perennialfan, I have grown perilla in the past. It is a lovely plant and I think it gets a bad rap. If you are an attentive gardener, all you need do is cut the plants back when they start to form bloom buds. The blooms are not, by any means, the plant's best trait anyway, so it's no big loss. If you allow just one plant to go to seed, you'll have all you need for the next year. They are easy to transplant. I planted the red morning glories one year and Ho boy did they ever seed around! I pulled seemingly thousands of seedlings for a couple years before I got rid of them. (But I did get rid of them.) On the other hand, I read somewhere that the Heavenly Blue ones are sterile. Is that true? Can anyone say for certain? Just to add another to the discussion, cleome can really make ALOT of seed too. They transplant easily, and I mulch heavily....

I'm sorry Tapla but that is NOT true! But you are right that a 'true' annual grows, flowers, sets seed and dies. The cycle can be prolonged is not allowed to set seed. Biennials can also be tricked into performing as perennials given they are not allowed to set seed as well. Most things we call annual are actually perennials that bloom the first year but could not make it thru a zone 3 (or whatever) winter. Example What is an annual in zone 4 and 5 could be perennial in zone 6 or above. Some folks grow Lavender 'Lady' as an annual below zone 5 because it is a first year blooming perennial. Here it grows as a perennial. Most people throw out their Poinsettia after the holidays even though they too are a perennial that can grow too HUGE proportions in Mexico (an like climates). I can only grow certain plants as annuals here (Pineapple Sage)in zone 5b-6a for instance but someone in zone 8 and above can grow it as a perennial. I have had the same Coleus going on 3 years as well as a few peppers. As a matter of fact at school (I'm a greenhouse/nursery student) we have Coleus, peppers, Begonia, etc...that are kept as stock plants that have been in the greenhouse for years...it is from these that all our new cuttings are taken for spring annual bedding plant sales. What else is perennial that most grow as annuals? Well lets see to name a few: Hibiscus Lantana Geranium Fuchsia Dahlia Canna Crocosmia Glad's Capsicum sp. Impatiens Marigold Salvia sp. (many) Dianthus Passion Flower (Passiflora) Vera

Hello cargobean, Looks like you have gotten a lot of responses. It must be that this is a topic that struck a chord for many people. Probably because we have all lost plants at one time or another. I have lost a lot of plants for one reason or another over the years. Just two years ago I lost the new Echinacea Harvest Moon, which I can't attribute it to any reason in my garden, but have heard too many reports about problems with the new echinaceas to blame it on anything else. Sounds like you have already arrived at some conclusions about what you want to do next. Already planning a compost bin, already trying to choose no fuss plants....going to try the evergreen boughs. I hope you will forgive me if I embroider the edges of what has already been said, if not for your sake, for the sake of others looking for similar information. On the subject of fertilizer... I use fertilizer in my containers only. I try to improve my soil instead. I was fortunate to learn gardening from someone who had already had enough experience and knowledge about growing plants that he had already worked out for himself to grow organically and to 'feed the soil' not the plants. I seem to remember his family had already been doing that before him too. He also had a masters in Physics. He had a great garden, so I just followed his lead. Since then everything I have read, or experienced has only validated that. The subject of Soil/Compost is not the most exciting topic and I have a tendency to gravitate to the Perennial and Shrub forums etc., but I do spend time over on the Soil forum too. A lot of very knowledgeable people over there at times. Like you, I also take the approach of using plants that can fend for themselves for the most part. It depends on how much I like a plant, how much trouble I will go to for it. For instance, I love delphiniums and they are not usually considered the easiest, 'fend for themselves' plant. You have to stake them for starters, which I try to limit. But if I can get them to grow well, everyone here really enjoys them, so that is the one plant I have chosen to make an exception to my usual approach. :-) I haven't fertilized those either though and they performed well last year. Keeping my fingers crossed for this year. I just wanted to say again, if it hasn't been clear from all the responses. Over the years, I have heard more reports of gaura not surviving the winter than it making it. I have the impression that it is notorious for not coming back in my neck of the woods. The Northeast is well known for having a clay soil on the acidic side for the most part. I did a google search of just your Petite Pink Gaura, as you asked if it could be mislabeled. Most references give it a zone 5 hardiness, but I did find two references that refer to it as a zone 6 hardy perennial. One of them being White Flower Farm. So, it would seem that not everyone is in agreement that it is zone 6. Here are the links... http://www.gardencrossings.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/plants.plantDetail/plant_id/1110/index.htm http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/29475-product.html Since the last time I posted, I was looking for some information on a variety of Shasta that I have and I did run across an article reporting that they too do not like the moisture over the winter. Where I have mine planted, is a mounded bed that slopes slightly, so the drainage may be ok there for them. You asked how you tell if something has made it. I have never put much store on scraping the stems to see if they are green. I only depend on new growth. I wait it out to see if there is new growth. How long do I wait? Well, that really depends. Lots of times it won't bother me to wait until mid to late June. If it is in a prominent place and I am afraid I am not going to get something else in that position to bloom in time to enjoy it, I might not wait that long and replace it. Of course, if the plant is really important to you, that changes things. You could always dig it out and pot it up and watch it longer if there is some doubt about whether it might come back and then plant the open space in the bed without waiting. Plants have surprised me so many times, after I was sure that they were dead, that I really like to give them a chance if I really like them and don't want to replace them. You mention that you want to fix what you might be doing wrong. Really it is not about doing what is wrong so much as that with gardening there seems to be always something more to learn...lol. I am still learning after 25 years of gardening. I discovered winter sowing on the Winter Sowing forum on GW just three years ago, after someone on another forum highly recommended it to me. Wow, that was an exciting learning experience! I had so much fun and I just wished I had known about it sooner. If you have a lot of reliable plants like those you listed but still find you want to try new plants every year, winter sowing is the way to go. It is not only fun, it is really easy, very inexpensive and you end up with a ton of plants every year. Best way to try new things without it costing you a bundle. PLus a lot of annuals can be done this way and save you even more money. I found that when I did this, it really doesn't bother me to lose something as much because I have so much and I can replace things so easily. I am not able to do as much as I like, but if you don't have any obstacles in the way of spending the time/energy doing it, then you would probably get even more out of it than I have. Hope you are enjoying this beautiful spring weather and that some of your plants surprise you with some new growth. :-) pm2

A great little hands-on addition can often be easily added to this class. I think it is important that students know about opening up the roots of potbound plants -- a common dilemma which can be especially problematic in the long term for perennials. It is usually quite easy to get one of the local nursery centers to donate a flat of cheap annuals (alyssum, impatiens, marigolds, etc. -- it really doesn't matter). I also bring in enough pots and potting soil for every student. I demonstrate opening the roots and spreading them over a little soil mound made inside the pot explaining that this is also the proper method for planting outside in the garden. Then I make them tear open the roots and pot-up their new take-home baby. It is amazing how afraid many new students are of "hurting" the plants but I make them do it anyway. Be sure to have a little water for the plants and a roll of paper towels for the students' to wipe their hands and clean up any messes. A bunch of old newspapers and a few plastic dishwashing pans to pot over top of to catch extra potting soil aren't bad ideas either. This project offers a simple hands-on that improves the session and provides a great learning experience that many of the newbies know nothing about. In addition, it breaks up a long session and creates a little excitement. Who is going to forget this class when they go home with a free plant? I try and do this right before a break so that students can go to the restrooms and wash up. It is a side benefit that a lot of socializing happens during this breakout session and a lot of silent students begin chattering to one another as they make new friends. For some reason, hands-on activity serves as a real social icebreaker. Although I don't (and can't) promote any one nursery over another, I do make sure that the donating nursery has one of their tags with every plant. I let the students know who donated the plants and emphasize that I am not endorsing that particular store over another one. However, I do ask that students make a point of thanking the manager of the donating store if they happen to visit it. PR is important and pays off! IronBelly