Fortunately the N.p. recurvus isn't expensive or hard to find. Depending on when we move, I'll probably take a clump - I have a lot of them, scattered around the yard. Honestly, I don't recall having so many varieties - I was definitely a forgetful squirrel when I buried them over the past 10 years. . . . I am really excited about the peonies - they've had time to establish now, and they should start to really perform this year. I'll be happy to post pictures when they bloom; a few already are setting buds on top of their foliage. I have a variety - singles, Japanese, doubles; heirloom and modern; darkest crimson to creamy white. I'm anticipating them as much as the daylilies. Most of the peonies will move with me too, if at all possible. Laurel

Bellamart, You may still want to give fig pot culture a look, instead of in the ground. I bet you have a cold place to store a fig tree you have not thought of yet. You don't need a lot of room. You don't need light, just a place that stays between approx. 25-40 degrees F. during the winter to keep the fig dormant. Here are my reasons pot culture over in ground culture would work the best for you: 1. Any variety, even the most winter intolerant ones can be grown. Since the fig is winterized in an unheated location: garage, shed, summer porch, fruit cellar, etc., its winter hardiness is irrelevant. This opens up a huge selection window for you. 2. Why pot culturing figs is so important to you living in a short growing season climate is that you can select the earliest ripening varieties, which may be the least winter hardy ones, which lack of hardiness, again, is irrelevant. Growing under the same conditions otherwise, a pot cultured fig will ripen its figs quicker, than if it was growing in the ground. This ensures a successful ripening of your crop. There's nothing more disheartening than having not yet ripe figs never ripening because the weather is closing in. All that work for not. 3. Portability is a great advantage over growing in the ground. Select the hottest, sunniest spot for your fig(s). This may be a: cement patio, car pad, deck, roof garden...where you cannot plant a fig into the ground. Figs can take all the sun and heat you can give them. Just faithful watering is required. °°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°° A 10 gallon pot is the largest size pot you will ever need. Even a fig that grows 20 feet tall in the ground in California can be pruned/trained to a modest 5 foot beauty in your pot. Pot cultured productive varieties routinely yield 200-300 figs a year on a mature tree. A gallon size purchased fig, given proper care will be mature in about 4-5 years. An immature fig tree produces lots of figs!....just not at their mature rate. The only drawback is that you have to be adequately read up on figs and their management under pot culture. This is fun and enlightening to me, but too much work for some folks. These type of gardeners just want to plant a fig tree in the spring, forget about it, and later harvest figs. No effort. Pot culture figs is not for these kind of folks. Moses

Jean: I know about hot and humid weather and we are suppose to get back to those dreadful temps/humidity later this week. For now, I'll enjoy the cooler and windy weather we are having now. Easier to get gardening work done. mantis: Glad it helps you. I don't mean to downplay a hybridizers creation but if it doesn't show improvement in 2 years, it has to go where it can flourish better. Even with this seasons up and downs (it could happen again), it's another way to see which cultivar is able to stand the test of our weather patterns. Julia

Welcome Back Carolyn, You will have plenty of time to fully recover from your stroke and be ready to start digging in when spring arrives. I agree with Kareen, as your health returns you should check out the wintersowing forum especially since you have been used to gardening for a longer period down in Ga. I grew up down south and was used to gardening for 9 or 10 months out of the year. Sitting idle for 6 months up here was driving me up the wall. Now I start sowing my seeds (outside) shortly after New Year and as Kareen stated it sure make the winter months go by a lot faster. Penny