Rita, I have much the same issue. I like to get out as much as I can and see other gardens. I really enjoyed being a Garden Judge while I was still able. Now, I only see three or four gardens a year. If I see one of the big edged plants I like growing here in Ohio, or a plant from a far away zone... Or even if it is from a northern garden, but they use a greenhouse a lot... I wait until I see the plant growing a few summers in someone else's garden before I buy.
I think the people in the south have similar problems with the hard dormants.
Floyd Cove catalog came a few days ago. Daylilies in it sure look different than they did years ago. I remember when Dance Ballerina Dance came out.... What a sensation that cause. And, Barbara Mitchell. Am I giving away my age?