Hi, the white poppy is California Alba, sorry I didn't realize I had mispelled it on my trade list. It over winters in some of zone 7 and others as an annual. Long ago Native Americans in California used this poppy for tooth aches and headache pain. It doesn't have the strong alkaloids of opiate poppy but was also used as a food source (root and leaves). The lavender poppy is a bread poppy with a gorgeous laender bloom. Take care, Happyseed

This is from the Manitoba Purple Loosestrife FAQ (I'll try to post a link; if it doesn't work, you can look that phrase up and find it). It explains better than I can why no purple loosestrife is considered safe to grow. This is FAQ #2: Is my garden variety (cultivar) of Purple Loosestrife safe? No. Originally many garden varieties of purple loosestrife such as Morden Pink, Morden Gleam or Dropmore Purple were considered to be sterile (did not produce seed), safe horticultural cultivars. Recent scientific studies have shown that these varieties are indeed capable of pollen and seed production. These plants can readily cross pollinate with other garden varieties, as well as wild loosestrife populations. In a Manitoba study, Morden Pink cultivars were planted near a wetland with purple loosestrife and six months later all Morden Pink plant produced viable seed. The majority of wild infestations of purple loosestrife are the result of garden escapes.

Are the shallow roots of this shrub a problem for cement driveways if a row of this shurb is planted only two feet away along the driveway for about 30 feet? I plan to also plant a dwarf broadleaf evergreen, at the feet of these shurbs or maybe as a short evergreen hedge running along the driveway for the length of the Rose Of Sharon which I plant. This is a Hibiscus Syriacas 'Blue Satin'

Idabean, I have had my blue satin for 2 years now. I have yet to see a seedling. I do weed my garden frequently during the growing season, and I have fresh mulch down each spring. Have yet to see a rose of sharon growing from it at all. So, relax. I sort of wish I had them coming up, my girlfriend really wants one now that she saw mine today, it was blooming for her. She loved the color. Oh well, mabey next year.