I've just collected some Lantana seeds and was looking for info on how to germinate them. I found the following in a scientific paper from Australia. It seems to confirm the experiences of members of this and other GW forums, that germination tends to be low, but can be improved by removing the pulp from the berries and providing sufficient light and heat (as would be likely in Texas as opposed to Massachusetts or Michigan): "Lantana seeds need high light conditions for germination and early growth (Gentle and Duggin 1997b; Duggin and Gentle 1998, in Day et al. 2003), and seedlings are unlikely to survive beneath parent bushes. The germination rate of lantana is low under both laboratory and field conditions, with estimates of 4Â20% (Graaff 1987) and 44.5% (Duggin and Gentle 1998, in Day et al. 2003). Germination rates increased from ten per cent to 46 per cent when the fleshy pulp was manually removed from the seed. This higher germination rate is comparable to that obtained from seeds collected from the faeces of wild birds. Seeds germinate at any time of the year given sufficient soil moisture, with most seed germinating after the first summer storms in northern Australia (Parsons and Cuthbertson 2001, in Day et al. 2003). This species has been nominated as among 100 of the "World's Worst" invaders." Here is a link that might be useful: Global Invasive Species Database: Lantana camara

Pyrgal, Make sure the seeds say they are "large-leafed". That's the kind they sell in the store, and I think they're the best for cooking. I highly recommend Stokes Seeds for getting Basil seeds. I had the best crop of Basil ever with WSing their seeds. -- Lettuce Leaf was nice for the early crop. It was ready to harvest long before the others, and actually was more cold tolerant (like lettuce). It actually sprouted (and survived) before my salad Lettuces! It has a mild but definite basil flavor and tastes great in salads. -- I also got a Pesto strain, Genovese, that has a very strong flavor --Nufar, good flavor, and wilt resistant...tasted just as good as the others --Di Genova, was my least favorite of the four, but, I think it is also the one surviving in my kitchen window. And, on my scale of loving Basil, being "least-liked" doesn't mean much at all! On another Herb, I WSed Chervil. Anyone ever have Chervil? I haven't and I'm curious of the taste. Linda

I don't think so but beware. You are venturing into dangerous territory. There are highly poisonous plants like hemlock that share the same general look. Do I think this is hemlock? No, but plants that look like they could belong in the carrot and parsley clan should be treated very carefully. You don't want to make mistakes with such things. Something in the artemesia group may also be a possibility. While used herbally, they too are not generally the most edible of plants. FataMorgana

Hi Y'all! Carla: I haven't planted any melons just yet, because we have a couple of nights in the 40s forecast for next week MELONS, ETC.: Our soil temps are only in the mid- to upper-60s, and I like to wait for soil temps to reach 70 degrees before I plant melons and other heat-lovers like pumpkins, squash, peppers, black-eyed peas, and okra. And I usually don't plant sweet potatoes until the soil is even warmer. You can plant melons when the soil temperature is consistently 60 degrees during the day, though, and I bet your soil temperature is already at that level. POTATOES: Even though your potatoes went in a little late for our area, you should still have a pretty good crop. Around here most people plant potatoes in mid- to late-February. You should be able to plant in your area through early to mid-March with no problem. And, I have planted potatoes in late March some years (waited because the ground was excessively wet) and have gotten good production. PLANTING GUIDE: The Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service has tons of good information in factsheets available online. I have linked their Garden Planning Guide below. Once you are in that data base, you will find many other factsheets that are very helpful. When you look at the planting dates listed in the guide, keep in the mind that the first date listed is for far southern Oklahoma, and the last date listed is for far northern Oklahoma. Your best planting dates would fall somewhere in between those two, most years. As a serious vegetable gardener, there is one book that I use as my 'bible' and have for over ten years. It is now out-of-print and sells for an outrageous price online because the demand outpaces the supply. I am on my second copy, having totally worn out the first one. This book is called THE VEGETABLE BOOK: A TEXAN'S GUIDE TO GARDENING and it was written by Dr. Sam Cotner Dr. Cotner was a vegetable specialist with the Texas Agriculture Extension Service at Texas A&M University for many years and also oversaw the Extension Service's home gardening program in Texas. This book has taught me so much, and I refer to it constantly. I have heard that they will not reprint the book because it too costly to produce, about 400 pages, and they don't believe they could sell enough to justify a reprinting. By the way, I think the publishing people are wrong on this one. If you ever run across an affordable copy of this book, it will be the best investment you ever made. Susan, I love your detailed report on what is going on in your landscape!!!! Without seeing your weed I have no idea what it is. When it blooms, tell me what the flowers look like and I might be able to figure it out at that point. I have wild chervil everywhere too. Who am I kidding? I have wild everything everywhere. The Indian Paintbrush and Bluebonnets are blooming now along with so many other spring wildflowers. I have only grown lemons in large pots so I can carry them inside in the winter. If yours truly is hardy to zone 7, it should survive underneath a VERY HEAVY thick mulch in the winter time, although you might have a little dieback on the ends of the smallest limbs. OK, Susan, I guess I am somewhat of a gambler and I proved it by planting all the tomatoes too early, BUT I still prefer to think of it as a well-educated guess based on watching the weather and nature signs. LOL We have had Monarchs passing through our area for eight or ten days now, but not in huge numbers. I don't know if the few we are seeing are 'early birds' or if the migration is going to be small this year. That, of course, would be a very bad sign, wouldn't it. We have had a few clearwing moths around the honeysuckle which is in bloom here, and also around the porch light at night. I am glad you are having success with your cats. When DH and I visited Tomato Worm and her DH in OKC a couple of years ago, she was raising cats all over the place and was just loving it. You know, people talk about 'saving the environment' all the time, but you are actually doing it! I just love that. The fact is that people like you who go out of their way to raise and release butterflies are helping to restore species that are threatened in some areas, and practically extinct in others. That is such a wonderful thing. I am glad your much-beloved water guzzlers survived last year's drought. I don't know how you managed that. Did you water them every day? Perhaps they are becoming a little more adapted every year, and may even surprise you with their staying power. Your jasmine stephanese does bloom on old wood, so you should have those lovely pink blooms soon. Maybe the plant last year was too young to bloom??? Verbena bonariensis. My all-time favorite butterfly flower. It usually comes back from the roots for me, and I have some that are five or six years old and I have never dug and divided them, although I guess I will do that if they ever get too crowded and cease to bloom well. Mine reseed VERY prolifically. In an unmulched area they will come up as thick as grass. I mean, look at how tiny those seeds are and at how many of them there are. Mine is naturalizing a little in some of my open pasture land. Not naturalizing enough to be considered invasive or out of control, though. I just love these. They are the toughest plants and the butterflies adore them. Speaking of butterflies, I have been having Eastern Black Swallowtails, Tiger Swallowtails, and Spicebush Swallowtails in greater numbers than I usually see in Spring. Maybe they are just early like everything else this year. Yippee!!! It is finally raining here. I needed a rainy day or two or three so I would be 'forced' to stay indoors and give the house a good cleaning, instead of the hit-and-miss effort I give it when the spring weather is lovely and I'm outside as much as possible. And I will clean house, just as soon as I pot up some herbs and peppers from their seed starting peat pellets into six flats and small paper cups. These seeds were planted March 9th and I should have potted them up already, but I've been too busy outside We've had over an inch of rain this week, and I understand we have several more days of it yet to come. I am so glad. Luckily, we have escaped the violent thunderstorms and tornadoes here. I hope the rest of y'all have been spared violent weather too. Dawn Here is a link that might be useful: Oklahoma Garden Planting Guide