alwazeroom4more, The Pawpaw,Asimina triloba doesn't have a separate male and female plant.It's the way the flowers are timed to be fertile that causes them to need another variety to produce fruit.The Sunflower variety is about the only one I've heard to be self fertile. There are other species related to Asimina triloba (Asimina incarna, A. longifolia, A. obovata, A. parviflora, A. pygmaea, A. reticulata, A. tetramera, A. X nashii)that grow more in the Southeastern US.Asimina Triloba requires about 400 chill hours. I have some seedlings,three varieties of A.triloba,but not sure if they are compatible in your zone. Oregon Grape also grows around here in abundance. Brady

Yes, it is goldenseal Hydrastis canadensis. While I do have some wild areas including some with mature trees, sadly I am not fortunate enough to have a true woods. That is a long term goal for some of our property but the poor quality of much of the soil (bad farming techniques relying too much on chemicals for too long) has slowed that goal. The land must heal itself before it can support a more healthy ecosystem. After 10 years of letting it let fallow, I am just seeing the first and toughest woody shrubs take hold in some of it. It gives me hope! As such, I have had to content myself for the time being with a woodland garden of native plants in an area that has pretty comparable conditions to a native woodland setting. I've added many wonderful plants like goldenseal to it. This garden is the only way I will see this wonderful plant in the "flesh" either. Overharvesting combined with the fact that little land in my small corner of the world escaped the plow has made this plant a true rarity. I have never seen a wild goldenseal or ginseng plant. FataMorgana Here is a link that might be useful: Goldenseal

Writersblock,It certainly does not look like the picture,you posted. Oh,well. :-) Hi,Anna!!!!! Thank you. Sylvia and I are doing well. Sylvia is a breast cancer survivor !! I,often think of you when I see the blue goddess waterlily. I fell in the fish pond yesterday,cold morning. All of me went under but my head. Thank God,not my head. I went in, to make an adjustment with the connection,of the immersible pump and the pipe that takes the water to the waterfall. It was slightly,dislodged. The floor of the pond was very slippery. I think, I gave the fish a heart attack,ha ha ha. I went straight to the pool,hosed off and jumped into the cold water of the pool. No body saw me. Remember I use a walking stick,due to my left being weak,from the stroke. I had to crawl out,laughing at myself...

The expected is no less painful. *hug* As I said to another grieving daughter a few days ago, may your memories ease your grief, eventually bringing smiles and even chuckles through your tears. More and more hospitals are becoming aware of the need for gentle transitions out of this life, with music and Reiki and whatever the family needs past just the standard chaplain-in-the-room (not that there's anything wrong with that, if that's what works for the family in question) and it's wonderful that the hospital where your FIL was could offer those services to the family. I think we can thank the hospice movement for such improvements in end-of-life care, for everyone involved. A practical note... An option for the ashes when there are differences of opinion on their, um, handling - consider dividing them between the family members who have different needs. If one family member feels very strongly that the ashes should be interred somewhere or even kept in an urn on the mantelpiece, s/he could have a portion of the ashes with which to do so, and the other other portion could be taken to the forest. My father had always spoken out very strongly about having his ashes scattered (when he was feeling serious, he asked that it be over the Atlantic Ocean, when he was feeling goofy it was "tilled into the tomato patch" *chuckle*) but when he died his parents were adamant that the ashes must be interred in the family plot despite his wishes. The best compromise was dividing them up.