Saltcedar is correct; boxelder is often a weed/trash tree that is very brittle, prone to breakage. There are some subspecies and selections that are reportedly more garden-worthy. I have a bunch of seedlings that volunteered in some gallon containers that I got from an out-of-business nursery. I rather like the leaves, the green juvenile bark, and the rapid growth, and will be using my trees to experiment. I will be planting mine and managing them by pollarding them as small trees. I'm not sure if A. negundo will tolerate pollarding, but based upon my observation of its growth, I think it is a good candidate. I will also try pleaching some trees to make some garden tunnels and archways. My strategy with these trees will involve intensive management to keep their size small, and their annual growth soft and juvenile. I'll try to report on my successes/failures.

purple, in other photos from EU countries, I saw prices which didn't use the Euro symbol. I linked to that particular photo to show that the same model of yellow price tag is used in Italy. Some of the tags in the other photos had a comma where we use the decimal point (the comma is European usage); I'm not sure if there's a comma in the photo above. At least one photo showed the last two numbers underlined (as Americans underline the cents). I think there were others with the entire price underlined. Many years ago, my parents lived in Belgium. Prices of everything were much higher than in the U.S. Food, gas, everything in stores. (I think the same was true the last time I was in Britain.) So I'm not surprised by the price of the mum. And maybe it's a high-end store where all the prices are high just to make you think they're ultra exclusive mums.... As for the gradient coloring, ombre (shaded; variegated) yarn has been sold for many decades. I know how low-tech crafters make it, though I have no idea what the big yarn-producers do. So the gradient-dyed fiber is the easy part. Then, maybe, chunks of dyed fiber are clamped together and glued to a piece of something-or-other. Then the piece is attached to the top of the "trunk". (I'm sure there are other ways to do it.)

Bingo! I think you have figured it out. It definitely looks like a Hawthorn. I bet one of our many bird visitors transplanted it by droppings. I think that I will keep it since the wildlife seem to enjoy it, but maybe I can try moving it to a different area of the yard since it is very close to my walkway right now. Thanks so much for the help!

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