Arrktrees, just like all apples are Malus domestica, all bananas are the same Musa species. (Not including one edible species grown only in the South Pacific). Just like you can have Golden Delicious, Granny Smith and Rome apples, you have small pink bananas, big white ones and plantains all from basically the same genome. In my parent's day, the variety was called Gros Michele, "Big Mike". The last load was imported into the U.S. in 1962, but the dying of bananas had been on-going and had inspired the song "Yes, we have no bananas". Since then, almost all dessert bananas are Cavendish. The reason is a disease that wiped out almost all Gros Michele. The reason for the quintessentially British name Cavendish is that when looking for a banana tree that was immune to the fungal disease, one was found in the greenhouses of Lord Cavendish. This single clone is that basis for the whole dessert banana trade. Now, there is a new threat, another fungus. The industry has already moved from countries like Honduras to Ecuador, the new #1 source of bananas to the US. The fungus has infected trees in South China, and recently was found in Queensland, Australia. When it comes to the New World, you will read it in the mainstream media. While you and I may think of bananas as an accessory to breakfast, places like Uganda and that region use bananas like we do potatoes, wheat and rice. This variety, a plantain type, is also killed by the new fungus. When it ravages East Africa, you can imagine what will happen when it hits there, imagine taking everything with rice, wheat or potato off your menu. Anyways, there is a process going on to try to find a resistant banana. Every banana is an ancient seedless (natural?) hybrid. However, have you ever noticed small brown specks at the blossom end of a banana? Those are vestigial seeds. For every about 100 thousand bananas, one will have seeds that can be made to grow. For every 1000 ones that grow, one will make it to maturity. For this reason, the Country of Honduras has a project where bananas are mashed through a sieve to recover those 'seeds'. They are sent to the U. of Louvain in Belgium where they do the growing. As they get plants, they multiply them and give them to people in India, Africa, South America etc. It is hoped on of these will show resistance to the new fungus. I'll stop this long post, there is so much more to say. For more info, look for info on Tropical Race Four.

Okay Lucy, I'll bring you a pink and a purple hydrangea for a bluish green/yellow hosta. I have just begun to appreciate the blue leaf varieties. My property used to be a pig farm and my hydrangea colors are very often different than they are supposed to be. My 'Forever Pink' is a deep, clear rose when fresh and turns red-purple as it ages. And my purples are deep purple. I can't say the strong colors will last more than a year or two in another soil. Farmerpickle, I have several iris--'Beverly Sills', 'Harvest of Memories', 'Spiced Custard' 'Swingtown' an unnamed very deep purple, and a very tall white, unnamed also. Are you listing three separate iris or one that is lavender, burgundy and yellow? E-mail me to finalize this trade. Everybody---I need a few folding tables. Please e-mail me if you can bring one. Linda

I have not seen any mention of Blackgums! Beautiful, large trees with truly blood colored foliage in the fall (They also provide little blue berries for the birds!). They grow fairly quickly and are pretty tolerant of drought conditions. Something we put in last year was a Princeton American Elm. Unbelievably fast grower and was bred to have resistance to Dutch Elm disease. There really is a reason they were so widely planted as street trees and would provide high shade for your front yard relatively quickly. They are also reputed to be very tolerant of city pollution. No mention of Red Cedar, either. Grows quickly, immune to virtually everything and has a nice grayish color which contrasts nicely with the dark greens of other trees. I have mixed them into our overstory oaks/maples etc. with podocarps, firs and deodars for a nice tapestry of color and texture. They give good cover for camellias from winter burn. Any kind of magnolia does well! We have planted virtually every kind we could find and they have distinguished themselves into overstory and understory nicely over the years. The Sweet bays smell particularly wonderful and are a good open, midsized tree without too much spread. They tend to get very thin in winter, however. The Little Gems have the advantage of blooming until frost without getting overly large. American Hollies are magnificent, but are difficult to get started for some reason. Once one is happy, however, they will take off. Mary Nells or Oakleafs might be a good compromise. River Birch, of course, is incredibly fast growing and would do well in your seasonally wet areas. They have beautiful yellow leaves in Fall, nice open shade in summer and gorgeous exfoliating bark. Finally, esh had a good suggestion in bald cypresses. We have one that is always commented upon by those who come over, especially in the Fall when the needles turn golden and carpets the ground around it. A truly beautiful tree and a fast grower. As he mentioned they do well in both dry sites and wet. The only difference to my eye is speed of growth and density of needles/boughs.

Was out the door early and planted the last Ftrebush into my second 25 gal wooden whiskey barrel. Saw another butterfly yesterday. It was a gorgeous deep orange with black spots and a 3 " wingspan. It was perched atop the bright flowers of my White Penta out front, completey ignoring the Red Penta just 6 inches away. He was not nervous in the least as I stood over him, memorizing his markings. He flitted off and I trotted inside to google his identity. Turns out he/she was a Gulf Fritillaries, IMHO, one of the most beautiful butterflies around. Today as I returned home in the afternoon I saw another. A Gulf Friitillatie ( who names these creatures ? ), - again on the White Penta,..maybe the same guy from yesterday. I knew nothing of butterflies till I travelled to Costa Rica 22 yrs ago. While there I visited the Monterverde Cloud Forest for 2 + days. While there I took in their Butterfly Garden.. On barely 1/3 acre, this netting covered jungle was an eye opener. Have had this in the back of my mind ever since. So by Saturday I will have two butterfly gardens, small as they are. One out front with 7 plants and a NE exposure, the 2nd, behind the lanai with only 3 plants ( a Firebush bracketed by 2 Milkeeds ), with a SE exposure. In the 6 yrs I've lived here have not seen even one butterfly as best I can remember. In last 4 days have seen four,. so am optimistic. Think this is something I would recommend to anyone with a little land outside, after the work of installation the maintenance is easy, even for me ! ( smile ) This post was edited by jofus on Fri, Oct 31, 14 at 8:40