Dandy-line - the first yellow flower looks totally different from the second to me. Are you saying you think they are the same? The first does look like an Oenothera while the second looks like a Lithospermum. I am pretty certain the two are NOT the same plant.

Missouri Plants may not be of much help since he only has a page for Solidago altissima. Many authorities consider S. altissima to be a variety of S. canadensis (var. scabra), one of the differences being that S. altissima has grayish leaves and a uniformly hairy stem (as opposed to the lower half being mostly smooth in typical S. canadensis). The leaves of S. altissima also tend to have only a few shallow teeth or no teeth, unlike the plant in the picture. Another possibility is S. gigantea, which has mostly smooth and somewhat waxy stems below the inflorescence. More pictures of the whole plant, stem, and inflorescence might be useful.

Sorry, I always assume people read for content. The content of the following quote from my post to the Who's Here thread should lead you to believe that I've been gardening for some time. "We have about an acre that generally slopes down to the south (ranging from southwest slopes to south-southeast slopes in direction) that I am slowly (oh so slowly) trying to turn into a food basket (so to speak)." Slowly (oh so slowly) suggests that I have already been working on it and that it is taking a long time, thereby suggesting that I've been working on turning it into a food basket for some time, which means gardening and horticulture (or more appropriately permaculture) experience. "Currently we have raised bed gardens to the tune of 100+ square feet, as well as currants, strawberries, gooseberries, blueberries, hazelnuts (new last year), nanking cherries (new last year), black walnuts (new last year), butternuts (new last year), and roses (for the rose hips). " If I've already got 100+ square feet of raised bed garden that would tell you at least one year gardening experience, the list of berries and nuts, specifying some this year (meaning I put them in last spring, that may have legitimately been misinterpreted to mean I was putting them in 2010 except I followed with a list of items to go in in 2010) would tell you I'd been doing those for at least two years. Sorry for not just saying I've been gardening this location for the past five years and gardening in general (on and off) since I was four years old and helped my mom in hers. I assumed that the list would let you know I have at least several years gardening experience in my current location. Regarding everyone trying to be helpful. I ask for specifics in finding things in the Denver area and someone replies (from the WA/ID area) with: "I have an idea of where you can go" followed by no other information or personal message, what do you think I'm supposed to think? I think I'm being told to go to he**. You interpret that in some other manner? Thralen

I never really thought about crosses when growing from collected seed of any plant. I just got 3 Salvia greggii Heatwave which I'm potting up to overwinter outside (with leaf bag protection) instead of putting in the ground at this late date. Know it's wrong time of year to plant them in this zone but I got weak as they meet the size requirement I have and really wanted some greggii early next year. The bed where they're destined to go will also have Salvia farinacea "Victoria" which you sage people will know is blue. Guess there's a chance they could produce seed with crosses in bloom? After reading this thread I'm having second thoughts about putting them in the mailbox bed due to possibility of plowed snow being dumped on them that close to the street. Assume they'd have a hard time staying sharply drained under hardpacked snow particularly if we have a winter where it stays on top of plants for extended period. Since I won't be planting them out until Spring I can put them by mailbox and move them next Fall. They may be destined to spend the rest of their natural lives in pots since that mailbox bed is the only full to mostly sun position where I can plant. Would it be better for plants to have pots buried in mailbox bed in Spring for easier removal in Fall or plant in ground and then return to pots for overwintering?