Carolyn, you are so right, My comment was for Sheri Cline who had commented on food safety. Sorry for the mix up. You do have the lovely photos, however! I really enjoy being able to communicate with so many gardeners here, especially VA gardeners who can share their local experiences. I hope you're having a great season so far. I was out until the bugs were biting despite the off spray tonight. Planting will have to wait until tomorrow.

Your garden photos are beautiful. Beautiful plants and lovely photography. I have enjoyed reading your posts. I have not been on the site much over the winter, but now the garden bug has bitten again. I share many of your same views on agriculture and seed saving/food safety and security, so have enjoyed reading your thought and your information. My husband has always been a garden widow, but this year he has joined me in some planting, hopefully this will be a new hobby for him! Happy gardening!

Greetings Carolyn,
Your St.Patricks day greeting ended up in my in box and I noticed that you were not on my friend list so I thought that I would invite you. I was in Virginia in 1969and enjoyed it there very much. The Blue Ridge Mountains and Parkway, Chessapeake Bay, Williamsberg, Arlington etc. I am sure that it has grown up there and changed a lot since then.
Yes that is a red Peony . I don't recall the variety name and can't find it in my records or books . I had a stroke recently and sometimes it takes me a while to recall but when I do I will write it down. I do know that it is the earliest of the peonies to bloom, it is shorter too, and the original plant came from starts that my grandmother gave me.Peonies are one of my favorites and I have many large old clumps. They are very fragrant and make great cut flowers too. I cut them for my own home for church and folks come here every year to take a few blossoms home. Their bloom time is short (2weeks to a month) making their blossoms a special treasure. The bushes after bloom are attractive too with their cut leaves and round shape.Because of variety and coolness of climate here near Lake Superior I don't have to stake or cage them here. I do trim their seed heads off and clean any dropped petals off their leaves to prevent rotted and spotted leaves.
I was in the nursery business for over 30 years specializing in herbaceous perennials but am retired now and have all I can do to keep up the yard.In fact I have been cutting down on my gardens every year now for the past several. Planting bushes that will get large and cover some beds and just mowing others down.My vege-
tables always come first ,then weeding and caring for the perennials second. Its a good thing that perennials are glorified weeds and that mine are well established.I enjoy them very much.
Thanks again ,
Richard Jensen

Here are my other books about them and Sissinghurst:

Brown, Jane Vita's Other World - A Gardening Biography of V. Sackville-West Sissinghurst 1985
Brown, Jane & Miller, John (photographs) Sissinghurst - Portrait of a Garden Sissinghurst 1990
Fox, Robin Lane V. Sackville-West The Illustrated Garden Book Sissinghurst 1989
Glendinning, Victoria Vita - A Biography of Vita Sackville-West Sissinghurst 1983
Leaska, Mitchell A. & Phillips, John (editors) Violet To Vita - The Letters of Violet Trefusis to Vita Sackville-West Sissinghurst 1991
Lord, Tony Gardening at Sissinghurst Sissinghurst 1995
Nicolson, Nigel (edited by) Vita and Harold - The Letters of Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson Sissinghurst

Carolyn, here is a list of all the books I have written by Vita:
Sackville-West, Vita A Joy of Gardening Sissinghurst 1958
Sackville-West, Vita All Passion Spent Fiction 1991
Sackville-West, Vita In Your Garden Sissinghurst 1996
Sackville-West, Vita Knole and the Sackvilles - The National Trust History 1994
Sackville-West, Vita Passenger to Teheran History 1990
Sackville-West, Vita Saint Joan of Arc Fiction 1936
Sackville-West, Vita Some Flowers Sissinghurst 1993
Sackville-West, Vita The Garden Poetry 1946
Sackville-West, Vita The Land Poetry 1938

Caroline, Thanks for the tip about the nitrogen fixing agent. I'll get some now and put it with my gardening supplies to ensure that I don't over look it in the spring.

Caroline, how nice of you to join my site, and everyone will enjoy having you. Yes, I am very cautious about new members and photos, so there will also be a delay before your photos are posted. By the way, you were approved!! Yes, this is a beautiful area to live and, finally, I have settled in. I have lived 120 miles south of SB, and did not like this country living. Compared to Newport Beach, this is country life and I just could not "fit", but we have redone the inside of the house, and I have been working on the landscaping, which resulted in being bitten by the love for gardening bug! Now, i love it here, Brenna from this site has me thinking about chickens and I went to the animal shelter today to volunteer to be a foster mommie for kittens, puppies, rabbits and perhaps chickens, not sure about the chicks, may want to get my own. So, I think I am countrified, don't you??