Had the blues all winter and was into other things. So I'm getting a late start and just don't have time to post much in this forum but I lurk sometimes. I'm going to plant most of the seeds I've accumulated, but some of them have to be direct sowed in fall, early spring, or need some kind of special handling. Have 17 gal milk jugs ready w/vent holes in top 'cuz it's getting warm, also some 1/2 gals if I run out: Siberian Wallflower (leftovers), Adenophora Bulleyana (failed last year), Agastache Cana, Bluebeard Delphinium, Canterbury Bells, Digitalis Floribunda, Digitalis parviflora (ugly brown), Digitalis Primrose Carousel, Snowflake Baby's Breath (may sow direct and cover with open 2 liter bottle), Verbena bonariensis (not my zone, don't know what I'll do with it if it germinates), Painted Daisy, Verbascum Snow Maiden, Verbena Pink Spires, Russian Sage, Blue Dreams Catmint, White Swan Echinacea, Burgundy Gaillardia, Crazy Daisy, dill, curled parsley, cilantro, basil, chives. Some Lupin has to be direct sowed, and a couple others if I get to it. Morning Glories, may do sometime. Odds 'n ends I probably won't plant this year or ever, wildflower mixes, freebies, etc. All the perennials I got out of last year WS that are back are some catmint, 2 Rudbeckia Prairie Sun, nice mound of Crazy Daisy, one white foxglove and one puny one. One smallish Foxglove Candy Mountain came back from self sowing, those were nice, should buy some more seeds. These I bought says packed for 2007 and were kind of expensive, don't want to mess with them. Lemon Clematis (buchananiana), 20 seeds; Clematis Integrifolia (doesn't say what color) 20 seeds; European White Birch, Betula Pendula Northern (tried those and failed just a few left)in pkt, says they need cold treatment. First person who wants them I'll mail in the US (pls check if they are allowed in your state). I don't want anything in trade, have my hands full. I also have two older pkts of those Monet poppies that have to be direct sowed, have no place for them so those are up for grabs, don't want to put up a trade list right now. Finally I'm sowing collected marigold seeds now directly into planters but have way too many seeds, some from prior years, am using some I collected this spring right now. I'll try to find a photo. The prettiest photo they were too crowded with other stuff, this one is pretty much how they bloom every year. They start out not looking like much, then pick up and bloom true by July or so. If planted singly and are happy, they will form a huge mound. I crowd my stuff too much and Darwin's law takes over. Also lobelia and a pretty Forget-Me-Not mix, kind of late to start the former.

Oh, Wilmingtonislander, you are so supportive! Thanks for your offer to put my name on a Passiflora! I don't know what kind I have (seeds came from someone on GW), but since the plants haven't died, just haven't grown, I'm not inclined to pull them up quite yet. Maybe they're just waiting til something changes, lol. Ever hear of the building maintenance man who was supposed to fix the heat/a/c system - he couldn't heat it up and then he couldn't cool it down! Sometimes I am mystified by gardening here, and think the plants are too - do they want sun, cool, rain, dry, sand, or what, ha. But, I'll get onto it eventually. I'm a student at Armstrong right now, as my assoc degree isn't getting me anywhere here. Going for the bachelors degree. I have the credentials, just not the college degree on paper that they want. Hoping that once I'm done, I will be able to get a job! I go full-time (scholarships and such), so not much time for personal stuff when I'm studying, as I have to keep my GPA up. Once I'm done with school and hopefully have a good job, then maybe I can do the garden club thing, lol. And, though I'm getting close in age to the 'blue hairs', as you so aptly refer to, I shall never get old! I am young at heart, and refuse to ever change. Perish the thought I should ever get caught up in the lifestyle of 'cultured' table and board games, and gossip. I'm a hands-on doer, and not one bit embarrassed by it. I'm already having to make major adaptations to do things due to arthritis and artificial joints. But nobody can tell me I have to have an 'old' attitude! I would definitely not fit in with the crowd that hires everything done, nor with the ones that do floral arranging. Not my cup of tea. Let me just go dig in the dirt, lol. For whoever asked, I'm on Wilmington Island myself. Love the islands too. Very quiet neighborhood, very nice people here. And, no, I didn't know there was a bamboo farm here. Do you know what the name of it is or can you tell me more? Sounds like a good adventure for me! Maybe take that one in before school starts (and it's coming fast!) Ok, I'm going through my seeds here to see what else I can get into today . I just spray-painted 3 baskets from Walmart that had badly neglected Mothers' Day plants in them, and they finally marked them down to half price, with the Mothers' Day tags still on them! Lordy, I just about cracked up. Is it any wonder the little plants weren't doing very well - the baskets had plastic liners, and the pots were sitting in baskets half full with water! But, the kalanchoes were none the worse for the wear. I am getting the soil dried out to what is more normal, cleaned up the baskets with bleach to kill the mold, and they are freshly spray painted. Sorry to drone on, gals, I'm just trying to learn and do things on a student's budget! Have a great rest of the weekend and thank you for being so nice and generous! jeribelle

The advantages of planting most perennials, shrubs, and trees (in our zone) in early to mid fall is slight compared to planting them in early to mid spring. In colder climates, it's often best to wait until spring to plant. If you are planting a fast growing or top-heavy deciduous tree or shrub, fall might give the roots time to get more well established before the plant experiences wind that could push the tree, with a smaller root ball, over. Basically, plant at whichever time is more convient to YOU. If you plant them correctly and water them until they get established either time (in this climate zone) would work just great.

Almost anything will do well now, planted in the fall. We just planted two trees. I just bought an American Beautyberry for fall color (purple berries). The berries on my spicebush tree are turning red now too. Pansies going in now I would expect to last til around January and then I might replant them then b/c they will do well til about March in this area.