Hi MeMo, How are things going for you? I haven't been in the conversation side lately, so I don't know if you have given updates on how much gardening you have been able to do. I looked up the article, and skimmed it. I want to go back and read it some more, because I learned some things while looking there. I have one plant of Queen Anne's Lace, but it looks like it won't bloom until next year. Hopefully it won't be tall and spindly because of my soil amendments as the article said they could. She also gave me a start of Sweet Annie, which I can't decide if I like or not. Let us know what you find out about the laws, especially our state of Nebraska, which the article reminded me we do have wildflowers planted on our roadways. I am getting the urge to go exploring when the gas prices go down some. Thanks, Sue

I have an updated list for the swap - "instead of" not "in addition to" the earlier list I posted. I was away from home nearly two weeks, which changed the list of plants I was able to get ready. I've got everything dug and am still working on potting. Here's the list - these will be for the open swap as I don't have time to dig more to allow for pre-arranged (I'm working the next 4 days which keeps me from home from 6 am to 7 pm): Hosta Undulata(Medio Variegata)-(5 pots of multiple eyes) Hosta - Dark Star (one eye) Hosta - Elvis Lives (one eye) Hosta - El Nino (one eye) Winter onion sets (I believe walking onions is another name) Perennial Geranium (5 pots - 2 per pot) Prairie Onion - native ornamental (5 pots 3-4 per pot) Hollyhocks - mixed colors (5 pots) And I have something unidentified. I have no idea what it is but there are several growing in my shade garden. At first I thought they were ferns but they're not. I think they are a shrub of some kind - the stem is woody. Maybe they're something nobody (including me) wants, but they are kind of attractive (at least as babies). Can anyone tell me what they are? Carmellia, do you have a pretty good idea of how many will be coming yet?

Hello Leftwood. I would like to do a trade with you. I need more Allium stellatum as I could only collect about a dozen seeds. Also would like Penstemon grandiflora. And any more natives that you think would be good to add to my wildflower collection. The zagadanus is native from Meeker co. as are almost all others. I forgot to add Lilium philadelphicum to my list above. Can you send me email please?

Quack grass is difficult to eradicate, you may have to use Round up three or more times, spraying anything that remains green every two weeks until nothing remains. start now to make sure all roots are dead by the fall when you hope to plant. Cardinal flower, snake root and blue lobelia do not like full sun. Cardinal flower, lobelia and iris should not be allowed to dry out ever; especially in full sun their soil must be always moist or wet. Blue flag is suited to full sun. Canada anemone grows in partial to full shade, growing in sun will slow it down but I still would not recommend planting it at all unless you plant it as the only species. Plants suited to moist, full sun conditions include Joe Pye Weed, Bidens (beggar ticks), Veronia (Ironweed), Monarda didyma, Turtlehead, bog goldenrod, rushes, cattails and sedges. The Iris seeds may not be viable if they have been allowed to dry out since collection, they are best sown immediately after collection. Sowing after drying out means that germination will be slower, if it happens at all, likely two years. All your seeds need to be cold treated before they will germinate, that is they will need at least two to three months of cold, moist conditions before returning to warmth. You can achieve that by storing them in the fridge in moist vermiculite until the spring and sowing then or by sowing in the ground now and letting Mother Nature do the rest. Scattering the seed on the prepared surface (kill the grass/sedges, don't fertilize or add soil) then covering with a light dusting of sand or fine soil will work. All your plants will produce small seedlings and grow slowly. You will need to mulch them and remove competing weeds for the first year and likely the second year as well. An alternative to sowing in place is to sow into seedling trays around March next year, after the seeds have spent August to March in moist vermiculite in a baggie in the fridge. Place the trays in a sunny window. When the seedlings have true leaves, pot them on into 2" pots filled with good potting soil and keep in bright light for them to grow on. Round Up the ditch again in April and May if anything green appears, then cover it with 4" of mulch or straw (do not use hay, use straw -- hay has seeds). When danger of frost is past in late May or June, plant out the plants. With this method, the plants get a small head start, you know where the plants are so you can pull the weeds and you have mulch in place immediately after using Round Up.