From when I lived in Michigan.
Plants would have 20-30 blooms. The best I have ever gotten here is 4, and they rarely come back , about 30%.

What a cute pic, Cinda! Since you've been in Indiana, have you started them from seed or plants?

Gorgeous Cinda! I've gotten Lupine Shemya Alaska in a swap. They germinated OK, so we'll see if they live. Can't imagine they will, but I figured it was worth a try. Also finally got Texas Blue Bonnets to germinate this year, but no flowers yet. I wonder if they'll make it?

We do have trouble getting lupine to grow. Our irises are starting to come, John's pumila species still have a few blooms. Standard dwarf are starting & it is trying to rain, it will not be a day to collect pollen.

Our few small white trillium have been hanging on. I forgot to note the first bloom. Should add bleeding heart--not the time of year to order it. Too late, sigh.

I have done both seeds and plants.
I have two small plants in the garden now that were last years winter sown babies. They never bloomed last year and are getting a slow start this year. I was surprised they survived the winter.
I have purchased plants but they almost never over winter for me.
Some one told me it is probably crown rot ...I was wondering if covering the crown with a small plastic cup over the winter would help?

We sort of specialize in irises , but both bearded & beardless like siberian irises are good in the garden. I also like peonies. Not fond of cone flowers, to me they look like they are about to wilt. Our pink flowering almond is new & blooming, good spring shrub & perhaps a caryopteris (sp?) for fall bloom. For annuals I like calendula.

Hmmm...well, I have heard Lupines prefer dryer locations and well drained soil, which must be because of susceptibility to crown rot, but I'm not sure a plastic cup covering would be the answer. I'm wondering if that would hold in too much humidity? Perhaps a raised bed or mound of gritty, well drained soil? Then, on the other hand, folks up north have great luck with them, and often have snow cover for much of winter, so perhaps the cup would mimic that. Sounds like an experiment may be in order.

Lucy, I find any type of Iris so nice for combining with other plants. There's just no other floral form quite like them, so they contrast in form so beautifully with everything!

I've just started experimenting with Echinaceas the last couple of years from seed. They're already budding! This seems early for them, I thought they were more of a summer plant?

Another new one for me is Painted Daisy. I've looked at the gorgeous pics of them for years, and tried them a couple of times with no success, till wintersowing some a couple of years ago. I was really disappointed when they didn't bloom last year (their 2nd year), even though the plants looked great. Well, this year they're full of buds! I can't wait to see what they do!

We got a serious frost last night...looks bad.
I read somewhere if you hose the frost off it is better than letting the sun melt it ??

Well the hose is froze..
Not looking good here..I covered some things but the lilies were up too tall now they are drooping.

I'm glad that people farther west & south of us can grow lilies. We have problems with the lily leaf beetle, over 10 yrs of it for now. They are easy to spot as they are bright red & their eggs are orange. Can really defoliate a plant. When our few lilies die, I don't think that I will replace them.

The Siberian Iris' I WS'ed in 2007 are finally going to bloom this year. I think the "yellow" ones died, but the Purples are doing just fine. They are in the backside of the cottage garden... hope the blooms are tall enough to see them.

I can't believe that no one mentioned roses or hollyhocks!

roses
hollyhocks (and malvas)
dianthus
foxglove
pansies and violas

different types & sizes of irises--how about that?

Now that the Hollyhocks are blooming, I can't imagine the cottage garden without them. I have the prettiest display of them this year I've ever had! The odd thing is they were all soft pink and peach in '08, in '09 none of those that had bloomed returned, but loads of self set seedlings showed up. Those are blooming now, and are not only pink and peach, but there are crimson, white, and yellow among them this year too!

hollyhocks will do that. Johnny-jump-ups and pansies, too. They come up in some interesting unplanned shades.

Our aruncus is in bloom & across the lawn the dwart aruncus is putting on the best show in years. The company from which we bought it no longer sells it & I've never seen it anywhere else. So if we want it in another place as well, the division will have to come from this plant. We have enough shade that it could go other places. The goldenrod is all over. We will have to pull some of it--we have several different types.

Your goldenrod blooms early mine doesn't show color till late summer almost fall, what zone are you?

I didn't get my hollyhock seeds planted this spring. Will the seeds last and when should I plant them?

You could plant the hollyhock seeds now and they might get a little growth this year or you could wait until fall, although just looking now and seeing you are in LA, this advice may be totally bogus.

We are 6a because we are near the coast. GR isn't in bloom as yet, but the plants are everywhere. Have to pull so can see other things.

I am forever pulling goldenrod and I never seem to have less...