Actually, toadmother, I suspect if a flower attracts a wide variety of insects in its native habitat, that probably means it's attractive to insects in general, so it's likely to do well elsewhere also. On the other hand, if a flower attracts only one specific type of insect at home, it may be a total bust elsewhere. Just my guess. BTW, for those who are familiar with only one name or the other, golden marguerite = Anthemis tinctoria, so several of the above posts are about the same flower. And in reply to newboy's original question (though he may no longer be quite so new!), if you truly want or need to limit yourself to 3 flowers, your best bets are probably annuals. If you start them early (or buy them as plants), many of them will bloom just about all season, and as Organic Johnny says above, it's important to have something blooming all the time. Some of the best annuals for bennies have already been mentioned: Sweet Alyssum, Bachelor Buttons (aka Cornflower), and Borage.

this is a very interesting thread. i am in NH and i guess i always assumed i had aralia spinosa. after reading all of the above information about elata, i compared my shrub to the information from Janet above. guess what? i DO have aralia spinosa! no doubt about it. everything above matches. A. spinosa has an "inflorescence with a distinct central axis," that is, one main stalk to the flower cluster (YES). With elata, "central axis of the inflorescence very short or lacking" and the inflorescence has 3-8 spreading secondary branches (NO). On spinosa leaves, the veins of the leaflets do not run to the teeth(YES); on elata, they do (NO). Spinosa leaflets have a definite petiole (YES, about 4" on mine), elata leaflets are sessile or nearly so (NO). thank you so much for posting this information so that i could confirm that it is the native variety. gerryld, if i recall, the branches do seem to all fall off over the winter. i never noticed the shrub until last year when it flowered and had outstanding berries. the birds went crazy. mine is also not really not suckering too much.

Late to the party, but for me McMansion landscaping is a home where, even with a three second drive by, you can tell that the local landscaping company designed, installed, and maintains the whole thing. Plants are chosen for ease of care and hardiness with no thought to the personality of the home or it's occupants. It is rows of the most common conifers, the hardiest boxwoods, a bit of ornamental grass for "interest," a small tree that blooms each spring, and one or two sections of pooled annuals in locations that are quick and easy to change out each season- all surrounded by perfect mulch. In other words, completely and utterly boring. You can just tell that the homeowners never go outside- it's all window dressing. "And while it is not at all unique to McMansion style landscape design, my primary suggestion is to avoid siting plants where they will need to be pruned, trimmed or otherwise mangled to remain in an appropriate scale without overwhelming their neighbors, any views or adjacent architecture. Excessive or unnecessary pruning is the bane of my existance!" And it is the joy of mine :) I always choose plants that I can nurture, shape, and direct- I love pruning better than anything else. If I don't have enough to keep me busy all spring I will invariably start in on things that don't need it, so I like high maintenance plants!. Exception to the rule, maybe, but true.

BTW, here is another interesting Latin naming issue, although there appears to be an explanation for it (?) Anyway, according to the ACS database: 1. Pinus sylvestris 'Glauca Nana' http://conifersociety.org/conifers/conifer/pinus/sylvestris/glauca-nana/ is a different plant from (note that the two words in the cultivar name are transposed) 2. Pinus sylvestris 'Nana Glauca' http://conifersociety.org/conifers/conifer/pinus/sylvestris/nana-glauca/ Although, in this case, the naming of plant 2 appears to have been necessitated to differentiate it from yet another different plant 3. Pinus sylvestris 'Nana' http://conifersociety.org/conifers/conifer/pinus/sylvestris/nana/ When plant hunting, make sure whether it is plant 1 or plant 2 that you are bringing home. Plant 1 is hardy to USDA zone 3, whereas plant 2 is hardy to USDA zone 5. It is all according to the ACS database, I am innocent :-)