Oh yes, Adelaide d'Orleans - I certainly have been looking hard at that one - all the sempervirens in fact. I feel I can finally indulge in those huge ramblers which were verboten, even on the allotment. I love the alba viticella too (those leafy tips to the tepals (sepals?). I have the purpurea (plena elegans) which does that green thing, at the start of the blooming season.....I find it charming. Growing in a wood removes all guilt about chaos, weeds, disorder - I have been tramping about attempting a clear-up at the allotment....and very demoralising and overwhelming it is too - mainly grasses, which invade everything. Because it is an allotment, and not a formal garden, I have gotten away with untidiness and weeds but now I have moved up (or down) the garden space scale, I can be relaxed and accepting instead of beating myself up for failing to have a beautiful and harmonious plot (like yours!). I see ferneries and stumperies in my future.....maybe even gunnera......but no hostas.

I usually "rootwash" small container stock (band pot to 1 gal size, sometimes up to #5) if I am planting during the dormant season - esp. early spring. I'll also do it in fall even if there are still leaves, as long as the weather is cool (mid-Oct or later here) since by then the plant is essentially "ready" for dormancy, even if leaves haven't fallen just yet...slightly premature leaf loss is usually trivial in my experience. Sometimes I avoid it if the roots are very dense and fibrous, since it's hard to fill in the soil, but for fleshy rooted plants it works well. Larger plants it's possible, but harder without a second person there to help stabilize the tree as you fill it in. I usually shake gently and let clumps remain - if there are a few feeder roots in a nice clump I don't necessarily take off the media if nothing appears dead, crisscrossed, or circling in that particular clump. I find that, among other things it accomplishes the following: 1. Better contact with native soil. No "interface" issues (the small clumps of potting media notwithstanding, but they're usually small enough to not pose an issue, and in fact help prevent root dessication/damage to feeder roots). 2. Better anchorage. Once the soil settles in (which should be ASAP if you water properly) the tree is nearly as well-anchored as it would have been if grown on-site. No "ball and socket" issues that you get with both container and B&B that keeps original soil/media intact. 3. Examine and correct root deformities. Many times, circling and potentially-girdling roots can be un-circled and straighened out. Even if not, it's easier to get a good, accurate cut to remove roots that are beyond repair. 4. Less water needed. At first, this isn't so true, but with container stock, you have to water copiously until enough rootws have grown out into your native soil (which is 99% of the time far more moisture-retentive than typical container media). If you bare-root first, your native soil IS where the roots lie, so you only have to really water enough to keep the area just moist. Slightly moister than an established plant, since the plant does still have to regenerate some of the fine feeder roots and root hairs, but not as much as a container-grown plant, which has most of the roots still within the container medium for quite a while. Even compared to B&B, since more roots are usually preserved vs. B&B, you could get away with slightly less watering after the first month or two. This post was edited by hairmetal4ever on Wed, Apr 23, 14 at 13:28

Carrie,I just bought a new SLGB this summer - my old one (bought in '99) was sadly lacking in things this one has - despite the date of publication, I think it is fairly newly out - and all the illustrations/drawings are in color, as well as the entries being much expanded! To quote from the book - General for Michaelia: Magnolia relatives native to China & the Himalyas. When in flower, they might be mistaken for some kind of magnolia - but unlike magnolias, they bear their blossoms among the leaves rather than at branch ends. M. figo has been in gardens for some 200 years, and M. doltsopa has been in cultivation in North America for perhaps half a century. The other species listed here are newcomers about which we have much to learn; they have not had time to grow to maturity in North American gardens. All are attractive, with lush foliage and profuse, fragrant blossoms divided into petal-like segments. Not usually browsed by deer. The cultural requirements seem to be for partial shade in the hottest regions, otherwise full sun, and they need average amounts of water. For M. yunnanesis: Shrub or tree. Coastal and tropical south. Another newcomer. To 15' tall. Blooms in early spring, when white flowers burst from dark, velvety buds. For M.x fogggi: Shrub. Coastal and tropical south. Group of hybrids between M. figo & M. doltsopa. 'Allspice' grows 10-20' tall, 6-15' wide, with glossy green foliage; bears fruity scented, 1.5" light yellow flowers bordered in maroon from spring to early summer. 'Belle Durio', to 6-10' tall & wide, is a spring bloomer bearing 3-4" white flowers with a purple style (reproductive structure) in the center. 'Jack Fogg' grows yo 18' tall, 6-8' wide; spring flowers are white, with each segment bordered in purplish pink. Hope this helps. And I wish I were in a warmer zone; the plants sound marvelous, but it's too cold here for them, except M. figo and maudiae! And I have more than enough things to plant out from pots right now - maybe next fall.....

Hi again, Bogturtle. I have studied the photo on your blog again and I would be prepared to bet very heavily that what you have there is Jasminum nudiflorum, not Gelsemium rankinii. G rankinii is evergreen. J nudiflorum flowers on bare stems, as shown in your picture. It does not twine like G rankinii and is a plant I have know all my life. I don't wish to nit pick but it would be better to have the correct label on the blog. If you want confirmation you could post the picture on the Name that Plant Forum, here on GW, to see what others say.