'Rose of Sharon' is the common name usually applied to a deciduous shrub form of Hibiscus, Hibiscus syriacus (also to Hypericum, but that's another issue). There is some biblical association with this plant (native to parts of the Holy Land/Syria), hence the common name. It is a very commonly planted flowering shrub but can self-sow rather freely in some areas, hence the cautions about potential invasive properties. Annual species of Hibiscus are not typically referred to in this manner but with common names, anything goes :-) Often you will see these called 'rose mallow', 'swamp mallow' or in one case, 'Confederate rose mallow'. And I agree that these are not known to be invasive. Common names ARE confusing....no way around it! It would have been far more helpful if the seed provider had taken the time or effort to label the seeds with both parts of the botanical name, genus AND species, but at least the cultivar names can provide some direction. Personally, I would be very cautious about purchasing or trading for any plant or seed that was only identified by common name or partial botanical name. Without the full botanical name, you just have no idea what you are getting. And even that can be suspect at times -- know your supplier!! Here is a link that might be useful: rose of Sharon mythology

I don't like to say it for fear it will bring bad luck, but I put the stinky pail (and I can't really smell it, put 1/4 cup or so of dishwashing liquid in it - think it's for inhibiting mosquitoes) between the two cherry trees. Maybe one or two on those which had been a problem. But no, otherwise isn't helping. Still haven't sprayed any more though, can if I decide to. It's not deterring them from certain other things they like but I keep picking them off relentlessly. I'm also hesitant to say I'm not getting the numbers I had feared if I keep picking at least 3X a day, pretty much know which plants they prefer and sun on them is a huge factor but will find them in shade as well. It could be our harsher winter than usual and also the heavy rains this year in addition to the unseasonably cool weather for many days. terryjean's morning method is probably good because I think they might spend the night underneath leaves, but I don't see many early at all. They seem to be mostly flying in now or coming down off my trees. I found that if there's a swarm doing the group thing, I have a better chance of getting all of them if I cup my hand over them and move in and tip carefully into soapy water. That seems to discourage them from trying to fly up and away but still some do get away. Then they grab onto my fingers, and I have to work them off. I use a cottage cheese container because it's easier to maneuver under plants without spooking them by disturbance than a pail. Yesterday there was a bumblebee and beetle sharing an echinacea. I got the beetle, spooked the bee but didn't get stung. Obviously in the numbers some have, spraying is the only method. I've caught a couple in flight and see them flying around, sometimes watch where they will land and into the soapy water they go, can't stand out there all day. I was digging and see a few on the ground. One I grabbed and lost it, was looking on the ground, felt a bite on my arm and startle reflex kicked in, looked down, there it was on arm by hand, got it into the soapy water. So maybe they will bite, felt different from their stickery feet but could have been that. Neighbor tried diatomaceous earth sprinkled on their hibiscus, said 15 one day and 1 the next. But I don't know if that kills them or repels, worth looking into. Gutters are bad so in front I collect runoff in pails and use to water the garden also to get the hot water out of the hose. A few beetles are in the yellow bucket (further research needed on making rotten fruit traps in yellow containers, think not this year). None in the white pail so far but set that out just the other day. Got my Grubex down just before a substantial rain, didn't get complete coverage but better than I thought I could do. The following days I see granules so I call the 800#. Those are just the carrier and will eventually break down but the rain should have gotten the active ingredient watered in. Hope so. A shower won't do, need substantial rain. We'll see. Read up on how it affects farmers and commiserated with our ag ext guy. He's reduced to using Sevin on his raspberries, concluded that gardening will be different from now on. Sevin is not popular on the forums, but there are charts on how many days beforehand it's safe to spray food crops. If you don't buy certified organic, some of what we buy in the stores has surely been treated with something. I prefer not to use it because it gets washed off in rain and is messy to deal with but have it for backup. The beetles turn soybean leaves to lace but have to be pretty bad before it affects crop yields or requires spraying, there are more potent chemicals professionals use we can't get. The corn silk, usually they attack the outer rows only on fields so far, but it's nasty to see a photo of 15 or more beetles on the silk. It it gets eaten down to 1/2 inch, and the corn hasn't pollinated yet, there will be no corn. But if it's already pollinated, doesn't seem to affect it, just nasty. No sign of a good eradication effort in my area, and may get worse due to people doing nothing and not knowing what they are. I hope the scientific community (or savvy lone experimenter) comes up with something better and more foolproof, probably not in my lifetime but I keep hoping. Decided to let my roses start setting buds again Aug 1, will see how that goes. Time to make the first sweep of the day.

I love garlic scapes stir-fried, my chinese neighbor has also introduced me to a dish made from over the hill lettuce, once they start to elongate and before they set seed he cuts all the leaves off, does a dish using just the stalks, another dish he does is with over ripe pickling cucumbers. He grew up in northern China nothing was wasted. The dish he makes with a potato is really good, the potato is cut into very fine julianne (sp) soaked and then stir-fried with other things (can't remember what), really delicious and crispy. I think we might be missing the boat by composting some of our veggies too soon. Annette

HI there, I know this question is a year old but I've just joined the forum! I live in France and grew this Galaxy variety for the first time last Spring (06). I germinated 6 out of the whole packet (expensive!). The first 3 produced huge flowers (19 cm across)in July/August. One white, one pink and one red. One just unexpectedly died and the other two haven't produced any flowers. They were planted, still in their pots, in my veg patch and got full sun. Didn't feed them but will start to do this if I can get them through the winter. Incidentally, they are presently 3' tall. I first saw them in a border near my home and today, I revisited to see how they were faring (as it is now Autumn) and how the owners had treated them. They were covered in seedpods so I picked a few for next year - wish I had noted the colours when I first saw them. They haven't been pruned but I did notice that they were extremely bushy with many stems from the crown. Hope this is of some interest.