Hi, A couple of questions: -Would hardy pricklypear cactus (Opuntia humifusa/compressa) be the only hardy pricklypear to endure zone 6 winters? -Would sweetshoot bamboo (Phyllostachys dulcis) be suitable for zone 6? -Comment: Pawpaw, Asimina spp. (including Asimina triloba), contains the compounds associated with increased risk of atypical Parkinson's; you'd have to it is frequently enough, I would suppose. -Comment: I believe that ginko nuts must be eaten in moderation - I remember reading some materials describing them as toxic to some extent. I wonder if making tea out of the leaves would be a good thing, however. -I know Lucky has some varieties survive his zone 6 winters, but anyone have any varieties of Pomegranates survive zone 6, 6a or 5b? - and fruit? -What are the best Amelanchier spp./Juneberries/Serviceberries w/regards to taste? I think that the only berries I absolutely loved must have been A. alnifolia - 5' thin suckered bushes with dark, sugar-sweet berries; the A. canadensis and A. canadensis x laevis I've tasted are not as good as what ever variety that happened to have been. -Will American hazelnut/filbert & American beaked hazelnut hybridize with the European species? -If I were able to obtain a true American Chestnut selected from a stand that showed great disease resistance, would the taste hold up to the Chinese and/or English varieties? -In comparison to a straight D. virginiana or D. kaki, would there be any taste improvement in the hybridization between American x Asian persimmon? -Would you think that a fully ripe Wild Mandrake/Mayapple would be at all toxic; or would it be risky if consumed in excess? -What are cold-hardy, reliable varieties of Black Mulberry (M. nigra)? [non-hybrids] -In zone 6b, my 'Brown Turkey' Fig never dies back to the ground; I do nothing to protect it. -I purchased a grafted D. kaki 'Saijo' and a friend of mine showed me his orchard containing grafted Asian persimmons - the grafts reject after several years; he explained that if you had an American x Asian hybrid as the inter-connection between the D. virginiana rootstock and D. kaki scion, the graft would last indefinitely. I hope the tree will last, contrary to this - probably won't. -Are the berries of native/American shrub-dogwoods and tree dogwoods (other then the toxic Cornus florida - Flowering Dogwood) really edible? C. sericea/stolon., C. alternifolia, etc.? -Besides Black Oak, any other good oak nuts? -I'll contribute a few I can think of here (edibles): Salmonberry, Thimbleberry, 2 varieties of Ligonberries - American/European, Bearberries, Wild Wintergreen Berries, Berberries spp., (water lily and lotus/parts, arrowhead/parts, pickerelweed/parts, Acorus - sweetflag, not iris!), various man-made blackberry x raspberry hybrids, the man-made 'jostaberry' - ribes spp., a wide array of vaccinium spp. (blueberries, deerberries, bilberries, false huckleberries), Garden Huckleberry (not a huckleberry), varieties of cranberry, Akebia, Orange trifoliate, Crabapple spp., nuts: chinquapin, species of hazelnut/walnut/varieties of hickory (including pecans), forbs: daylily species, various flowers, Monkey Puzzle Pine, Pine Nut species, syrup from Walnut & Maple species, Prinsepia, Asparagus, Globe Artichoke, Jerusalem Artichoke, various greens, various man-made stone fruit hybrids, foxgrape (including 'Concord' & 'Neptune'), purple passionflower, Mountain Ash species, Aronia spp., Western Sandcherry, Buffaloberries, native Silverberries, Sala, Yuka spp., Magnolia virginiana for tea - leaves and culinary, chokecherry, wild black cherry, pin/fire cherry, American wild plum, Chickasaw plum, Beach plum, cloudberry/bakeapple berry, smooth & staghorn sumac, teas from birches, American larch, and others - be cautious, tall & stinging nettle tea, the species of Jujube, Streptopus amplexifolius - I forgot the name - I call it watermelon berry, but it's not the above mentioned Che/Melonberry which is a good one to have. ____ When you think about it, there really are only a few fruits out there: Apple (4 types), brown or green Pear, Cherry otherwise know as Bing or Yellow Cherry, Melon, Apricot, Nectarine, Orange, Grapefruit, Grape, Kiwi, Plum, and Pineapple - if you don't believe me, just go to the supermarket or your local cooperate sponsored fruit consumption advocacy materials. Well, they do have around 5 other rare ones: Starfruit, Date, Fig, and Fruit-roll-up Fruit.

I thought it looked like some kind of symbiotic thing going on with the ants and the eggs! I really don't want to do anything if it's a harmless relationship between the bugs and the yucca, but it looked like the flowers were getting a little 'ookey.' We also had a severe hail storm the other night, so some of the damage may be that instead of the bugs. I'll keep an eye on it, and maybe try putting some non-antibacterial soap water on the trouble spots. I hope it doesn't spread to the other two yuccas...

meszaros_jon That is not my tree. I don't even have a house that would support it. It is a tree that just passed from never bloomed to having great fruit. My trees and seed were gifts from 2 friends both Cory an pip. They are active in the garden web New Zealand lemonade tree grafted to Poncirus Trifoliata hybrid rootstock, New Zealand lemonade tree grafted to US897 rootstock. grafted at home 2 months ago. she's in a foil lined bucket with a 23 watt daylight CFL brooder lamp above. Meiwa kumquat on Kuharske Citrange rootstock. top and bottom of Meiwa Fukushu kumqusat tree #1 from seed was planted in ground about a week ago. Fukushu kumqusat tree #2 from seed was planted in ground about 3 hours ago. Both Fukushu trees are protected by a cubic yard triple glazed glass cold frame.

Its been my experience that when the infestation is heavy nothing works. We have hot humid summers here and mites love that. I solve it by not planting anything they are prone to attacking, I read up on this. Annual marigolds and ageratum are THE WORST. If they do show up, I rip out the plants and put them in plastic trash bags (Sometimes in the hot sun for revenge) and I don't buy that plant again. As an exception, I have one plant they get to each spring. Its a Yucca Rostrata. I later learned yuccas are prone to attack but I don't want to loose the plant. I spray it with alcohol and water about 50/50 and that kills them but then they are back in a few days. Its always the case with spider mites, they just come back again and again once they zero in on a plant. Twice now I have had to trim all the yucca leaves off and let it form a new top. That solves the mite problem because its only in spring that they seem to attack it. I don't even attempt tomatoes anymore. They always got mites. I hate this pest so much that I can't even begin to describe it. They always win. Nothing works except physical elimination of the plants or cutting it back so there's nothing left to attack.