Denny, I'm curious as to how this list was created? Are these the ONLY plants being nominated for 2012? It seems like a bit of an odd group of plants to me. Yes, there are some good ones there, but I can think of quite a few others that I would have put on a preliminary listing. Also, I don't personally think a patented plant should be Hosta of the Year (I won't go into my reasons here as it is already a bit of a volatile thread). Here are my opinions on the plants listed here, and the 3 I would pick. Aardvark - I'm not familiar with this one, have never seen it for sale nor seen it in a garden. To me it doesn't come close to passing the "10 foot rule", so I probably wouldn't add it to my own collection. Alex Summers - A fantastic plant and one of my favorites. I think it grows well for just about everyone. Does it really sell for around $15 now? Atlantis - I would rule this one out as it is a patented plant. Blue Hawaii - Another great plant, though I'm not sure how well it would grow or perform in the South. Any data there? Blue Mammoth - Too cheap, too old, too common. Cameo - Cute, pretty good grower, but some people have trouble with the minis and some might have trouble tending to this one. Deep Blue Sea - Yet another nice plant that I recommend. Again, I think the price is less than $15 these days. Fantasy Island - For a small, white centered plant it grows very well, and I love the flowers and scapes on this one as well. Does it grow well all over the country? Maybe. Gentle Giant - Again, I'm not at all familiar with this one. From the info I've gathered this is probably not anything all that unique from many other plants. Ginsu Knife - A good grower with good edges, but probably not for everyone. I grow this one really well, but have a hard time selling it for some reason. Should it be in everyone's collection? I'm not really sure... Guardian Angel - A great plant in the North, but doesn't have the same attraction in the South. Because of this extreme regional variation I would rule this one out immediately. Indigo - Yet another I'm unfamiliar with. It looks like a nice blue, though I think there are other blue plants with even more to offer. Journey's End - A great plant, but I would rule it out once again because it is patented. Leading Lady - A nice older plant. I grew and sold this one years ago but it was a slow seller, even with very mature plants. It is nice, but not particularly a standout until it is very, very mature. Then, it almost looks like Sagae, which is already a HOTY. Liberty - Yet another patented plant. Mango Tango - Patented, and has it really proven garden worthy and reliable in all regions? Give this one some more time. Marilyn Monroe - Now here is a blue plant with some character. Love the foliage, ripples, and flowers. Millennium - A great growing plant with some nice architecture. Might be too large for some people, too plain for others, but I do recommend this one. Nate The Great - How did this one get on this list? I've not grown it, doesn't really look like something I would need. Orange Marmalade - A patented plant, and it doesn't grow that well for everyone, including myself. Pandora's Box - See my notes on Cameo. Not for everyone, and doesn't always grow well for everyone. Rainforest Sunrise - Very nice plant that I do recommend highly. Stitch In Time - Patented. An interesting collectors item, but not the best garden plant. This one is definitely not for everyone, and is way too expensive to be the HOTY. Sum Of All - Not bad, though I like Winter Snow better as one of the better Sum and Substance sports. Titanic - Patented plant, and essentially the exact same sport as Sum of All. Touch Of Class - A fantastic plant, though it is patented. Victory - A nice big, architectural plant, though I'm not sure it is for everyone. War Paint - Pretty in the spring but only holds its color in some climates. Here in Michigan I am lucky if the light colored center lasts 2 weeks, let alone a few days after it emerges. Because of this vast regional difference I would not include it. Whirlwind - This one is already quite common so I would probably rule it out for that reason. After ruling out many plants on this list I come up with 6 candidates: Alex Summers Blue Hawaii Deep Blue Sea Fantasy Island Marilyn Monroe Rainforest Sunrise Well, from those my absolute favorites are Alex Summers, Fantasy Island, Marilyn Monroe, and Rainforest Sunrise. Looking back at the previous winners of the HOTY there are too many yellow with a green margin plants, so I would take out Rainforest Sunrise for now, for that reason. That leaves me with these three: Alex Summers Fantasy Island Marilyn Monroe Will be curious to see the final result! Chris

I thought Angelina looked thinner than normal. I couldn't believe how thin and unheallthy her arms were. Her unnatural pose with the exposed leg was a little odd during her presentation. Not sure how funny she thought it was when the winners she announced mimicked her pose. Meryl Streep looked like an oscar in her gold dress which turned out to be very appropriate. I noticed there was a lot less jewelry worn. All in all I thought everyone looked great. I give Billy Crystal an A++++ as Oscar host, he nailed it yet again!

I finished All the Broken Places by John Boyne. He is one of my favorite authors but this one was a miss for me. It was very readable in that I buzzed through it quickly. Unfortunately I had to suspend disbelief time after time. It also lacked the character development and brilliant storytelling I have loved in his previous novels. It had some interesting themes about grief, complicity, redemption but I did not find them to be adequately addressed. I haven't started a new "physical" book yet, but today while on a short road trip, I started listening to The Forever Witness by Edward Humes. It's nonfiction, about how a 30 year old cold case about two young Canadians murdered in Wash State is one of the first (or maybe the first case ever?) solved using DNA/geneology back when 23&Me, etc first came onto the market. It's quite interesting! I didn't want to arrive home as I was engrossed in the story and still only halfway through.

Rosefolly - thanks for posting this list. I'm always interested in your Hugo award postings. So far, I've read only one of the nominees - the Emily Tesh one and it certainly deserves the nomination. It was one of my 'best-of' from last year's reads.