@ Lynn - I've only had the 'Little Devil' for a few weeks, as you noted, so I can't say I have had a lot of experience with it, and it certainly hasn't grown much in size as yet! I am not sure what you mean by "bright red" foliage, either - the foliage on this ninebark, like that of Diablo, is a dark, mahogany/burgundy red color. Anyway, the colour of the foliage has not changed, and, to my knowledge, remains this colour until leaf drop. @ whaas - I haven't noticed ninebark foliage going limp in the summer; I have either a 'Diablo' or 'Summer Wine' ninebark in my back yard that has been there for several years and it seems to maintain its foliage just fine during the summer, at least here in Colorado. As you mentioned, 'Little Devil' is a cross between Diablo and Dwarf ninebark. I'll see how it does in the summer - it will get a lot more afternoon sunlight than does the ninebark in my back yard. One of the shrubs I would love to get, speaking of adding a punch of dark colours to the garden, is the Black Lace elderberry, Sambucus nigra. It gets up to 8' tall, however, so I haven't figured out where I can plant it so it can grow freely, but it is on my wish list. I couldn't find the hydrangea you spoke of, the 'Mystical Fire.' Are you talking about 'Mystical Flame?' That one sounds pretty cool - white flowers during the summer and burgundy red flowers in the fall. Holly Here is a link that might be useful: Sambucus nigra 'Black Lace'

The purple flowers at the top of the fence are from Clematis Etoile Violette, a viticella clem that is very easy to grow. It is a very dark purple which is set off well by the very pale pink of the New Dawn rose. The picture was taken June 14, 2007. The bluer purple flowers at the bottom in the shade created by the rose are Zwanenberg Blue Spiderwort (Tradescantia). I just realized that I didn't show you any of the hybrid daylilies that are in the niddle portions of the long narrow bed. Didn't want you to think that there are only the orange ditch daylilies (Hemerocallis fulva) that are shown in the 1st picture! The fulvas (spreading not clumping dls) are in the northwest corner in almost total shade due to the northern exposure and an overhead tree. These started blooming this year on June 10th. The dozen hybrid daylilies in this narrow bed are all new plants and eventually I'll have to move about half of them somewhere else when they grow too crowded. So don't be too concerned about overcrowding your bulbs - most all of us overcrowd something sometimes and then have to move things around. LOL I also wanted to mention that I tried to stagger the daylily bloom (mostly July bloom) in between the early June blooming Asiatic lilies & the late July blooming Orienpets, but tried to keep most things in the same red/yellow/cream color scheme because there is bound to be some overlap. The only exception was the New Dawn rose which is at the far south end near the fence - because that's the only space I have that is big enough. She can put out 20 foot long canes which I wrap around the corner walls on both sides. She has one main flush in early June and some scattered later bloom as does the clematis. The rebloom clashes a bit with the daylilies strong colors, but not enough to matter much. I am just mentioning all this to give you an idea of the progression that goes on in the bed through the season, even though it is a very narrow bed. I still have one cream-colored daylily , copper colored helenium, Orange Perfection phlox (not really orange in color) in bloom, along with some bronze-colored mums that are just starting & some rebloom on the spiderworts and clemmies. Oh, and I forgot to mention some blue berries on the Variegated Porcelain vine which is on the wall between two of the clems. Here are some of the daylilies. With various dls blooming at slightly different times, I get some nice punches of color over a period of about 6 weeks. Not boring waiting and watching for each to show its stuff. Francois Verhaert Larry Grace Royal Frosting Ruby Spider

Two spots...one partly shaded (but mostly sun) underneath dying bushes, the other shade under a tree. Both mulched. Which of these are Spring bulbs i'd plant now, and which ones should I wait until Fall to buy? Where would I buy them? This post was edited by edlincoln on Wed, May 15, 13 at 14:12

How large are your Natives? If they are quite large, 6+ ft. and have been growing in their present location for several years, be prepared for a very long lateral tap root that must be extracted undamaged, if possible. It will usually be as long as the plant is tall and may be intertwined with other shrub and tree roots and can zig-zag many directions! Replant the roots at the same depth as they are now growing, if they will be in similar type soil and apply a thick layer of mulch over the root zone. Keep the soil moist, but not soggy for at least a year after replanting. I would wait until after frost and defoliation, before moving them. Water requirements will be much less, as you will not have foliage to keep turgid. You can move them bare root, if that would be easier. But don't allow the roots to become too dry during the move. Avoid pruning, if possible, as next years flower buds have already been formed then. My Flame Azaleas (R. calendulaceum) that are in mostly shade, do not bloom well, if at all, but the Piedmont or Oconee Azaleas (R. flammeum) bloom very well, in similar locations. I have several species that receive morning sun and several others that are in sun for part of the afternoon. Once established, there isn't much difference in moisture requirements between them and the foliage fares pretty well in each location. (All are magnets for the Black Vine Weevil, Ortiorhynchus sulcatus, a European introducion, that has few natural enemies and is difficult to control)! By the end of summer, the foliage is pretty well tattered from the adults feeding on it. I would recommend a location with some shade in early afternoon (1-4PM) for best results and less watering effort! Rb