I can find quite a bit of the wild stuff, but certainly couldn't afford to send that much. Chicory, plantain, fireweed, Purslane, wood sorrel, Solomon's seal (false?), some type of gooseberry (wild ones, when I go to Idaho) Jerusalem artichoke, red alder, skunk cabbage--maybe, kinnikinnick, MAYBE serviceberry, wild ginger (certainly not 40 of them, though), possibly Oregon grape, bedstraw, burdock, not sure on monkeyflower, cascara, snowberry, all heal, yarrow, yellow violets, Virginia creeper, maybe nuphar polysepalus, wild strawberries (fragaria virginiana and chiloensis).

I am new to the forum even though i have been lurking for a while. i am new to gardening and i live in central florida. i have a potted southern magnolia tree about six feet tall that i would like to exchange for either a bird of paradise, fruit tree, or amaryllis or even canna lilies. i also have a banana tree that i would like to exchange if interested.

I purchased the jasmine about 6 years ago. It has never been repotted. It is still growing on its original trellis (which you can't see because of the thick growth), so it is only slightly larger than when I bought it. In winter, it sits in front of a large patio door that faces south, so it receives abundant afternoon sun. By early spring, it has already started to push new foliage and blossoms indoors. In early May, I put it back out on the patio (full sun). I prune it hard--almost to the point where very little foliage remains. I then fertilize it liberally with osmocote and give it plently of water. In about 4 weeks, it comes back beautifully with much thicker foliage and denser blossoms than it had before I pruned it. I usually bring it back indoors in October just before the first frost. Again, this procedure has worked for me for 6 years. The southern magnolia is Magnolia Grandiflora, variety Braken Brown Beauty (BBB). There are only two varieties that can grow in southern New England. The BBB and another one called "Edith Bogue". I prefer the more dense habit of the BBB. The only problem is that the branches are a bit floppy and can break with heavy snow. Edith Bogue has a more open habit and a much more stiff branching habit. So, I keep my BBB tightly pruned to achieve the dense and narrow habit shown in the pic. This prevents snow damage, and also constrains the tree to the relatively small space I have to grow it. It is about 15 feet tall. The two varieties I mentioned above are hardy to zone 6. But, if you want it to thrive (not just survive), I would try to pick a spot that is sheltered from strong NW winds in winter. Mine is well sheltered in that way, but it does receive FULL winter sun, which can be damaging to broadleaved evergreens during tough winters. So, I do give it a coating of wilt-pruf in early winter to help prevent that. Last winter, I only had a few slightly burned leaves. The coldest temperature that my tree has experienced is -7 degrees during that horrible/bitter January of 2004. There was some leaf damage/loss after that winter, but not much.

Poaky1, the cultivar is, 'Bracken's Brown Beauty'. I have not grown this cultivar, but it is supposed to be a hardy cultivar of Magnolia grandiflora. It is not a hybrid, it is purely Magnolia grandiflora. (Hybrids are a cross between two different species. ) You say you have a "plain" Southern magnolia but mostly, northern nurseries tend to sell varieties that are, in fact "cultivars" (selected for superior cold and snow resistance, leaf and tree size, coloration, etc...). There are dozens and dozens or recognized cultivars (some of which are no longer available and have been replaced by newer varieties). Attention to the particular cultivar is especially important in more northerly areas where conditions become harsher. Some varieties tolerate snow loads MUCH better than others, some show no leaf burning to Zone 6b/7 cold (whereas others burn badly). As I said above, the Mg should in the above photo looks like a Little Gem (a pure Magnolia grandiflora, but not a cultivar known for cold tolerance). Just to contrast the past thee winters and the question of cultivar, this year, my Little Gems had NO damage from either snow or cold; whereas the previous two winters they had some dieback (but came back vigorously both growing seasons). During the bad winters there was no burning to the leaves of Edith Bogue or Victoria but did have some branches downed by snow. Still, EB and Victoria offer very good to excellent tolerances to snow in my opinion. I have another cultivar which is a strong vertical grower with very dark undersides to the leaves but poor snow tolerance.