Here's Niobe, grown in partial shade.




More blooms on Veronica's Choice.

Thanks for the info. Annette, if I get flowers half as nice as yours, I will be thrilled. What beautiful pictures. I am really a daylily person, but learning so much from all of you. Are the clematis subject to certain zone like daylilies? Probably a silly question, but I will ask anyway

Karen - I was a daylily person and did lots of hybridizing, then along came the deer.

Clematises for the cooler zones: http://hummingbirdfarm.net/cle...

Sieboldii getting ready to open, planted with rose teasing Georgia

Arlene, I have been here for 18 years with no deer problems until this past year, and they sure can ruin a lot of things. For the first time, I did not get the milorganite down early enough and they ate over 25 clumps of asiatic lilies and as many Hostas and daylilies. I wanted to sit right down in the middle of the gardens and scream or cry!! I am crossing my fingers for this year and hoping to ward them off. You wait so long to see the flowers and then that is ruined not to mention the expense.

Cookie, I understand your woes. I do not have deer, but I have voles. They destroyed a whole garden of Hosta's. Ones I had ordered on line. Lilies have disappeared, and other plants. And yes I wanted to cry.

Keep us updated with photos, Sue. They should make a lovely duet.

Karen - it's such a fright to see the damage they do. I really do understand and have been a victim of the deer for six years now. This is what they did to my Asiatic lilies. This is a field of about 200 Asiatics. They only missed a few.

What is your game plan to fight the deer this year?

Marie! SO glad to see you here! Voles are one problem I've escaped...so far. I wish I knew of a solution. I wanted to cry as well. It's such a helpless feeling.

Damage done by the deer can be such a tragedy. This was the worst year for us where they came up in the driveway, pulled out plants in pots, made a mess and ate them. They also did major damage in my front beds, pulling out and eating my tulips and pansies. I replanted what I could, and covered what was left with landscape mesh.

Here's is Arabella in the midst of some of my back beds.

Milorganite works best for me and I also plan to use the plant spray this year. Last year was the first time that I failed to get it in the gardens early enough. I had some health issues and dragged my ----a little bit too long, lol. I just put it around each plant and the rabbits and deer don't like the smell. It works for everyone I have told about it. I put it on three times each year.

Milorganite did not work for me. I spread it heavily in all the areas where the deer enter and it didn't stop them. For about a year one spray did work, but now can't think of the name (I don't like this part of aging), but the deer eventually get used to the scent of all sprays so I went with deer mesh.

First bloom on Chantilly. Think I am going to like it.



Sapphire Indigo



My favorite. Florida sieboldii

Beautiful blooms Debra, your Florida sieboldii is stunning.

Here's Rosemoor, that spent the winter outside in this tiny pot, through freezing temps, rain, sleet, snow, and hail, and survived despite me.

I never have much luck with pots and all of you have gorgeous planting. What are you using fir soil mix??

Karen my Rosemoor is still in the same nursery pot that I bought it in. I did add composted manure, Azomite, and Epsom Salt to the pot earlier this spring. The pot remained outside all winter, and was not watered until it broke dormancy.

My Barbara Jackman is planted in a large cement pot on my driveway. It was planted in potting soil with composted manure added and bone meal added, and it is also watered with ES dissolved in water during the growing season.

I was reading up on ES and have another question. Do you all heat the water for dissolving it or is it ok to use my tap water that is soft. I am so excited to try these things. Thanks for all the info.

Karen, the ES dissolves easily I'm tap water at room temperature.

Ok, Annette. I see it's good for tomatoes too so will try that also.

Annette is right - dissolve it in warm tap water. Tomatoes and green peppers love it, so do roses.

I'm going to get some tomorrow !!!

It's so inexpensive and available at the big box stores, pharmacies, etc.