I looked at my Forest Pansy again for you - it did start budding last week (unusually warm), but I think it got stunted after that (colder now), as it never reached that full, covered in pink flowers look. Some buds look stunted, but on a couple tiny red leaves are staring to appear. Again, mine is established. As for box stores versus nurseries - I agree, the loss of nurseries royally sucks. The real problem (at least on Long Island, NY), is that the only remaining nurseries are so extremely high-end that it is truly impossible to shop there. We used to have a chain called Frank's Nursery and Crafts - they went under a few years ago, and no one has filled the void. Their prices were similar to the box stores, but their stock was in great shape and every store had a certified horticulturist on site and all managers were required to take horticultural classes. Their bankruptcy was blamed on bad management, but in reality they could not compete when HD and Lowes moved in down the street - HD and Lowes always sell their stuff well-below wholesale when they first open - forcing local businesses to go under. Today the prices are more normal. I bought a TON of shrubs from Lowes, HD this year, but only because I needed a ton (I'm getting rid of my grass, and we lost a huge tree last month). They are not the most unique, but they were too cheap to pass up. My tactic is to use cheaper plants as bulk, and then invest in unique shrubs as the specimens. I order most of my stuff from online nurseries now. Last year I got a Fernspray Gold Hinoki Cypress online for $35 (I'd wanted it for years and couldn't find it locally); before I ordered it I called the two best nurseries around, and the one that had it wanted $250 for a 30" high plant! Mine is about 24" - I ordered the 18", but they were out of that size so they upgraded me at no charge. Please tell me how one nursery can charge $35 (probably should be $50 for that size), while the local nurseries charge $250? That is why so many nurseries go out of business - they charge WAY TOO MUCH! Especially when all any customer needs to do is go online and compare prices. I would NEVER buy a tree from a box store though - I get fruit trees from fruit tree specialists, and shade/ ornamentals from tree specialists or native tree specialists. I bought a Mac Apple from HD years ago and that was the worst thing ever - it was already pruned into the wrong form, and although I have fixed all the bad branches, there is nothing I can do about the vase-shape, so I really do not like that tree (but I feel guilty about chopping it down and replacing it, since it is so large now). Prices at the box stores are not much better on trees and specialty perennials, though. By me they want $40 for fruit trees - normal price from a specialist is $20-30, depending on variety. Most perennials are the same cost as online, and online nurseries have a much better selection. I bought mostly Rhodis, Azaleas, Pieris and Mountain Laurels this year from them. But, for unique Rhodis I shop at Rhodi specialists (we used to have a specialist nursery near me, but they went out of business a few years ago :( I bought 4 PJM Rhodis ($7 small, $30 large), 5 Purple Gem Rhodis ($15 each, large size), and 5 Silver Sword Azaleas ($7 each); the prices could not be beat. Lowes had beautiful Mountain Laurels for $25, and I grabbed 2 because they are IMPOSSIBLE to find around here (even though they are native). I had purchased one from a new local nursery a few years ago, but it was so root-bound (I paid $35 during the 30% off sale), that I could not perform effective surgery, so I threw it out and replaced it this year (still no new roots). You basically have to know what you are purchasing - what to look for in a plant to make sure it is worth purchasing. All my online purchases have been great, except TyTyga (sp?) in Georgia - do NOT buy from them - bad trees.

The tree is tall enough that no branches were ever under snow. It's at least 12' tall. I think I may have been unclear when I said there were only leaves low down. There are leaves on the lower third of the tree, and progressively fewer as you go higher, but there are signs the higher branches are not dead, there are little green leaves emerging. It just seems that for June 6 it should be much more leafed out. And overall, even near the bottom (the bottom branches being about least 4' off the ground), there are fewer leaves than I would expect. We are right on the border of zone 5B/6A. There are all kinds of dogwoods all over this area, including Florida. We are near the seacoast, almost in NH. How can I tell if the little buds are dead? If I cut one open would it be dry rather than green? The nursery does offer a warranty, but for a $600+ tree I bet they'll want it to be much more dead than it is. I'd say 1/3 has no leaves, but the other third is thinly leaved. Not to mention the utter pain of getting it out. The rootball was enormous, and it is now part of a garden that would have to be completely dismantled to get it out (think 5-6 hydranges, 10 hosta, other perennials, landscaping rock.). It would be a nightmare. Heavy equipment was used to bring it in, and there is now a lawn in place. Ugh. Should I feed it or anything? Thanks.

You've gotta' wonder. Down here at the border of zone 6/7 some salvias are just coming up, but they are the marginal ones for here. My wife planted Cardonna last year, and after our hard wet winter it was gone. Is everything else now growing where you are? If so, it doesn't sound good. Were the plants listed as hardy in your area? You might want to run a yahoo search and find their hardiness zone if you are unsure.

Hi linnea, " Months went by, and nothing happened. " The trick to getting quick germination from seeds with a relatively impervious seed coat is to breach the coat in some way. Use a file or an X-Acto knife to remove part of the coat until you can see some of the embryo. " There are very long stems (the first to emerge is a foot tall) with a big fat seed leaf at the top. I don’t know if the extreme length was just from planting indoors, or this is normal for these plants. " They probably are stretching because they don't have enough light in your indoor growing situation. " I assume it might be too late to get these in the ground and expect more seeds. " You should be able to purchase castor bean seeds from a seed company . That would be easier than going to heroic efforts to get seeds from your current plants, and you have a lot more to choose from when purchasing castor bean seeds. Be aware that castor bean seeds are poisonous. ZM