Lol..Good one Al! Sounds like you have a batty of a problem...lol You could always move your plants aside and make room.ha I'm praying for an end to this miserable cold weather..How did the birds fare this year for you? Did they come back? I did mention something about your frogs, but now I forget.. I hope all is well and that the real frogs will be able to sing again soon..This winter is just killing me..I think I know what it's like to live in a cave now...I'm as white as a ghost. Hello Laura and Josh and every one else..Good to see you all surviving...I have not seen this cold for years...I am grateful my fish loaded pond did not freeze up..It almost did since I accidently shut the power off to the pond pump..It only too two days for the whole top to freeze over but luckily I noticed it and broke the top open so the fish could breath. I also notice that my ground in the garden must be frozen at least more than 6 inches deep! I hope my bulb and perrenials make it through this. Let's see, what else? I left all my potted plants in a dark area of my garden and they have been buried with snow since December..I hope they make it too by the time the thaw comes..Keeping my fingers crossed. What else? Since I have been couped up inside, I have painted ever single room in my home and added a three seasons porch..That explians my absence besides sickness.. The only saving grace this winter was my greehoused plants, especially my orchids and two bull frogs inside! I actually downloaded brid chirping and sounds along with relaxing sounds and play that with my eyes closes in the nice very humid warm greenhouse on sunny days in this weather..Sure takes the edge off! All the orchids have come to bloom and many others.. Laura..What a beautiful picture of that frog!!!!!!! It's so postcard looking. I love it and you know how I feel about frogs! Thanks for that. Good to see there is still a REAL need for you while you are home, right?lol I remember was he was just born and when you visited me...Seems like yesterday. Either that frog is so content, or just trying to stay warm. Josh, Let it rain and rain, right? You could use all the rain you can get.Horay for the peppers buddy! P.s..I talked to Jodik and she is ok..I am trying to get her back here...She's a gem and missed here. So's Jojo..She is ok too..Says hello. Hoping you all well and wamrth. MIke

Yeah, the garlic is everywhere. I actually live next to Clifty Falls State Park. There's a nature center run by DNR and volunteers as well as plenty of trail area. The main attraction in the park is the steeeeep drop the streams leading to the Ohio have to make down to the Ohio River. This is the main part of the park, but on the eastern end you can, although there are no marked trails, get a feel for what a high, woodland forrest area looks like in Indiana. One of my prominent thoughts yesterday was how nature and animals are connected and grow each other. "Animals like deer worship berries, nuts, and edible greens they can stoop down and reach, while humans, at least in these parts, worship the god of trees / sun (we are tree people, no?) and the hunt / moon as well". Light powers it all and works on so many levels of energy from humans down to tree moss. One thing I was going to ask about was this crazy looking mushroom spawn. In a deer clearing on the hills I noticed a single tree that had these tiny, white toadstool mushrooms ALL OVER the trunk. Most of the other vegetation around that tree had, long ago, been cleared out or something. I was reminded of what Paul Stamets says about mushrooms and their programmed similarity to string theory, because these mushrooms singularity rule seemed to help this tree alone... instead of promoting a healthy ecosystem these mushrooms only let sunlight reach this particular tree and other infected trees in the area where the spore spread. Does anyone know what this fungi is? Also, I noticed that wild strawberries seem even more evasive than the onion plants, but they are still a ways from bearing fruit. Are these berries edible? One final thing I noticed is the abundant ammount of raspberry / blackberry plants! These got me very excited. =) Even if someone can talk about nature doesn't mean they are really interested in getting out and hiking. Basically, the few friends I have are Hanover College Philosophy majors who like to talk about buddha nature and reality but see actually getting out into the woods as a "duty" or "doing their time" rather than a pure enjoyment. I'm sure I will, in good time, come across more people like myself spending time in nature.... For now, I have a few (peterson and others) guides coming in the mail that I think will be very helpful... I can write down dates I first see certain plants coming into bloom and when I start seeing them die off. anyways, thanks for the welcome naturegirl =) /ramble

I love a real book. Though I am extremely clumsy and I sometimes tend to loose my spot, mainly cause I will fall asleep with the book in hand. Then it ends up on my face, then of course I ROLL. Oh me, sometimes I may spend at least 30 mins to an hour trying to find where I was reading and thinking wait I read that already. E-reader with the kindle app is WONDERFUL for people like me!! I so do not like the borders app. I haven't tried the barnes and noble yet for android but that will be my next app to install. 1000's of free books with the kindle app!!! They even have a kindle app for windows users.

GRAYLADY-GARDENER: I have the white clematis for you. I would like to try the astilbe. What else would you like for it and for coleus and heliotrope? GARDENG8: Tall pink foxglove coming your way for Iron Cross Oxalis, thank you. How about daylily 'Malaysian Monarch' for daylily 'Startle'? DIDZGARDEN: Thank you for the orange cosmos. What would you like for it in exchange? DALDAK: I have alstroemeria and Kwanzo daylily for red lily and purple rock cress, thank you for the trade. When I google pink echinacea and purple echinacea, I get the same pictures. So I guess people are calling it either colour. I would never call it purple myself. In my opinion it is not even close to purple. Mine is nice pink with fairly wide petals that don't droop overly much. They are seedlings so I don't know how close to mother plant they will be. Would you like to try one? Merja