The only near species rose on my wish list is R.x dupontii, one of the most beautiful white single rose I have seen. I grow very few true species roses apart from the natives Rosa canina, R. dumalis and R. majalis that grow all over my woodland. I keep them for the hips, for me and the birds. The species I have actively chosen are R. pendulina, R. maximowicziana, R. stellata var mirifica and R. nutkana var hispida (or R. spaldingii). But I have quite a few near species, selections and species hybrids, among them 'Geranium', 'Louis Riel', R. x nitida 'Defender', 'Freya' and R. glauca 'Nova'. If I had more space I would get more American species as they usually bloom later that the Eurasian species.

Like others in warm areas I'm already fed up with Summer and long for the cooler days of Fall. Fall is actually my favorite season in the garden, so after the Summer heat I'm always more than willing to do some changes around. My plans for this year include a major overhaul of my side passage, with the more than probable removal of two bottlebush shrubs (see my thread on that, ideas more than welcome) and general tidying up of that area. I'm considering adding a winterberry to the spot where a plant has died and which I haven't replanted yet. In other area of the garden I'm planning to continue my never ending quest for Fall and Winter interest and I'm planning to add a fothergilla. Anyone has experience with that, good or bad? I also want to do a little sowing for my porch chairs and bench in keeping with the season. I have some beautiful Scottish tartan in subdued colors I plan to turn into cushion covers and a table runner for the furniture in the back porch. Add a couple potted mums in similar colors for harmony. Probably hang another basket in the back porch, symetric to the one I have recently added and which has cascading fuschia - really loving that at the moment. Considering adding two further hanging baskets to the front porch. So far I have resisted the urge, because it faces West and it's so difficult to keep baskets watered in hot weather here, but come Fall I guess I'll stop fighting, as I love the look of hanging baskets with cascading flowers... Planning of yanking out two hebes in the back garden which have outgrown their space and replace them with another type of shrub, probably pieris or rosemary. Plant some crocuses, as I don't have any in the garden. Pruning a lot of the shrubs that are indeed in need of it. The list goes on and on... And don't get me started on Christmas, LOL! Eduarda

We are thinking of next week for our visit to ARE - are all the roses blooming yet? We like to go when everything is in bloom. I haven't heard of Magnolia Hill - saw the website, it is beautiful! Do they sell daylilies? Or is it just for weddings? Can you just show up to look around or is an appointment necessary? How from from ARE? Trying to fit a trip in to Tyler for the Azalea Trail too - and closer to me is the SFA University Spring Sale April 11 - not to be missed! For those of you close enough, the Ruby Mize Azalea Garden is stunning in bloom - really something to see if you are in the area. Judith

Thanks Mark, I feel a lot more hopeful now. And that's great that it's a repeat bloomer. I've been planting a few native grasses that skippers use as host plants. Some are 3 or 4 ft. tall. I think I've got enough tall ones. debarron, is it wetter in eastern Oklahoma like it is in eastern Texas? Is that the area you live in. For some reason I was thinking you lived in a dry place with sagebrushes growing near your house. Wish I could send you my Blue Flag Iris. She's not getting enough sun and moisture up here. I don't have any low spots that collect rain anywhere. Are you able to grow Bluebonnets and Indian paintbrushes where you are? I'm so happy I was once in Texas when all those wildflowers were blooming. It puts Illinois to shame. Teasle and Poison Hemlock seem to be our most abundant roadside wildflowers. They have been spraying the Teasle (not very thuroughly) and leaving the Hemlock, which in time might overtake the teasle because it's taller. There are an awful lot of common milkweeds all over the place. And a few small colonies of A. sullivantii, but here you never see tuberosa or incarnata growing in the wild, only in gardens. All the other species that are supposed to be native to this area I've never seen. William, I was just reading that kn annual zones Calotropis gigantea grows faster than C. procera. I would like a really tall tree type plant so I'm planning on growing both. One for the size, and the other for its fragrance. Germination can be as long as 3 or 4 months, so I"m going to start the process 6 months before planting outdoors, because nice sized plants will give me a better chance of them getting tree-like.