Hi! I have some seeds, not a ton of them, but I would be willing to share! I wonder if I could grow that horseradish tree as an annual here? I've read up on it and seen it can get 10ft in the first year, wonder how big I can get it to grow here. LMK if interested Thanks, Vicky

Thank you both for the warm wishes. I wished Brian a happy birthday from everyone. We really didn't have a lot of plans made. It's so rare that we get time together that we sort of lived it up the last time the kids went away for a few days. We basically spent the entire day sleeping and watching TV. We did grill some nice fat steaks though which sure did beat eating out. Little did we know how much we would need that rest come Saturday. We actually ended up having to drive to Georgia to go pick the kids up. It's supposed to be a 3.5 hour drive but apparently there was a wreck on our way there. I never saw evidence of a wreck but needless to say we left at 1pm and didn't get there until almost 8pm. There were people all along the road overheated and broke down from waiting in the traffic. Our car has a radiator leak in it and I was certain we were next. BLAH? Anyway, fortunately we got through it with the heat blaring uneventfully and at least we got to laze around the Chattahoochee for a while afterward and I officially saw my sister off. She will be going to China in a week so this will be the last time I see her for at least six months. As far as kids and school goes, I home school so we just finished testing and I have to send their tests in this week. Not quite uneventful this time of year but I am happy to not have to attend open houses and all of the other complexities of starting public school. I think I would go into sensory overload. I admire those who can deal with it heh. ANYWAY..(babble babble) I went ahead and dug up a few of those sunflowers tonight and I'll get that dusty miller out of the ground tomorrow sometime. They will be in the dirt they were planted in which is our marvelous Carolina clay but they both grow magnificently in it. I'll have to go through my emails. I think I am suppose to bring you some other stuff and I'll make sure to get that together as well. Fran - They are calling for it to rain all week.. not that what they call for makes a difference here lately but... whenever you'd like to stop by and get a piece you are welcome. I'm best after 5pm haha. You are close enough to me though that you'd probably do better getting some in the spring. I have little pieces to share here and there right now but in the spring I usually ditch a whole bunch of it while thinning it out and moving it around. With as big as my yard is, it really isn't cultivated enough to move much around and I don't want it in the big flower bed anymore so I pass it along in huge clumps to anyone who will take it.

I don't have that one but have a perennial sunflower I've always thot was a heliopsis which is quite similar to the helianthus. Also called False Sunflower. Mine is multi-petalled. It was a plant I got years ago from a fellow garden club member and has been very reliable in this climate. Grows like a weed and self seeds but is not invasive. I made the mistake of planting them at the back of the border next to the horse pasture and the horses easily reached over the fence for the tasty snack! LOL After trimming the plants they came back very well and an electric line prevented a recurrence. This pic and the following close-up show the plant. Last fall they didn't get trimmed back so I should have lots of volunteers - will have lots of plants to give away this year. Here is a link that might be useful: my perennial sunflowers

This is a native prairie plant also known as Narrow Leaved Sunflower. I grow this in a partly shaded area but I think it prefers full sun. It does tend to be floppy where I have it positioned and does need some staking to keep it upright but I think that adds to its native appeal. If you only like plants that grow straight and tall its not for you! It blooms for a very long time later summer into late fall and like most prairie plants it will spread to some degree but has not been a problem for me. Plants are available from Prairie Originals near Selkirk Manitoba and likely she has seeds as well They do mailorder if you are not closeby. Check out their website as they have other native sunflowers available.