Even in the temperate climate of the UK it is recommended that C praecox be grown in a warm position or against a sunny wall and they are a safer bet in the South than the North of the country. My old school had a huge one against a South facing wall and that was in a very mild area right on the coast. If you can find a mother plant they can be grown from softwood cuttings in summer, but my experience is that they do not root very easily. The variety 'Luteus' has larger brighter yellow flowers. However, nothing ventured, nothing gained, so good luck.

I've had three betula papyriferas. I've never found lunas on them but I have found polyphemus a couple times. Paper birches are excellent food sources for insects, and that is where their problem lies. My second house had two paper birches. I never got to use them for cats. This was because they were infested with birch leaf miners. The first two years, I did nothing and watched all the leaves get eaten from the inside out and then fall to the ground. My trees would have no leaves in July. New leaves would sprout but I wasn't raising 2nd brood moths those years. The third year, I sprayed when I saw the adults show up. This helped some but I still lost most of the leaves. The fourth year, I sprayed the grass under the trees when the adults were due and the trees when the adults showed. This worked even better but not well enough that I had enough leaves to use. I ended up biting the bullet and using the Bayer systemic stuff which effectively meant I couldn't use the leaves for my cats. Plus, my pockets were a lot lighter because that stuff is expensive. Moved to the current house where I have one paper birch (and planted another in 2007). This paper birch was my $ tree. No miners around here so I was able to feed lots of cats. Life was good. Then, in 2007, the Japanese beetles decided they liked my $ tree. They covered it. I was on a ladder everyday picking them off. I eventually got the cats I had eating birch to pupal stage or switched to something else. Then I was able to spray the tree but the damage had already been done. Most of the lower branches did not come back in 2008. I didn't use the tree at all last year since I didn't think, even with a ladder, I could reach enough branches to get the amount of leaves I would need. This is also a lesson on why it is a good idea to have multiple food sources. At my first house, I had only lilac for my cecropias and it was my neighbor's lilac so I was always worried. At my second house, I had some mystery maple they loved plus apple trees. This house, I have crab apples, box elder maples, mystery birch and (had) paper birch. I raise some on each food source just in case disaster strikes. Don't keep all your caterpillars on the same leaves, if you can help it. Back to lunas: In Ohio, in my circles, sweetgum is considered the food of choice. That said, I've yet to find a luna cat on a sweetgum but I did find a regal so that is a big plus for sweetgums in my book. :) Well, I've rambled on for long enough. Bottom line is paper birches are great but don't be surprised if you don't get to use them for caterpillar food. KC

You know, I can't remember the name of the japanese beetle traps, but any garden center should have them. I went last week, and forgot to pick up the bait, but tonight I am going and will definitely remember it. I'll post the name tommorow after I get it. They do work though, I was amazed at how many beetles go in there. The bait is supposedly a flower and sex lure. It lures them into the bag, and then they can't seem to get back out. Actually, the bait smells like roses, not bad at all. It comes with a bag that you change as it fills up. And does it fill up! Like I mentioned, I have my husband change the bag because I can't stand the mass of squirming beetles. Although, the bag is not transparent, so you don't have to look at them in there while its out in your garden. He's actually used some type of food storage bags when we ran out of replacement bags for it. It really does help control the beetles. We've used milky spore on our lawn too, because the beetles will go in to the lawn to lay eggs. Then you have the additional problem of the grubs (which are immature japanese beetles) destroying your lawn. The milky spore is some kind of disease for japanese beetles, harmless to humans and pets. I like to avoid the chemical pesticides whenever I can, so these methods work well. Milky spore needs to be applied once every 15 yrs, so it's not too bad. My lawn is due for another treatment now.

As I understand it, the blooming of Sweet Peas has to do with the day length. Different varieties do better with shorter days. There are others that do better for hotter zones. See the link below for examples. If you are having trouble with germination, try to knick the seed (scarification) and then soak it over night. I find it easiest to use nail clippers, but there are many methods. Instead of soaking the seeds in water you might try the paper towel method. I've also heard about using unbleached coffee filters instead of the paper towels, I thought I might try this year. You can use those moisture crystals (hydrated already) too. In the hotter zones grow them in an area that gets plenty of morning sun but is protected from the hot afternoon sun. They should last longer that way. That coupled with choosing ones for warmer climates should help. I started to grow sweet peas for my Mother. She has childhood memories of a neighbor growing loads of sweet peas in the summer in Phoenix, Az. I figure if they can grow there in the summer I should be able to get them to grow in Dallas. They begin their bloom around Mother's Day here which makes a wonderful boquet for her. The link below also has a useful article called 'Prolonging Vase Life of Sweet Peas'. Good luck everyone, Tiffany Here is a link that might be useful: Fragrant Garden Nursery