I am a newer rose grower, and I grow The Dark Lady in a no spray garden. She was purchased own root in a 1 gallon pot in early spring 2011, and is now about 18 inches high. I agree with Jeni, she is a very high bloom producer and repeats very rapidly! She also hasn't done the "I want to be a climber" thing that so many of my other Austins have done in our hot Tennessee summers. My only complaint is that she has weak necks. I'm not sure if its because she's only in her first year, or if her blooms are just too heavy for the stems. That being said, I would still 100% reccommend planting her. Our biggest disease problem here is blackspot, and I haven't had many issues with her compared to other suppossedly "disease resistant" roses. She's definitly a great purchase! ~Tammy

I currently grow Black Adder, and its the least choice including the foeniculums, rugosas and and schrophularias of the like. I prefer, if you like the compactness and coloring of Black Adder, I would suggest Agastache neomexicana "Lavender Haze" to be a replacement. Does not have the blue tones, but it is definately a keeper with the strong lavender scent and its oils. I make essential oil out of neomexicana L.H., and its hard to beat in borders of the yard. Black Adder is not extremely impressive, especially next to my barberi and cana hybrids that tower with color and size. Not the first thing a hummer will go for, but will certainly help with attracting and very little nectar sourcing.

Received and opened today a cute card for eggs-ceptional luck that says Happy St. Patrick's Day inside My eggs-ceptional ladies a pink egg a blue egg a green egg First lady Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962), wife of Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945), the U.S. president from 1933 to 1945, was a leader in her own right and involved in numerous humanitarian causes throughout her life. The niece of President Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919), Eleanor was born into a wealthy New York family. She married Franklin Roosevelt, her fifth cousin once removed, in 1905. By the 1920s, Roosevelt, who raised five children, was involved in Democratic Party politics and numerous social reform organizations. In the White House, she was one of the most active first ladies in history and worked for political, racial and social justice. After President Roosevelt’s death, Eleanor was a delegate to the United Nations and continued to serve as an advocate for a wide range of human rights issues. She remained active in Democratic causes and was a prolific writer until her death at age 78. Unwin’s Striped Sweet pea seeds inside Born on Feb. 15, 1820, in Adams, Mass., Susan B. Anthony was a pioneer crusader for the woman suffrage movement in the United States and president (1892-1900) of the National American Woman Suffrage Association. Her work helped pave the way for the Nineteenth Amendment (1920) to the Constitution, giving women the right to vote. Scarlet Runner Bean seeds inside Pocahontas contributed significantly to the early survival of the Jamestown colony and played a brief but dramatic role in English imperial propaganda. Her untimely death in 1617 cut short her successful mediation between the Powhatan Indians and the colony. Both before her intercession and long after her death, Jamestown--the first permanent English outpost in North America--was precarious, largely because of Indian hostility to the colony and its expansion. Mini Red Turban squash seeds inside 4 packs of extra seeds Queen mix cleome convolvulus Enchantment Mix Buttercrunch lettuce Nantes carrots and a sweet treat - Russell stover chocolate mini bunnies Thank you so much JayeAnne for a sweet and thoughtful package

I wholeheartedly agree with everyone's assessment of using plants that are well adapted to the climate and soils in your area. That's being said from the perspective of someone who knows better... When I first arrived down here I was a sucker for anything that looked cool and sounded even remotely zone hardy. I put part of the blame for planting out of place plants on certain nurseries, especially the big boxes that carry plants that are technically zone hardy, but don't grow well in the local soils. Go to any HD or Lowes around here right now and you'll find Camellias a-plenty. In the summer they have all kinds of azaleas, gardenias and hydrangeas too. You get the picture... All that said, I agree w. Shebear that unless a plant's obviously completely dead, giving it at least 3 years is reasonable. In fact, we moved some of our plants that were floundering in their previous locations and they seem to be doing better now. We moved our Fatsias and Wheeler Dwarfs to shady locations and they look much happier. We replaced the Wheeler's Dwarfs with Nana Pomegranates in the full sun location and so far so good. Several of the issues pointed out by Pricklypear were unknown to me at the time of purchase. That said, we'll see what happens. The Little Gem, Camellia, Photinia and Golden Euynomous look healthy as can be, their growth has just been disappointing. All 5 of our Camellias do have flower buds set though! The Queens, well, the darn folks at the HD just tempted me too much. If they ever grow and don't freeze out they'll look great by the pool though. :^) I don't get the whole Firebush (Hamelia Patens?) deal either. I see several people around the neighborhood that have large ones, so it must've just been me... Oh well, I guess trial and error is part of the joy of gardening. As long as the successes outweight the failures!