OFFERS TODAY: Tuesday Feb 10, 09 1 offer Bi-color Mixed varieties? 1 offer Watermelon Sugar Baby 1 offer Melon: Honey Dew 4 offers Maltese Cross 1 offer Watermelon Jubilee 1 offer Large Pear Shaped Tomato 1 offer Passion Flower Passiflora caerulea yr unknown Comm. pk 1 offer Lavatera Mont Blanc Annual yr unknown Comm. pk Full Sun 1 offer Euphorbe Summer Icicle Annual yr unknown Comm. Pk Sun to Part Shade 1 offer Thyme (Organics Biologique) Comm.pk yr unknown 1 offer Lettuce Mesclun Bon Vivant yr hand written on it 2008 1 offer Dill Chia Brand Herbs Comm year unknown 1 offer Morning Glory Heavenly Blue Comm yr unknown 1 offer Tomato Brandywine (Oragnic Biologique) yr marked out 1 offer Castor Bean feels like 4 seeds comm. pk unknown yr 1 offer Tomato could be black no other info 1 offer Heirloom Tomato Basinga 2006 1 offer Isis Yellow Flag 2 offer Asclepias Soulmate Pink zone 3-9 Please note I have NO clue what the first one might even remotely be, your guess is as good as mine! Also remember anything you are requesting could be on your list and if I have put one pack in your bag already and you request these extras too, then you have 2 I will not pull the first pack or the requested. It would be too confusing to try to keep up wiith I think so you will just have 2 lol. :) Fran

With arid plant survival in moister climates, the short version is: it varies. In some plants, the only danger is root rot, and in this case they'll accept as much water as you give them if there's enough drainage. In others, a dry dormant period is required; a lot of shrubs fall into this category, and can't survive constant moisture even if drainage is perfect. I've heard of people putting transparent canopies (clear plastic or the like) over arid plants in order to simulate dry periods outside, but I don't have any experience with this personally... Regarding the plants you collected: 1. is more likely than not Machaeranthera; probably quite easy to grow. 2. sounds a bit like Liatris, but I'm not sure. 3. sounds like it's probably an Artemisia (sage brush, but actually related to sunflowers rather than true sage). 6. probably manzanita, genus Arctostaphylos, and most likely kinnikinnick (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) or a closely related species. Some of the other manzanitas are very difficult outside their native climate, but kinnikinnick is supposed to be one of the more adaptable ones... The others don't sound familiar offhand. Kinnikinnick, Machaeranthera, Liatris, & Artemisia are all cultivated reasonably frequently, so there's probably some information around online about them. Patrick Alexander

I am so sorry to hear this. Being a 7th year bluebirder, I can tell the difference between "playing dead" and the real thing. Same thing happened to me two years ago. Parents poorly fed on a 70 degree day and then got hit with 50's, wind, and rain the very next day. All 5 perished even though mom continued to try and keep them warm. Good news is, though, that they layed a new clutch that year and went on to be successful! MY experience is if the failure wasn't caused by something like a sparrow, and they have an open box, they will try again so long as there's still time in the season. This does happen. You fed mealworms, so it's indeed odd that it didn't prevent it. I'm confident that your bluebirds will stick around and try again! ~Tim NE Ohio

There are also some nice large-ish trees a bit further south in Buckhead. Again, it can be done, but the odds are not good. Many of the trees further north in the southwest mountains of North Carolina, where summer temperatures almost never rise above 85 F (and are usually in the mid to upper 70s) and steep slopes ensure good drainage - even those look ratty. Having said all of that, I have three P. pungens in my own garden. One has been in the ground for four years old and is beginning to show signs of stress, one is three years old and looks great, and one is less than a year old (I only have the latter because it was one of the ACS Conifers of the Year this year). I have lost three other blue spruce, and became a skeptic about this species in our region a while ago. I'm hopeful but not very optimistic (surprise, surprise) about the long-term survival of ones still alive. There is certainly nothing wrong with giving it a shot - I'm a huge fan of experimentation. But experimenting can be expensive and lead to disappointment if expectations aren't tempered. I agree with Sara (in addition to what everyone else has said in this thread) that 'Landscaping with Conifers and Ginkgo for the Southeast' is a great book. in my opinion, if you're going to be serious about conifer gardening in the southeast, you should own a copy.