Faye, White/Purple Cone Flowers are slower coming up after winter. There will be no leaves. Soon you will only be able to see little pointed nodules poking up from where you planted them. I was going to transplant some I had grown from seed a few weeks ago. I could not find them very well, so I decided I'd wait. I had a nice row of them in my vegetable garden last summer/fall. For the last couple of years, I have planted a row of coneflower seeds in my vegetable garden in April/May. Then I transplant them into my flower beds early the following spring because they are one of my favorite perennials. Just give them some time. They'll be up before you know it. Happy gardening, springday

Thanks, you guys! I'm not sure why this particular Clematis began blooming so early... a lot of things here seemed to start early this season. Normally, the east coast would be ahead of us by a little bit, I think... but this year, it seems like we're ahead of them! All I can say is... you just never know with Illinois weather! This is the first year for the Giant White Alliums, and I actually do hope they spread! We've got a really big area to fill in, so volunteer or by offset would be fine by me! Anything to help choke out the weeds and the poison ivy! There are several different types of Clematis... early, mid, and later bloomers... I think we've got all three represented on the dog fence... the only real difference is in time of bloom and how you prune them. I just let them go wild! The blooms are huge and spectacular on many varieties, and the shapes and colors are numerous, so the choices are great! They tend to take a couple of years to get settled in, but after that, they go nuts! I prefer growing things that don't take a lot of maintenance, and Iris, Daylilies and Clematis are three perennials that can be left to their own devices for several years before needing any work. Columbine is wonderful for early color, and for attracting hummingbirds! No maintenance there, either! I love an eclectic garden... one that keeps changing throughout the seasons, showing off different shapes and colors... and I love plants that continuously bloom from around May or June until frost claims them in the autumn... from the first bulbs to pop in early spring, to the last flowers to fade in fall, I try to plant things that keep the garden looking fresh and different all year! Gardening here is like a dream come true... except that it isn't all really mine. But I'm not complaining a bit... I get all this free experience and beauty, and when we move, I get to take armloads of plants with! What's not to love?!

I am so sorry this happened. You'll never forget about this chance meeting, will you? Some caterpillar stings are terribly painful and can cause severe reactions. Are you hypersensitive to other insect 'bodily fluids' such as those from ants, mosquitoes and the like? My own experience was with the Saddleback caterpillar. I thought that I had been shot when my arm brushed against the stinging hairs. The bad thing about the buckmoth caterpillar is that they are often found in numbers. So be watchful. Wear gloves. Keep some meat tenderizer with you when working outside. Make a paste of the granules to apply directly to the site right after you've been stung. It will help. Purchase some benadryl to keep on hand for such incidents, both oral and topical. I've seen people develop what looks like broken blood vessels where the spines entered the skin. Took several days for the whole thing to clear up and go away. Tell us how you are doing!

Did you have any success with your seed? Thank You for the tip, I will see if they have any information that they are willing to give. I would like to have them in my garden area if I am to water them and that is mostly part shade. The clay area is western exposure and the area with the eastern sun is caliche with a thin layer of brought in soil. The aristolochia fimbriata does well in part shade.