Hi, Barb - I am interested in: Agrimony Callicarpa americana Cimicifuga racemosa (I grew one from seed, slow growing, hasn't flowered yet, and I'm moving...) Desmodium canadense Lobelia cardinalis, and Ludwigia alternifolia (landscapers who tidied up my yard for selling house destroyed mine, waah...) Please see if there's anything on my list this year you'd like, and let me know if you'd like to trade. Thanks, Kim P.S. Your granddaughter is adorable!

Thanks all, I am looking to fill in basically the areas that are on the slopes, that currently grass is growing into as a place holder until I can get the beds set up. See bottom picture, anything shaded is what will have Perennials. I am starting to collect Milk Jugs now. What is the best time to start, before the first frost or after? I know I'm going to have some deer and rabbit pressure, but I have neighbors with perennials, and I'm hoping "natives" will be a little bit more resistant. You can see the progress since last November, I've pulled out most of the old shrubs and planted a new lawn, put in sprinklers, and next spring we'll put in perennial beds and a few raised beds as well. http://18buckinghamplace.com/ width="800" height="600">

Aunt Lou, here's a clip from the link I left above: "Severe powdery mildew infection will result in yellowed leaves, dried and brown leaves, and disfigured shoots and flowers. Although it usually is not a fatal disease, powdery mildew may hasten plant defoliation and fall dormancy, and the infected plant may become extremely unsightly." My mums look horrible right now. It bloomed early, and looked fine. When I got back from vacation in early Aug. I could see it had pm. I cut many of the stems back because the buds were affected too. Here's a description of aster yellows: "The first symptom of the disease is vein clearing, the loss of chlorophyll or green pigment in the leaf veins. This is followed by yellowing of newly formed leaves, sporadic bushy growth, erect growing habit, and stunting. Stems and flower stalks may be numerous and spindly. Flowers often remain green and become distorted. Seeds and fruit do not develop. Specific symptoms vary with the kind of plant. The leaves of infected carrots grow in tight bunches. The inner leaves are yellow and stunted, while outer leaves turn rusty red to reddish purple. The roots are bitter, stunted and deformed, with tiny hair-like roots growing all over the main root. Infected glads may have thin, weak, yellow leaves, and the flower spikes may be twisted and deformed, while the flowers remain green. The whole plant is generally stunted and spindly, and the top is often killed. Asters have stiff yellow growth with many secondary shoots and are stunted. In warm weather, symptoms are more severe, and appear more quickly. At 55 degrees or less, plants may be infected without the symptoms being obvious. " Some years can be really bad for fungal problems, the weather and plant stress are 2 things that can make it worse. Like Loretta mentioned above, aster yellows deforms the whole plant, including the flowers. Kat

Are yours sending up huge stalks like mine? My plant gets very droopy when it gets dry (like now - WATER ME!), but otherwise, those tall stalks do a pretty good of standing straight up even against wind. When I looked up Carolina Aster, most of the description were of a vine like plant. I realize Stokes' Asters want full sun. My plant is at about the drip line of that Ligustrium. But it gets pretty good afternoon sun. I know plants tend to get "leggy" when they don't get as much sun as they want, but that goes well beyond "leggy". I'm positive that monster is not a Stokes. Maybe the little guy is. Do Stokes' Asters bloom their first year? Thanks for the replies.