aquawise - I don't see anything that I wouldn't like on your list (other than the trees). I especially like columbine, coneflower, and sweet william, but I'd be happy with anything on your list so just surprise me! Send me a message with an address and I'll send them out to you!

That is ok. The bigger the better. I have grown them in North Fulton, not far from Alpharetta, many times in the past. I never did support them like you have done. NO, NO!! don,t cut them !. Keep them on the vine as long as the vine is live, till frost or whatever. Then you can cut an let them mature/fully dry in a shack, or garage for several months., before doing any work on them. Just protect them from squirrels. --------------------------------------- P.S. You might think that with that size they must be heavy(like pumpkins), BUT they are not, b/c they are hollow inside with just some seeds, No flesh, except the wall thickness that hardens as they mature. This post was edited by seysonn on Tue, Aug 20, 13 at 1:21

Birdhouse gourds flowers(white colored) open at night. That is the time that most insects are not working anymore. As far as I know only certain kinds of moths fly around at night. So, no moths, no gourds, UNLESS you do it yourself, i.e. hand pollinate.

Here is an update on my birdhouse gourds. There are lots of gourds on them now, of various sizes and shapes. The plants have been afflicted by lots of aphids, but there have also been some ladybugs helping me out, so I have not sprayed anything. Also they have been hit hard by powdery mildew. Parts of the vine are dying off but other parts are still growing well. A big part has grown over the fence into the neighbor's yard. I went over there today to make sure that was OK with them. Some of the early ones to come out I suspect are probably ready to pick, but I guess I'll leave them there until the whole vine dies, right?