I've had Prosperity for years. It is only so-so (has a tea parent which struggle even to survive here) for me and does get big. On the other hand I had the opportunity to see Cliff Orent's collection of hybrid musks growing in his desert garden. Magnificent!!!! Loved Excellenz von Schubert with the gorgeous purply flowers. It loves it here. Will climb but seems easily contained. Mine is from Rogue Valley. Saw many Cliff had that I'd eventually like to get. There were quite a few of modest size. And you should have seen the HM area of his garden when in full bloom--it was a sight to behold. There are plenty of his pictures up on HMF of individual HM's, and if you look in the background you will see other hybrid musks. One that I loved is Omi Oswald. It is a single and a very pale yellow that fades to white in strong sun. The flowers have a nifty formation of stamens in the center that make the blooms look like hibiscus. Mine did shut down in the worst heat of the summer but the foliage continued to look great--even in my low-water garden. It is reblooming now. My plant is fairly young still, so my only guide to seeing it mature was at Cliff's, where it made a beautiful mound of color, about the size you want. Here's a picture on HMF: http://www.helpmefind.com/rose/l.php?l=21.169796 Another that I saw at Eurodesert that was just stunning was Heavenly PInk. It stays small too and what a mass of color it made. Melissa Here is a link that might be useful: Heavenly Pink on HMF

Matti, you coming down for the Buffalo-Niagara Tomato TasteFest 2008? Some are coming from ONT & may be carpooling. It's Saturday September 6th in Grand Island NY. I'm on my second try here. The first time, they never showed up in Spring when I planted them in November in 12-13" deep containers. Last year I got more and planted them earlier so they take root & get established. Don't remember exact date but maybe August or September to give them some time. I planted 7 bulbs almost 10 inches apart each way seeing that they multiply (in my corn bed dumped on my driveway which I used as an allium bed for this year--12 varieties of onions including potato onions, walking onions & various shallots.) I planted another half dozen or so in a circular pattern in a half 55-gallon drum (plastic.) They started growing nicely last year and returned again this year and divided up (multiplied, maybe 10x.) By Mid-late May, they started falling over, still green but a lighter shade. The tops almost looked splayed out, like an animal laid down on them, though have no pets & live in the city. Then they started drying up. In the ground right now are pretty much clumps of maybe 10 bulbs in each spot, slightly bigger than green onion bulbs, but not round like pearl onions--more scalloped/curved like certain shallots. No green stalks are left on them, just the narrow bulb part with a dried neck on top. I didn't try any except maybe the tops of one or two in a pinch when I needed onion greens for a meal earlier in the season. At least I multiplied my initial stock! Results were about the same for the ones in the drum. I take it they will have to be dug and replanted apart, maybe Scott will jump in here with any do's & don'ts... Hope this helps. Mark

Conifer50, How is the germination rate for the seeds? I will take a few if you have extra, but, I would also like to ask Beng, if you could possibly give me a branch from one of your longleaf pines for Dax to graft for me? I would like to try both ways in case the seeds from Conifer50 aren't as hardy as Beng's proven zone 6 hardy LLP. I already asked Dax and he is willing to graft a scion from Beng's tree, if Beng is willing to cut off a branch to be grafted. Dax said to wait til feb to cut it though. I definitely would love a few seeds if possible Conifer50. Beng, would you be willing to send a small branch in Feb? I will email you Conifer50, Beng I will see your answer when you reply here.

The Virginia Dept of Forestry is working to preserve and restore native longleaf pines in southeastern VA. They created a database of all longleaf pines more than 50 years old (approximately 200 trees) and are using seed from these trees to grow seedlings. Using seed from other southern states, they also created a healthy stand of longleaf pines in the Suffolk area. For more info about this project, there is a link to a Fact Sheet below. Our local forester thought the Dept of Forestry would make longleaf pine seedlings available through their nursery seedling program this year but the catalog does not list them. I want to devote a portion of land to this tree so am interested in finding sources for longleaf pine seedlings, preferably containerized, from Virginia. My second choice would be containerized seedlings from eastern NC (this is where VA got most of their stock). Does anyone know of native tree nurseries or reputable sources for this tree? Pam Here is a link that might be useful: Preserving Longleaf Pine in Virginia