It may depend on the species. The germination websites seem to have some differing information - Tom Clothier's website says that A. syriaca doesn't need cold stratification and A purpurascens needs 12 weeks, but the Prairie Moon website says they both need 30 days. Not sure? We have at least another month of "refrigerator" cold or colder, especially at night. The fluctuating temperatures outside may help move the stratification process along. Whichever, I'll find out since I winter-sowed 5 species of Ascelpias this winter by February 4th, A. incarnata, tuberosa, syriaca, purpurascens, and variegata. They're all going to get 2-3 months of cold strat whether they need it or not! Here is a link that might be useful: Tom Clothier's seed germination database

This is so ironic... I thought I'd look on this site to see what would be good to plant for quick privacy. Our huge 40-foot old arborvitae split from all of the rain and wind last week. It had 3 limbs and split right at the bottom sending one limb onto our garage. We now have a perfect view into our neighbor's house. The single-leader advice is definitely worth following. Regarding the cypress suggestion, I planted about 35 leyland cypress 10 years ago (nursery going out of busines sale $3 each) and they're now over 30 feet tall. Amazing privacy. The only bad thing is they don't put down very deep roots relative to their height. We usually have to pick up one or two each winter and brace them back up when we have a particularly wet and windy winter. Even with this minor inconvenience, they're still well worth it and do a great job of screening out our neighbors' 2-story addition. I might try a tall, fast flowering shrub. Any advice on one for a dry, partial sun area?

Java Plum can grow in Southern California or Florida in climate zone 10 (near the coast). I'm not sure about colder than that. Java plum is "an acquired taste", as they say. Many people who grew up with them love them, but the flavor can be very astringent. They are an invasive plant in the tropics, with the birds spreading the seeds everywhere, but this is probably not going to be a problem in the dry climate of Southern California. It is listed as an invasive plant in several counties in Southern Florida though. They are beautiful trees and can get to be very tall, but they are very messy, dropping their fruit everywhere.

Oof. That's a good-looking one. It has a lot of things going on, it's hard to say what it is. Possibly Pachypodium rosulatum gracilius but I wouldn't put money on that bet. This one typically has a solid mass of roots when established so I don't know what happened with yours; it could have been over-watered at the wrong time. Malagasy pachypodiums are fairly difficult plants compared with their continental cousins---you will have to keep the substrate humid but not wet. Water it very sparingly (measured in tablespoons) once your weather turns very hot (25C and above), maybe every two weeks depending on how fast moisture evaporates where you are. Do not get tempted to water more, even if it is in full leaf because it will just be feeding off of its stored energy even before it develops enough roots to take in water. Hopefully, I'm wrong with the ID and it's something else from SA. My rooting advise won't be different but your odds of success will be higher.