Sunni, Mine is around 4 feet, but I consider that to be huge for zone 5 in May. It has very strong, long canes. It sounds like most people did not have much luck with it either. I should know better than to trust an unproven J and P rose!! They will market any piece of crap they think they can sell. I will never forget when I ordered Vanilla Perfume from them (I think that was the name)Well, it wasn't vanilla, or any other scent, and never got more than 18" tall. What a relief when I put that one out of its misery! It's going to be harder to kill this one, because the plant looks so good. However, at some point, I probably will.

My experience with Russian Sage was a failure. I started a bunch of plants from seed. I had good germination and planted the seedlings in the garden to start. My garden tends to be very gravelly. They wintered okay. I donâÂÂt remember how long I left them there, but when I attempted to move them about the yard I eventually lost them all. They didnâÂÂt die outright, but took forever to come up in the spring and never reached their potential. I gave up on them. Then I tried the same thing with agastache. Seedlings actually wintered in their little cell packs. I thought that I was going to regret planting this hardy plant in my perennial bed. It was lovely but seemed so hardy. I thought it would seed all over, since it was so easy from seed. None are left! But wait, I think IâÂÂve found something that looks like it in a forgotten corner! I really think it may not be so much a hardiness issue though. If you have the right conditions for the plant, I mean the correct PH and soil type, etc. maybe youâÂÂll have success. However, IâÂÂve had the same experience of having a plant grow successfully for years then upon losing it for some reason or other, having every replacement die immediately or the first winter. Two that come to mind are monarda and sedum âÂÂAutumn JoyâÂÂ. Some of your disappointments are growing successfully in my yard, Donna. I have several clumps of veronicastrum or culverâÂÂs root doing quite well. I started them from seed. Not sure I like them yet. This should be the year to tell. Sea holly thrives in my gravelly garden. I know someone who has turtlehead growing naturally out at the lake here. But the others you mentioned, coreopsis, helenium, tiarella, IâÂÂve tried and failed with. I can add echinacia to that list. I've always wondered about that theory about single specimens being hardier than the rest. I have some plants rated zone 4 growing happily in my yard. Is it a fluke or were they just rated wrong to start with. I guess thatâÂÂs part of what makes gardening such a great hobby though. ThereâÂÂs always surprises to balance out the disappointments.

Hi, My sister brought me back two (legal) cuttings from Hawaii over a year ago. I started them and they did fine, I put them outside when the weather is right for tropicals and they have bloomed. For now, they are still indoors and lost most of their leaves but still fine. I will probably put them out in the beginning of June depending of course on the weather. So if you are new to them, they can't stay outside in the winter and they will go somewhat dorment in the winter.

Hydrangeas are generally easy, but oakleafs are considered by some to be a bit more difficult than the rest, and climbing hydrangeas even more so. That said, I rooted 4 (of 4 attempted) hardwood cuttings of an unknown (older) cultivar of oakleaf hydrangea this winter, indoors under LED and a homemade fog system, with bottom heat and rooting hormone. Took just under 3 months to root. I'm planning to try softwood cuttings this spring/summer as well. I haven't had any success previously with those, but that was when I was just using a typical humidity dome setup. We'll see if it goes better under fog.