I am deeply distressed by Jane McGary's comments, that I used material she and other members of PBS posted on our forums without permission and in an inappropriate manner. Those of you I asked for this invaluable assistance know who you are, and the procedure I followed in using your information. For our other members, it went like this: As the book got under way, I discovered material appropriate to my manuscript on the PBS forum. The method I followed was to privately e-mail the individual who made the original posting, asking if it might be used. If permission had been refused, that would have been the end of it. Graciously, permission was always granted. I generally asked additional questions as follow-up, often with further questions to the additional reply. When the material was developed into text, it was always sent to each person for their approval, frequently making adjustments as requested. Finally, I specifically asked everybody for permission to use that final draft material in the book. Every individual whose experiences are included is mentioned by name, unless they asked that I not do so. Their information is frequently given as lengthy quotes. My intention was not, is not, never was to present the material as my own experience. I did rely on the expertise of members who live in regions outside my own, preferring actual gardening experience - my own included - to just book research. I am not an expert on hostas, and have no idea where that came from. The PBS web site address was changed after the manuscript was copy edited and proof pages reviewed, so impossible to change / update. I provided a bibliography, Timber Press scrapped it. Heck, I didn't even get to choose the book's title. I do not pretend to the depth of knowledge about bulbs that many of our members have to offer. What I do have is a fondness for bulbs, corms, tubers, and all the other plants with lumpy underground storage structures. I want to share that appreciation with the general gardening public, to urge them to explore regionally appropriate "bulbs" and to give up on the homogenization of our gardens, where, for example, refrigerated tulips are stuffed into California gardens. Garden journalist - yes, I write books and magazine articles. I also teach and lecture on various gardening topics at the New York Botanical Garden, for professional horticultural organizations and also to garden clubs. Someone has to welcome the beginning gardeners starting down the garden path. With this book I wanted to encourage them to explore beyond the plastic bags of bulbs in the big box stores and discover the diversity of bulbs that are available to embellish their gardens wherever they might be: in the Northeast, Deep South, Texas, Mediterranean climate, and so on. If Jane McGary did not want to be quoted, that would have been fine. When she said, in answer to my request, that she didn't have time to reply at length I assured her that I could work with just what she had posted in the PBS forum. Further, she had the opportunity to review what would be included in my text. Any material she provided is attributed to her. There is nothing I can do at this point other than to say again that I am distressed by her comments. I truly believe that the rest of you who did participate and are included in Bulbs for Garden Habitats will be as pleased with the book as am I. I do sincerely hope that Jane will have someone other than herself review my book for the Bulletin of the North American Rock Garden Society. Unless, that is, she thinks it of so little interest to the NARGS members that it will not be reviewed at all. Judy Glattstein