Thanks Cliff, means a lot coming from you.

Can you believe that I've never been to Stonecrop? They always have their plant sale the week before our national primrose show, so we are too busy cleaning the house and the garden. As for fisheye – you know, I bought that lens a few years ago to use only for extreme closeups as it is a very good Nikon lens, but it's so small and handy, that it fits in my bag when I travel. I know that it can get overwhelming – if I crop out the sides it's much better, but the blue sky and colors are so good ( I wish I could afford more good lenses!) that I like to use it for important plant shots as the color is practically perfect. I will exercise restraint for you.

Three hours! That's dedication. I mean, I've never driven 3 hours just for plants…..no, wait a minuite. Right. So happy you went! I almost drove to the meeting, as the speaker sounded so interesting, but I just couldn't get away from the first warmish day in the garden.

Susan, that's incredible – I am so glad that you joined! Almost everyone I bring to a meeting ends up joining – l like to think of it as college recruitment!

To through my two cents into this, being new to rock gardening myself, I found that they are easier to grow than the perennials, annuals, and veg I slave over all the time. Being a mother of five, yes FIVE, time is at a premium, and rock gardening has fit the bill. Also, having grown plants from seed on myself, transplanting them out, and having them survive and thrive gives you such confidence as a gardener. That being said, NARGS members are incredibly generous, at least where I live. I once walked away from a local gardener's home with $500 worth of plants, with a typed list telling me about each plant and growing and siting instructions. Awesome plants from awesome people.