Well this is most disappointing. I did see some pics on google that looked exactly like what I planted and they are listed as zone 7-9 which isn't even close to me. I feel like I got scammed. The nursery had them in with the perennials when I bought them (and I bought a lot of them). Perenniel in zone 7 is completely useless to me! UGH! Jackied...I had no idea they were that fussy about coming back (even when actually a perenniel in your zone). I was under the impression that coreopsis was invincible. At least my yellow clump came back. I really liked them because they flowered all season and let me abuse them. Thanks for the help!

Thanks everyone for the replies and advice. I went and bought a small 'hidcote' plant yesterday as a replacement and as I was about to dig out the 'grosso' I noticed that it is starting to put out some green growth finally. Which is about one and a half to two months earlier than last year, but still way behind. I think I might leave it be to see what will happen this year. If it doesn't flower this summer, it's coming out in the fall. At least now I've got a backup plant. LauraNJ- I pruned it last spring in the hopes that maybe I might force it out of dormancy and into growth, but it didn't work. And the new growth it eventually put out was still very woody. lavender_lass- I would be happy if my plant looked half as good as yours do. Rodney

Names with particular meanings have been around for centuries. Two examples that come to mind are in the Bible. 1. In 1 Samuel the Ark of the Lord had been captured. As the daughter-in-law of Eli, the priest, was dying, she named her new born,"Ichabod", meaning "the glory has departed." 2. In the first chapter of the book of Ruth, Naomi's husband and sons have sickened and died. Her boys were named, "Mahlon", meaning 'invalid', and "Chilion", meaning 'pining'. Cream

DO NOT do the aluminum/baking soda polishing method again!!! It's hard on sterling; it can be the death of silver-plate as it actually removes a bit of the silver. Silverplating is a pretty thin coat of silver already. If you use it everyday, just hand wash it in warm soapy water. It will rarely ever need polishing and it takes very little time to do it. Get a small plastic basin to fit in your sink, put a bit water in it, and toss the silverware in there and do it all at once, the end of the day. I'm a great believer in using the lovely things one has. Otherwise, why on earth give them space in our homes? Enjoy it!