sure is, Becky! How pretty!!!

Gorgeous Bec!!!!

Beauteous!!!!

It's lovely, Becky!!

Full moon is waning, with three 'evening stars', planets, or whatnot visible nearby. If one is 'lucky' enough to be up late to see it.

https://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/...

I seem to miss out a lot on these astronomical events because I can never stay up late enough!

Time to plant ground veggies. I just turned about 1/3 of the veggie garden and added compost yesterday and want to finish this week. For those who believe:
http://www.plantea.com/plantin...

The arboretum sale is this weekend!

Sooooo excited.

I need to set a limit for myself so I don't go nuts. Please let me know if you're in the market for an unusual plant. They might have it at the FONA sale for a reasonable price.

@ssgardener what types of 'unusual'...scented perhaps?

Check out the list of plants on sale!
http://www.fona.org/plantlists...

That is a huge selection!

And that list only includes sale items from FONA. In addition to the official FONA sale, there are specialty vendors like the local hosta and rose societies, local nurseries, etc. Last year Pine Knot Farms was there with a huge number of gorgeous hellebores.

WOW! What a list!!! Have fun

Ssg, I was there last year, had a chin wag with owners of Pine Knot Farms.

Lisa, unfortunately, the wife of the Pine Knot Farms couple passed away earlier this year.

Oh no, I hadn't heard that SSG. I talked to Judith many times at the various plant sales and when I went down to their home for the Winter Hellebores festival. What sad news.

Sad to hear the news. Last year at FONA, she did complain of aches and pains. Told me when Adrian Higgins visited Pine Knot, he too complained of aches and pains, took him half an hour to get out of the car. Had no idea her aches and pains were so serious. Sad.

I had no idea Adrian Higgins struggled so badly with aches and pains. I wonder how he manages his gardens these days.

Pine Knot Farms has more information on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/PKFhe...

Half an hour to get out of the car?! ouch

I just stumbled on this list of native plant sales and events and see that Maryland residents get a $25 "tree purchase incentive" for planting a tree on private land. Cool! http://choosenatives.org/nativ...

I keep forgetting about that coupon! Dutch Plant Farms participates, too. Don't forget that only the "recommended" trees are eligible.

I can't believe it's been a week since Aspenhill and I went nursery-hopping! We took my young friend Meghan (19) and made quite a day of it... 14 hours!!

We started with a nice long browse at Ikea, a first visit for either of them. We had lunch there, too (meatballs and cinnamon rolls!). Then we went to North Creek nursery to pick up 5 flats. After that, we headed west... we stopped at a nursery that Terry probably remembers the name of, LOL, and bought a few perrennials and some 6-packs of annuals. Then we decided to bee-line for Black Creek nursery (the one Buttoneer recommended so highly). It was soooo hard to pass by all the other colorful displays at other nurseries that were right on the way, but the selection and prices at Black Creek were truly outstanding. We finished our day by feasting at The Shady Maple smorgasboard restaurant, then drove home in the rain.

Here's my "haul." I'm amazed we got it all in the car, together with a couple of big Ikea bags and some shelving pieces. I have mad skills! I'm especially excited about several Heuchera hybrids with H. villosa heritage (making them more heat/humidity resistant). I kept looking them up on my phone and giving an exultant "YES!" when I saw the "villosa" in their description.

white flowered creeping thyme
dot wells creeping thyme
wedgewood english thyme
orange mint
chewing gum mint
variegated pineapple mint
berggarten sage
rosemary 'Arp'
rosemary 'Mrs. Howard's Creeping'
Tarragon
Pelargonium (scented geranium) 'Attar of Roses'

big hanging streptocarpella in full bloom, for my MIL
big woven, cone-shaped hanging planter filled with black & gold pinwheel petunias, for my dad (Go, Stillers!)
3 additional hanging planters to fill (because they were really cool and just $7 each)

Aster alpinus, blue-violet
Astilbe 'Country & Western'
Astilbe 'Rise & Shine'
2 Astilbe 'Sprite'
Astilbe 'Key West'
Brunnera 'Sea Heart'
Brunnera 'Alexander's Great'
Brunnera 'Silver Charm'
Clematis 'Diamantina'
Clematis 'Jackmanii'
Coreopsis 'Red Elf'
Coreopsis 'Citrine'
Dianthus, pink & magenta, Joyanna says it's a "sugar flower" by its scent
Euphorbium 'Ascot Rainbow'

Heuchera 'Grape Soda'
Heuchera. 'Frosed Violet'
Heuchera. 'Ruby Bells'
Heuchera 'Sweet Tart' Little Cutie
Heuchera 'Peppermint' Little Cutie
Hellebore 'Berry Swirl' (double)
Hellebore 'Cotton Candy' (double)
Hellebore 'Jade Tiger' (double)
Lobelia cardinalis 'Black Truffle'
Phlox paniculata 'Blue Boy'
Sedum 'Pure Joy'
Sedum 'Desert Red'
Semp. 'Silverine'
Tiarella 'Pink Skyrocket'

two different dahlias -- one lilac-pink, one bicolor pink & maroon
6-pack mixed coleus including Kalaidescope, to share with my mom
3 6-packs vinca to share with my mom
6-pack blue lobelia, you guessed it, to share with my mom

I think that's the lot of them... whew!