Ahughes (or anybody else), if you're interested in a trade or SASBE, check out my exchange list... Esh-ga, thanks for the good wishes on the winter-sowing. So far done 65 containers, including 38 native species and several cultivars of native species. Its been fun, and I can't wait to see how well things germinate and grow! Winter-sowing affords the opportunity to grow lots of natives that would be difficult or impossible to get at nurseries, or exorbitantly expensive to buy as plants. I bought lots of native seeds (and a few non-native) this winter and offered extras on the Seed Exchange forum. There was a lot of interest in native seeds, which was nice. But I was dismayed to see people trading invasive species like Euonymous alatus (burning bush) or Ailanthus altissima (tree of heaven). One poster even explained on her exchange page how she grows Oriental bittersweet and keeps it contained on a trellis so it's okay! Yeah...only if she strips off every berry...if she saw how it's strangling native trees around here, she might change her mind!

Thank you so much, Bob and Christie! I can't tell you how much your encouragement means to me. I actually laughed (usually not an easy thing to do!) recognizing myself in your words. Yes, I too have given up on the vinca for awhile, and have focused more efforts on honeysuckle vine. (Though the vinca just makes me sick, as it has escaped into the woods....including my neighbors' woods, and I feel helpless in ever stopping it. I presume my father planted it originally to stabilize a bank, not thinking it would get out of control. I am just lucky my neighbor doesn't sue me.) But anyway.....I'm trying to foster saplings in an area where English Ivy, euonymus and honeysuckle vine are battling it out for turf. I patrol it every few days, unwinding honeysuckle from their trunks. I was thinking of dripping a few drops of concentrated Roundup from a squeeze bottle onto the upturned leaves of honeysuckle vine, that is, not too close to saplings. Do you think this would be safe to try? It's encouraging to read that if this area eventually shades over, the honeysuckle vine might be less of a problem. That just leaves the English Ivy and euonymus to contend with, I guess. And the clematis terniflora in a lowland area. I may try dabbing leaves of the Clematis terniflora with concentrated Roundup as well, since regular Roundup spray hardly causes it to flinch. And there are literally hundreds of them that pop up, across the lawn, through the woods, too many to dig out. I don't know if most are the same growth or reseeded, but I find them popping up an acre away from the originally infested area and suspect seeds from the uncontrolled growth down the road. I've written an email to Gardenweb staff suggesting a forum topic on Invasive Plants. It would be wonderful if a nationwide Gardenweb discussion could help track and curtail the progress of invasives, particularly if individuals relayed information to state and local authorities. If communication possibilities like this existed years ago, maybe Japanese honeysuckle, shrub honeysuckle and kudzu could have been stopped in their tracks before they went this far out of control. And with global warming and climate change, gardeners may encounter problems in their regions they've never seen before. (I'm particularly worried about kudzu coming further north....like I don't have enough problems with invasives!) Finally, Bob, I really do appreciate your community spirit. It is wonderful that you are involved in county volunteer work. A couple of weekends ago, I volunteered with a group to help senior citizens clean up their yards. And I've contacted a MDC agent to offer help with restoration of a local nature park, if they want it! You're right.......sometimes it is good to get one's mind off one's own troubles and help someone else.

Actually, a fair number of commercially available pond plants are natives: lizardtail (Saururus cernuus) fragrant water lily (Nymphaea odorata) blue flag iris (Iris versicolor) cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis) giant blue lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica) buckbean (Menyanthes trifoliata) golden club (Orontium aquaticum) arrow arum (Peltandra virginica) arrowhead (Sagittaria latifolia, etc) marsh marigold (Caltha palustris) threeway sedge (Dulichium arundinaceum) cottongrass (Eriophorum) common rush (Juncus effusus) cattails (Typha latifolia, Typha angustifolia, but note that some other Typha species are not native) thalia (Thalia dealbata) -- not native to Maryland, but native elsewhere in the south dwarf horsetail (Equisetum scirpoides) -- native farther north creeping spearwort (Ranunculus flammula) -- native farther north

Thank-you NC and Jilly for your input! I don't think the vinegar would work well for me...the problem is so spread out here I would need gallons and I worry about collateral damage. I think there has to be an easier way...I mean this isn't bittersweet or grapevine w/roots stretching around the globe and back...it's very shallow rooting and the seeds are tiny. So, though I can't eliminate it completely due to its seeds' "airbourne" nature it seems that one could try to control it by burying the seeds deeply and if soil must be disturbed it could then be quickly covered again w/cardboard, mulch, leaves etc. I've noticed that around here where the spicebushes and pawpaws are growing in groups or patches the leaves from the previous Fall seem to have done a good job of slowing the stiltgrass' progression! I find it difficult to try many of the methods that others have tried because of the landscape here. Could you describe the landscapes that you are dealing with? Is the stiltgrass covering landscaped areas? Woodland? Do you leave autumn leaves in place? Do you mulch? I even tried collecting leaves from another invasive, Paulownia tomentosa, and covering the stiltgrass with it to smother it....these leaves mat together well! Please report back on your progress! I'll probably resort to vinegar/cornmeal or something worse if I don't see an improvement this year...just hoping to avoid it...hope springs eternal :)