I'd say PF is dead on in saying "Most species like to be perennially moist, but also have good drainage". Most of mine only want moisture when soil temps warm up and they come out of dormancy. While actively growing they can take lots of watering and moisture. While dormant they like to be very dry with very sharp drainege. They do not like compacted or clay soils, they like open airy, loamy soil that retains moisture but drains well. triphyllum is slightly different in that it is very forgiving and can take a much more moisture retentive soil and would rather not dry out completely for too long. I have had jacks "flower" three years from seed. If they have a "good" year they will reward you the following year. If they have a "bad" year they may store energy by staying dormant or putting up a single leaf the next year. Good luck!

Bizarre? Some of my friends thought some of my stuff was bazarre too. Some houseplants, most winter sowed, some will be direct sowed. I think this is a pretty complete list now. I've got way to many already. Abutilon vitifolium 3 Acacia cultriformis Acinos alpinus Aconitum alboviolaceum 39 Aconitum hemsleyanum 29 Adlumina fungulosa Agapanthus cv fr U of British Columbia Agastache rupestris 90 Agastache schrophularifolia Albuca humilis 94 Albuca shawii 95 syn. A. tricophylla Alcea ficifolia 99 Allium tricoccum Alyssum wulfenianum 256 Anaphalis alpicola 206 Anaphalis triplinervis 268 Anisodontea julii Aquilegia desertorum 345 Aquilegia flabellata var. pumila 'Kurilensis Rosea' 361 Aquilegia formosa Aquilegia viridiflora 382 Aralia continentalis 418 Aralia wilsonii 420 Arisaema consanguineum 440 Aristolochia fimbriata 467 Aristolochia tomentosa Athamanta turbith 580 Atropa komarovii 'Turkmenistan' Bergeranthus jamesii 607 Betula glandulifera Calycanthus floridulus ex 'Athens' 683 Campanula americana Cassia alata Clematis ochroleuca Corydalis Blackberry Wine Corydalis ex ex Dufa Temple Cosmidium burridgeanum Dasistoma macrophylla Desmanthus illinoiensis Digitalis grandiflora Dracocephalum palmatum Echinocerius reichenbachii ssp. caespitosis 1331 Eragrostis airioides Festuca valesiaca Fibigea clypeata Fragaria vesca alba 1499 Fritillaria camschatensis ex Kenai, AK Fritillaria camschatensis exCordova,AK Fritillaria lanceolata Gentiana quinquefolia Glaucidium palmatum 2013 Hesperis kotschyi 1855 Hudsonia tomentosa Impatiens glandulifera Ipomea Ipomea - Flake Ipomea 'Blue Blizzard' Ipomea 'Heino Rumi' Iris chrysographes 1938 Iris reichenbachii 2307 Iris tectorum 1986 Iris typhifolia 1998 Jeffersonia dubia 2008 Lavatera cachemiriana 2053 Leuzea conifera var. macrocephala2095 Lilium concolor var. coridion 2138 Lilium concolor var. strictum Lilium lophophorum Lilium mackliniae 2150 Lilium sargentiae Lilium sp. ex China Limonium gmellini ssp. hungaricus Manfreda virgininiana ex Adams Co. OH Melittis melissophyllum 2302 Mentzelia decapetala Mertensia simplicissima 2307 Mirabilis longiflora 2302 Nasella tenuissima Onosma alboroseum Orlaya grandiflora Peltoboykinia tellimoides 2565 Peltoboykinia watanabei Peltoboykinia watanabei 2566 Penstemon 'Chocolate Drop' Penstemon hallii Penstemon paysoniorum Penstemon smallii Penstemon strictus Penstemon virens 2688 Physochlaina orientalis 2726 Phyteuma orbiculare Phyteuma scheuchzeri 4332 Platycodon 'Komachi' 2756 Podophyllum hexandrum Poncirus trifoliata Pulsatilla ajanensis Pulsatilla albana 2894 Pulsatilla flavescens Rhodothamnus chamaecistus 4396 Ruellia ex 'Midnight' Sarracenia purpurea Scilla monophyllos 3194 Semiaquilegia ecalcarata Serratula seoanei Seseli gummiferum 3249 Soldanella alpina 4460 Swertia bimaculata 4478 Sylibum marianum Talinum paniculatum 'Aurea' Telekia speciosa (Bupthalmon) Tellima grandiflora Tsuga canadensis ex Mille Lacs Co.MN Viburnum dentatum ex St.Louis Co.MN xPardancanda norrisii xPardancanda norrisii And DRAT! my Pulsatilla flavescens sprouted in the initial 2 week warm cycle. Rick

Gail, I haven't started, but yes, all this snow is definitely getting me in the mood. I'm mostly "getting ready to get ready". I'm taking my second graduate course which will finish up next week, so that's been taking up a lot of my time. Plus we're renovating here in my house too (which means I lost my overwintering spot for my tubers). I still don't have my bulbs in the ground, and I don't think I want to do it in all this snow (be kinda like ice-fishing). So I'm probably going to start them all in pots. In the meantime, I'm clearing off my table to get ready to go through my seeds. I need to at least find the seeds I'm sowing for Solstice. My opened bag of Promix is sitting on the porch, getting frozen. I have to clear a spot in my kitchen and transfer the soil to a kitty-litter bucket to make for a kinder, gentler, CLEANER WSing experience :-) So...I don't think you can live vicariously thru me, but isn't it nice to have snow? I hope we have snow cover through the whole season--it's good for the plants already in the ground. Linda

Anitabryk2, the best time to take cuttings of the crepe myrtle is right before they get ready to bloom. Before they have set buds, but certainly before they bloom. You can always try to root them now, and you could have some good luck. I am just saying optimum time. I would say that I am an absolute fanatic seed saver. But I NEVER snatch seeds at a plant nursery. I have a friend who owns and operates a nice nursery, and people steal his seed pods and even dig up plants from the flower beds out front! He sometimes depends on his plants making seed so that he can propagate them for plants to sell next year. It is hard for the 'little' nursery to compete with the box stores, and we are going to sorely miss them when they are gone. All that knowledge! All that advice! Sorry, didn't mean to rain on the parade. On the other hand, public gardens, post office offerings, whatever, are all fair game, as far as I know. Just take the time to research the plant you are sneaking up on so you know when the best time to snatch the seeds, and know also that some seeds are sterile, and will not germinate for love nor money! When I take a cutting, I try to get one that has just bloomed. That way, I can truley say that I am deadheading..... Janie