The Clematis has been a big seller over here recently... and I thought a little expensive, so i was pleased i spotted them as young plants before the weekend workers had chance to ruin them. It flowers in the winter so i wonder how hardy it is? The Dicentra is Dicentra scandens. Has lovely light foliage and they will scramble through things, but never seem to overwhelm cause the foliage is so slight. That is why I think you don't see them in nurseries. They just would not stand for weeks without damage. They are easily broken by people passing, wind etc. Once they are in the garden and scrambling they are OK. Good garden plants but nightmare for nurserymen. Easy from seed though.

I have a whole list of yellow flowers for you, but I've forgotten when many of them bloom. I'm sure most of them will love your sandy soil. They should all be hardy in zone 6. Some of these are specific plant species, while others are specific cultivars. They all bloom yellow though and I plan to acquire them sometime in the future if I don't already have them! -Verbascum nigrum -Gentiana lutea -Lysimachia punctata -Solidago (goldenrod; most species and cultivars yellow) -Berlandiera lyrata (smells like chocolate!) -Echinacea paradoxa (there are also many cultivars, like 'sombrero yellow' for instance) -Aurinia saxatilis -Achillea (yarrow; most species and cultivars) -Coreopsis (most species and cultivars) -Kirengeshoma palmata (needs lots of shade) -Hollyhock "Chater's Double yellow" (technically a biennial but reseeds like a perennial) -Helianthus multiflorus 'Flore pleno' -Heliopsis helianthoides -Frittilaria imperialis 'Lutea' (also available in orange) -Ligularia (most species and cultivars; needs lots of shade) -Penstemon pinnifolius 'Mersea Yellow' -Thalictrum Flavum 'Glaucum' -Daylily 'Stella D'Oro' (I'm sure there are other yellow cultivars but can't think of them at the moment) I'm sure there are many more that I'm forgetting but this is what I can think of at the moment. I actually didn't mind researching this for you. I was meaning to compile a list of yellow perennials for myself anyways. Hope this helped you out. P.S.-How is your aglaia odorata doing (you grow this, correct?)?? I got one last year but it has unfortunately died (left it outside for ONE night below freezing by mistake, and that was all it took...).

Nice to see you back, GGG! You have been missed! Regarding your pink rose, there are so many options that it really depends on what you like best and the room you have available. From the ones I personally grow, Old Blush is a classic china in bloom for most of the year. It is absolutely carefree for me. The blooms are not very large, but they are very delicate looking and the color is really... like old blush (not sure if people blush anymore...). Ispahan is another beauty I grow, a damask rose with an unbelievable fragrance. A larger shrub, so it requires some room. I have posted photos of it under the Roses thread started by Token, if you care to take a look. As for hips, the one I grow that sets small round hips that look almost like berries is Ballerina, an hybrid musk that confuses people because the blooms look like hydrangea :-). Very pretty and carefree, the hips persist well into Winter. I also grow a pink old tea called Baronne Henriette de Snoy which has the most amazing ruffled flowers. The only drawback I can think about it is the absence of fragrance, at least to my nose. From the OGR suite which I don't grow I can remember from the top of my head - Mrs. B.R.Cant (large rose), Mme. Antoine Mari and Duchesse de Brabant. I don't have first hand experience with them, but the folks at the Antique Roses forum can shower you with recommendations. I have a part of my garden where I'm growing yellow and pink flowers as well. This is the area where I'm growing Ispahan, the Apothecary's Rose (great hips, but it may be too strong a pink for you) and Baronne Henriette de Snoy. Next year I'm planning to add a yellow rose (probably the tea Lady Hillingdon) and a bicolor old tea to tie both colors together (currently leaning towards Rosette Delizy, since I can't seem to find Mrs. Dudley Cross for sale in Europe). Hope this helps. Eduarda Here is a link that might be useful: Duchesse de Brabant at ARE

My Professor Von Klippenberg, from a few years ago. This picture was taken in 2010, and that was the last year it looked this good! I don't know why, the plant itself keeps hanging on, but it is actually a bit smaller now then it was then, and while it has lots of buds, its flowers seem to get a little later every year. I had another New York aster that was quite a bright pink, and it bloomed beautifully for a couple of years, but it has had the same fate as the Professor: I still have it, but it keeps getting smaller and the frost gets most of its blooms. I LOVE the way they look, but I probably won't plant anymore since it appears I need to replace them regularly. I guess the same goes for Mum's...mine usually only do well for 2 years or so. As far as fall color goes, I mainly enjoy different colors of foliage in the fall. All of my roses turn wonderful colors; rich yellows, oranges, reds and burgundy. I have grasses, daylilies which turn yellow, the dark greens of dwarf conifers, the light blue of my globe blue spruce, etc. My peonies foliage turns a nice burgundy-ish color, and I have a couple of different spirea and ninebarks which are very pretty this time of year. Almost no flowers, though!