LOL. Just read my thread to my DH and he wanted to add...he thinks it's an Addiction.

Of course he would. He calls all plants a "Hurtium Sturtium" or "Ruby Begonia". LOL. One day on a drive he told me that the orange flowers on the side of the road were really pretty and we should grow them.

TIGER LILIES. When we got home I showed him the clump of about 50 growing right by THE FRONT DOOR!!!

Non gardeners! Hmpft!

You should join the Ontario Rock Garden Society (ORGS).
http://www.onrockgarden.com/
The seed exchange contains over 1200 varieties of hardy perennials and rock garden plants.

ninamarie...I love the site. Thanks so much! But my husband is now saying your my seed 'pusher'. LOL. Feeding my addiction!!!

Ah, trillium, you've only started. You have no idea. This is just some of what can happen once the addiction gains hold...
I once owned four refrigerators. Only part of one was used for food. All the rest were used to force seedlings.
When we moved to our present property, 10 years ago, it took one month after the move-in date to unpack our bedroom and our clothes. The greenhouse, however, was erected two days after we got there.
Once, while canoeing, I dropped the canoe while it was being handed down through a drop in the river. I had become involved trying to identify some tiny blue flowers growing in the shallows and didn't see it being passed down to me, even though I had been sent down there to get it.
Since March 14th, 2007, I have sown 407 different kinds of seeds - all perennial.
I sow seed all year. Not in fall. Not in spring. Not in summer. Not in winter. I sow seeds in fall, spring, summer and winter.
There are lots of other exchange societies. Orgs is very good, and it is close, but many others are worth joining also.

Hello ladies. I've been gardening for 10 years now. We lived in the city until last year but now have a farm (50 acres, 2 of which I am starting to garden) and the room where I can go even crazier with my plants. I have just this past year started trading. To date I have done about 6 trades and I still plan to do more. I had to give up my hobby greenhouse when we moved but now we plan to get a bigger one. I started dividing and moving my plants up here when we bought the farm and kept adding to the ones I already had. Now that we are living here (we built our house last year), I plan to have a small sale in the spring like the one I had in town except now I will have perennials too. I belong to both the daylily and hosta societies and am learning from them (I just joined last month). I am going to check out the Ontario Rock Garden Society, should be very interesting. As far as gardening being an addiction goes, I believe that anything that you do that you really like can be an addiction! My hubby is into electric cars and solar panels and has been for 10 years and loves it. Anyway, there are never enough plants! Marg

marric...where abouts do you live...just thinking about maybe coming by your sale in the spring if you're not far from where I live...I'm bwtwn Peterborough and Belleville

I'll buy some too, am in Trenton

I'm up near Stayner, north of Barrie. Marg

You are nearer me, then. I am just outside Mount Forest.
By the way, my addiction is now a full time, full fledged business. And my addiction is still my hobby.
After working all day in the greenhouse, I get to garden.
Of course, this works only when there is no snow on the ground.

ninamarie: What is the name of your nursery? We go through Mount Forest sometimes. Marg

Marg, am I allowed to say the name? We're WildThings Plant Farm, just outside Mount Forest. There, I said it.
I have to admit, it's a relief. All I really want to do is hang out with gardeners. In a way, the business has gotten in the way of that.
Mount Forest is a great town, and a really good gardening area. Rich loamy soil, good drainage, lots and lots of different microclimates, and reliable snow cover. We get to do a lot of zone pushing.
We go to Trenton once a year to visit friends. Lots and lots of gardeners in that area. You are among kindred souls, trillium and glaswegian.

Do you have a web site? I'd love to check it out. BTW, I'll trade you some of my heavy clay for your rich loamy soil, lol. Marg

Yeah. We're at www.wild-things.ca
But the website is messy. We're both great growers, and have lots of plant knowledge. But a three-year-old could surpass our our technical knowledge and skills.
However, the 2009 plant list should be downloaded soon. I hope. It's a struggle every year.
But we are going away for a few weeks while someone stays here. And I won't be looking at a computer or email or the website during that time! I will however, be exploring plants in the jungle. We schedule all vacations according to plant life.
I am madly starting seeds today, amidst packing. It's still my favourite activity in the world, and one I turn to whenever I get stressed. If I have a bad day at the nursery (rare, but it happens)- I start seeds. If I have a fight with my husband, I start seeds.
Can you amend your clay soil?

We have been amending for the 8 years we owned the farm. First we rented out the land to a farmer and he worked it each year. After a few years we took over and designated an area for the garden and started growing cover crops and adding compost. It's slowly getting better. Thankfully we have access to lots of straw that we compost and then work into the garden. We built our house last year and are now living here. The trees and shrubs we planted are now maturing. A work in progress! Marg