Thanks for the input and info everyone. I appreciate it. Regarding multi-grafted trees, for me it's not a matter of space that prompted me to order that 'fruit salad' tree, but rather its cleverness. It looked cool, and I figured it would be fun to have one tree that produces five different fruits. I know virtually nothing about trees--in terms of growing them. Its price ($30) was so low that I figured if it didn't do well, or didn't end up producing all the fruit varieties it was supposed to, it was no big deal. I'm curious about something. What if someone who doesn't know about state restrictions sends something like this tree to someone in a state that restricts its entering? I mean by UPS or FedEx or whatever--which wouldn't be inspected by anyone as far as I know. I have TONS of trees and bushes, some that were self-seeded (mulberry, camellia, fig) and some that I started (avocado), and I've thought about sending some of my excess to friends/relatives in other states. Which is what made me wonder about it the other way around, i.e., someone shipping to a restricted state.

salviakeeper: Pocket gophers are common in Calif. (they should really qualify as the "state mammal"), and I think there are some on the nearby "championship" golf course. Fortunately not in my yard. I planted my S. carduacea seeds in something I considered to be a large pot, but it wasn't large enough. My plants grew and flowered, but they were greatly stunted compared to plants in nature. I haven't seen any sign they're going to give me seeds, either. I never saw an insect or hummingbird visit them. You can't see it in my picture of the Ynez Rd. plants, but there was a bumblebee working the flowers just in front of me. If you want to go the pot route, I'd suggest either a very, very, large pot or one plant per slightly smaller pot. I didn't sow mine until Jan., which was really too late. If I do it again, I'll sow in Oct or Nov. They'll probably do nothing for a month, but in nature they're subjected to frost and even snow in some places (the Anza plants get snow), and I suspect it's equivalent to cold stratification. I used a mixture of 2 parts Sunshine Mix No. 1 and 1 part sand. Give them as much sun as possible.

Sounds like Broad Mite damage or a boron deficiency. You did a great job of describing the problem. Art

Salvia x superba sounds right. This was started from seed, unlike sterile nemerosa forms. It can be divided in spring or fall, when growth is active. If you do this in the autumn, make sure it has time to reestablish a good root system, to avoid frost heaving. Are you in USDA Zone 5 or 4? Northeast Wisconsin might mean you get temperature moderating effects if you are near a large lake (around 1/4 mile is the range, depending on prevailing winds and air drainage).