Some plants/trees don't do well germinating from seed, or don't come true from seed. Some of these don't do well from cuttings, that are expected to grow their own roots. Plants like these are grown by joining (grafting) them to the root-stock of another tree (of the same or possibly a slightly different species), essentially putting another top on the tree. If your tree is grafted, you should see a slightly thickened spot on the trunk, anywhere from 2" to 2' above the ground. The bark may be a slightly different color or texture above and below the graft. If there is such an area, and the shoot is coming from below the graft, then it's from the root stock, and won't be the same as the Tinkerbell. If you can't see a graft, maybe because it was well done and has grown over to the point of invisibility, you can take a chance and let it grow and flower, being aware that it might not be Tinkerbell. If that proves to be the case, cut it off. There are other reasons to graft plants, including multiple-variety apple trees, dwarf trees (mostly apples and stone fruits), toget a hardier root system, etc., etc. There are also several ways to do grafting, but the end purpose is to grow the desired plant/tree.

Hi Erasmus: I learn from what you wrote above, thank you. Forget-me-nots like clay soil and cool wet spring. Kim is right that it can be invasive, it spreads to a HUGE patch in my Mom's 5-acres land. She also has a peppermint and spearmint patch the size of a master bedroom. Mint is super-invasive. Below are the invasive plant which I tortured myself with before I discovered fragrant roses: 1) Mint - 5 hours to kill. I gave to my neighbor: they spent the entire Saturday killing those idiots. 2) Zebra Grass, or Ribbon-grass. It took 3 people to dig up the super-deep-root clump, and 1/2 hour per clump. 3) English Ivy ground-cover. This should be banned from the planet earth. They are known to destroy mansions, choke large trees to death.... if you plant too close to the window, they can crawl inside and choke you to death while you are sleeping (just kidding). I spent 40+ hours and 1 year killing them, plus spraying Round-up into my house foundation to get rid of the roots. I was cursed eternally when I bought English Ivy for $10 from HomeDepo. 4) Pink Yarrow - I was shocked when I saw HomeDepo selling this. My Mom gave me 1 branch, it spread even to my lawn. I spent 1 year and 50+ hours killing them. They spread both by roots and by seeds. 5) Gout weed - this makes a stinky ground cover. 10+ hours killing them. Purple and white alyssum are the best ground cover, since they are annuals, and don't spread to one's lawn. 6) Italian Parsley - 1 hour killing them. Now I sink a plastic bucket 6" into the soil, both ends cut off, to keep mint and parsley inside. 7) Dr. Huey's roots - I spent 1/2 hour digging them up when I killed Knock-outs, that's why I like own-root roses. We have cool and rainy weather for the past 2 days, now Lynnie is red like Knock-out, very much like Jeri's picture in HMF. Lynnie is far prettier than Knock-out both bush-shape and flower-appeal. Annie prefers acidic soil and water for best growth. She was stunt from my alkaline soil and water, and NOT from the frost. Ever since I gave her acid-fertilizer high in nitrogen she grows like crazy: She was super-tiny in June, after 1 month with acidifying the water with used lemon rinds, she doubled in size. This pic. is taken this morning:

I ordered some with a friend of mine, and we will just split the seeds up. I only have a very small area to garden in and seeing as I already have over 100 different kinds of seeds, I should not have even looked, but here is what I got: 1 of [code: 1810] Nasturtium Strawberry Ice @ 0.99 1 of [code: 2591] Sunflower Pastiche @ 0.99 1 of [code: 2789] Columbine Mckana s Giant Mixed @ 0.99 1 of [code: 3044] Sunflower Bees Knees Mixed @ 0.79 1 of [code: 3165] Dianthus Maiden Pink Brilliancy @ 0.99 1 of [code: 3329] African Daisy Jaffa Ice @ 0.99 1 of [code: 6081] Sunflower Velvet Queen @ 0.79 1 of [code: 6444] Poached Egg Plant @ 0.49 1 of [code: 6634] Spanish Flag @ 0.99 1 of [code: 6729] Four O\'Clock\'s Broken Colors @ 0.99 1 of [code: 7075] Pansy Black Moon @ 0.99 1 of [code: 7357] Black-Eyed Susan Cherokee Sunset @ 0.49 1 of [code: 7568] Amaranthus Pony Tails @ 0.99 1 of [code: 8936] English Daisy Rose Carpet @ 0.99 1 of [code: 9009] Foxglove Apricot @ 0.99 1 of [code: 373] Squash : Hasta La Pasta @ 0.99

This was the thread that helped me put a name to the style of garden that I love best. I have been working towards the cottage style for many years and never get tired of the evolution of it. Loved reading them all again today. Cheryl