I see that I have more self control than your self. lol

I have been to the same sales rack at least 4 times. I am going to buy some of the same plants that you bought, But I am covered up with a remodeling job of a house that I am going to sell. I am new at this so I don't know anything except what the pictures show. I have been on this forum for a couple of weeks. If I spend the money for the plants I want to dig them up and plant them each year.

From what I can find out on here many of them will not come back next year unless they are dug and stored. I am just about finished with the construction of my garden, the "hardscape". I had some plants growing last year, but this year I want some color. Below is a link to my garden:

http://gallery.me.com/Rolacoy#100223&bgcolor=black&view=grid

I know how to build things, but almost nothing about plants. I am trying to learn.

I guess I need to head back to Home Depot. I haven't bought any dahlias yet, but I'm sure I will. I was there last week & remember eyeing Star's Favorite, you've convinced me to get that one at least :) I don't remember seeing those lilies, except maybe Commander in Chief. I tend to try to buy lilies I don't have. I didn't buy Commander in Chief because I thought it looked too much like a couple I have. I do have Monte Negro, but mine is a deep maroon. I am surprised that yours is scarlet. You will like the daylily, it is just an excellent daylily. I've not had a lot of luck with those packaged daylilies myself, but I haven't bought them since the ones I bought all turned out to be different varieties than they were supposed to be. Didn't buy from HD though, but one of their competitors.

Lucky you !!! I haven't seen any dahlias at my HD and for some reson the dahlias don't grow well for me here. However I did get some bulbs from them. I got Freesia, Ranunculus, Iris, Sprekelia, Amarillys belladona, Agapanthus and Tigridias. They had gladiolus as well but I've got way too many glads planted already so I passed on them.

Ngraham, I did hesitate over the Commander in Chief. Too many lilies in the bag, too. I would rather buy onesies. If they ARE asiatics I will be up to my ears in that variety in no time anyway. I wonder why they always seem to be sold in multiples? Now if they were begonias, why, then Id need a bag full. (I DID need begonias, and those were one per bag!) I can buy them one at a time at my local lily society, but the price will be at a premium too. I have wondered about my Monte Negro. I have seen others post pictures here and mine does look a bit different. On mine the petals are narrow, too. Thats one thing I really dont like in a lily. Thanks for the encouragement about the daylily choice. I have no idea where Ill put this poor plant. I will probably have to pot it up too: I dont think it will hold out until May for me.

About Star's Favorite: its a tall rangy one, floppy stemmed too. (I dont really have any all day sun, that may factor in) I needed my tallest stakes for it. But it produced more flowers than any other I had last year. Individual flowers had beautiful form, too. I like to cut individual flowers and put them singly into ikebana holders. When a flower stands alone perfect form is more important. There are several varieties with names beginning with "Stars" : I tried one that is more solid pink but it did not produce nearly as well.

rolacoy: in your zone 8 the dahlias might even over winter in the ground. The lilies might need vernalization. Ive never lived anywhere but Zone 5 so take certain things for granted: like which bulbs will work for me. Maybe there is a targeted forum for your part of the country. I have a cousin who moved from Chicago to Texas (I forget where in Texas). I know she cant grow tulips, but iris and daylilies do phenomenally well. She is the only person I know personally with whom Ive compared notes.

Roly, I have not tried most of those. Freesia, Ranunculus, Sprekelia, Amarillys belladona, Agapanthus and Tigridias. I know they had some but I tend to skim over the ones I know nothing about. In my zone Im not sure I could get most of those going. I am always tempted by Anemone de Caen but they are not hardy here, and I dont know how they take to digging up and replanting like the dahlias do. I dont have luck keeping dahlias over but re-buy them every year. Begonias I can keep over: trying callas this year too.

Glad to see that I'm not the only one who succumbed to the temptation. In my case I went easy and bought a bag of Red King Humbert Cannas and a bag of Crocosmia - both of which are destined to go in or around my pond (the Canna in constant-moist soil, the Crocosmia outside the liner). The Canna came in a solid green bag so I was unable to check out the tubers before-hand, but I did open it up and check 'em out when I got home. I was very pleased to find 5 huge tubers with minimal new growth packed in some pleasant-feeling peat (i.e. it had some moisture, but didn't feel bone-dry) - put it all back in the bag and stuck it in a cold part of the basement until planting time.

This was in direct contrast to the selections that Lowe's had - Lowe's had their bulbs in clear plastic bags, more tubers to a bag but much smaller in size, and the majority of the Cannas that I looked at were packed in what looked like sawdust and were either soaked, fungused, blackened, and/or actively growing! They also didn't have nearly the selection that Home Depot had (in Cannas, Dalhias, Lilies, or Elephant Ears (Colocasia)).

This'll be the first year that I've tried both - most everything is new when you're a relative newbie to most gardening activities - so we'll just have to see how it works out. Last year's big success was a clearance-shelf Colocasia that I placed in my pond - I pulled it up back in Nov to overwinter and it's still surviving along with all 4 of the off-shoots. I think I'll let 'em go dormant next winter, though.

- Mike

Im really tempted to try Colocasia. I dont have a pond or anything like that. Not sure where Id put it. My garden is pretty well stuffedeven before you count what I just bought. Though Ive seen the tubers in the stores, Ive never seen the actual plant growing. I need to get a handle on how big they really are.

That is a good tip to check the bags. I bought a bag of 2 canna but didnt open anything up, just stashed it in the basement. I talked to the people at home depot when I was there: they had just gotten it in a few days ago. Nothing that I handled (when peering into the bags looking for small shoots for dahlias, to prove they were alive, and shoots not too long, if lilies) looked dry but I didnt check the cannas. I should probably cut a slit in the bags of everything, to discourage rot.

I ran, not walked to Lowes after reading this post and they do have nice variety of bulbs as well as fruit bushes. I picked out some salmon color gladiolus but can't seem to find a soft pink anywhere. I also went to Home depot but their selection was poor. Maybe I will try the one in the next town that's bigger. I just wish I could get my hands in the dirt already. Sigh*

Yes, the selection varies a lot. My local HD has much less than this store. I used to think they all had the same stuff. I had daily radiation treatments last fall in the same town as this other HD. I used to feel depressed after going so went about once a week to this store to cheer myself up. And needing to get them planted within a limited period of time kept me active and outside when the treatments made me tired. As retail therapy it was cheaper than buying clothes, which I know a lot of women would do. Next spring I look forward to seeing some amazing things bloom, that came out of a bad but necessary experience.

There was a Lowes way out in the country that I used to pass going to and from grad school. At least 70 miles from my house. They had an amazing garden center, both perennials and bulbs. I filled a couple of beds from that store. That was when it was a fairly new chain in Illinois. When one opened only 15 minutes from my house I was ecstatic. I thought I was going to be scoring big time. But this one has only the most ordinary nursery stock and the bulbs were a joke. One rack, tulips "yellow" or "red, daffodils "Assorted" . Harumph!

Now if I pass a Lowes or HD out of my area I try to stop, knowing what they have may well be different.