Karen, I wish my Verbena Bonariensis would reseed more! I got this plant from a neighbour's beach one day. Small little thing was having a hard time growing and the neighbour said to take it. It had just shown up, probably sown by the birds. It's not offered locally here in the nurseries and I've had it in the garden for 5 years now not knowing what it was. When placing a seed order this winter, I happened upon it!! The footing is now two feet wide, and in the five years there have only been two re-seeders in the gardens. Carrie, Both Heliopsis which I have will bloom in their first year and in the second year will be a sizable plant. I just found two good sized (obviously second year) young plants today of the Lorraine Sunshine. Trying to keep them somewhat separate from the Summer Sun.

Jen and Tally: I think we were all typing at once! Sorry I missed you two...Tally, I don't even like 55 in January, but yeah, it's worse when the calendar says next week is April and our trees are trying to wake up! I love your idea of beautifying your street with "spare" plumies :) what a good neighbor you are! Who needs tomatoes? Well...I do love me a home-grown beefsteak...but as between tomatoes and plumeria, there's no doubt which wins LOL Once I need the space, those tomatoes will have to go. Jen: happy for you for your Waimea "score"! It's definitely one of the best. Kona Candy is pretty fab, too. In answer to your question: last year, a single inflo on my KC bloomed for six months straight. This year, in January, when all were sleeping, KC pushed this inflo and never slowed down; AND there's a new inflo on one of the other tips. So I answer an emphatic "YES INDEED!!" Smart cookie indeed, too! ;-) Yes, that is my evil plan: lease community garden space at rock-bottom prices so that I can continue my unchecked, fever-pitch purchasing of "must-haves" hahahahahahaha as I've said to you in the past: touché! 10x mag and flashlight, crazy? Not on MY planet, at least LOL I bought a headlamp and wear it as I search for new inflos nightly (just when I think I've learned to recognize the appearance of a just-formed inflo, these trees jerk me around!). The neighbors all think I'm a total freak hahaha which leads me to... Emily! Be proud of your obsess... er, I mean, "hobby." LOL Yes, mere mortals may think us strange, but what do they know?? I think there might be a grain of truth in what you said about my driving up demand ;-) I keep waiting for my OWN stock price to go up LOL but so far, nada. Thanks for the compliments, all! Looking forward to lots of photos in the months ahead! G

Kuddos to you in your generosity, m'friend! Tell ya what bro, it doesn't stop there. For the past many moons, we've been taking some of the surplus of our harvest up to the retirement village where my stepsons grandma has been residing. Unfortunately we lost her right before this Christmas past. Recently, a couple of the staff have contacted me via e-mail, and phone, to let me know that some of the other residents have all ready been inquiring as to whethat or not we would still be comin around to visit, and I assured them that we would indeed be coming around with gifts aplenty this year, the same as before! It made my oldest boy well up (and his old man as well, truth be told!) We gardeners sometimes don't realize how much we have been blessed, do we?

Just washing my fabrics for I spy swaps partially stopped up my sewer line. When the DH ran the snake through the line, he said it looks like "mop strings". Since I am dealing with larger pieces, I bought some lingerie bags to help with that problem. I'm not sure it would help with the finer fraying of a rag quilt. You might put a drawstring in an old pillowcase which would be much like Wanda's cotton bag. bk