I haven't raised any self set seed from China Doll, Kippy, but it has been used as seed parent so they should germinate. John Bagnasco has released some cute polys from it as well as a few others which are rather nice. Wild Dancer is a bullet proof rose from J&P containing it. I have used Pride of Oakland, a China Doll offspring, which I like very much. One of my seedlings from Pride of Oakland is the one recently named for Anne Belovich. Try them, you could raise some fun things. Grandmother's Hat never set a lot of seed for me until last year when it looked like a fruit plant. I raised a bunch of them which are still in the seed table waiting for "rain" before being transplanted. It was rather surprising how they separated themselves by diseases. One remained healthy from the start and appears to be the most vigorous of the lot. The others weren't as strong off the line but are catching up, cleaning up as they mature. They should provide some interesting results! Good luck with them. Kim

Whoa Josh!!! Gee, thanks for all the neat "links" you posted for me!! I was in reading last night for quite a length of time, & there is much info on alot of this stuff! Now, I'm not sure if Missouri's type of foliage & flowers are similar to ours here in Idaho, as I think they might "differ" a bit... mostly due to our Desert climate right in our area. The MOBOT Herbarium Instruction page was a "mind-blower," as it was some really in-depth reading, and I could go for hours on that one! Wow! I was really glad to hear you know what "Prickly-Pear" Cactus' are, because they grow wild here, by the "scads," and alot of folks use them in their rock gardens & such. When roaming or hiking in the mountains or Desert areas around here, you really have to watch where you're stepping, because of the large groups of them that grow everywhere! I've even seen them growing right out of the tops of lava rocks around here... with no soil!!! Too bad I can't figure out a way to get the beautiful blossoms off of them to "press & dry!" (... that would be a real fiasco` though, because of how sharp they are!) You had mentioned the "Yucca" Plant. That is one I am not very familiar with. I did try to grow some "Yucca" at one time out here, but as usual, I had no luck. It is just too dry on our Ranch here. I will have to ask around & see if folks grow any Yucca around here. I have not navigated around on the Site much here yet, since I have been a Member, so haven't went into the "Native forum" yet... but will do that. Thanks. You are right when you stated that right now, we should have a vast array of tiny flowers & things growing out in the Desert here on our Ranch. Always in the Spring time here in our area, everything of Nature is just loaded with many unusual Spring flowers & foliage. I am hoping to get out and pick some wild "Indian Paint Brush" to press & dry, that's for sure! This was something I wanted to do over the Easter week-end, but our weather was really stormy with alot of high gusts of Wind,... so I couldn't get out to do that. I am like you Josh... not only do I like to attempt to press & dry "flowers," but I also like the foliage... alot of it, & am always so interested in dried "leaves" and such. "Moss" fascinates me too!! I was reading on some of the previous "links" you gave to me on various plants, & it was telling how to "skeletonize" leaves & such... That was quite interesting to me! (maybe something I'll have to try sometime, but realize it's also difficult to do.) As far as me "trading" any plants from your area, I would be willing just to send you some of my Western "sage" foliage from out here... because that's all it is, is "leaves," but I would have to "press & dry" some first. Let me know what you think? Thank you for responding & Posting Josh.. it's always good to hear from you, & I will be in reading more of the info in the "links" you sent to me as well. Take care, & I will anticipate hearing from you again~ Warmest regards, ~ IndianPaintBrush ~

Hi Kittyhead, Thanks :-) The camera I'm using is a Panasonic FZ30, an SLR look alike for much less $$. It does have a 35-420mm Leica lens, which is nice, and it has manual everything, which is why I got it. I think I'll invest in a nice Canon 20D (or equivalent at the time) in about 3-5 yrs... Best, Ross

I'm a logger just up from coons bay Oregon, been topping trees quite possably the toughest man alive. (Ray Stevens early 70's) I cleared a camp lot on a lake that included chipping all the brush, leaving all trees over 10" chest high, and making a 10' driveable path to the water 150' from the camp site. Mixed wood but several 20-30" pine. gramp was a farmer/ florest and when I was old enough to reach I was pinching mums for the double blossems. I ran the back hoe rocking and stumping the path to the water. When I saw a lady slipper I would scoop it and when I set it down I would press the bucket down enough to move 2" of soil. It was a bid job and the camp owner didn't know slippers from dandy lions so I never got off the machine to tamp them in. 8 years later I got a call from the camp owner asking what I had charged her to plant the slippers because it wasn't on the bill. she now had hundreds and her friend wanted her camp to look like that to. It was a border about a back hoe reach on both sides of her road. I only moved 10 -12 plants. Be sure I turned down that job , not even on a bet. I don't remember what the weather was, it was spring and I must not have been pressed for another job in min. are money deal. She hand clips around them now and I get work on that lake that $10,000 of advertizing wouldn't buy.