Joe/bearj: Don't know about your situation. I've got loads of last years remains on all my Vdils (esp. Erie, Asian Beauty, and Michael Dodge, which birds don't seem to prefer like other species/clones) and they have bloomed their socks off this year as usual. Some plants seem to "take a vacation" in the reproductive sense, from year to year. Quercus, Carya, Cladrastis are a few I can think of right off. I'm sure others can add more. Botanists might be able to shed more light on why. I can speak only for viburnum performance here at the Valley, and the main reason for variance here would be weather related (cold stress, drought stress) or pest-related (something bit it, or defoliated it). Viburnum species I have a lot of, which bloom reliably annually: V. dentatum V. dilatatum V. prunifolium V. (fragrant group) carlesii, x juddii, Cayuga, x burkwoodii, etc. V. (evergreen hybrids) Conoy, Chesapeake, x pragense V. nudum

Well thanks jim98520, I've been "around the block" a few times (mechanically speaking). I've had "good mentors" (mostly because I sought them out) all my life. But I am not the most important member on this forum, there are many who have spent a lot more working hours in the OPE field than I have. I have posted some incorrect info on this forum myself (sorry about your yard), but USUALLY, the more knowledgeable, experienced members stand me up straight, and I promise not to do it again. I do this because of people like my sister, and some aunts and cousins. People who want to try saving some money by DIY. People who want to have a second or third (or more) opinion about their "ailing tractorwhatever". People who have been ripped off (or think they might have been). This forum gives folks a means of getting info and opinions that they could not purchase for any price (haha, I visited a "website" once that "was charging" for answers! Yuk, yuk....YUCK!) Sorry about whatever circumstances have led to your "censorship" (if that be it). It "chillingly" reminded me of getting "chastised" (along with one of my bosses) at work. I sent an "innocent e-mail" to "a vendor" that contracts with my employer. Well, the contact person at the "vendor" forwarded my request for technical data to his boss who forwarded it to my "boss's boss's boss". Of course, all that trickled back down and first thing I know is my boss's boss is ticked at my boss. My boss (though he knew in advance about my intent) said "I guess we better not do that anymore." I said, "I bet your right about that." You might have to come up with a "different psuedonym" (psst. don't tell anybody at work about it).

Hi Julie- Yes, I mulch and leave the mulch. I am always amazed at posts here and on the AHS robin were people say they can hardy see the daylilies because of weeds. I have hardy any weeds because I mulch heavily. I do have lots of slugs because of the mulch. Mostly, I don't do much. Tried the sluggo years back but try to go organic as much as I can so mostly try beer traps. I am trying to get a polulation of Toads established which would really help. I leave the mulch on the rose beds as its there to keep out the weeds. I never have tried picking up rose leaves as advised by many. I don't do lots of things that are "common wisdom" and do many things differently in my garden. Works for me. Usually I have not a hint of Blackspot as I spray every two weeks on the dot. Works great. I have stopped spraying more than a month ago as I got lazy. Too eary to stop spraying so there is blackspot and dropped leaves on roses. Its amazing to see some get lots of blackspot and see a rose next to it with none! At any rate, the blackspotted leaves do not concern me as in the spring I will be spraying again and all summer/fall so the roses stay nice and clean. Its just that its lots of work as I have so many roses. Last year I got blackspot late in the year in late fall when I stopped spraying also. The year before too. Never cleaned up any leaves. And I get lots and lots of compliments on the healthy green leaves on the roses all during the growing season. Spray them with a combo of BAYER ADVANCED DEASEASE CONTROL (fungicide only, no insecticide) with some Nepture Seaweed liquid fertilizer mixed in. Every two weeks. Since I statered planting my garden to attract backyard songbirds, butterflies, hummingbirds and bees, I would never use insecticides. I remember the roses got aphids this year quite badly and I did nothing. Lady bugs came but better yet, I watched the biirds sit on the rose shrubs and bick off aphids and eat all day. Sort of like an all you can eat buffet for birds. The chicadeess fed them to their littles ones in the birdhouse in the back yard and the wrens to their little ones in the front yard. And I don't even pay attention to planting space. My roses are crammed together. I love the look of lots of flowers, not a shrub surrounded by mulched empty space. My shrubs are planted closely, looks good. I have to prune sometimes but no big deal to me. I guess thats why many of my daylilies are planted very closely, I am not big on lots of space between things. I can afford it either as I do not have a large yard. In the shot of the driveway garden above, one can just about make out the berries for the backyard birds on the viburnams and red aronia pictured. I usually do not take pictures of it because its the daylily forum but I have a mixed shrub berries for the birds border going all along the south property line and it looks great. Sort of like the edge of a woods. Lots and lots of viburnum berries going on there now. Birds love my garden.

Hey Jay, the Smilax and Rubus are in a thicket at the back of the lot and Im just going to let them grow wild for the birds. It was hard to get that close to the Rubus to take the picture, had to step through a lot of poison ivy. I just looked at that Astragalus, and on BONAP, none of them are native in my county but canadensis is close. I didnt really have this concept when I was ordering these plants and seeds a couple years ago. Crassicarpus looks like a good one for you to grow, and a food source. Ribes hirtellum and triste are native to my county, but the thorns on mine dont seem to match. My property used to be farm land I wonder if somebody grew that Ribes on purpose at some point. I just noticed a couple weeds in my front flower bed. One was a walnut tree, the other, an oak. One in the white oak by the looks of it too. Thanks squirrels! into the pot farm: