thx much for that info.When i'm down there in a few wks for my pick up, if theirs looks great, for some reason [zone?] i'll consider it, but sounds pretty bad. Our gardens are so jam packed that 'looks weedy' is the defining thing that would keep me from growing a plant. These pea family plants must be pretty easy to hybridize; there are alot of lespedeza cultivars out there. I finally found a tag for one of mine- Pink Fountain. Very late (like maybe Oct) while the un- i.d.'ed one i have has been steady blooming awhile now, in 90% shade too! I hope i can focus enough for a hands- on lesson from the Br Arrow guys in HOW to tell the diff between lespedeza and indigofera foliage.

here's the vendor list for our arboretum. i would suggest you start with the ct. nurseries listed- like olivers and broken arrow and then try katsura and stonegate and allen haskell. If none of those have it, call the arnold arboretum and/or tower hill and ask them for the source of theirs. best, mindy THE COTTON-ARBO RETUM WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE FOLLOWING VENDORS AND FRIENDS FOR OUR PLANTS: New England: Mahoney's Rocky Ledge,Winchester,Ma. Stonegate Gardens,Lincoln Cavicchio Greenhouses, Sudbury Alan Haskell , New Bedford Katsura Gardens, Plymouth Seawright Gardens, Carlisle Tranquil Lake Nursery, Rehoboth Leo Blanchette, Carlisle Sylvan Nurseries, South Dartmouth Avant Gardens, South Dartmouth Weston Nurseries, Hopkinton Newbury Perennials, Newbury Russell's Garden Center, Sudbury Corliss Brothers Nursery, Ipswich Longhill , Ipswich The Arnold Arboretum, Jamaica Plain New England Nursery, Bedford Northeast Nursery,Peabody Completely Clematis, Ipswich Lexington Gardens, Lexington Windy-Lo, Wayland New England Water Gardens, Peabody Betsy Ewing, Bonnie Brown, Judy Brain, Byron Getchell, Frank Vernelli, Molly Sharon Carolyn Ward, Mary MacIntosh, Thalia Avila,Susan Dumaine,Mrs.Stanford Durand Broken Arrow Nursery, Hamden,Ct. Oliver's, Fairfield,Ct. Twomblys, Monroe Ct. Variegated Plants Nursery,Eastford,Ct. Perennials by Susan, Amherst,N.H. Rocky Dale Gardens, Bristol, Vt. Cady's Falls Nursery, Cady's Falls, Vt. Mail-Order: Heronswood Nursery , ForestFarm, Greer Gardens, Gossler's Plant Delights Nursery , Fairweather Gardens , Collector's Nursery, Ferncliff Gardens Kurt Bloemel ,Carroll Gardens, Roslyn Nursery, Big Dipper Nursery, Klehm's Karchovsky Cannas ,Avant Gardens, Garden Crossings, Joy Creek Nursery Bulbs: Scheeper's, Van Bourgondien, Van Engelen, Brent and BeckyÂs Bulbs PAST AND PRESENT IN THE COTTON-ARBO RETUM We moved to Winchester and began this garden 21 years ago. Aside from an evergreen hedge, and various mature maples, nothing that you now see - was here.There were no fences and the back of our property was a wild woodland of junk trees and scrub. We began our landscape design by laying out garden beds that were visible from key viewpoints in our house. After three years of intense garden development, our gardens were awarded the "Best in Show" prize in a competition sponsored by the Massachusetts Horticultural Society and Boston Magazine. For our prize, we were sent to Holland, where, at Trompenberg, we discovered the wonderful world of conifers. This life-changing experience took us out of our perennials focus and raised our vision, literally and figuratively, so that we began to emphasize the' bones' of our gardens- with conifers, shrubs and trees. Visually, we like to play flowers off their surrounding foliage, with an emphasis everywhere on the foliage itself. As we and the gardens have grown older, we have come to realize that perennial beds are the most labor intensive of gardening, and that , while a perennial's flowers often last only 2 weeks, the foliage of shrub, vine and tree- lasts the entire gardening year- 3 seasons.The differences in foliage are like the differences in a person's fingerprints- innumerable! Size, shape, color, texture, variegation, smell, light reflectiveness, movement- all contribute to our fascination with foliage! If this is your first visit, you will be surprised how different the gardens look from one week to the next. In the spring, perennials are short, there are many empty spots, and the gardens have a much more open feeling. You can see from one area to the next. In the summer, plants grow taller and fill in so that the various gardens become their own 'garden rooms'. Fences disappear and flowering vines ramble over railings, shrubs, obelisks and arbors. By September, the plants are at their tallest, highlighted by the many ornamental grasses. Design elements we hope you will notice: The repetetive use of purple, yellow, blue and variegated foliage in providing continuity and in keeping the view lively; The role of varying plant heights in a garden bed; The role of varying garden levels and sunken paths in providing a sense of intimacy and privacy;The role of hidden elements and glimpses of vistas - in drawing you into the various garden areas; The role of water elements; The roles of garden art and architecture. We are so glad you have come to share our gardens. Please bring friends and come back often. **And remember- When you see a gate, open it and explore!!** Every gate takes you to a new garden area. Nothing is private except the house. The Cotton-Arbo retum is open free of charge to the public, 24/7. For directions,write cottonarboretum@comcast.net The Way To Have What We Want Is To Share What We Have

8ft Autumn Gold Ginkgo planted this spring. Full sun, well drained soil, mostly clay. I was hoping for fall color, but boom, just like that we went down to 26 degrees last night. It dropped 50% of its leaves over night. Right now, leaves are a dull green with a slight hint of brown. My neighbor has a 15ft Ginkgo, don't know the cultivar. Under the same conditions, maybe less sun. His turns a vibrant yellow every year. The leaves do drop quickly though.

I will start an "Early June" thread some time tomorrow. The irises in my garden are just opening. Irises are my favorite flower. I just have a small bed the width of my garage. We're planning to tear the garage down next Spring and build a bigger and better garage - which is probably my excuse to get a bigger and better iris bed! Clematis Miss Bateman in full bloom. I forgot to prune the clematis this spring. This is just a 2 year old plant! Behind the clematis is my daughters art gallery, aka our porch. My 3 year old peonie, flanked by a siberian iris and a japanese iris. I have been waiting 3 years for this peonie to bloom. I only plant white flowers in front of the house, and I am sick sick sick to see a pink bud on it. My only consolation is that I will have a beeautiful pink peonie in a bud vase on my kitchen table real soon. And this peonie will be getting the shovel. Lastly - any idea what this is? I seem to have stumped the people on the Name That Plant forum. I bought these at Weston Nurseries as tulip bulbs.