I was hoping I didn't come across as some smug jerk. Happy to see everyone has a good sense of humor. ngraham - I'm not saying a word. I certainly wouldn't say: I TOLD YOU SO!! (snicker, snicker) What you described is exactly what I usually go through most years and I really wanted to avoid it this year. In addition, when that plant flops, it shades it's neighbors too much which becomes a huge problem. gardenweed - Isn't it nice? I don't support my peonies because that's a job I really hate. Instead I make sure to pick everything in bloom if it's going to rain hard. It's a great excuse to have the flowers inside where I almost get high on the fragrance. I look forward to this every year. prairiemoon - I completely agree. We are weeks and weeks ahead this year. I kind of wonder what that will do to the rest of the summer and fall season? Yesterday was one of those almost perfect gardening days. It was hot, but I still managed to get everything done I wanted to. When the rain finally came last night, it came in buckets and the iris and baptisia are still very upright this morning. Kevin

I love the title/theme/idea of this thread. That is exactly what I think as I walk through the garden. One of my new roses bloomed for the first time this year, beautiful bush shape and lovely fragrant blooms . . . BUT it is not the rose I ordered. I wanted a dark colour for my dark garden and this is light pink. The verbascum nigra that I wintersowed and I thought died last year is absolutely huge, healthy and just starting to open it's flowers . . . BUT it looks like it is going to bloom white which means it is not nigra but another variety. The white Liatris that I thought died last year right after I planted it seems to have made a comeback . . . BUT the beautiful pink lupines that I posted photos of have been attacked by the worst aphid infestation I've ever seen in the space of several days and look like they might not make it through the rest of summer. The sunflowers that reseeded and that I planted look straight and healthy . . . BUT most of the ones that were supposed to be dwarf or mini clearly aren't and are almost as tall as I am right near the front of the border! The daylilies look like they're starting to form flower buds which is very exciting, as I love the daylily show . . . BUT I'm disappointed by my lillies which are barely 6 inches tall right now. Everyone else has tall lillies that are either beginning to bloom or putting up flower buds at least. Wondering why mine are so behind the times :) And we've gotten huge amounts of rain so far, which the roses seem to revel in . . . BUT I think it has drowned about half of my small tomato and pepper plants that I start indoors and planted out at the end of May. They were still fairly small when our "rainy season" began, and at least half have succumbed.

Hi Sharon, Just wanted to add another welcome to New England. My mom lived in Peabody until last year, and I used to live in Peabody, but that was another lifetime ago. It's a nice town. Now I live a little further south and west of you. You will get snow. My mom always used to get snow whenever we did, just a little less, because of your proximity to the coast. I grew up here, but I did buy the Northeast Gardening book by Sunset. I guess it's an ok book, I don't know why I bought it. A compulsion to buy books, I guess. :-) There is nothing like actual experience, and I have gardened and lived here all my life, so I can't really say if the info in there will be useful to someone from Calif. But just wanted to let you know that there is a Sunset gardening book for the Northeast, and it's a big thick book. Besides all the other stuff people have mentioned, I would recommend that you get a good book about New England wildflowers, if that interests you. (I have one, but unfortunately I can't put my hands on it right this second, so I can't tell you the title, but I'll keep looking for it) There are a lot of wildflowers and spring ephemerals that show up briefly in the spring along with the early bulbs that help make spring a joy after all the cold and snow. You don't want to pull one thinking it's a weed. Some ARE weeds, but others like bloodroot and jack-in-the-pulpit, are great to have. If I were you I would wait to order bulbs and see what you may already have in the spring. All the foliage from daffs and tulips and crocuses has died back, so like others have said, you may not know what else you have. Oh BTW, the fall foliage is a real treat. Just wait a few weeks. You don't have to go anywhere special to see it. Just drive or walk anywhere and you will see some gorgeous fall colors. Keep coming here to GW too, it will keep you sane in the winter. Alison

Try to get Karen Platt's book called 'Black Magic & Purple Passion'. It is full of awesome photos and descriptions of divine black or almost black plants. Daylilies, iris and asiastic lilies are supposed to be able to withstand neglect and the daylilies and iris in particular have many gorgeous black beauties! Stay away from poison ivy - that's one really great thing about living in northern Alberta - no poison ivy and the other is no snakes! I don't have a guillotine but I am getting my husband to weld me up a gothic arbor seat out of antique harrows. Our terraced gardens, patio etc. have to be cattle and horse proof as we use those critters to 'mow what lawn' there is - I'm probably the only gardener with an electric fence neatly attached to my log home, patio and terraced gardens with horsehead shaped plastic insulators! And believe it or not even the critters are fascinated by my stainless steel gazing ball in it iron stand - just another neat 'Goth' touch in the 'Goth' or black terraced garden. I have a 'Moon' or terraced White Garden complete with feature rocks from the ranch and a mugo pine. The last terraced garden is my 'Pink Garden'. Our terraced gardens are made from recycled railway ties and we built our own home out of logs. Our north entrance is finished with recycled pebble cement and smooth river rock is being used in hilly areas to make dry stream beds. All I need is some Round-Up on those rocks placed over heavy plastic and I'm set to go. I do have some features set in or on the river rock (a huge rusty iron gravel grate and a rusty old gear from a large piece of equipment.) Smaller pebble gravel will be used for the pathways and where we park the vehicles - but no worries - along the north veranda we'll also have a horse tying rail just like in the westerns. We farm so we don't have a lot of extra cash thus we are using unique iems and/or stone found on the ranch. This is keeping our costs to a minimim. I can' wait until next year to see thos terraced gardens as I've planted tulips, iris, crocus, daylilies, asiastic lilies, and few other perennials. I've purchased poppy, hollyhock and a few other intriquing perennial seeds to start this spring for top off each garden.