Goatster, fall planting usually works better in the south because garlic starts growing very early in the spring. Here in my Kentucky gardens, for instance, I see new shoots around February. This can be a good thing, though, as you can spend the summer building and amending the border beds, and have them ready to go come October or November. Keep in mind that alliums are heavy feeders. If you're growing organically, amend the soil with compost, and blood meal, bone meal, and wood ashes. Apply those last at the rate of 1 cup each per ten row feet. Then, next May, side-dress with those same amendments. Onions benefit, during the growing season, with an application of nitrogen about every two-three weeks until they start bulbing, at which time cease the nitrogen. As a general rule, softneck varieties do better in the south. This doesn't mean you can't grow hardnecks as well, just that they don't do as well. Garlic and onions can work very well as a border. Keep in mind that they grow kind of tall, though. So you'll want to keep an entryway into the rest of the garden. Plus, alliums and legumes are antagonistic, so you'll want to keep your peas and beans as far from the border as you can. As many of us have discovered, alliums can be grown in permanent beds dedicated to the purpose. So this could be a long-term addition to your garden. The alliums also are useful in deterring some pests, which will also be a help. I've noticed, for instance, that rabbits will not cross my onion and garlic beds. For on-line and mail-order sources, best bet is to peruse the back-threads. We've discussed this many times, and you'll likely come up with a list of 8-10 reliable suppliers. In fact, there's a very recent thread on this, which should still be on the front page. Good luck with this project.

NaturePerson, Just wanted to add my vote for basil, as I've always had an easy time growing it and have used it more than any other. The leaves are great even to add a little flavor to a regular salad. And of course any red sauce or pasta dish. A big pot is fine, but pinch back before any flowers bloom in mid-summer. Can get top heavy - you can also stake them. Rosemary, sage and thyme, as well as oregano are also my most-used and come back every year (when planted in the ground). Rosemary, actually, doesn't seem to be very dormant even in the dead winter, and has tripled/quadrupled in size in just three years. I've also grown them in pots before and they did fine. I might suggest separate pots, unless your single pot is rather large. Now that we're almost halfway into April, you should be okay if you plant now. I put basil in the ground two weeks ago and it got a little bitten by the frost last week. Am hoping it isn't completely dead - it looks iffy. Luckily with pots you can always bring them in. Good Luck and welcome to NC! Jenni...Raleigh

Good morning thegardenat902, Do they need winter protection? I am in zone 5: No your ROS will do quite well on their own in zone 5- if the plants have not had most the summer to establish roots though you can choose to protect them this year with some mulch- either lawn clippings or crushed leaves- then after that they should be established enough to take care of themselves. If you are in a similar zone, when do yours usually leaf out: ROS are late to the spring bud game- mine will leaf out in April-May- and will slowly grow until about June when they go nuts and start to bloom profusely! Does anyone grow any kind of vines up hibiscus: I would not recommend growing vines on the tree as this could choke your plants if the vines take them over. How fast can I expect these to grow: ROS are slow growing usually the first year they are planted while establishing their feeding roots. In their second year they should be established and will grow quite profusely to about 4 ft- Chiffon is similar to Diana in its growth habits and tend to be more vertical in growth. And last does anyone have any full shrub pictures of Rose of Sharon Blue Chiffon or Lavender Chiffon: Attached is a trained lady blue bird tree. Love the Lady blue bird and Chiffon, I have quite a few Diana too. Great bushes/ Trees when trained correctly. During our hot summers the blues burn out to an almost steel grey making the trees look magnificent.

What NHBabs said. One of the selling points of these trees is they tolerate shade, which combined with their small size means you can squeeze them into spots an Eastern White Pine wouldn't work. No need to waste a "prime" spot on it. It would be perfectly happy (relatively) close to your house, close to power lines, or at the foot of a honeylocust. Many of the fancy cultivars aren't reliable in Zone 5. Is this a named variety? You are almost better getting a cheapo tree from Lowes. Best would be a tree from a local seed source bought from native plant society. As far as them being all over the place...there could have been an unusually smart landscaper, developer, or local nursery who got them from a local seed source or an unusually hardy variety a few years back. If you see a neighbor with a really old one ask where he got it. As for the pictures...nothing in that picture makes me concerned.