Yes, I remember. I talked with him at the show for quit a long time. They are and older couple and none of the children are interested in running the family business. They are not retiring anytime soon but the time will come. They have such nice bulbs. I will get a picture when I go this year. They have a beautiful stand at the show. Maybe it was at the Portland flower and garden show. I drove all the way down there to it. Kind of like it better than the Seattle one. Much smaller and less crowds. Long drive for me.

Smaller and less crowds would make up for the drive for me, too.

Susan, I'm not sure why you think you would have to dig dahlias? I lived in MD and never had to dig them. Are you sure?

And Jo Ann, those are spectacular pictures. They're all fabulous!

Its 12* this morning. I cant remember a colder beginning of winter.Longrange said it would be colder and more snow this season.They were right.
May images in the Tree Peony garden

Gorgeous! Love that Cafe Mocha!

[quote="abhege"]Susan, I'm not sure why you think you would have to dig dahlias? I lived in MD and never had to dig them. Are you sure?
@abhege
How long did you have them?? We had Canna Lily's for quite a while then a dip in temps killed them.
I haven't had very many dahlias in the past. I think I had three the year before and they did not come back. None have never come back, mostly they rot. I have learned that most people dig them up but if you don't have to that is great. Even though we are in zone 8, sometimes our weather acts more like zone 7 and at other times it acts like zone 9, so it is only average temps they are calculating. Because of these sudden dips in temperatures, I will loose my zone 8 plants. It is very tricky because if I buy for zone 7, I will loose some plants too because they do not get a long enough cold spell. We do dip down, just not long enough for some dormants. LOL.

ge1836 said:Its 12* this morning. I cant remember a colder beginning of winter.Longrange said it would be colder and more snow this season.They were right.
May images in the Tree Peony garden

• Standard Dwarf Bearded Iris (Iris 'Café Mocha')
• Uploaded by ge1836

Those are beautiful! I would love a tree peony but not sure they would get a good cold spell here. I do not like the old type because they flop so bad.

We were on the Eastern Shore, Zone 7 and we lived there for 10 years. I only had a couple dahlias but my neighbor had them all along her fence line. Some of them did die out eventually but for the most part they kept coming back.

Maybe if you could NOT cut them back in fall and mulch, or cut them back and mulch over so the water doesn't get in the hollow stems? I know with my mums, if I cut them back in fall and we had a lot of rain I would lose them but if I didn't cut them back I never lost any. It's hard not to cut them back, wanting to always "tidy up." That's how I miss out on a lot of volunteer flowers in the spring I get out there at the first warmer temps and start pulling "weeds." I have since learned to let it go!

My daughters gave this one to me for Mothers Day 5 years ago. There is an elderly gentleman who lives in the area.He hybrids them as well as Japanese Maples. He was 87 when I bought a tree for myself and he said his Peony breeding days were over because it takes 10 years to bring them to maturity.

I know what you mean about flopping but I started using the rings with the grid so they grow through the holes. That works very well!

http://www.moplants.com/no-mor...

These Trees are bigger than a average perennial.They came in a 3 gallon tub.
I have used those plant supports but have difficulty attaching the legs.I stopped buying that style last year and will buy the rings that have legs attached.

abhege said:We were on the Eastern Shore, Zone 7 and we lived there for 10 years. I only had a couple dahlias but my neighbor had them all along her fence line. Some of them did die out eventually but for the most part they kept coming back.

Maybe if you could NOT cut them back in fall and mulch, or cut them back and mulch over so the water doesn't get in the hollow stems? I know with my mums, if I cut them back in fall and we had a lot of rain I would lose them but if I didn't cut them back I never lost any. It's hard not to cut them back, wanting to always "tidy up." That's how I miss out on a lot of volunteer flowers in the spring I get out there at the first warmer temps and start pulling "weeds." I have since learned to let it go!

You might be on to something! That could be why the cheap ones come back, we ignore them.

Jo Ann, I didn't mean for the tree peonies, the old fashioned ones. They wouldn't be tall enough, I wouldn't think, if the plants get too huge!

Got it sorry about the misinterpret.

I have one Taiyo tree peony planted about four years back. Bloomed the first year, but not since. Think it was unhappy in its spot, so I moved it this year. Will see what happens. Hope it blooms as these flowers are stunning.

They sure are. I wish I had more room .I'd have a row of them.There is a TP grower near here.
http://www.linwoodgardens.org/...

They open the gardens for artists and give one day workshops in various art techniques.

This video is really nice if you can get thru the first few minutes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

Some old pictures. Blew off the dust.

Florist's Cineraria 'Senetti Magenta Bicolor'

Pericallis 'Senetti Violet Bicolor'

Pericallis 'Senetti Blue Bicolor'


Florist's Cineraria (Pericallis Senetti® Magenta)



Kalanchoe (Kalanchoe blossfeldiana)


Double Hybrid Tuberous Begonia (Begonia x tuberhybrida 'Double Pink')


Sweet Alyssum (Lobularia maritima 'Easter Bonnet Lavender')

Blue Pansies


Phalaenopsis

Yoshino Cherry Tree

REALLY like that last one, Susan.

Gloriosa Rudbeckia Aster