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

I would like some purple leaf plum and some glads if you have any left. i have bing cherry and lemon. plus what is on my page.

I'm torn between 'Summer Wine' ninebark and 'Wine and Roses' weigela. Here's a photo of where I want to put it, right at the corner of the foundation. 'Wine and Roses' has deeper purple foliage which I like, but the ninebark has so many assets like winter interest. For context, the plants nearby are 'Lemon Princess' spirea and 'Hummingbird' clethra on the left and lady fern, variegated polemonium, Sarcococca, and 'Cream Cracker' shrub dogwood on the right. Looking eastward from the front door. The purple shrub is Loropetalum. A view from the front. The dogwood shades the area only very early in the morning.

hey any of the foo foo dogwood are questionable in my z5 .... in my experience anyway ... the riversii beech is very slow growing very dark .... and very nice ... you know my feelings on the tricolor beech ... purple plum is nice color.. if you can ignore all its other problems .... ya know.. frankly.. your quest for a perfect year round tree is near impossible .. IMHO ...almost all trees have their glory season .. and then for one reason or another.. start declining ... i am having a hard time with your demand that it be perfect and glorious the entire season.. everything i have.. that you list.. looks ratty sooner or later ... except maybe the copper beech ... but even that tends to have a dark color that is variable by year ... your collection should be large enough now.. that you should become a little more zen in your approach .... and plant things that have a 'season' .. and when it looks ratty.. you have others plants.. with other seasons ... e.g. should i get rid of all my iris.. because they only bloom for a week or two.. and look crumby the rest of the summer.. NOT!!! ... so why would trees or shrub choice be any different ???? ken