Growth habit is dependent on fertility, moisture, rain patterns, irrigation, fertilization, whether the plant was potted or B&B, the time of year the plant was planted, the number of times it was transplanted, the latitude, prevailing winds, near-by shade, near-by wind breaks, the type of propagation (rooting or tissue culture), pruning and dead heading, the type of nursery the plant came from (cold house, hot house or cold frame) and pinching and fertilization schemes that took place in the nursery, and last but not least, the color of the thumb of the person who planted it. Even, with all of these factors the same, adjacent plants will grow differently. It may depend upon obscure factors such as the number of leaders each one has or the size of the cutting used originally. Frankly it is a miracle when two plants of the same cultivar are similar in height. So, as with most everything else, there is the nominal height and width at 10 years which is usually quoted and there is a wide variation from this in actual practice. About all we can do is go by the nominal numbers quoted and note such things as their sensitivities to fertilization, irrigation, light and shade, pinching or pruning, etc. For example, on the East Coast it is considered a drought if it doesn't rain for 2 or three weeks. On the West Coast it is considered normal to not rain for 2 or 3 months in the summer. Hence, people who irrigate will have different results from those the don't. That is one reason why people on one coast will get completely different results from people on the other coast. Of course people in the North get different results from those in the South also.

Thanks, Andy! Yes, the photos were taken the day before they were posted, I believe. The Glads are just opening, and both of my Echinacea patches are in the first stages of blooming... they'll go on for quite some time! I'm a bit disappointed in the Glads, though... they're fading soon after opening. I was hoping they'd last longer. Perhaps they aren't liking the heat we're having... this is the first year I've grown them, so I'm not certain what to expect. I planted both whites and greens, and the whites are lasting longer, so far. Chicago is hot and beautiful in the summer, and cold and very windy in the winter! I love the Blues, and there are some wonderful blues clubs in Chicago and the surrounding area! It's been a long time since I went to a good blues club to hear a band play... eons ago, I would go to a little place called "The Blue Note" to see different bands... they got shut down due to the illegal trafficking of certain chemicals, I heard! Imagine that! There was also a place in southern Wisconsin called the "Silver Moon" that featured wonderful blues! I saw a band called The Kingsnakes there, and the sax player was out of this world! My favorite music is Classic Metal and Rock, but I still have the complete set of Robert Johnson recordings packed away somewhere! You know what they say... "the Blues had a baby and they called it Rock & Roll"!

I'm in Saint Clair Shores. (further east than your daughter by about 30 or so minutes) From Farmington Hills your daughter would go 696 East the Gratiot exit. From the exit, turn right and drive approx 1 1/2 miles. The nursery is on the right-hand side just south of 10 mile road. They are open daily except for Sundays. The is another great nursery more out your way, well at least not in this direction. They do stock species clematis, but not cultivars like we normally discuss in this forum. I will include the link to their website at the bottom of this page. If the link does not work, the place is called Arrowhead Alpines and it is located in Fowlerville. For me the drive is worth it as they stock more unusual plants than almost anywhere else in the Midwest, heck they probably have one of the largest stock of plants in the country. ~Chills Here is a link that might be useful: Arrowhead Alpines

I'm in Accomac. I grow Lilacs but have never tried Delphiniums here. We got this place for our "retirement" home. The weather is awsome IMO. There is about a month of pretty hot weather that I don't garden much. I start gardening sometimes in Feb always by March, with only a few days too chilly to be out there. I usually stop planting anything around mid to late July weather dependant and resume again first week or so of Sept. I do go out and weed etc but no heavy garden work through that time. It can get pretty humid, but we almost always have a nice breeze. It does stay warmer in winter and cooler in summer than our house in MD that is about 150 miles north of here. I didn't think that there were that many "local folk" on this forum :) For those of you that don't check the exchange page; I'm having a garden visit/plant swap here in Accomac June 7.