Well I've spent 2 hours on the net and as far as I can tell I have some type of variety of a veronicastrum virginicum what variety I do not know! The flowers are delicate and a light lilac in colour, any ideas? Oh well it is a pretty plant and it blends well in the garden. Have to keep looking for the verbascum. Better luck next time. Don't you just love surprises! LOL

Ragna, they can easily get 12 feet and taller, depending on how much moisture they get. They are prolific seed producers and the seeds survive the winter just fine. I always have some that sprout around the mother plant. They are a perennial in their native habitat, but not here. If we have a warmer winter, they might re-sprout from the roots. If you want to minimize the number of seeds they produce, just cut off the bloom stalks. The seeds remain viable for many years, too. Just a reminder that the seeds are very poisonous as they contain ricin, so be sure to keep them away from children and animals. My moringa tree is probably close to 15 feet tall now and loaded with fragrant white blooms. I've seen hummers feeding from them this week. See a few seed pods forming but not certain they'll mature before the first frost. I do have one tree in a large pot, so I'm planning on protecting that one as I'd like to harvest some seeds.

No worries, Ashley...Just water it very well, let it drain and then water again if you haven't already done that, and that will settle the soil and get rid of any air pockets that are down there. The first time I planted roses, I read the directions afterwards and found I was supposed to amend the soil. I dug up 5 rose that were grafted and replanted them in a blinding rainstorm just to add the compost. Basically, I was digging and mixing mud. What a mess. Later years I discovered my soil was just fine the way it was and I never add anything except fertilizer and mulch the top these days. I do bury the graft 4 inches because I live in a cold climate. Own-root roses, I put 2 inches down for the same reason. It is a good thing to amend the soil if it is not the best... next time. :) Rebecca

It would be perfect if the rose bush grew like a normal shrub but the rose is very vigorous and wants to be a climber. Pruning always activates a rose and if the rose is vigorous it will just get mad and grow back to the height it was. Keeping a rose down requires summer pruning as well as spring pruning. Try next fall cutting the rose back hard as well and giving it a cut in the spring and summer. However if your climate is a warm one as well as your winters, then the odds may be against you. Roses usually grow better in warmer climates.