Esther,

Glad your situation has turned to your advantage. Of those plants you've mentioned I can highly recommend Grand Prize (which is probably the same plant is Grand Tiara), and Marilyn Monroe. Grand Prize is small but vigorous and has beautiful wide yellow margins. Marilyn Monroe has a lot going for it, beautiful rippled leaves with red petioles, white leaf backs, red scapes and lovely flowers that bloom late in the season. It's one of my favorite plants.

The only one I would not buy is Stitch in Time which has a tendency to become "unstitched". My understanding is that the Originator's Stock is a better plant than the TC. Hyuga Urajiro is a nice little plant, but not a favorite.

Steve

Thanks, Steve, for your "insider info". The new planting strip is not dug yet due to the lack of promised rain. Sunday will be the day I break my back digging out so much turf. Hopefully some of the promised rain will have come this way and softened the soil to ease my task.

So, Grand Prize and Marilyn Monroe are to be sought after, while Stitch in Time should be left on the shelf, eh? What about Tomahawk and Ripple Effect?

I agree with Steve about Marilyn Monroe and Stitch in Time. I see Grand Prize as an improvement over Grand Tiara. The color is much stronger, see picture. If you locate it in sun the margin fades to white but during the summer it regrows new leaves with the yellow color. If you locate it in heavy shade it keeps the original color all summer.

Ripple Effect did not thrill me until this year. It was always blah and faded. Put it in sun and it's much more interesting with better color.

Esther,

I agree with Myrle about Ripple Effect, but I don't know Tomahawk. A good replacement for Stitch in Time is Mango Tango. Small size and very colorful foliage. Grows well and stands up all season.

Okaaaaay. Based on the recommendations here, I just ordered Ripple Effect, Marilyn Monroe & Grand Prize from Made in the Shade. A pity none of them were on end of season sale. I diligently searched the web to find them on sale, but found only one of them at any particular place. Even though Made in the Shade is a dollar or two more expensive, they have them all, so there will be only one shipping charge. If I find, after having the time to dig the 18" strip this weekend and transplanting the hostas I have to move, that there is sufficient space for the 3 new ones AND a heuchie or two, I will order the heuchie or two.

Oh, what a wonderful silver lining to the rotten co-op board situation! Now your garden will be more lovely than ever. Wonderful varieties you've picked, too. I have Marilyn Monroe on my "must have" list, and Ripple Effect caught my eye in a big way at a display garden this summer.

Here in the Baltimore area we've been soaked almost nonstop for three days now, so I am willing our rain to head up your way!

Unfortunately, the rain seems to be bypassing us except for a spitting rain right now. And I NEEDED that rain to soften the soil for the addition of the hosta strip to the garden! So, I may have to run the hose on the "soaker" setting for a while Sunday to soften the soil. Then I can plant the hostas I saved in the garbage bags and wait for the 3 new ones to arrive to plant.

The OUTRAGEOUS thing is, now the mgt. is toying with me again. They told me in that letter to have my "plantings" out from under the hosta tree, and so I did. I only left the annual salvia, as it will die soon anyway. Guess what????

The dead tree is still there, but I know the "landscapers" have been busy cutting down zillions of trees and large branches all over the complex. So I wonder, with good reason considering their spitefulness, if they wanted me to dig up my garden for no reason except to ruin it AND they won't remove the dead tree as I asked.

I just ran into my downstairs next door neighbor, who has told me often how much she loves what I did with the Neighbor's Patch (she is one of the 2 "Neighbors"). She paid me a wonderful compliment just now---she is getting married next year and she wanted the name and color of my Easy Does It rose because she wants to use it in her bridal bouquet!!!

I just informed her about the co-op manager's nasty spiteful behavior about the hosta garden, and she was truly appalled.