I don't mind seedlings that can easily be pulled out, and I don't mind expanding clumps unless they start to look bad within a year because they're in need of division. (I'd like to have to divide no more often than every three years, though. I think I can press my husband into service THAT often!) What I do mind is plants that put out sneaky underground attacks in every direction and that pop up six feet away from where you put them, with a root that appears to extend to China! Choking out weeds is a plus, and I certainly have space to fill. It sounds like the Shastas would be okay from what I'm hearing. No sneaky rhizomes etc? Thanks! Susan

In a mostly shady yard I would not waste limited sunny spots on tulips. They generally do not return well and flower for a very short time. I do grow tulips (quite a lot of them) each year as annuals in a spot reserved for them in my front yard (north facing) plantings in fairly heavy shade. Greigii and Darwin tulips are fairly decent returners, but as with most all tulips they need excellent drainage and lots of sun. If you have tulips that are known as good returners, try a couple of clumps of them (3,5 or 7 bulbs per spot, depending on how big a hole you can make) on the sunny side of the tree, or as Dee suggested, even on the shady side. Just don't expect too much return in either case. Daffodils perennialize better and can handle some shade, but have long lasting foliage which must be left up to ripen for a long time after bloom. For this reason they are often planted with other perennials, daylily is a favorite, to hide the dying foliage. I like to plant them among shrubs and trees near the back of the garden where the foliage issue doesn't drive me nuts. Large trumpet ones make a nice show even from a distance. Smaller varieties are nice around doorways and patios where you can see them up close and personal on cool but sunny spring days. Lots of minor bulbs such as scilla, ipheions, chionodoxa, fritillaria meleagris (checkered lily) and anemone blanda will do very well in deciduous shade, flowering and getting enough sun prior to tree leaf-out. These are also way easier to plant among the roots of an established tree. I also grow lots of crocus that way too, but beware...the squirrels absolutely love these. For impact, think in at least 50s and 100s for minor bulbs. These minor bulbs should do well on both sides of your tree. BTW, have you been in your new home long enough to know that there is nothing planted on the shady side? Bulbs & spring ephemerals, like bluebells and some bleeding hearts, wouldn't show by mid-summer, and the foliage of lots of perennials, especially early bloomers, has also already gone over this late in my season. I have a very heavily layered garden and have underplanted lots of my perennials and most of my shrubs with bulbs. I have bulbs (spring and summer ones) tucked in here there and everywhere. I think that is what Dee meant - underplanting the Shastas with the bulbs, not the other way around. Anyway, I usually just tuck the bulbs in around and between things like hostas which come up late and completely cover the foliage mess of the bulbs. All you need to do here is to cut back the daisy stalks, leaving a few inches so you can get an idea of the space they take up, leave maybe 6-12 inches around them free, and plant your bulbs. A word about the Shasta Daisies. Mine (Becky) haven't even started to turn yet in my area. They are still green and standing up straight and tall. Perhaps yours are toppled because of too little sun, even on the sunny side of the tree. Yours may just be an earlier blooming variety, so the foliage went earlier, but up north Shastas are pretty much considered full sun plants, so planting under/near a tree is a bit unusual. However, there is another issue - drainage. You didn't indicate your soil type. I have mine growing jammed up between a shrub and the house wall because it is very dry there and in my wettish clay soil Shasta Daisies don't overwinter well or fade away in a few years. For this reason I wouldn't even think of transplanting them now and raise the question of whether you actually have a good place to grow them, here or elsewhere. (I like them well enough to jam them into a strangish spot to grow them). Maybe, you'd rather have a rose in your sunny spot. Something to think about. If you really want bulbs where the shastas are located now, you could also take out a small chunk or two from the center of the Shastas, replenish the soil, making sure its loose and good draining, and then plant your bulbs in the spot. Then you'd have a bit of spring bulbs (maybe one season, maybe longer if you're lucky) and still leave the shastas in place until spring or even leave them where they are for late season bloom. Plant the rest of the bulbs on the outside of the patch of daisies, as I suggested earlier, and/or on the shady side of the tree, or other spots you have open. Next spring you can post again (including info on the size and type of tree) about undoing the lopsided planting or lack of planting on one side of the tree. You'll get lots of suggestions. And have fun this cold winter thinking and looking at ideas for the area.

* Silver Princes Shasta Daisy (I grew these plants from seed three years ago) * Crazy Daisy Shasta Daisy (NEW! Growing from seed this year. The flowers look like Marguerites! Very frilly.) * Gloriosa Daisy (growing them from seed) - Love these big Sunset yellow and orange flowers. Reminds of a desert sunset on the mesa. I have some Clara Curtis seeds I got in a trade. Never have tried to grow them yet. Guess I'll give them a try. Thanks for reminding me, Glenda! They sure are pretty. I have English Daisy seeds to sow in April. I direct seed them into the garden every year. So pretty. Not sure that you would call these daisies, but I bought a one little pot of Coreopsis verticillata 'Moonbeam' & one of Coreopsis hybrida 'Sweet Dreams' Coreopsis last year. I planted the Moonbeam in the potager. There a dozens of tiny seedlings coming up around where the mother plant was. They are growing to the front of a bed of Double Pink Knock Out Rose and Double Yellow Knock Out Roses. Moonbeam's soft, buttery yellow color will look pretty in with those roses. Self-seeded Chamomile is coming up and California poppies that I planted on the 15th are up. Tall Mauve Bread seed are everywhere in that area of the garden. I never know where they will move to each year. Pink & white Tasha Tudor HH's transplanted behind against the fence and Black and Blue Salvias I moved back there last fall. I transplanted a Don Juan (cl) rose back there to grow on the fence. Larkspurs and Heleniums are coming up on the other end and white Baby's Breath. Bright Periwinkles and white and purple Sweet Allysum will probably coming back from seeds, and who knows what else. I love bold splashes of color throughout my garden. I don't know if the Sweet Dreams reseeds or not since it is a hybrid, but the plant kicked it - darn it. Sweet Dreams Coreopsis is pink with purple to red centers. Very unusual colors for a Coreopsis. ~Annie

Hi, I'm new to this forum, and saw your question. As much as I love Montauk Daisies, I have no idea what their seeds look like. They are so very easy to propagate from cuttings, I don't know if I'd bother with seeds! I finally learned they should be pruned twice a year: June 1 and December 1 - easy to remember, that's good. When I took those June cuttings, I just couldn't bear to throw them all away, so tried rooting some - 100% success rate! I trimmed off all but the topmost few leaves, dusted with rooting hormone, and stuck them, three to a pot, in small pots filled with a mixture of sand, well-aged compost, potting soil, and a dash of well-aged cow manure. I did not cover them, but placed them in a part of the garden that gets heavily dappled shade. Checked on them frequently to make sure the soil remained moist. When I saw plenty of strong new growth, I figured they'd made their roots and gradually moved them to increased sunlight. By late summer, when I tapped them out of the pots to plant in full sun, there was a great root system there. They bloomed for me this fall. I gave away most of my December cuttings, but kept a few to see how well this works in winter. It's a little early to tell, since the cuttings are out in my greenhouse (new to me this fall, so I'm experimenting a lot), and have been in cooler temperatures than the June cuttings. Actually, I realize seeds are a lot easier to share over long distances than cuttings are. But if you want to increase what you already have, try rooting your June cuttings. Diane