MissyWeitzel Your cosmos are beautiful! And I like them in that vase. I did well with “Rubenza,” which was early for me. I also had Cup & Saucer (?) which was pretty but took a long time to bloom. I wish I had planned a later batch, because they began to look pretty scratchy by August. Noted for next year! Definitely an excellent value.


(Pictured mid-July Zone 7)

    calico20hill the apricottas are so pretty!

    I love that hydrangea - the florets are so loose! What variety is it?

      The hysrangea is Firelight. It starts out white and gradually turns pink then to brilliant deep pinks and reds. IT is my favorite I think of all my collection...It also has a lovely honey fragrance when it is in the white stage of bloom. THhs type are paniculatas. I ihighly recommend Firelight!

        calico20hill Ohhh I’ll add this to my growing list of hydrangeas that started with your recommendation of Quickfire too. You’re my hydrangea guru!

          Krista Sunshine and laughter to you, Ms Krista! Where was my Hydrangea Guru when I needed one!?Here are photos of the work on draining that low spot that floods in winter....it should run into the creek now.

          That creek is about 5 feet down from the surface right now though it doesn't show it at this angle.

          That looks like a lot of work. Hired or got someone to use a ditch witch? U could put down some pea gravel and french drain pipe at my former job I did lots of landscaping which was for draining / site grading issues.

            NCDahlia We hired the landscape crew who helps with mowing our place ,and some of the work we are no longer able to do. We also had another person who had done previous work for us lined up but the landscape maintainance crew had the time to do it first. The ditch is all finished and closed off now. My husband supervised so I am not sure of the details.

            calico20hill How neat! What a wonderful effect in the bouquet. I thought maybe it was some sort of foliage.

            10 days later

            Teddahlia Your sky looks about as damp as our sky. But it shows off the contrast of your lovely flowers quite nicely.

            Teddahlia I’d never guess it’s October looking at that. Beautiful.


            When we set up the 24 tables for our tour, we placed them in numerous settings. This was the view from one of places where we put the tables.

            5 days later

            We’ve been out of town for a little over a week - drove to the eastern side of Washington State, visiting friends in Waitsburg, did some camping in the Blue Mountains, stopped to see Palouse Falls, and drove back though miles and miles of wheat fields. Came home to find our bed of saffron crocus has begun to bloom.

            My great grandfather was one the first settlers in Waitsburg. Bill Mishler of Woodland's Dahlias was from Waitsburg. He did not believe me when I told him but I found a brochure about Waitsburg that verified it. He moved to Walla Walla a couple years later. Tragedy: His wife died in childbirth there. He married again many years later and that resulted in my grandfather being born.