Frances you don't have to worry about the Castor Beans and the Datura next year, you'll have hundreds! The CB will get 6'-7' tall but only a foot or two wide. The Datura may only get 4' tall but it'll probably go 5'-6' wide. Nothing smells better than thoses big white Datura on a Summer evening. We love 'em!

Hey thanks a bunch for the info, that really helps with siting them.

Frances,
With the brugmansia, you should have blooms this season provided you keep it well watered and feed it weekly. In fact, you can hardly over feed them!

As far as overwintering is concerned, you have options:
1. Cut to the ground and cover with a heavy (6-8 inch) layer of mulch. Most will resprout in the spring, provided we don't have a bad winter.
2. Plant your brug in a big pot. After the first frost, trim the brug back - - leaving the main stalks intact. Store in a basement, garage, etc. where it will not freeze. Water only slightly once a month to keep the rootball from drying out.
3. Take cuttings. I prefer to take tall shoots (hardwood by summer end) and keep them in a bucket of water in my garage. I keep the leaves stripped and use an aquarium bubbler to oxygenate the water. In late winter, I pot them up and move them outside on warmer days.

You also can take small cuttings, but they would need to be kept growing either under a light or in a window. I always have a few small ones, but then I have to fight aphids most of the winter - yuck.
4. Plant your brug, but lift the brug, root prune the rootball, place in a 5 gallon bucket and store the plant DORMANT in a basement, garage, etc. Water only slightly once a month to keep the root ball from drying out.

Later in the summer, I'll be happy to walk you through with more specific directions or to add a couple of extra tall cuttings to my 5 gallon buckets to give you in the spring.

krikit,

I have had one Nicotiana plant survive for at least 6 years. The will spread by underground runner, if they have a little water and some soil that has been worked up and improved somewhat. It stayed one size, less than a foot and half wide and up to 30+ inches tall. When we added a drip hose last year it began spreading nicely to approximately 3.5' thus far. The plant receives only mid-day sun being planted in a corner where the protruding front porch meets the south facing house. They are really enjoyable and bloom when in shade, they close when the sun is shining on them.

About the Red Castor Bean, be aware that once you plant this it will come back and produce more Castor Bean plants.
I once planted a few seeds in an area we now use for vegetables and haven't been able to get rid of it. It's great for a location that won't be needed later for anything else. They do make an attractive specimen but touching them can cause reactions in those with sensitive skin as this is a poisionous seed/plant.

Perilla is the plant you can stir-fry the leaves of (not sure I'd eat the stems as they look like they'd be tough.) It is a relative of basil. I found this about Perilla:

"In Japan, perilla leaves are used to garnish sashimi, the famous raw fish, and tempura, a Portuguese-influenced Japanese recipe. Basically, tempura is battered vegetables (potatoes, carrots) or sea food deep-fried in diluted sesame oil. The secret lies in the very special batter, which is prepared with ice water and consumed immediately, resulting in a unique, light, almost transparent coating. Perilla leaves can either be used as a garnish, or be battered and deep-fried for themselves.

In Japan, perilla cultivars with red or purple leaves are preferred to add both flavour and colour to pickles; they appear in beni shoga (pickled ginger eaten with sushi, see wasabi) and umeboshi, a special kind of salty pickle prepared from unripe fruits similar to plum or apricot (Prunus mume)."

Thanks for all the great info - this helps a bunch. One other question about the perillia - is it hardy here, or do you take cuttings to keep overwinter? - also, can it take full sun?

Thanks again, Frances

Frances,
Perilla usually self seeds. In fact, you are likely to have LOTS of Perilla next year. It can take full sun, and it is also easy to root cuttings.

Question about Nicotiana.. I live in Buffalo NY ..Zone 6 do you think it can survive the Winters here? I have two in pots how can I overwinter them? Thanks ...Wayne