Maybe Penstemon immanifestus. Here is a link that might be useful: Penstemon immanifestus

Hi Bert, I think plant b is Stephanomeria pauciflora, wirelettuce. Regards, Susan Here is a link that might be useful: Stephanomeria pauciflora, wirelettuce

Well Annie, you have waited a week for someone with more immediate knowledge than I have to comment on your irrigation situation. I was thinking recently about 50 years ago when I was out there with a shovel in the field and my plywood dams in the concrete irrigation ditch. It was all flood irrigation and there was 23 acres of mostly flat ground to cover. 53 acres did not have irrigation but a grain or hay crop could be raised because that part of the world had over 40" of rain each year. The ground sloped ever so slightly from the southwest where the canal came onto the property. It ran along the southern boundary, made a left turn (for us) and ran along the west side where it had to be banked fairly high. I remember having some trouble on the west side: the water could kind of get away from me and flood on down to the neighbor. There were a couple of low spots that my little ditches had to skirt or the water would pond but it really wasn't much trouble. The cows trampled down my ditches pretty hard but a large part of the 23 acres was used only as a hay field thru the summer and they were kept out of there. My job was mostly making sure that the water made it all the way across the ground in the time allowed and keeping the ditch man happy. I had more trouble with him by NOT damming the canal and pulling the water out at the required moment than anything. Getting chewed out for that once was enuf to keep me on schedule. It was a 12 hour gig but it wasn't as tho' I had to work my tail off every minute of the day. Irrigation management, think of yourself and the ditch man as a team. You are paying the salary but he's working for a lot of people up and down the canal. Dad became a good friend with the ditch man in another irrigation district. His wife worked for the Farm Bureau and they became life-long family friends. Steve who turns to Wikipedia for most anything if it's just for non-expert discussion of the issues

TONI rub it in will you? Mine didn't make it and I used the vermiculite and bag trick this time! I did actually manage to get some sedum to finally put on some roots, last year I did my rooting in August with hardwood cuttings I am going to try that again this year and see how it goes. I have a purple butterfly bush, a honeycomb BB and a red bottle brush I wish to try this time. I SOOOOO hope the bottle brush takes it is sooo pretty. I do have a few hardwood cuttings of a smoke tree in water and I thought they were dead so I was going to through them out the other day and noticed some callousing and thought NO WAY is that root starts BUT I honestly THINK it is so I stuck them back in the water! I SOOOO hope those make it and are not just a false start LOL. Toni I think I am gonna send cuttings to you we can share my cuttings LOL. Thanks for the update, you know I really AM glad you are having so much success right? I really am, I think it is wonderful! OHH OHH OHHH, someone TELL ME PLEASE HOW I should do some Weeping Pussy Willow cuttings? Someone sent me a bunch and right now they are just in water is this good? OR what would be the best approch? They are hardwood from the base and from the limbs. ANY advice would be sooo much appreciated PLEASE. :) Fran