I try to stagger bush beans because the plants do give out at some point and I want a steady supply. Also trying it with the cukes, which seem to be prolific producers early but as the vines age and get damaged from tugging the cukes off, rooting through for the hidden ones, etc., they tend to trail off. So I'm going to do one planting early then start some more seeds in another location a few weeks later. If I grow squash it will be just one because two years ago I had one plant that gave me more than I could use, freeze or give away. And it just wouldn't quit. Probably should have looked for a food bank that wanted fresh produce. In Pennsylvania, I don't think our summers are long enough for a second round of tomatoes. I've put some in in late June just to see and they never really produced -- probably not enough time before the nights got too cool. If you grow leaf lettuce you can cut the leaves and the plant will produce more, but after the second or third cutting it gets bitter so it's either time for more plants or just go to a late summer planting for fall harvest since lettuce doesn't love the heat.

In IL my obedient plants grew well enough, but they were in more shade than they wanted so didn't get out of hand. Down here I have friends in ATX who can grow them but I've planted and lost Physotegia a few times - guess too much shade and tree roots coming in under the fences from every side keeps them from living, let alone spreading. On the other hand, I don't want to give them a great spot that will turn them into monsters like Marti's! I heard a floral designer explain the obedient thing - it refers to the way you can sort of tweak and rotate the individual florets on the axis where they are spaced along the stem. That way you can make each floret face in the direction you want... useful for arrangements that are meant to be seen only from the front, rather than from all sides. A very minor piece of obedience, to my mind.

Thanks for finding that pic, PopMama! I looked thru several pages and if it came up on my search I completely missed it! Liz, what you described at the swap was "more pink," so I hope what you remember is right! Please don't spend all your time looking for your pic, but if you should happen to run into it sometime over winter I would enjoy seeing it! If you don't run into it I will--hopefully--get to see it up-close-and-personal in spring! When that happens I will definitely be taking some of my own pics--however since google catastrophized WebAlbums a month ago I don't know if I'm even able to post links to my pics anymore! You mentioned that one of the Iris I got ['Superstition' and 'Abigail Provides'] was "shorter" than "others"--I think! If you did, was it 'Superstition' that was the shorter one? In the last couple days I got some big (2-3' X 18") patches of the "bad dirt" dug out along the walk by the side of my deck and, saving the more friable soil that was there, I've added a whole buncha home-grown, almost finished, compost to what was left! Have a "decent place" to plant both Iris now and am planning to get them in the ground tomorrow! I also saved some of the "better" natural soil to use when I dig out the potter's clay by the front walk where the peony is going! Will be completely removing the potter's clay, replacing it with my "saved" "better" natural soil, and then adding a WHOLE LOT of compost out there--including some that isn't quite so "almost finished!" Will be transplanting some worms too! I'm gonna make a Good Home for that peony! When I looked up the pics of it, one of the Way Cool things about it was how very different all the pics look--and, remembering you had said how much it "changed" from day to day, I'm really looking forward to seeing a few flowers on that too! Will be surprised if I get any next spring, but, with "good soil," I expect it to be taking off by the following spring! Can hardly wait! I had to water it in when I put it in the pot--my store bought soil is just "moist" when I use it, but, except for watering it in to "settle the soil" when I put it in the ground I'll leave it alone all winter--unless we get an extremely dry winter! Part of my reason for improving the soil in a pretty large area is so I'll know it has good drainage, so if we should get a snowy winter I won't have to worry about it sitting in WET CLAY! Thank you again for bringing such "cool" plants! (Yes, I realize everybody's definition of "cool plants" is different!) to swap! Since I already have so many things, and since people have started to bring things they originally got from me I don't often find many things that I want or don't already have, and this is the first swap in a long time where I was salivating and waiting to "pick!" BUT! I'll have you know that you created quite a "problem" for me!!! With my tiny yard I really did need to do some thinkin' to figure out where to put my new booty! "Problem" and all, thank you, Liz!!! >>> APS = American Phytopathological Society! Egad girl! Are you seriously into this stuff or what??? Did you REALLY go to a plant pathology convention????? Skybird

I have to agree that H. annuus is the likely ID. I've been poking around this post for a few days, and find nothing else that is a decent candidate. The H. annuus plants found in gardens always have those very large heads, large leaves, and are relatively compact in form. But wild plants are often leggy, have smaller flowers (especially in dryer climates), and have fewer & smaller leaves in the inflorescence. Check online photos, and you'll see several examples that look much like the two photos above.