I love "Sentimental Blue" - a truly short plant that stays short yet has very large flowers in proportion to the plant and oh the color! The foliage stays nice and nothing bothers them (insects or diseases) that I've ever noticed. Great edging plant. I also have the taller cultivars - I think they are "Astra" series bout not sure. Like those as well, but they do need some sort of support or will flop. These puppies are long-lived as far as I can tell and TOUGH plants, I've had the same clumps the entire time I've been at this house, 13 years. "They" say you shouldn't move them because of the tap root...pfffttt - I've moved mine around the yard so many times I can't even count and like I said, they're still going...

Pale yellow- Hibisicus Dark/orangeish yellow- Marigolds! How about adding one for deep yellow? This would be the black-eyed susan...the one that grows upright, not the vining one. It's actually the Maryland State Flower. I've seen the most beautiful beds of them along the roadside traveling to the Eastern Shore. Breathtaking!!!!!

A couple of notes because the rest is going to be rather long and involved: Lynda, I have the Vitex marked for you and in your baggie! And thank you for the marigolds! They will be very interesting with my others! Dessie I would be more than happy to receive your little helper's seed packets! I think it's great! Wendy Try some Chai Spice tea, it works wonders in helping clear up colds and flu. I always add a dollop of honey to help sooth the throat. It's a staple in our house and really does help. Alright, here is my take on this.. I can understand how many were hoping that the two swaps would not coincide, but, we all knew there was a fair chance of that happening. For myself, I know that I continued to update my list, even well after Patty's swap's mailing deadline. I did my updates using the same method we did for Patty's swap- using an updated date. Even had I not, I knew there was a good chance the two swaps would overlap. I joined this one knowing full well- according to the guidelines posted for it- that I may NOT receive as many as I sent in. That I would receive as many as were sent in FOR me, up to five packets of the SAME item. I recall there being some issue with this and a member who became very rude in their comments about this fact. Yes, my package from the What's Left swap is in the second batch to go out. No, I did not keep strict record of what I sent to those who were in the What's Left swap. I did keep better records of what I'm sending for this swap. I also know that a lot of people will be sending in baggies of seeds marked as extras- not dedicated for anyone, but to add in when it's seen those items are on someone's list. No, these may not be some of the rarer or more exclusively wanted items on someone's list. But if someone has some of those rarer or more specific items to share, I'm sure they would have put them into your baggie before they mailed. So, I don't see that anyone would be missing out on anything. The only way I could see having updated one's list further as complicating Patty's swap would be if someone had removed things from their list. Updating and adding items would not have conflicted. Because if there were any extras of what you were wanting, Patty would have included them. So, I guess I'm not really understanding how there is such a need to update the lists just because one is in both swaps. If I receive duplicates, wonderful! Because the things on my list are things I want! If I don't receive something on my list, then no one had it to share. If I receive so many of something that I can't plant it all, then I can bless someone else by offering it up for a trade. So, perhaps I'm being dense here, but how would one not receive something sent in specifically for them (up to FIVE packets of the same item!) that was on their wants list in this swap? Everyone has the chance to see your wants as posted and you have had the option to add to that list, as many including myself have this whole time. The only thing I could really see the two swaps happening almost simultaneously possibly affecting would be one's have's list. I'm sorry, I don't mean to upset or offend anyone. I'm just honestly trying to understand why this is such an issue. So please don't take this as meaning to offend or as pointed to anyone in particular. This is just me trying to understand why so many are upset about this. If you prefer to email me privately and help me understand it, I would be pleased with that and please do! Perhaps there are aspects and issues with this that I'm not readily seeing and should consider. I don't want to keep the thread off track by my question becoming a debate here. Perhaps there can be some adjustments of dates if this swap happens in the late summer or again next winter, but for this year it is as it is and personally, I'm really enjoying it! Nancy, I hope you don't decide to drop out, because I know that I should have at least a couple of things from your list, perhaps more. But I'll respect your choice and be your Garden Buddy either way :) Fran, you have a real job ahead of you and I don't know how those like you and Patty do it! Leave me hosting my "pair em up and let em go" or true RR type swaps! I think those of you that host this kind of swap are awesome! Angela, you have been a wonderful help to Fran and all of us in this swap! I know the time it can take to code pages like that, though updates are easier once the initial work is done, and I want to say THANK YOU for the time and work you are putting in on this swap for everyone's benefit! Kathy~ heading off to stuff more little baggies and envelopes.

wantanamara, its just common blue grama, probably from seeds you sent me or else seeds I got at the History Museum. I keep trying to get new plants started, I love it. I visited the Museum today. They killed out all that mixed prairie grass growing on that hill of big rocks that I had admired so much, looks like they sprayed everything except the Muhly riverchonii. All the others were just dried up cut back dead grasses. I couldn't believe it! I plan to go back later on to see if they replace it with some other plants. No way its winter kill, that grass is too tough. In another area, they have large drifts of Little Bluestem and I don't know what kind it is but its extremely tall for a bluestem, the old seed heads from last year easily came up to my chest and the stalks are more than twice the height of the leaves, very blue, anywhere from powder blue to steel blue and has thinner leaves than other types. I found a few strays I saved from the weed whacker. You guys, thanks for the nice comments but except for the flame flowers all those plants are from seeds that came from Texas, its stuff grows wild in abundance on the roadsides. Roadsides are great for getting seeds, its a matter of "organization and selection" Wantanamara has great weeds on her property and its the common stuff I collect mostly, nursery's don't carry it because its considered common weeds. My eyeballs are constantly on the lookout for any interesting possibilities and they are everywhere. There is a large white prairie clover plant I just marked out last weekend for later seed gathering here. The thing looks like one of those perfect big white fireworks displays on the 4th of July. Btw, Oklahoma is third in its #'s of varieties native plants, just after Texas and California in the US. I read that this week online. I just ran across a teeny tiny form of stiff wiry grass, actually I think its a carex of some kind, cuter than a button with itty bitty brown seeds on top of those impossibly thin stems that stand up perfectly forming little upside down cone shaped plants that are about 4" tall. I have a little cluster started. This post was edited by TexasRanger10 on Thu, Jun 26, 14 at 3:40