It depends on the season. For examples, I usually hang out here almost exclusively in winter. I peek into others once in a while. Then in spring I spend a lot more time in the bulbs & perennials, etc. Winter Sowing Seed Exchange/WS exchange Rate & Review Bulbs Perennials Geraniums Annuals Dahlias Lily Clematis Frugal Gardening Tips & Techniques Midwest Gardening Great Lakes Gardening Newbies Shrub &Trees Cutflowers Seed Savings Growing from seeds Squarefoot Gardening Soil, compost, mulch

pshaw ... its a garden question.. not a personal request.. and its not like the forums are so overwhelming active.. that we dont need some conversation.. anything.... the blue on conifers.. all of them.. not pungens specifically ... is a glacous ... read that waxy .... coating .... it wears off in about 3 years ... so you can note.. that interior needles do in fact.. become greener every year .... but that should not be seen on this past springs growth .... though it is obviously not as blue as they were at budding out ... the wax.. in fact.. reflects the blue sky ..... God's honest answer ... in MI.. in winter.. 90% of our days are not blue sky ... its enough to kill ones self over.. lol ... dark grey clouds.. make dark grey pungens .... and also allows you to see some of the green underneath ..... so all your blue plants will look dull ... but find one sunny day.. and go out there.. and you might be surprised how much better they look.. compared to a dull day ... but do watch out for snow blindness ... the wax is also worn off due to extreme heat .... overhead watering.. etc ... and you can not speak to how these were handled prior to your owning them .... give them a year or two ... before you start to really hate them .... the glory of blue pungens.. is the 2 to 6 weeks in spring... at budding out .. not 12/1 ... be patient .... ken ps: you perennial peeps need more conifers in your perennial beds.. so you have something to 'look' at in the dead of winter .. and 'talk' about during winter ... are any of you going to have blue flowers between now and 4/1 to talk about.. mk will have a blue plant out her window ... if for nothing else.. to complain about.. lol .... see!!! ... see!!! .. it is a perennial garden question ... lol ... can you spot the perennials in this pic???? [and i will be looking at this all winter long.. on dark.. dank grey.. suicide-inducing MI winter days .... lol] pps: note the concolor canidicans at the top left... not how it gets greener.. towards the interior.. each shade is one more year older.. until they fall off ....

Always fun to list faves, though I think the best is the one that's blooming now! My current summer faves: brunfelsia Isola (lactea x americana, I believe, though no one seems to know for sure)is a blooming machine: I should have taken a picture a week ago, over 30 blooms in a 12" pot! It does get mealy bugs in winter, but it can handle a bit of abuse. Aglaia odorata, aka rice flower: mine's now 3 ft. tall, and seems to bloom after putting out new stems. Interestingly, the fragrance was almost the same as a cymbidium sinense orchid that bloomed at the same time -- heaven to your nose! Trachelospermum 'Mandianum', aka asiaticum, aka whatever they're calling it these days: has stayed in the same pot for years, almost a natural bonsai at this point, keeps popping out small yellow flowers with a marvelous, soft fragrance. And you gotta love the way old leaves turn red before dropping, for that two tone effect! And last but not least, now that I've figure out I wasn't watering my MOO enough, it's blooming all summer long! Yellowthumb, brunfelsia in Ontario? Have you checked flora exotica? Enjoy the scents!

well, Ken... I remain puzzled. There could be two different plants there... last years pics also show what might be one eye that doesn't have the same puckering. Last years pics show more puckering - but they were also taken on June 25, so it possible the puckers will become more pronounced. The two leaves, at "two" and "ten" look to be perhaps earlier leaves, and they show dimpling the most like the ones from last year. I've enlarged the pics and there is something about the dimples... not just indentations, but with a raised curved margin to the dipple, especially on the end toward the petiole... that makes it different from any other corrugation I've been able to find in my garden or photo files. I wonder if Mark Zilis would have any thoughts on this...