after youve bonded and spent so much TLC on him. As for how I managed such unexpected plant combos, I moved almost everything in my garden last fall. Ive never divided or moved the bulbs in the back sine they were planted many yrs. ago. Many were so jam- packed that they had nowhere to grow but deeper in the soil. In some cases, some were as deep as 18-20" and I still missed some. As for the delphinium in the peony, I moved the delphinium and must have left a small piece and planted a peony on top of it. Deanne, youre my enabler, lol. Ive admired your Heliopsis Loraine Sunshine for years and never saw it at any of our nurseries here. I was going to get one by mail order this spring, so when I saw it at a nearby nursery, I just had to indulge. I cant wait to see how it does for me. And you know Ive been in love with Heuchera Peach Flambe since I saw a pic of it last year. It looks to be redder than Peach Melba so Im anxious to see how it does, too. Oh dear, that Ajuga is incredible! Yep, I have to have some of those, too! Re your question, Bullet has a hissy fit when Timmy visits. Timmy ignores Bullets "No other animals allowed" rule for our deck. So theres all manner of growling, hissing, spitting and batting the doorwall when Timmy visits. Timmy only wants to be friends. Marian, Im so glad youre feeling much better. I worry about you being so far out in the boonies. Do you have friends and neighbors to check on you? A gal from the senior center calls to check on my Mom every day. Do you have something similar thru your town or church. I hope so. Mary, hope your back is feeling better, too. Sheesh, back problems do seem to be the ailment of the season. Hi Cindy, Norma, Martie, Wendy, Eden and everyone else. And, Babs, I feel so badly for poor Ryan being afraid of storms. Honestly, Im a wreck during t-storms and tornado watches/warnings. Michelle, I cant imagine how bad that storm had to be to get hail thru the roof! OMG! We didnt have them where I grew up out east so they just terrify me. Its all I can do to keep from hiding under the bed with Bullet! Thanks for the encouragement re Toms job. I think this is going to be a long drawn out saga. Whats so scary is that so many folks are also looking for jobs now and there are fewer and fewer of them. About the deer, Ive decided not to let them dictate what I plant. Ruth and I spray monthly with Liquid Fence and the deer mostly leave us alone. Occasionally, one will take a bite or two and spit it out. Theyre pretty much trained now. And LF also deters wabbits and groundhogs. However, a the home show yesterday, we saw these really neat battery run unobtrusive posts that lure the deer in with a great smell and then shocks them when they touch it. See link below. Theyre powered by 2 AA batteries and are placed every 20 or so. I might try them. Later, friends. Honey

What you get from the big box stores won't be out of date, but it won't be the best seed, either. If you buy something like Pennington or Scott from the big box or the nursery, you'll probably be getting the same seed (although the nursery may take better care at keeping it temperature controlled). But to get the best seed, you'll need to get sod quality seed. For that, you may be able to get it at a nursery, or you may need to go online. If you've got KBG in most of your lawn and you seed one patch with fescue, it may stick out like a sore thumb. You may get the same thing if you seed it with elite KBG, too. Before overseeding, you may want to see if it snaps back once it cools down. KBG can go dormant for extended periods without dying. In fact, in some ways, it handles drought better than tall fescue. Tall fescue will stay green longer than KBG, but if it goes dormant, it's a short hop from dormant to dead. KBG goes dormant faster, but is more likely to snap back even if it is dormant for a long time. Another thing to consider is that if a small patch of KBG dies, it will fill in from the surrounding grass. If a small patch of tall fescue dies, it will stay bare dirt until some other seed sprouts (if you overseed it will be the grass you want, otherwise, it will be crabgrass, dandelions, plaintain, etc).

Check for dealers that stock Helleborus x ericsmithii. Sunmarble is a local name given to that species by Sunshine Farms. There are also several cultivars available, including one's named: 'Pink Beauty' and 'Silver Moon'. Check with your local nurseries and box stores. Several GW members have reported finding them locally and at a lower price than mail order. If you are primarily interested in the silver patterned foliage, might also look for Helleborus 'Ivory Prince' and some cultivars of Helleborus x sternii. Rb

Same experience as Nan's. Variegated (yellow splashed) died after the first winter, though it was abnormal year (remember sudden drop from 40's to 10's in a January'04?) But...against all odds someone in our town planted 15' long hedge of it(variegated) in a year around (!!!) full sun (!!!) and while from time to time I see holes in that hedge after the winter, by the end of the summer it's again full and lucsious again. Talking about 'against all odds', the one and only constantly blooming Hydrangea villosa aspera in my area had been planted in Westerly exposure, while all other villosas (protected or not) blooms only 1 year out of 3 and never could attain the size they suppose to be without diebacks. 'Wrong' H.villosa (7'+ tall)