Hello, if you want to plan a garden tour in Asia and specially Thailand do not hesitate to contact me In my area ther is a very nice botanicla garden - search online for ""Queen Sirikit Botanical Gardens, Chiang Mai, Thailand"" or some pages on http://www.forest.go.th/Botany/Gardens/ and the area is the main area to export tropical flowers Please contact me on private mail I may advice you or find somebody to assist you during your trip, as I already did for some gardenweb member from Singapore lukmee

Hi Ramses, You are right, I should have said "rarely" or overpriced rather than never! I know there was money in the US at the time (several branches of my family are counted in Burkes Peerage and well documented in American history ... on a minor scale!). I have a library full of art and architecture books on Newport (toured some of the houses as well), Philly Main Line, Long Island, McKim Meade & White (architects), and even one book dedicated specifically to the Vanderbilts. If one looks at Vizcaya in Miami, Deering and Chafin shopped endlessly in Europe while the house was being built. And let's not forgot Fifth Avenue! The difference is that for those houses there is a big financial gap in the purchasing power and "scale" of the antiques of those home owners from the "average" wealthy American. A lot of the really great stuff is either still in private hands or in museums. Still, the stuff is fab. Yes, great "Grande Tour" items can still be found in the US! I think what Igloochic is probably going to do is take advantage of the fact that antique furniture is not "hot" here like it is in the US. Better prices here (dirt cheap) if you can fill a container of one's own and ship it home. I think she is going about it the right way. And NOBODY has ANY right to guilt her as Mother for taking this trip. I AM DISGUSTED and APPALLED!!!!!!!!!! This is not a diaper forum (although the amount of S**T comments I often read on here makes me think otherwise). Igloochic asked for antiques recommendations, NOT MOTHERING ADVICE! GOOD GOD LINDA, LET IT GO and mind your own family!!! Before Igloochic's question I had stopped coming on here because I was tired of the all-knowing, judgemental comments (yes, NOW I'M MAD!!!) And Angeldog! I, like you, enjoy new people piping in (just sorry for so much defensive piping on this one)! I will try to post a couple of pics of my Swiss flat (be warned, I am not a very good photographer, lol!) I will include some pics of my NYC flat before I moved all of that to this place. Like Igloochic I am working on filling my filling my Victorian house (I have a container in Connecticut waiting for me) so my "work in progress" will be awhile. And the farmhouse! AH! My beloved farmhouse! It is a 1790's house built from the remains of an even older barn. The interior beam framing in the attic is SPECTACULAR! It is an "ancestral"/family home I am grateful to have ... except I haven't gone in about two years, lol. The Victorian porches were just removed last year and I'll see if I can find the pics that were sent to me. I will do a separate post. Igloochic, GO FOR IT! I cannot wait to see how you progress along. You are inspiring. Tschüss, Baer

Plymouth (MA) Garden Club. Our plant sale is this Saturday May 21 from 9 to noon at the Chiltonville Congregational Church 6 River St Plymouth MA. We have very nice plants both divisions and starts carefully tagged and packed, as well as kitchen treats, attic treasures and boutique items. Come early for best selection. Benefits scholarships and civic beautification projects in our town. Thanks NH Babs for this thread.

Thanks again. Yes, I admit I plant somewhat closely for impact. Even when you think you've given things enough room, you sometimes need to reconsider! I found this pic from 2012 of the rear bed (against the woods) and you can see my original arborescens planting locations with the daylilies behind. I cannot believe how much everything has grown since! But each year I'm always moving things, sometimes once or more monthly throughout each growing season (the neighborhood probably thinks I'm nuts!). Even things that need moved only a foot or two I don't mind doing, because that's another hunk of solid clay I'm loosening up and allowing for root expansion! Other things have naturally spread voraciously as well, like the daylilies, irises and fuzzy-leaved rudbeckia (these are no joke!). Hostas are even getting huge now. I'm at the point where I'm composting overexpansion; wish I had time to give divisions away or sell them! With the most recent transfer of non-bloomers to containers, I find there is a reasonable amount of room for everything with the inventory as-is. I will be cutting in Invincibelle Ruby and Incrediball Blush soon, but those are the only immediate plans. I also prune various items throughout the growing season, as new branches always seem to be growing where they shouldn't. Guess only by chance really, but I subconsciously seem to like the way the Japanese hydrangea gardens are laid out, like a sea of flowers. Without an overabundance of rain (fungal issues) the hydrangeas are very happy planted closely around one another. I will be using large stakes and fencing for Annabelles next year though, as they still manage to spill over onto neighboring macrophyllas. For me, some things seem to bloom more profusely in shade, while others don't. There's really no rhyme or reason to it I've found yet. *shrug* At the current time, I would tell anyone to go ahead and try planting at the woods' edge and see what happens. If adding a completely new bed you'll probably need to chop through some tree roots unless the bed is partially raised by fill or new soil.