Winner(s) of the “Horticultural Name-That-Baby” Contest!

I've dillydallied long enough. You want to know what we're going to call this kid, right?

And you want to know who won, and what the heck they won, right?

Well. Here's the deal...

Don't get mad but-- We had a girl's name picked out all along. In fact, we had it lined up since before we were married.

BUT at the time, I didn't know if we were going to have a girl or a boy (it's a girl!), so it was totally honest, mostly.

So, her name is going to be Hazel Jane. Do you like it? I wimped out on the middle name being horticultural- And when I suggested we add the second middle name of "Von Linne" I got beaten down from every direction.

Be honest, what do you think?

I had a few relatives named Hazel when I was really little and I remember them fondly. It's a good horticultural name- I'm talking about a straight-up American Hazel tree here, no Witch Hazel shrubs or... don't even mention a Corylus contorta... What are you wishing on this kid??

When we talked about it when Dan and I first started dating seriously- he liked it too. So much, in fact, that he wrote this retort to my very cheesy wedding post on TheKnot.com right before we got married...

"Hi, my name is Dan, and I am getting married on September 11. I just got an email from my fiancee, Amanda, and apparently she has made a web page about our wedding. It is only appropriate that I publish one as well. So, here it is.

This page will answer the question; 'Why am I getting married?' Amanda has already told us about the love at first sight and all that, but I must confess, there is something else...

My best friend's name is Matt. He is like a brother to me. In fact, his brothers are like brothers to me.

A couple of years ago, I was talking with Matt and his brother Jay, and I revealed to them my intention to marry Amanda. (I look to them for guidance as I am naive beyond my years.) Matt then told me about a special wedding night consommé, and Jay, with ten years of experience, added that it only gets better with thyme. So now you know, I am in it for the soup!

Here, then, is how I imagine my life/soup with Amanda...

Wedding Night - Consommé - Simple, substantial, a base to build on.

First Anniversary - Tomato - Spicier than the consommé, deeply satisfying. Possibly served with a sandwich.

Second Anniversary - With daughter Hazel on the way, Amanda alternates between cuddling and lashing out in anger. The soup is a cold bitter gazpacho.

Fifth Anniversary - Hazel has pink eye. The soup, of course, is chicken noodle. Chicken was free range, vegetables from Amanda's garden.

Tenth Anniversary - Paella! - Not exactly a soup, but served in a large bowl. Rice, meat, seafood, vegetables, saffron. This is the royal treatment. This is a happy home.

Fifteenth Anniversary - Hazel plays her viola night and day. She has declared herself as a vegetarian, (which sort of makes us all vegetarian.) The soup is cream of garden fresh asparagus.

Twentieth Anniversary - With Hazel away at Julliard, the soup is an elegant and sexy French onion. Jay was right, it is better with thyme.

Twenty fifth Anniversary - Hazel has a son on the way. She is lashing out. Her mother is supportive. The soup is a cold bitter gazpacho. Hazel is now a vegan. (I had been wondering which way she would go.)

Thirtieth Anniversary - Split Pea - Amanda will not eat this, but she makes it for me. Thank you, Love.

Fortieth Anniversary - I am sitting in the living room with my grandson watching the Cubs game. (I am still waiting for a World Series victory.) My grandson has made me my 'soup'. This consists of dropping a bullion cube into a warmed glass of water. This is just a ritual, as I have not been able to taste the soup for many years now.

Last week when I was at my doctor's office, he told me that there is a new pill that will restore my ability to taste the soup. He is explaining that you take a pill once in the morning, and can then taste soup anytime during that day. I am reading the brochure that he has just handed me. 'Side effects include, nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite. Tongue swollen for more then 4 minutes, though rare, is life threatening, consult a physician immediately.' 'That's O.K, Doc,' I say, 'turns out, there's more to it than just the soup after all."

It'd be hard to not stick to the plan, even though we're off by a few years...

So, The winner of the Grand Prize is Jonquil, she wasn't the only person to mention "Hazel" but she was the first-

Jonquil will get her choice of...

A) A year's subscription to Horticulture and a Kiss My Aster prize pack

or

B) One of these cool raised bed kits from Greenland Gardener (You can become a fan of this product here)

Now, even though I can't name my kid twice- I did play a little dirty so I'm thinking that I should pick a second winner to improve my karma. And there were so many great entries it is truly hard to pick- but one entry had us TALKIN' around the house for days....

Lynne Phillips' suggestion of "Chamaecyparis Vanderwolfe Thomsen" wins second prize- And second prize is whatever Jonquil doesn't pick, because I hate to leave stuff sitting on the table...

I have contacted both winners via email. Congratulations!