Another One Falls To Father Time...

Didn't i just write a New Year's post? Wasn't that about 6 months ago? Arrgh, it's rough gettin' old! But there it is. And once again, i have high hopes for the next 12 months for all of us....here's hoping 2011's a great year!

Adaptable Animals

We humans are extremely adaptable creatures. We must be - how else could we go from a sunny 70 degree (F) day to a drop in 40 degrees 12 hours later with no repercussions (except lots of complaining)? Today isn't exactly one of those days, but it IS going from a 42 degree day that was sunny and felt like early Spring, into rain tonight, snow tomorrow, and temps going 25 degrees BELOW freezing in the next couple of days! How any plants (OR animals) (or my FISH!) can live out there through weather like THAT amazes me!

i remember a year (quite a long time ago) when we had a whole WEEK of 70 degree weather in March, long enough to become complacent and believe that winter was completely gone, until Mother Nature let out a "Mwuaa haaHAAHAA!" and dumped a FOOT of snow on us!

And really, around here that's not very unexpected, but i also heard that it's going that cold in the Carolinas and maybe even further South - and that just ain't right! And i remember that the Floridians (of whom i hope to be counted amongst someday) were treated just last year to a very cold winter - i really hope they don't get that same blessing THIS year!

i'm always threatening to move to a warmer climate if anything ever happens to DH (though i hope nothing ever does!), but then i wonder - would i really appreciate the Spring as much as i always have if the seasons didn't change as much?.............. HA! Try me!

Angst Laden Thoughts of Winter

i hate waking up on Mondays this time of year! First of all, i DO tell myself-"You're lucky to be alive and healthy at your age - get up and appreciate it!" But when it's 6 AM, dark, cold, flanked by a warm, purring feline on one side, and a husband (who doesn't have to wake up for another hour and a half) on the other side, it's difficult! AND i'm going to work - on days in which i could do whatever i felt like doing, my attitude would be very different!

Anyway, we had a long, warm Autumn this year - it's only been really cold the last two weeks, but i got complacent in that stretch of nice weather, and so was STILL surprised by the onset of the sub freezing temperatures. i was really upset when i realized i hadn't yet covered my Palm tree!

It's a hardy Palm, which means barely hardy in my zone 5b, so she's got to be babied. Been thru 2 of our winters so far with no damage - in a protected area facing South under a large styrofoam cone, of course!  (We gardeners like to beat the odds ;-) ) Fortunately, the Palm still looked pretty nice and is now tucked in for the season.

Then i noticed my poor little homemade rain chain - coated with ice and getting heavy (it's made from aluminum armature wire - looks good, but ice will bend/twist it all to hell!). i thought it would warm up in the sun and thaw, but not that material, - and not in 30 degree (F) temps!

So i carefully took it down and moved it into our garage attached to the house till it thaws out!

 

...And just got the watergarden half heartedly cleaned out and the deicer floated in it "just in case"- except "in case" is here already! Managed to break a hole in the ice layer for several days so the deicer didn't have to run, but it quickly became too thick for that. Most pond enthusiasts will tell you to never beat on the ice to break it, because the shock waves will hurt or kill the fish. i would imagine that is correct, if the ice is thick and you're trying to break it with a hammer or pickaxe, but i only do it when the ice layer is thin and i can break thru it with a piece of pipe or rebar (punch thru it in a circle like a perforation and tap it ). i have done that for years and never harmed the fish - although i do see them get startled once in a while!

Oh, yeah, and i now have a rain barrel in my Florida room! (you don't even wanna know....)

Dr. Bronner's - A Good Thing (?)

i used to hang out at health food stores a while back, during the "low carb" craze.

(i am, in case you haven't heard before, one of those "low carbers" - lost a lot of weight with that lifestyle, and i still contend that i would be either sick or dead if i hadn't! i still follow much of what i learned from Dr. Atkins, and feel that is why i'm so healthy now! So DON'T diss Dr. Atkins!)

Anyway, since low carb is so out of fashion now, and the health food stores do not carry low carb foods, AND their people all spread the tale that low carb will KILL you, i pretty much boycott those places these days. But before that happened, i discovered a few items i really liked, one of which is Dr. Bronner's Magic All-One Pure Castile Soap! Now, i know what you're thinking - that this stuff looks like "Snake Oil"! Well, if you read the whole label on the bottle (which has to contain the most words on a soap label you will ever find...) you'll believe it even more, but, really, it's great stuff! In fact, maybe you should try it BEFORE you read the label! Here's a sample of a very small excerpt off the side of the bottle - you ready? This is word for word straight off the label.

 "DILUTE- ENJOY 1 SOAP FOR 18 DIFFERENT USES! GUARANTEED NO SYNTHETIC PEPPERMINT OILS & 100% VEGETARIAN.

(which is nice to know if i ever want to drink it! - n)

SUPER MILD CASTILE HAS OUTSTANDING WATER SOFTENING & CLEANSING POWERS. PREFERABLE TO HARSH SOAP & DEFATTENING SYNTHETICS. IT DOES NOT CUT DIRT, BUT DISSOLVES IT. IT IS THE MILDEST, MOST PLEASANT SOAP YOU EVER USED OR MONEY BACK! ENJOY BODY RUB TO STIMULATE BODY-MIND-SOUL-SPIRIT AND TEACH THE ESSENE MORAL ABC UNITING ALL FREE IN THE SHEPHERD-ASTRONOMER ISRAEL'S GREATEST ALL-ONE-GOD-FAITH!"

Um, see what i mean? It's like it made sense until it all seems to fall apart into insane babbling right around the "body rub" part!

It IS fun to read, though! They must have reprinted everything off the first, circa 1948 homemade labels! He goes on to mention and/or quote Shakespeare, Mohammed, Einstein, some Rabbi,...and Jesus! Enough about that. Get a bottle and read it for yourself (I myself need a magnifier for a lot of it!). You can also print the labels in a PDF format from their website. The man definitely believed in SOMETHING he wanted to share with everyone, just not sure what in the hell that something was....

...the good doctor himself

At the time i first found it, the store had Peppermint, Eucalyptus, and Almond scents. Well, i can smell the Castile scent fairly strong in it, and i didn't think the latter two blended very well with that! So i have always used the Peppermint, which also is odd but pleasant smelling. It's also very "menthol-ly" on your skin, so it's really great in hot weather, but i don't use it as much when it's cold! There have also been warnings by other fans of the Peppermint soap about getting the undiluted soap onto certain sensitve "nether regions" of the body until you make sure you're not too sensitive to it! :-)

So there, i passed the warning on and did my civic duty. Use at your (crotch's) own risk!

It also definitely cuts thru (although Dr. Bronner says it "dissolves") oil, dirt, and grease. i use it on my hair periodically, and it really strips away all the product and crap i put in my hair to style it. And when you use it in the shower, your skin actually BECOMES "squeaky clean"! Most things we use to bathe with have moisturizers, deodorants, or other additives in them. While a lot of folks probably will want to moisturize after using Dr. Bronner's, it IS nice once in a while to feel like you've cleaned your skin completely - it's like a fresh start!

Tool Time

I love tools. My father, being an oil painter as well as a carpenter, built a room on to the house I grew up in (when I was about 3 years old), to use as an art studio and also added a "utility" room for his tools. So through my entire life until my early 20s, if I wanted a hammer or file (-or band saw!), all I had to do was go to that utility room. I didn't leave my parents' house until my wedding day, and never thought about the tool room....UNTIL one day I needed a file or a hacksaw or something, and we HAD none! Hey!? We didn't have one HACKSAW between us? I was dumbfounded. No longer could I go to that room and grab whatever I needed (and there was definitely none in our 2 bedroom apartment!)

This is MY cake batter!

So we purchased a few as we went along, borrowed the bigger stuff from Dad or some other friend or relative if we needed it, and for many years, the Xmas list (for me) always included one or two tools. Dad would inevitably ask, "Oh, Steve wants a cordless drill?" "No, I want it!" "Oh, Steve needs a Dremel tool?" No, it's for MEEEE!" "But - you're a GIRL...!" (Dad was old school - women just cooked and had babies)!

So i finally accumulated enough hand tools to make me feel somewhat less like i lived on an island with no provisions.

But just recently, we are facing the hard truth that my dad may not be leaving the nursing home he's now in, and his house may have to be sold in the forseeable future. Among all the angst and problems related to that, one question is starting to cross my mind....

"What in the hell am i gonna do with all those tools?!"

Early Fall Holdouts (2010)

i say this every year - it's a certainty that i get teary eyed at least twice a calendar year - on the day i take my tropical and house plants outside for the season, because i'm so happy it's finally warm, AND - on the day i have to take them in because of the cold! That day is not a happy one...and this is that day (sniff...)

One of my Kalanchoes (Mother of Thousands) that went crazy this year. Didn't realize it was a vine - till this! Strange and ugly - but interesting!

Another Kalanchoe - i remember the cultivar name of this one - "Big Mama"! Having many babies this time of year (anyone wants any, let me know!)

The Amsonias have turned their golden autumn colors ( "amsoniared" has been my online name for many years - and yes, i know their flowers are blue...!)

Another Amsonia.... 

 And my first one (and namesake), Amsonia tabernaemontana, (Eastern Bluestar) with thicker leaves.

  

The Castor bean is smaller than it usually is, but still became a pretty good speciman!

But any day now, a frost will get it, and i'll have to start from seed all over again in the Spring

And one of my favorite small trees, Cherokee Daybreak dogwood, with its variegated leaves flushing pink now. Very pretty, but i'd still rather have it showing its Summer color!

I Love You, I'm Just Not IN Love With You...

Oh, Facebook, i was infatuated with you from the moment we met. i have a hard time going more than 8 hours without seeing you, and look forward to curling up with you in the recliner every evening.

 

You're all i ever wanted....

...except ~  i can't really trust you.

Such as...

If i post silly pictures of myself when i'm drunk, how do i know you will respect my privacy (settings)?

 If i post pictures of my children, who they hang with, the things they like, and where they go to school, how do i know you won't crack under the pressure of a determined pedophile with impressive hacking skills?

And many times, when i trust you to update my blog posts or post my pictures, like you promise to, sometimes it just doesn't happen...

And will you keep it only among my closest friends when i'm out of town (and my house is empty) or can't you really promise anything on that, either? 

So you see why, although i will always want you in my life, i cannot give you my unconditional love.

(...and you really need to have Spellcheck, so i don't have to be the Spelling Nazi anymore for all your OTHER lovers!)

What? Too dramatic? That's pretty much the way it is - i'm very conservative with FB - i only "friend" FRIENDS (not friends of friends, or children of friends, or co workers - ESPECIALLY not co workers!),relatives, and a select few that i may not know well, but who i feel are actually interested in my art business and/or well being. Speaking of that, I AM friends with a couple of "friend collectors", -those who seem to "friend" every person or business they can find! One has 4800, the other has 4500 (and growing), but the reason they do it is that these particular folks love our city and are trying to bring everyone together to benefit the city and its people, so i can't fault them for that!

(On the other hand, some FB members just want to see how many names they can throw onto their 'friends' list. I don't have anything to do with them).

Anyway, i definitely don't post all my deepest beliefs or every iota of information about myself - i post pictures of my vacation in another state...AFTER i'm home! i don't friend co workers, but STILL don't talk about my boss, or customers, or the day i called in sick, but wasn't (not that i'd EVER do that...)

After all that, i'm still a fan of FB, i just think everyone needs to be a little careful!

.

My Garden Interview - Part 4

***i'm currently reading an older garden book titled, "Gardening From The Heart - Why Gardeners Garden" by Carol Olwell. The reason for this book is interesting, because, as she points out, gardening is hard work,

considered pretty much low grade manual labor, and is rarely lucrative -

so why do we do it? She compiles the story of many gardeners who were interviewed for this book. i am barely past the introduction, but i feel compelled to put into words how i myself came to be a gardener, and why....***
continued....

Q: Do you have anything you want others to know about you?

i'm amazed at all the yards in our suburban neighborhoods that have nothing but grass and a couple trees growing in them. My God, at least stick one tomato plant somewhere! Many people i know never go outdoors,

are scared silly of bugs, and we have actually met some who don't know where eggs come from! If they ever had to live off the land to survive, they'd be dead in a hurry! I'm sure even i would have trouble doing that, having been a "city girl" all my life, but i think i'd manage better than they would..

i make it a point to live as simply as i can in our normal American Midwestern life. i have a lot of things to do, but always try to just sit in the garden a few minutes, or walk to the park. If i see a hummingbird and want to stop and watch it, i do. It takes me about 45 minutes for a decent walk in the park, and if i can't find 45 minutes for myself, then i feel something's wrong with my life! i take all the

breaks and lunch hours and vacations i'm entitled to at my job. i feel that all of that is vital to my well-being. All the workaholics i know either have heart disease, or cancer, or diabetes - or have already died!

i try to be as environmentally "careful" as i can, too. i don't know why - i don't have children, so it's not because of my concern for my descendants having clean air to breathe! No, it's just something i feel i have to do for my OWN peace of mind. Don't get me wrong, i have a car, and gas heat, and central air conditioning, and a microwave and a computer - all the luxuries of modern life, but i don't abuse them. We use our central air maybe as

much as two weeks most years, when it's really necessary for sleeping. A lot of acquaintances put their air on the first 80 degree (F) day, and don't turn it off until Autumn! I walk if possible - i don't start the car to drive across the street! If i find a tiny spider in the house, do i call the exterminator? No. Either i gently take it outside, or the cats get it (!), or i leave it - especially in mosquito or gnat season, a couple of spiders in the house is a natural, self sustaining extermination system!

All anyone has to do is THINK a little to improve their lives and the planet.

 

Our current home has about a third of an acre, relatively large for a city lot, but it's conversely not enough and too much for me! One side of me would love several acres of a large, maybe partly wooded lot, but on the other hand, when i get home from an 8 hr workday, a huge area would be daunting! i already have areas that "get away " from me in the summer, mostly because i have my leaf castings to work on now, so even though i work outside, i still can't work ON the outside! My husband does the mowing and weeding (but only the recognizable weeds!), and enjoys the yard when it looks nice, but the work is not out of love, as it is with me. One time i complained to a friend of mine (who is a non

gardener married to a "plant nut" like me) that it would be nice if DH was as passionate about the plants as i was, but she said, "Yes, but then you would always be arguing about what plants to buy, and what location to plant them in, and in what configuration, etc. This way, you can do what you want without another person with different ideas getting

in your way." Well, i thought that was quite the wise thing to say, and ever since then, i don't really wish as much that i had married a horticulturalist !

My Garden Interview - Part 3

...A continuation of my hypothetical interview...

***i'm currently reading an older garden book titled, "Gardening From The Heart - Why Gardeners Garden" by Carol Olwell. The reason for this book is interesting, because, as she points out, gardening is hard work,

considered pretty much low grade manual labor, and is rarely lucrative -

so why do we do it? She compiles the story of many gardeners who were interviewed for this book. i am barely past the introduction, but i feel compelled to put into words how i myself came to be a gardener, and why....***

Q: Any garden organizations?

i became involved at that time in the Master Gardener program - the very first year it was offered in my area (1991). It was a wonderful program, and i got to "shmooze" with fellow gardeners! The only downside was that most of my fellow "students" were retired folks - and i was in my thirties! i thought it was a good deal - the fee was $25, for the

literature and instructors (there wasn't anything offered online in THOSE days!), and you agreed to give back so many hours in volunteer time, i believe it was around 20 hours back then. It quickly became a very popular program, and a lot more people became involved with it. Later it was decided that you had to give so many hours each year to

"recertify", which i just did not have time for in the growing season. NOW the fee is up to $175, you have to volunteer 50 hours, and need 10 hrs. of volunteer work plus 6 continuing education hours annually to recertify! Whew! So, even though i have not recertified, i do still call myself a "Master Gardener" anyway - seniority ought to count for

something!

Q: Any funny stories?

We sold our first little house in '97 to a very young couple who were not even in their 20's yet, it was November, but they were very impressed by the gardens. I had taken photos and had a few enlarged to show prospective buyers. Unfortunately, they both had jobs and went to school, and had no clue how much work that was gonna be! i did take starts of my favorite plants to go to the new house with me, but left just about everything.

The following July, i received a phone call from my former neighbor. All she said was, "Oh my God, Nanci, they're tearing out all your plants and throwing them away!" i was there within 10 minutes, on the pretense of visiting said neighbor. The young people weren't QUITE throwing away everything, but threatening to, and i could see why. When i had lived

there, i walked around virtually every day, automatically weeding, deadheading, pruning...they had done none of that. The Hollyhocks were 7 feet tall, the vines had literally absorbed part of the yard, the groundcovers were covering WAY too much ground, my arbor that i painstakingly created from PVC pipe was broken and laying in the vegetable garden space - it looked like an abandoned property! To their credit, the new owners were very considerate and told me i could dig up

everything i wanted to, so i borrowed a shovel from my friend next door and started digging in the 90 degree heat. An hour later, after i had filled the trunk AND back seat of my car, i called my husband and told him to come over with his pickup truck and more tools! When we came home with the plants, i had no idea what i was going to do with them - it was early July, in the middle of a heat wave.These plants were my

BABIES! Now that i had rescued them i was NOT going to lose them! So we shoved them all into our 2 garbage cans filled with water and i spent the next week or so finding spaces for them. Now, planting in weather like that should only be done in emergencies (like this was), but - it CAN be done.Out of about 40 plants, only 2 did not make it, i am proud

to say!

 One more unfortunate thing - about a month after that, I

discovered that the vinyl lattice we had put up all along the fence row was gone - the young couple had taken it down and put it out for the garbage pickup - all five hundred dollars worth of it!! i almost cried over that - wish i had known. BUT, to this day, i really have no idea what i could have used that for at the new house! It was such a waste,

though...

My Garden Interview - Part 2

...A continuation of my hypothetical interview...

***i'm currently reading an older garden book titled, "Gardening From The Heart - Why Gardeners Garden" by Carol Olwell. The reason for this book is interesting, because, as she points out, gardening is hard work,

considered pretty much low grade manual labor, and is rarely lucrative -

so why do we do it? She compiles the story of many gardeners who were interviewed for this book. i am barely past the introduction, but i feel compelled to put into words how i myself came to be a gardener, and why....***

Q: Did anyone inspire you?

After living in an apartment for several years, surrounded by houseplants, we moved into a little house with a little yard, and i began to think beyond only houseplants and veggies. Flower boxes, hanging baskets, perennials...Around that time i met Adrian, my new boss at work. She wasn't a typical boss, she was full of fun and had a great laugh, as if she had just heard a dirty joke! She was fairly spiritual, believed in the paranormal,.. and gardened. When she talked about some of her plants, she would describe them in detail and with such excitement that i started to realize that i had that same passion, too, but had kept it inside because i hadn't realized that anyone else felt that way, and, evidently it released my inner "Plant Maniac"! i eventually acquired several plants from her, and still have them today, almost 20 years later. We lost touch, and i don't think Adrian ever knew what an influence she had on me - i didn't even know at the time,either! But i think of her -every year - when her Festiva Maxima Peony blooms in my yard.

Also, my husband's grandparents lived on a farm (a REAL one), and they were also a big inspiration to me during all of the years i was fortunate enough to share with them.

A start was all i needed, and soon the yard was filled with hundreds of plants, many grown from seed, and many shade loving plants (Our yard was 80% shade). i built a coldframe and an arbor using PVC pipe, we attached white vinyl lattice (when it was first available around here and pretty expensive!) to the chain link fence around the backyard, making it more

private, and ringed the beds in red and grey bricks.

My coldframe

It was a tiny yard, but a wonderful sanctuary, much more than i realized at the time.... When my husband was diagnosed one June with cancer at the age of 40, i think i was devastated even more than he was - we knew nothing about cancer, i just assumed i would be a widow in a short time! Having that garden to retreat to was the only thing that kept me sane! (By the way, we know a lot more about cancer these days -plus he is now 56 and is, i'm happy to say, still around to bother me!).

My Garden Interview - Part 1

***i'm currently reading an older garden book titled, "Gardening From The Heart - Why Gardeners Garden" by Carol Olwell. The reason for this book is interesting, because, as she points out, gardening is hard work,

considered pretty much low grade manual labor, and is rarely lucrative -

so why do we do it? She compiles the story of many gardeners who were interviewed for this book. i am barely past the introduction, but i feel compelled to put into words how i myself came to be a gardener, and why....***

Q: How did you become a gardener?

N: First of all, i need to point out that it was never really a conscious decision to "go forth and garden!"

i never knew my grandparents on my father's side, but i do know they were avid gardeners, so i'm thinking i had it "in my blood", since i sure as heck know it wasn't thru my parents! They didn't even like to be outside! i think Mom took me to the park several times when i was young,

and they liked to sit out on the porch in the evenings in warm weather, and THAT was probably only because we didn't have air conditioning back then, and it was the only way to stay cool! We had a fairly large and swampy back yard- (this is the Black Swamp area, after all) , but except

for some hideous foundation plantings of evergreens, one Poplar tree, one rose bush and one white Spirea, that's all there was in the whole area! Being an only child with few neighbor children, i spent many long

days in that backyard on my own, getting hundreds of mosquito bites and black bare feet from the muddy yard - how i didn't end up with Hepatitis or some '60's equivalent of the West Nile virus is beyond me.

Anyway, we were visiting my uncle's house one summer day, and my cousin and i walked into one of the farm fields surrounding their property. She told me that they knew the owners of the fields, and that they were

allowed to pick some of the produce out of the fields if they wanted (whether that was true or not, i never really knew...Being 12 and very naive, i didn't question it ). She picked a tomato right off the vine

and handed it to me, and actually had to instruct me to eat it right there, as i just looked at it for a second - i had only seen tomatoes in salads before that (yes, i had an extremely sheltered childhood!). When i bit into that beautifully ripe, warm tomato, standing in the middle of

that field, that experience it was so awesome that i had an epiphany of sorts - and actually changed the course of my life! i did not immediately know what to do about this new feeling, but within about 2 years, i had a small vegetable garden plot in our backyard.

i did have somewhat of a social life in my late teens, so of course with other things on my mind, i didn't have as much time to garden. Until after i was married - and for a few years we lived in an apartment, so except for the 40 or so houseplants i acquired, i did not do much gardening. i tried to keep my plot going at my parents' house, but they wanted to stay inside when i was there and expected me to sit inside and visit with them! So that was not feasible for very long.

CONTINUED SOON

i used to have quite the T shirt collection. Radio stations, comic book characters (still have my "Elfquest" shirts!), rock bands, etc. Of course, that included my gardening interests, too - but i didn't go for " Happiness is Gardening" or "Gardeners Have The Best Dirt" - noo..my humor is a little different...

Don't know if this company's even still in business, but i loved the shirt! i don't really wear it much anymore - my "tomatoes" don't really line up! LOL

...And from my favorite nursery, Plant Delights, came this funny ( but sensible) play on words. If you're not sure, an 'annual' is a plant that lives only one season and dies. A lot of folks in my area spend tons of money on flat after flat of 'tunias and marigolds (for "color"), and do it all over again the next spring. Hey, i buy 'em too - after all, that's how most nurseries make the majority of their income - but i also use a lot of perennials (that come back in the Spring) so i don't have to buy everything yearly!

But, whatever you gardening humor, or no matter how i feel about it, just plant SOMETHING!

...And You Actually Wonder Why I Love Gardening? Seriously?

Amour In The Garden

Today, my wedding anniversary, got me thinking about several plants (or cultivars) i have in which the names involve "love" themes. These are a few i have:

i grew Cardiospermum halicacabum, AKA Love In A Puff or Heartseed Vine, for the first time last season, thinking it was perennial. Well, it didn't come back, but the seeds i saved sprouted slowly but easily for me, so i do still have it. I was impressed by this little (up to 8 feet) vine.The leaves are a very elegant shape, and the seedpods are three sided puffballs.

The flowers are not so great - tiny, delicate, and white, but it didn't really bother me. Then when i saw the seeds! - well, i didn't research this one well, i figured the name came about because of the seedpods' shape, but that wasn't all! The seeds are about 4mm in diameter, very dark, nearly black, except for a white HEART shaped mark on each one!

That clinched it - i will be growing this one for a long time!

Then there's Love In A Mist (Nigella), which has that elusive sky blue color of blossoms seldom seen in the garden. (There are also pinks and whites available, but the blue is all i want!) This is what i call a "perennial annual" because, even though each plant is annual, it seeds itself so enthusiastically that you'll never be without it again! This, like Perilla, doesn't bother me with its reseeding. It is easy to pull out and shows up in places like pots and flower beds where i leave it until after it blooms.

The foliage is so ferny that it does look like mist, and then when the seedpods form, they look like little striped hot air balloons, thus the reason it is also sometimes called "Love In A Puff". The dried seedpods are used a lot in floral arrangements.

First grown in the United States by Thomas Jefferson, Kiss-Me-Over-The-Garden-Gate,(Polygonum orientale), is also an annual old cottage garden favorite, but the plant is not found in cultivation very often.

Of course, when i first heard the name, i had to find it! It is, of course, growing by the garden gate, where it reaches heights of around 8 feet, and droops its long clusters of bright pink flowers above my head. It also reseeds, though in my experience not a whole lot, just enough to keep it going.

i also want, though have not been able to find, the Hosta cultivar "Illicit Affair". Is it an outstanding variety? Not so much - just want to tell visitors, "I wanted to have an Illicit Affair in the garden, and all I got was this stupid Hosta!"