Jen, I can send cuttings of the plum. I have not tried to root them and was wondering if you had. I might try to root the Guthrie after it leafs out more. I can also send a bulb of the Eucommis. You can propagate Eucommis by carefully pulling a leaf off and planting the base of it in a small container of good potting soil. The leaf will gradually produce 2 small bulblets by the end of summer. I think Chickasaw Plums require 2 different plants to pollinate before they can fruit. The Indians had hundreds of cultivars, probably lost now. Does Cerinthe major grow easily for you? Mine keep dying. Mexican Petunia, dwarf pink is one I don't have. I'm waiting to see if Mirabilis longiflora comes back. It has smaller but very long stemmed white flowers with a fragrance similar to M.jalapa. I can swap you for a seed or two of Senna didymobotrya. I have Cassia or Senna hebecarpa, similar to C. marylandica. Have Salvia leucantha- Velvet Sage in two varieties. We may get seed of Sinocalycanthus this year. It had a few pods last year. Mike

Well, I sprayed the genetic dwarf peach trees with copper today. I suspect it is a futile effort, being too late, but I had the spray so used it. We'll see. This is a lesson for me. In my SouthWest Washington climate, I was told I couldn't grow peaches, but with a lot of effort they do grow. The problem is putting forth that effort. Given that I have 3 genetic dwarf varieties plus a seedling from one of those, and they all get terrible leaf curl, I suspect that all genetic dwarf peaches will all be susceptible. Using a cover does work - during the past 2 years, I tied the branches into bundles, and slipped garbage bags over the bundles. That prevents about 90% of the leaf curl, although not 100%. Haven't tried the carport idea yet. A peach tree is such an investment in time in the garden, taking years to produce, and garden space, so selecting the right variety is really important. When I have had a few crops of peaches from these, I liked them a lot. Honey Babe and Garden Gold. Haven't had any from my Ponderosa tree yet. I appreciate the comments. I was also thinking about Indian Free. This one is also listed as PLC resistant, and very tasty, but I don't know about the bloom time. Any experience with that one?

Babcock chill hours are listed at 250-300, and I've never seen a warm Winter impact it negatively. It does look like it could use a good soaking though as fruitnut suggests. An application of a good low N fertilizer like GRO-POWER FLOWER 'N' BLOOM 3-12-12 might be a good idea as would some mulch out around the landscape. In my hot dry locale bare dirt is an invitation to spider mite problems.

The name 'Foliis Rubris' ('Purpurea', 'Rubrifolia', 'Atropurpurea') was used for a variety being sold in Belgium during 1873. It produces unimpressive flowers and fruit. 'Royal Redleaf' ('Ackerman Redleaf') was introduced by Ackerman Nurseries, Bridgeman, Michigan ca. 1940. It produces large white flowers and white-fleshed fruits. Other introductions include 'Bloodleaf', 'Hiawatha', 'Kingston Redleaf', 'Rancho Redleaf' and 'Rutgers Redleaf'. The red-leaved rootstock cultivar resembling a peach tree in appearance I am aware of is called 'Citation'. It was patented as "Interspecific rootstock tree 4-G-816". Here is a link that might be useful: United States Patent: PP05112