Good for you Tessa. Nothing like getting a new plant in the ground. I had to forego mine because there wasn't a good bed made for it. So, the weeds consumed it and it disappeared. I hope you'll do better than I did. One day, I'll be starting them again. Were I you and you are working with cuttings, I'd pot them up and get the roots well developed before I put them in the ground. If you have enough cuttings, why not try both and then report back to everyone what you had the most success with. Since we haven't hit our last freeze date, whatever you put in the ground will need to be protected before the last freeze. I planted some Firecracker Plants last Fall and didn't want them to freeze back till they developed much better roots. So, I spent this winter covering each of my 3 plants to insure that they grow and be ready to take off this Spring. Now, those pots had roots, but bowing bound and determined... I'm counting of these being in bloom when the first hummingbird scouts come through Temple and that it all call them to stay long enough until the Turk's Cap starts sending up leaves/blooms. If not, the the red Salvias in that Hummingbird Island will definitely be definitely be blooming as I see greens leaves on most all of them. If you'd like to take some pics of your cuttings and want a little more hand holding, then I love seeing pictures. So, I'm Including my email addy for you: crystalfisher912@.gmail.com . .

I live in West Tn. Two years ago, at a Chinese restaurant where I live, the Chinese lady who owned the place was sitting at a table next to mine, picking leaves off a pile of switches and putting them into a pot to cook. After watching her for a few minutes and wondering what plant the switches were cut from, I noticed the tiny thin thorns adorning the stems as they were being exposed in the picking. Wow! I asked the lady "Is that Goji?" Her face lit up and she asked, "You know Goji?" I told her that I'd been resurrecting seeds from dried berries for about 3 years, but the resulting seedlings consistentky only grew about three inches and died. She took a bunch of the now bare stems and rolled them up in newspaper, handed them to me and told me to put them in water to root OR stick them into damp ground where I wanted them to grow. I took them home and put all of them into planters on my porch. They all immediately started sprouting new leaves. Last year, several put out new plants from the roots a few inches away from the parent plant. Some of them flushed with blooms in late October, just before frost got them. An ice storm this Winter broke off a few twigs, and when I was cleaning up around them a couple of weeks ago, the severed twigs lying under the leaf cover on the soil were putting out roots and tiny new leaves, so they got stuck into a planter of their own. The parent cuttings have grown to almost 6 feet. I'm hoping they will bloom sooner this year. The soil is probably a bit too acidic. Does anyone know the best way to adjust the ph for gojis, as well as how (or whether) to prune them?

Your hubby was smart to get rid of them. That vine looked like briar to me. I couldn't see the tree well enough to i.d. it, but it definately wasn't in a good place, as others suggested. Birds and squirrels stay very busy planting trees for you, so you don't have to. The only problem is that they don't always pick the best trees or the best location to plant them. :-) Sally

Yeah, that's the trouble with the cane berries. I can mess with all kinds of treatments, but with the few shrubs I have and the close proximity they are to my patio living area, it's the "unsightly" factor that is making me want to rip them out. That's why I'm torn, their appearance vs. the yummy berries they do provide. What I should really do is try and find a community garden plot somewhere for my more unsightly loves. That's the real challenge for me with edible landscaping, not the edible part, the aesthetics. I mean a well maintained vegetable garden is a "pretty" thing to my way of thinking, but in the right setting. Somehow for my courtyard, it's a different animal. Yes, I am asking a lot, but that's the fun of it, it's a real learning experience. The raspberries looked great until they became riddled with problems. I'm trying chemical and pruning schemes but it's an uphill road, like you mention Carol. Funny you should mention "wolfberries." I was just thinking about them today. They grow in huge lush hedges around here in the wild. I pass by some along the road on my way to work every morning. They are on a bank next to the road, competing with every kind of aggressive neighbor imaginable. And I was actually thinking about currants too. There is a clove scented currant bush. This has given me some more options to think about, so I won't feel quite so sad about ripping out my raspberries. Like I said, I'm just whining because I look at them every day and fuss with them to no avail, and this voice in the back of my head says, "Chuck them, they are a mess" and then this other voice says, "No, no, I like those raspberries, yum!" Which will win out, my stomache or my eyes? :) The whole yard is due for a major overhaul this fall. I'm tearing out one wild rose that was a case of "good plant, wrong place" since it is sending out runners into my neighbors yard, plus it wasn't that pretty. I gave most of it away to the arboretum where I used to work, but have to root out the last of it. That's why I'm thinking that spot I pictured above might be good for another rose. At least the runners can't get to my neighbors garden from there. Luckily they are patient with me, since they like to garden and have their own rose and grape battles!! There is another rugosa, called "Snow Pavement" which is supposed to be a bit smaller, but I haven't seen that one in years. I know those landscape roses would be perfect for my yard, but they aren't as fragrant and don't have the large hips. I gotta have a rose though, due to my last name--Rosenberg, which is where I get the "pinkmountain" from. Decisions, decisions. Lots of great options here! I may have to mail order though. As a side note, I have just been hired to teach a horticulture class at Temple Ambler!!! I am sooooo excited. What a geat place that is, they have an absolutely gorgeous arboretum. I'll bet I can find someone down there who would know where to get some of the less run of the mill plants. I'm in seventh heavan, surrounded by plant weenies!!!