Jen, I can send cuttings of the plum. I have not tried to root them and was wondering if you had. I might try to root the Guthrie after it leafs out more. I can also send a bulb of the Eucommis. You can propagate Eucommis by carefully pulling a leaf off and planting the base of it in a small container of good potting soil. The leaf will gradually produce 2 small bulblets by the end of summer. I think Chickasaw Plums require 2 different plants to pollinate before they can fruit. The Indians had hundreds of cultivars, probably lost now. Does Cerinthe major grow easily for you? Mine keep dying. Mexican Petunia, dwarf pink is one I don't have. I'm waiting to see if Mirabilis longiflora comes back. It has smaller but very long stemmed white flowers with a fragrance similar to M.jalapa. I can swap you for a seed or two of Senna didymobotrya. I have Cassia or Senna hebecarpa, similar to C. marylandica. Have Salvia leucantha- Velvet Sage in two varieties. We may get seed of Sinocalycanthus this year. It had a few pods last year. Mike

That Sambucus is very nice. Purple/bronze foliage is a major theme in my tropical/mixed bed. The three standout backbone plants are barberry cultivars (including "Helmond Pillar" and a tall variety with horizontal interwoven stems), Cotinus "Royal Purple" and best of all, Physocarpus "Diablo". "Diablo" is putting on its one-week flowering show right now, but its major role is as a superb foliage backdrop for other flowering plants. It is basically bulletproof, needing only occasional pruning to control size (it wants to be massive). Purple/bronze foliage annuals this year include Cannas "Australia" and "Firebird", Celosia "New Look", Begonia "Big" (bronze-leaf form), Alternanthera "Little Ruby" and Canna "Tropical Red" (bronze-leaf variety). And yes, red/scarlet flowers are important too.

What is with all the orange hating? Tsk Tsk! I love orange, its my favorite flower color now. I also love magenta too. And lime green and black! Has anyone looked through Sarah Raven's "The Bold And Brilliant Garden"? Now she has a pallette after my own heart! Now to the colors that I cant stand: #1 White! God, I hate white flowers. Can we say, "Stick out like a sore thumb in the garden" and come on, white? I can't think of a more boring and bland color, except beige(thank God flowers don't come in biege), but it also just seems so stark and harsh and cold at the same time. And it's not really a color. Yick! #2 Pastels! What is up with these? What washed out, bland wimpiness! I don't get what is so poplular about these colors-lavender, baby pink, apricot, mauve, lilac, peach, primrose yellow, etc. its like Laura Ashley threw up!

I still have the tag from the Chinese Fringe tree I planted about 10 years ago, but I don't remember where I bought it. It was maybe a foot tall when I planted it, and now it's 10 ft tall, trimmed up like a tree. The tag says it's Plum Delight Chinese Fringe Flower (loropetalum chinese 'Hines Purpleleaf Plum Delight') from Hines Nurseries. It's a great plant - purple and green leaves that turn red in the fall, hot pink flowers bloom early spring and off & on all summer into fall. Cardinals nested in it last year. Carol