Holly I think I got lucky with the 3 icebergs. I had driven down to the large rose supplier to pick up the main roses for my new bed (5 of them) and since I had to use the freeway interchange right by Lowe's, I decided to stop for a pair of Russian Sages since I could not find them locally and they were listed in their ad. There sitting with the roses were a few 1g pots with 3 small icebergs started in them. All were listed as Iceberg-Brilliant Pink-Burgundy. I left the elastic tags on the plants just so I could figure them out later. I think the darkest is a bit close to hot pink, but with so much white they really are Brilliant Pink. I prefer the paler pink but if you are doing a bright colored bed, I think either would be fine. Like many, I have a love hate relationship with Icebergs. I hate that they do so well and are so common-loving the unusual and uncommon. But I LOVE that they do so well, bloom so well, grow so fast, seem to not care where they are planted. The two 1g's I bought last season are just as happy as the rest of the bed, even though they started smaller and do not get the care that the rest of the bed gets (less water-more heat)

I have the following that I'm bringing to the swap or we can arrange a special trade: aloe- houseplant Porch Peach tree corn plant, 1 stalk- houseplant Easter cactus- very big Thanksgiving cactus- not sure of the color avocado plant that I caught growing in the compost 2 plum trees- these aren't coming to the swap- too big! I'm sure I have more.... If you don't have plants, you're welcome to just bring food... Plantbug suggests CHOCOLATE!

Welcome to NC. Gardening in the Charlotte area will provide plenty of new opportunities as well as a seemingly never ending string of challenges as you will discover. Bring as many plants as you can fit . As far as Picea pungens and Fagus, I grow both and they have never missed a beat here in SC just over the border from Charlotte. Abies, however, you might leave behind unless they are on a southern compatible rootstock. A happy Fagus that didn't get the memo about it not liking the South.

I will check... It's too early and cant remember last year's color change! The sugar maples are abundant here so you have to look carefully into the canopy to make sure you're not mistaking them. I will say that a red maple (no idea of the cultivar) is planted on a home down the street from me and it doesn't look that hearty/heathy... not a thick canopy of leaves and the color is not great (in the 3 years I've been here) - it's pale reddish/yellow color... nothing I'd want to plant. Anyhow, all this fuss over the a. Rubrum and i might end up planting something else altogether! Now I am thinking black gum, particularly Nyssa Tupelo Tower as it seems to be cold hardy and the narrower growth habit might actually be less overwhelming down the road... plus, the colors are supposedly very reliably beautiful every year... The spot is periodically wet (close to water table) and even in dry summers it's a moist spot. My understanding is that the Nyssa like moist (even wet) sites