I have big trouble with one of my 7 Purple Robe Locust trees. All look healthy except for this one. It made a feeble attempt to blossom and leaf out. The blossoms died off within 3 days. Now it has very minimal green leafing all over the tree (not just in one area) but the leaves wither in the middle of the day and look crispy. Late in the day close to sunset there is again minimal green leafing which lasts through to morning. I had a arborist look at it, he saw no borers and no obvious reason why it shouldn't be as healthy as the others. I've given it some SuperThrive but I'm afraid I'm going to lose it. If anyone has suggestions please help!

Wow, that's a lot of plants! I don't have a list of what I'm growing in my little gardens -- sometimes it takes me a couple of weeks in the spring to realize that that weird looking weed in the corner is something I've had for years. I just assume that more plants than not will grow in this area! One of the more unusual plants I grow is agapanthus. Not a particularly hardy variety, this was simply a florists' plant my mother gave me four years ago. But it's come up reliably every year for the past three seasons in Central Ohio. It's planted against a south-facing brick wall with excellent drainage, and apparently doesn't realize it's not in zone 8+ anymore! One of my mother's more spectacular plants is a 15 year old calamondin orange that arrived as a little "get-well" houseplant. It spends the winter on the unheated glassed in back porch in Cincinnati, and now stands over 6' tall in the pot, and is nearly 4' around. It always has flowers and fruit on it, and we've picked 200 ripe fruits at one time.

A friend of mine who created a deer "hedgerow" to try and keep them in the ravine rather in her garden, considered mock orange one of those the deer would browse but not kill, and that once it was established at least, was able to withstand their affections for it. Perhaps create a cage for it from chicken wire or something, so that at least initially, it has space to grow, and the deer can only nip the outlyers? For what its worth, it tends to like similar conditions to your Ceanothus- sunny edge to open areas, preferably on the dry side once established. Happy with summer irrigation, but once going strong shouldn't need it. In shade the plant will grow well, but not necessarily flower too well. On cascara as a moist forest species, I beg to differ. It is one of several trees folks taking care of the Mima Mounds, Glacial Heritage and similar prairies in the south sound area are weeding off the mounds and out of the meadows. It can and will take dry conditions very well. However, it does tend to change how it looks in dryer soils- smaller leaves, more compact habit. Osoberry will do the same, though it is much more dependent on moist spring soil than the cascara. Cascara does NOT like wet feet either. It will do ok along the edges of marshy areas, but rarely seeds itself into saturated soils. Of course, in the garden it will typically get more moisture than it tends to in the woods anyway. As far as Anna's not being native, well neither is the honey bee, lol. At least the Anna's is an American Native. Honeybees are old world bugs, however treasured by many. Both enjoy a winter nectar source.

I don't care for lindens at all. Nothing about them interests me, dull like silver maple. litasart, I agree that american sycamore is a nice tree (I may plant one next year) but I don't think the driveway is an appropriate place for one. I used to have a large q. alba growing beside my driveway (probably around 80 years old) and it dropped acorns all in the driveway. I ended up having it removed. After I get rid of the silver maple on the other side of the driveway, I am going to line it with 'Forest Pansy' redbuds and magnolia soulagnea.