So nice to have Alpine-L messages again. Last year we had a lot of conversation in mid-winter that I really enjoyed. (Or was that year-before-last?) Anyway, hello to everyone from Tennessee, and Happy 2012! I moved in September to a new home that is on the edge of town with all my collection of mini hostas in pots. Day before yesterday I saw a deer at the edge of my property, so I'm probably going to have a problem. However, my rock garden plants are going to be delighted--I have a great deal of sunlight. There's about an acre, and it was almost a clean slate except for a 100-year-old eastern red juniper (called a "cedar" here) that is beautiful and two young oak trees in the back yard (probably 20 feet tall) that are going to have to shade all my hostas and ferns. I spent the fall getting started--built some raised beds in the front yard and moved plants, and moved plants, and moved plants!!! And moved rocks, and moved rocks, and moved rocks!!! The front bed is going to be pretty. I planted several miniature conifers with rock companions nearby and small plants like pink oxalis, small aquilegias and clumps of species tulips. The signature feature is a Japanese maple, 'Tamukyama' that I had moved from my previous home. It is going to have a lot of sun, but it had been used to sun for most of the day anyway. And I planted two Salvia greggii cultivars there. They will be joined by Salvia guaranitica next spring. Since it is questionably hardy here I thought it would be best to wait until then to move it. I was also able to have my adored Acer japonica 'Aconitifolium' to my new home. It was already probably ten feet high, so I felt lucky I was able to find someone to move it for me. The old garden was so steep that using big equipment was impossible. He kept a really large root ball, so I think it will be okay if I keep it watered well next summer. It will be shaded in the afternoon by the big cedar. This one has the most spectacular fall foliage I ever saw. I'm going to miss the rest of my Japanese maples, though. They were way too big to move--Seiryu, Beni Komachi, Butterfly. Oh, they were wonderful! I have a number of troughs mostly planted with miniature hostas. I think I'm going to put some of the hostas in other pots and put the troughs out in the sun. Anyone have suggestions for plants where we have humidity and a lot of rain? I couldn't have accomplished nearly as much as I have if it hadn't been for this weird warm winter we are having--I was interested in the comment from Minnesota. We don't always have snow here, but we don't have sustained days in the high 50's and 60's either, which has been the case this year. We've only had brief periods of cold, and my daffodils and crocus are coming up. Did I mention that I moved some of my cyclamen and galanthus? I have snowdrops in bloom under the breakfast room window! Elin Johnson Sweetwater, TN P.S. Please excuse my spelling if I have made mistakes.
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