Neillia Sinensis. I had this shrub at my old house and have always regretted leaving it behind. When I bought it at a specialty nursery I asked the mature, quintessential British gardener looking saleslady what it was and she leaned her head down a little, peered/glared over her glasses at me, and said, "it's a very choice shrub." I almost felt guilty for buying it as I was a gardening newbie and wasn't sure I was worthy of such a 'choice' plant but I did and it was indeed very pretty. I'm very sad that I have never been able to find another one as I would plant one in my new garden if I could. Here is a link that might be useful: Neillia Sinensis

I have a north facing hillside that I'd prefer to not have to weed. Bermuda grass and sheep sorrel (two really horrible rhizome spreading nightmares) are endemic in my neighborhood. So I've planted all tough plants that can compete back, and with each other. Some posters complain about rudbeckia black eyed Susans being invasive, but mine are struggling against the evening primrose and Bermuda grass: This was in May, when the primrose was all in bloom. Now daisies and echinacea are blooming, and they are too large to go down in the sea of invasives. The grasses as well are quite tough and hold their own. Gaura is the one plant I wish I could get to thrive here, but it's had trouble. Summer heat and drought tends to beat down the smaller invasives and lets the larger, tough grasses and coneflowers and daisies cement their place. I've released mint on this hill, as we churn through the fresh herb for cooking, but it has had trouble taking off. A month later, the beginnings of the echinacea flowers:

I've found that while there are certain plants that almost everyone agrees are "bad" - such as chameleon plant, bishop's weed, etc. - and those which are environmentally hazardous, there is a lot of disagreement as to whether many plants are invasive, agressive, or just need to be watched. I think it may depend on how much land one has and what one's gardening preferences/practices are (for instance, does one like formal, neat gardens, or more of a cottage or even natural style?). For instance, I've never thought of monarda as invasive. I was thrilled with the way it was spreading in my garden - it took about 3 years to spread to a clump of about five feet before it died off for some reason. On the other hand, 2 winters ago I winter-sowed some agastache foeniculum from seed and had spectacular results, so I was giving this plant away left and right - with a warning that it spreads. It wasn't until the next season when I saw how much it reseeded EVERYWHERE that I felt horribly guilty for giving people this plant. I re-warned everyone to watch for it in their gardens and to make sure to deadhead. However, when I referred to this in a thread here once, many people chimed in to say they loved the way it spread and didn't think it was a problem. And my verbena bonariensis didn't last but one season! :( So it can be difficult to decide which plants to avoid. I also have to add that as a beginning gardener, I planted chameleon plant and bishop's weed three separate times. After they died on me the third time I gave up, and now I'm glad they never took hold. I may still get some bishop's weed, because I think it's so beautiful, but it will definitely live in a pot on the patio, next to my pot of creeping jenny! I now try to research a plant as much as possible, and get viewpoints from as many gardeners as I can. The only plant (so far) I won't plant again (other than the above-mentioned chameleon and bishop's weed) is delosperma Starburst. But this is not because it's invasive, but because I can't get it to overwinter. Three times I tried, and no luck. DtD, you made me smile. I see you have some of the same problems as I do sometimes with unexpected results of certain plants - your "4-foot privacy hedge" brought a smile to my face, lol! Sometimes it seems like no matter how well you think you do your homework, things don't turn out the way you hoped! :) Dee

Thank you everyone! Jeri I love those found roses, especially De la Vina Mystery and Pulich Children--color is amazing! Wish they were cultivated for sale somewhere... Thank you for the encouragement Romogen, Boncrow and Virginia! I have been trying to be selective in the varieties I want to order. Asking questions on this forum and perusing great blogs like Hoovb's (a plus that her garden is near my zone) and other amazing blogs! BUT I do have zone envy. And being a beginner it's hard to gauge how bad all the negatives of a rose not-well-suited to my zone might be. I've never experienced rust, I have seen powdery mildew as tiny white smudges on a few leaves once this whole year, I DO know what black spot looks like on a HT that was planted by a previous owner of the house. But it only occurs on that one rose and doesn't cause defoliation. The roses I have chosen so far based on many positive reviews from this forum (Munstead Wood and Jubilee Celebration) have been great! Firefighter is just now starting to produce flowers that look as they should but the fragrance has been beautiful and last until the petals fall as Hoovb said. I think it's my inexperience that keeps me dreaming and wishing. And gosh darn it those blogs with amazingly beautiful photos of countless roses; especially some from Japan. I remember reading one of Ingrid's posts where she asked about a rose variety and after finding out it was not well-suited for her hot garden, she moved on (reminded me of a scene from Finding Nemo, when Marlin and Dory snap-out of the trance of the Anglerfish). At this point I am timid to try roses that may do poorly or eek out a few flowers annually. Though I am very very curious to try out roses on Romogen's list. I will have to ask at Roger's about Lavender Lady does well here... Thank you everyone for your guidance, advice, sharing and encouragement. It's really a wonderful experience to receive such help. Hopefully one day I can post some photos of my rose garden...and some advice from my own trials!