Yikes, maryl! You've had major problems with spider mites on marigolds there? That sucks. Spider mites are, of course, among the very worst and most frustrating pests we all battle in the summer in the mid-South. And they can show up on just about any kind of plant, but I've never had more than an occasional flare-up on marigolds here. From what I've seen of Oklahoma, though, that may be especially prime spider mite habitat, so maybe you guys have to deal with more of them in all of your blazing summer heat. Still, from what I've seen here in North Carolina, spider mites have been much more of an issue on lantanas than on marigolds. But your experience is interesting and valuable. And I had another thought for a suggestion for your situation as I was strolling through my garden earlier this evening: phlomis. There are a number of species and varieties of phlomis out there, with all sorts of different flower colors, but many of them are just the brightest, clearest, purest yellow imaginable. My favorite phlomis cultivarÂand the one I was looking at in my yard that inspired the thoughtÂis 'Edward Bowles,' although its flowers may be too far into that golden-yellow color that you said you don't want. There's another pretty variety that I used to grow at my last house but didn't bring with me which has awesome medium-yellow flowers that are more like what you're looking for. I can't recall the name of that cultivar for the life of me, though. I'll let you know if I think of it or if I find it in my notes. Regardless, phlomis are terrific plants, and they look good all year and are highly critter-resistant. And much to my surprise, I've found that they don't require full sun, and will actually grow and flower quite well in a spot that gets as little as three or four hours of sun a day in the summer. They don't get very tall, although they do tend to spread out rather wide over time. I find a substantial haircut right after flowering helps a lot. A major drawback for your purposes may be that they flower fairly early, usually peaking about now (April-May) here in North Carolina, although mine also sometimes produce a few stray blossoms later in the summer or fall. I think it would be worth considering. FWIW, donnabaskets, if you think of it this summer, would you mind updating us on how your 'Butterpat' heleniums do? I've always liked heleniums from a distance, but when I got some a few years ago (I don't remember the cultivar name of them, either, but they weren't 'Butterpat;' I think they had some German name, which may have been part of the problem), they got obliterated by powdery mildew by the middle of July, and I gave up on them. But if yours does well in steamy Mississippi, then it would certainly be worth me giving it another try. Best of luck to both of you!

Yes, we are Sunset 3B here.... The sunshine on most days and temps in summer is the reason so much agriculture grows successfully here. Of course, they irrigate. I am surprised Wenatchee is the same zone as us, but I guess it doesn't take into account the amount of snowfall they get (They are probably the -15f extreme.. we are more like -5f.) RE: the suitability of the trees I listed, The Thornless Honeylocust seems to thrive here, it does well in alkaline soil and is drought tolerant. As a prairie tree, it thrives in full sun. I have noticed many honeylocusts in yards that do not irrigate, growing just fine... The list of negatives of the tree is pretty short, and it seems very adaptable to our conditions. Linden -- RE: irrigating, I don't know. We will have some lawn on the property, so a tree/trees in that area would get more water. Linden tolerates alkaline soil and has small leaves... Thus, it seemed to be an *option.* ash -- I still have to go to our local extension office.. I will ask them about borers here. Ash also tolerates alkaline soil and was another option for my lawn area. If the borers are that bad here, I won't consider it.

I've heard that as well nick, and experienced it up close and personal. I have a Potinara Paxton Brooks (BLC x SLC). In trying to research the name (until recently only had the grex string) I found out it is now something like Rhyncattleanthe. Needless to say I won't be changing my label.

Thank you, everyone! I wish I could take credit--all I did was keep her alive, LOL. I was very surprised the man was willing to give her up but he had to thin his collection very dramatically and this was maybe a shy bloomer for him, too. Peg, the cutting of the grape-scented flowering seedling came from him, too, and I'm still waiting for any sign of an inflo on that one. At least it's very compact. Dave, at the rate this one grows and branches I'll be able to take cuttings in 2020 or so :) But thank you for your confidence! Joan, we still have a seedling cutting deal, my friend! How are you? It's been a long time! And I couldn't go to the sales this summer. Hope your patch is doing awesomely!