Cath, Magnolia grandiflora is one of the more tolerant magnolias, and is certainly a magnificent tree, but I'm not interested in it. I long for the deciduous, mostly Asian magnolias: M. stellata, M. denudata, the Soulangeanas, the x loubneri group, the yellow-flowered hybrids of M. acuminata. Actually, I plan on getting a Loebneri magnolia: I think I actually have a place, one spot in our thirty-three acres, where it will grow. Magnolias are fairly common ornamental trees down in the Po Plain below our hills, and in our local town, which is located in a valley and has good alluvial soils. It's five miles away and about 225 meters lower than we are, and they can grow plants that we can't. Conditions vary. It's not that I haven't tried magnolias, but much of the soil in the big garden bears a close resemblance to adobe brick when it's dry, and they just can't handle it. The shade garden either has dry unfriendly soil, or it floods, and I don't think magnolias like to be flooded either (roses on the other hand can handle tremendous amounts of winter water). Also much of the shade garden is shady, of course. But I do have one spot I think will work, and I'm looking forward to getting the right magnolia, and then seeing it in splendor in a few years. They are magnificent, glorious trees. Otherwise I may get a pear for one spot where I want a flowering tree. That may not sound obvious, but pears have a heavy noble structure and a massive whiteness to their bloom that makes them, in my eyes, the hill country aesthetic equivalent of flowering magnolias. harmonyp (Beth?) I think you're right about dahlias. I got rid of my numerous family of them a few years ago after a very long drought because I didn't want to water them; and I got tired of lifting the tubers and keeping them in my mud room through the winter, then replanting them, and staking them. Right now the garden has just three or four survivors that have made it through two unusually cold and wet winters without rotting. I have a handsome pink one growing in the cottage bed next to the house where it flourishes in clay and with little supplementary water. Dahlias come in a great variety of forms and colors, many of them very beautiful: rich burgundies, violets, soft oranges, waterlily pinks. They're undemanding about water and soil. They don't get any pests or diseases to speak of. They make excellent cut flowers. One of the things I liked about dahlias when I was growing them in quantity is how they're movable foliage, excellent for filling in gaps when the shrubs are young; and they have big, bold, flourishing dark leaves with never a trace of mildew. They bloom when much of the garden is quiescent too. Now I'm wondering why on earth I don't have more dahlias. I don't quite trust them to be tough enough to thrive out in the big garden, where life is a battle: they're more suitable to the vegetable patch, and I have very little of that kind of space. Perhaps one year I'll be able to conjure up some room for dahlias. They are wonderful flowers. Melissa

Since Ian Barclay occasionally reads/posts to this forum and runs a nursery in WA that specializes in water-wise gardening in the PNW, I think that his perspective is important. He sells Ribes speciosum (http://desertnorthwest.com/catalog/plants_western.html), and here is his take: "Hardy to about 10 F" "It is one of the few drought-deciduous shrubs we can grow in the Northwest." "Although native to central California, IT DOES FINE IN MILDER NORTHWEST GARDENS, occasional leaf drop notwithstanding." (my emphasis) If you have a problem with me SUGGESTING Ribes speciosum for a relatively mild climate like Portland, I can't image what you think of Ian for SELLING the plant to PNW customers. Be sure to express your displeasure the next time that he posts here.

You might want to try mail order. I ordered a half dozen Mahonia aquifolium from Burnt Ridge Nursery (Onalaska, WA) a few years ago. They were about 2-2.5' tall and were about $6 each. They ship bareroot, which saves on shipping costs but is not that great for the plant. Mine took a while to get over the transplant shock, but are doing fine now. The stock quality of my order was decent.

I work at the Natural Gardener and wholeheartedly agree with everyone that it's a great nursery. The focus is on organic gardening along with native and well adapted plants, but it's not a totally dry and boring place ~ we carry enough exotic things that do push the limits a bit to keep it interesting (like Blue Sky Vines, Brazilian Plume Flowers and loads of citrus trees). There are many demonstration gardens ~ a large herb garden, butterfly garden, vegetable garden (I swear it's just like Findhorn in there) and many beds stuck in here and there with the plants we grow planted in them so you can see what they look like at maturity. We have a small orchard, grape arbor, and three water features. And miniature donkeys, goats and chickens, too (the boss likes animals ;). The best part is the information desk ~ it's staffed with knowledgeable people who answer your questions for free, even if you don't buy anything. They have a microscope and reference library to help them find the answer for you and explain it to you so you understand what you're dealing with. There's a horticulturist and botanist on staff as well. This is all because the main reason for the nursery being there is to teach people about organic gardening, to show them that you really can have a lush yard and garden in Texas and do it without using a lot of chemicals or other inputs. When I was trained, the big boss man himself (John Dromgoole) said, "We're not really selling plants here. We're selling organic gardening." I like that. Bok Choi in the veggie garden, taken yesterday (more at the link above, re: Findhorn):