The Mother's Day Competition

Continuing the saga of Mother's Day.... You all will remember that in the last chapter of our story I received a boxed plant and since it came from Chicago I thought it might be from my son Valentine, but it ended up being a gardinia from my daughter Megan. Well today a box arrived on the front porch from Star Nurseries in Louisiana. Who do I know in Louisiana? And it was almost too heavy for Kent to lift. We managed to cut the box off and unwrap all the paper surrounding... wait for it... a KUMQUAT tree. From Val. With a special sheaf of instructions ("DO NOT PLANT WHERE THERE MIGHT BE FROST.") and a special State of Louisiana permit allowing me to grow this genuine imported citrus tree but not to export it to Florida, Arizona, or California. Wow! Now Kent says I have to move the furniture out of the solarium and get a REALLY big pot. Thank you, Valentine. And John, please, pretty please, let's not make this a contest. Okay?

Followed by this comment from son John: "Too late."

Roses

Everyone has to have a hobby. Mine is killing roses.

Went out looking for a giant tub to plant the Kumquat tree. We've figured out what we have to move out of the solarium to make room for it, but didn't find a big enough pottery tub. Will try at Home Depot later this afternoon. But I did buy two quite unusual roses at Ace. One is very mundanely named Ketchup and Mustard but is a lovely red and yellow mix and the other is a Sunsprite, which you don't see often, as it is an antique floribunda and I'm hoping it is hardier than the hybrid teas that I love but can't manage to keep through the winter.