The awesomeness of davesgarden.com - already pretty high in my books thanks to their endlessly informative PlantFiles, which allow site users to post reviews and experiences with various plants - is made all the more impressive by their Garden Watchdog, which has users rate mail-order companies. People left rave reviews for Lindenberg Seeds, for instance, whose somewhat discombobulated website and black-and-white print catalogue I would have completely overlooked. Apparently, however, they have kick-ass plants for rock-bottom prices - three cannas for $4??? Sign me up!

Oooooooh, look, an online coupon for a free perennial from the Richmond Nursery! Just a little perennial, and you have to go before October 5, but still: I am SO THERE. The Zoodle and I needed something to do this afternoon anyway, and with all the garden centers taken down it's been ages since I did some nice plant browsing.

Also, my online credit card statement had a silver lining when I checked it: Breck's has charged my card, which means my bulbs should be enroute! Of course it's now cold and rainy and generally kind of lousy gardening weather. Well, at least it won't be buggy, right?

Edit: ...and when I stepped out the door to grab the mail, guess what package was waiting for me? Squee!!

Tonight with the help of the brute squad, a.k.a. my husband, I dug one of the big clumps of hydrangea roots out of the back corner. I was getting eaten alive and it seemed prudent not to overdo it anyway, so I left it at that, but my brain is all fizzing with plans for this corner now, so I am chillaxing on the couch and posting.

At the very back I'm thinking I may leave the straggly remnants of the hydrangeas of insanity to grow back into bigger clumps, since they do get nice and tall. The only trick will be to keep them from flopping over on top of the stuff in front of them. The next tier can consist of rhododendron, bleeding heart, and digitalis, which all top out at 3'ish. Astilbes, azaleas, and evening primroses can go next, followed by all the shorties (trillium, forget-me-nots, periwinkle). I can also fill in some space with ferns, which I can interplant with impatiens and begonias for some nice all-season colour.

One of these days I should go on another mini-roadtrip out to Galetta Nurseries, where they're selling off all their perennials to focus on roses and shrubs. Who knows what they'll have left by this point, but I'm all about the plant sales!

Editing to also note the Peter Knippel nursery, a place way down on Bank Street which to my delight apparently stocks flowering almond, and Artistic Landscape Designs, also helpfully located on Bank Street. Hmmmm! Wonder if either of these places carry magnolia trees.