floridarose, I got my seed from a friend, but I always assumed they were something like Summer Carnival, but after being open pollinated for years, things can change. There is some variation in height, but most are a little shorter like SC, and do often bloom the first year. It's hard to tell if they act as short lived periennials or are just reseeding almost on top of the mother plant. I don't stake my hollyhocks, but grow them against fences and the house. I've tried the Madame Butterfly snaps, and didn't like them as well as la Bella. Not only do la Bellas live longer than most other snaps, when they are pinched back they promptly send another single thick shoot up. When I pinch back Rockets, they start branching off with floppy shoots, though they also live through winter here quite well. La Bella doesn't reseed like the other snaps I grow, though (darn). It's probably a hybrid that wouldn't breed true, anyway. Here is a pic of Rocket snaps. Off to the side are some pink la Bellas. Hopefully, my file isn't too large for posting here.

Are you looking for long lasting with or without deadheading or cutting back? You must be joking about the Black-eyed Susan's only blooming for 3-4 weeks?!? I was going to suggest BES's because in my garden they are going for 3-4 months!! I don't even bother to deadhead these because the blooms are LONG lasting anyhow and new ones continue to open from beginning of bloom until about now....longer if I choose to water my prairie bed more often. Also the Shasta Daisy and Purple Coneflower are long blooming as well if kept deadheaded or used for cut flowers. Almost everything else (except fall bloomers) I keep up on the deadheading or use them for cut flowers so there's extended blooming all season long. Some I just completely cut back by half and they are all just re-blooming now like Maltese Cross, Blue Flax and Golden Marguerite. I won't cut them back again, but will just deadhead them now as needed until the season is over (except Blue Flax). Lavender is another one that is re-blooming since harvesting of the first early spring flush of wands. A few of my favorites for long blooming periods include: *Feverfew 'Flore Pleno' (starts mid spring thru about end of July. Was cut back by half and started re-bloom last week.) *Yarrow (however I'm removing it this year....mine is too aggressive and I need the space for new garden ideas!) *Coreopsis tinctoria (non-stop blooming annual, but I like to remove spent blooms now and then for neatness, but not necessary). *Clarkia amoena (annual...started blooming in June and hasn't let up with no help from me). *Blue Flax (starts early May and is about spent up by July; cut back by half for mid August on bloom) *Verbena bonariensis (annual) Mind you if I plan to harvest seeds from anything I deadhead I make sure I start leaving at least one plant of each alone to do their thing after say around August 10th. Monarda fistulosa is the exception....seed has a long period from formation to maturity.

Hello all, Not sure if it's ok to post this here - but thought you might be interested! http://www.fanshawec.ca/EN/htn1/program/Open_Garden.htm "Fanshawe College Opens Gates to Cuddy Property in St. Thomas on June 5 th 10-4 and 6th 11-4 to Honour the Legacy of A.M. (Mac) Cuddy." The A.M. (Mac) Cuddy Gardens, owned by Fanshawe College and managed by the Horticulture Technician Program, feature one of the largest collections of plants in Ontario. A.M. (Mac) Cuddy Garden In 2007, Patricia VanOmen Cuddy, widow of the late A.M. (Mac) Cuddy, donated the property known for decades as Cuddy Gardens to Fanshawe College. This living legacy is comprised of a lush and unique garden stretching over more than five acres and thrives under the constant attention of the horticulture students and specialists at Fanshawe. It also includes the century-old residence where Mac Cuddy and his family lived for more than 56 years. Over 2,000 species are displayed in dry, rock, woodland, perennial, rose and aquatic gardens. Several plants found in the garden, such as the indigenous Cucumber Magnolia and the Yellow Trillium, are on the endangered species list.

Cady, I've got eight chickens left from my original gang of poultry. The guinea fowl left the enclosure every day, and one-by-one they got picked off by coyotes or foxes or whatever. Lost the last one in May. While I was away on a business trip this past April the spring heave and thaw lifted a couple of fence posts (sunk three feet down, but obviously not deep enough) such that the gang could squeeze under the mesh fencing, and I came home to find most everyone running around in the yard and in the fields, the survivors, anyway. The only chickens that survived were the ones still inside the pen, which is surrounded by an electric fence. It must have been a real smorgasbord for the coyote. The surviving ducks and geese decided that they liked the outside better and kept getting out. It's hard to stop a determined goose. I built another enclosure for them down by the stream and dug them a freshwater mini-pond that was fed by the stream, thinking they would like that better. But, they just kept busting out and each time there would be one less bird to catch. Eventually, I just gave up. I had a neighbor call me back in June to say that she saw three geese and a duck walking in her field, which most likely was the Brown African, a Toulouse, a White Chinese and a Black Cayuga. She lives on the other side of the road just off the Connecticut River, and I like to think that the survivors made it down to the river. ThatÂs the last I saw or heard of the waterfowl. So, what did I learn? Guinea fowl are too free-ranging to survive in an enclosure thatÂs not roofed, at least not with the kind of predator population that I have around here. For me, ducks and geese would only work, if I could put a fence around the entire pond, not practical. Chickens are the best, easy to keep, not a problem at all. They are what I wanted to get in the first place, before I went crazy and ended up with my menagerie. IÂm down to eight, the hardiest ones, and thatÂs fine, as I only wanted a half-dozen to begin with. If I lose any over the winter, IÂll replenish in the spring. When I go out to throw cracked corn they all follow me around clucking and gurgling, excited as all get out. They looked pretty ragged these past few weeks, molting and all. But, everyone is looking much better these days. My six beehives are doing great; it was a good year for bees. How are all your critters faring? I didnÂt deadhead anything this year, and the garden was a very popular hang out for all types of songbirds. I had hummingbirds like crazy this year, too. I think they like the butterfly bushes. I saw one land in one of my honeysuckle shrubs and sit in one place for over five minutes. IÂve never seen a hummingbird be immobile for so long. It was a real treat. narcnh