What's wierd is my Souvenir de la Malmaison does not seem to have any thrips in her flowers. I've looked and can't find any. She's planted near Trinity. I wonder if some rose give off a "do not bug me or else" vibe? It could also be that Souvenir got frightened when I threatened the shovel. I'm glad I didn't remove that one because I think it deserves some time to evolve. We'll see if it continues to look good. I don't expect perfection, but I would like the roses I grow to look good most of the time. Most of my David Austin roses, including the whites, don't seem to show damage either. Abraham Darby at times will show some damage, but is one of my favorites. My Elina was a mess all the time, so I removed that one. Do you think if a rose bush is a thrips magnet that it is attracting thrips to other roses that would not otherwise be too bothered by them?

I would surely try and save the irises - they are stubborn little things, and can take a fair bit of knocking around - and if you transplanted them, you gave them clump a fresh start anyhow. the burning bush is liable to come back even if you cut it to the ground, roundup the stump, and then set fire to it.... cutting it back to ankle height should slow it down for a season, but that's about it. instead of roundup, I discovered that newspaper and cardboard make a great 'blocking' mulch - it's like landscape cloth, but good for the soil in the long run, because it makes earthworms happy. I open out cereal boxes and stuff, and layer them with newspaper (1 section of newspaper = 2 layers of chip board = 1 layer of cardboard) three thick, wetting each layer as I go, then punch holes for 'wanted' plants( Usually annuals, in a bed I'm rehabbing) and mulch. FYI - if you can, and want to grow pretty things? mulch with compost, not ground up wood chips. the return on investment is far better.

hello diane :) thank you for the sweet comment! i know what you mean about not knowing where to put things... i've messed up plenty of collages, and they are lying around in my craft area just staring at me... and i'm thinking how to safe them!! 'dirty roses' are my evolved one-stroke roses (but i must agree with the ladies here about them not being strictly one-stroke anymore) ... and these roses that i paint, i usually end up staining them on purpose to make them a little messy (just a preference)... hence 'dirty roses'... :)

I've cut plants way back down by the street and they recover very fast so those will probably be fine. I especially like those annual gaillardia along with Desert Marigold, Blackfoot Daisy, Flame Flower, Helianthus annum because these plants are in for the long haul and bloom from spring, through summer heat and into fall without stopping. Its the into summer heat part that makes them especially good. If someone wanted to plant a meadow or prairie garden in the city without creating a mess like people talk about with prairie gardens, I can't see how they would with these growing along with the classic prairie grasses. These are all low growing and well behaved. That little Kansas Four O'clock blooms all summer into fall too. Did your seeds take hold? I've got them coming up here and there all over my property (exploding pods). Its OK since they are only about 3" tall. Plains Penstemon blooms all summer too. I've got two that volunteered last year but they are still small. Lobeleaf copper mallow is another long bloomer, spring to fall. Its tall but I can't imagine anyone calling it thuggish or overwhelming and its no flopper. Lots of stiff stems covered in blue foliage & orange blooms currently. For some reason some stems break at the base especially in spring. Maybe the wind that snaps them? I have 3 seedlings and am hoping to get another red blooming one. The only thing is, the plant takes up a big space which I am always short of but I did plant one down on the H. Strip. I let one Mentzelia decapetata come up last year. Same exact spot as last time. Its growing a tall center stem now and should be blooming in a month or so. Did yours make it? I finally figured out I've got a Pink Yucca that is a different kind than H. 'parviflora'. I I.D.ed as H. campanulata the other night. Its larger in every respect, has a bloom stalk that's practically as tall as me with flowers that are more yellow but not like the yellow blooming Hesperaloe. I got the seeds from a huge cluster growing at Will Rogers Park some years back. I think I sent you some but can't remember. The night blooming type hasn't bloomed for me yet but it did defy the zone limit. I think its hardier than they say. *CORRECTION: That H. campanulata bloom stalk is 8 feet tall, I just measured it. The leaves are almost double the height of H. parviflora. I saw the first hummingbird of the season on it yesterday.