If you like having butterflies visit your yard, few things are more attractive to them than Lantana. If your Mom wouldn't mind, take some cuttings from her plants and literally just stick them in the ground. Water every few days if it doesn't rain. I just added pics including a Lantana cutting from last year that's growing back nicely this spring, in this discussion. Butterfly bushes (Buddleia) are just as easy to multiply, but somebody has to have one to get started. Easy to find in stores, inexpensive, or through trading. Of course BF's like butterfly bushes, HA! Basil flowers are beloved by BF's and bees. If you have a little patch of ground to scatter some basil seeds, they should have plenty of time to make flowers this year. Then, of course, the leaves are yummy. The flowers are white, so don't clash with anything, not that exciting visually, but I've seen hummingbirds visiting them also. That gets it a prized spot in my opinion. That's really cool your sprouts survived some frosts! Has anyone else noticed, the seed sprouts are all plain green, top and bottom. The plants coming back from previous years' tubers have red on the back of their leaves. I was very intrigued by the first one I saw in the back yard because I didn't recognize it at first, but could tell it was growth, not a sprout, and there were no weeds there to be growing back. Never know what could creep over from the abandoned yard next door though.

EricT: That is an Agave americana or Century Plant. They are a common landscaping plant in the Southwest. The variegated ones (like stanofh's) are much more striking than plain ones and make a spectacular addition to most any garden. They eventually throw an inflorescence that can easily reach 30 feet tall! Sadly, the mother plant dies after blooming, but what a way to go out!!! Stanofh: Thanks for sharing these pics! I assume this is your garden? It sure looks terrific. The Cyphostemmae is awesome. Will the leaves green up as they get older, or is that about the color they will stay? Also, are you sure that is P. geayi? All the P. geayi I've seen have much darker, more slender leaves with pink veins (including my own)...

WARNING! I am the exception, not the rule!! A friend who has a nursery says I'm crazy for leaving these plants exposed. Proceed at your own risk. I've killed many to get where I am. My back yard has 3 distinct micro-climates that I use to my advantage, there's about a 5-7deg difference from one end to the other, not to mention near the house. Fockea can actually take lower than 30deg, did 19 last winter. Lost most of the vines but caudex was intact. They can even tolerate cold wet soil to the mid 20s! If the taproot reaches the bottom of the pot it will rot , heal itself and continue growing. Keeps me from doing much root pruning. I bonsai and bury frequently, doesn't seem to bother them. Biggest reason I do it is to increase the size, by doing this you can add an inch to the diameter of the plant or more in one year. Most the time I let the vines grow wild, only pruning at repotting or moving for some reason. You see them now, they look to be at least 8ft long. crispa tends to be more compact in every way, and grow a bit slower.

Hi Megaera, If your rose cultivar is the type where the flower has more than 50 petals, it won't open successfully until we get really hot weather, so probably not until mid to late July and beginning August. Roses are heavy feeders, so any fertilizer that has high numbers (20-20-20)plus lots of water, sun and air circulation is necessary to have good growth and bloom.