This is a great thread to keep going. I observed the same springtime gap in blossoms that many have mentioned. Dianthus do bloom at the perfect time, so I've been trying to plant them, but haven't had much luck getting them to grow. This year I may just buy some plants and be done with it. I would encourage anyone who has the space, to grow as much Common Milkweed as possible. It is a great nectar source and is the primary species of milkweed that Monarchs depend upon. Because it spreads via the root system, it can bounce back even after being tilled into the ground. Prior to the widespread use of Round-Up, 90% of the milkweed used by Monarchs was growing between the rows of crops and along the roads. Since Round-Up and since the increase in the value of corn for production of ethanol, the availability of milkweed has dropped precipitously throughout the entire Midwest. This is threatening the existence of the miraculous migration. Monarchs will continue to exist in the south and west, but may disappear from the rest of North America. I apologize if I'm preaching to the choir, but I try to spread the word when I can. Hope everyone is having a blessed holiday season. Martha

There aren't many plants that bloom REAL early in spring, Spaceman, but I've seen butterflies and hummingbirds hanging upside down on blueberry blossoms, so if you've got room for a blueberry bush, that might be used. And the fruit is a great bonus! Native/wild azaleas bloom early. I've got LOTS of them in my woods, and I really enjoy walking the paths and watching the early butterflies and hummers nectaring on them. I ordered a winter honeysuckle, a bush whose leaves look just like Lonicera sempervirens, our native coral honeysuckle. This one is supposed to bloom in the middle of winter, we'll see. It's in a container now, and I plan to plant it out whenever the roots have filled the pot, which may be soon. It's supposed to get big, so I'll be planting it on the edge of the woods somewhere, and I wanted it to be big enough to withstand possible deer browsing. Other than than, early blooming roadside weeds are used. Sherry

So oak_Ridge, Hopefully your michiganense seed you put in damp sand in early November have germinated. You might be able to see some radicles (the initial main root from the seed) at the bottom of the bag. Be very gentle, and try not to disturb the sand and keep the up/down orientation of the bag the same. Consider setting the bag permanently in something stable, like a bowl, and from then on grab the bowl and not the bag when handling. You won't see any bulb formation unless the seed is at the soil's edge right next to the bag itself. I know you hadn't realized this before, but since this first WM treatment is the actual germination period, and since the sand has no nutritive value and the seed will be making a tiny bulb, I would be tempted to add a bit of supper diluted liquid fertilizer to the sand. Use an eyedropper so your sand movement is minimal. Chances are it will make the sand too wet, and you'll need to leave the bag open to dry sufficiently. Then close it back up for another month. Being a western species, it will prefer a temp closer to 50F if you have it. Now in the frig as you had planned, still being careful not to jostle the sand. 2 months should be good. Light has nothing to do with the urge to sprout. Many times I have had various genera sprout while in the frig. It is simply a learning experience. 2 months should be fine, and 3 months is running a possible of danger of sprouting prematurely. Or perhaps someone else has some insight here? If they do sprout, you'll have to bring them out and acclimate them to high light (inside) or shade (outside). Outside is better. Plantlets will be too tiny to survive in open ground, let alone with competition with other plants. I recommend pots and bulblets planted as a community, rather than individually. Expect your lilies to remain in that pot, undisturbed for at least one season, and probably two (as I did). Even mature bulbs need to be handled gently as the scales break of easily from the bulb stem. My guess is to plant the tiny bulbs a half inch deep, and as the soil settles and leaves mature put another half inch of soil over. I am sure you realize now the difference between your endeavor and your friend's with the compass plant. He(she) was still dealing with a dormant seed all during and after the cold stratification. Your are not at either time. So you must be much more gentle with easily bruised tissue. Rick

what is the latin name of the narrow leaved variety ... i am familar with hoary puccoon(lithospermum canescens) and fringed puccoon ... pic fringed puccoon: so what do you want to know ? i know they are kind of rare - at least in our area - they have deep tap root - so probably dont transplant well - i havent tried to collect any - so i dont know how easily it is for them to start from seed. the spots that i know of where they are there - there is only one or two plants so i dont want to disturb them .... others may have more experience with them than mine - my spots are spring bloomers - but i have seen them bloom in other areas later in august -