I remember seeing this post or one similar to it a few months ago, and I did a bit of research, but I think that the African Spider Plant is NOT the one that most of us have grown as house plants at some point, and I also think that the number of them that would have to be planted in/around/among the canes of the rose would be an impossible and improbable task. The facts are correct (thank you Henry), but the implementation isn't actually going to do any of us much good.... IF I remember correctly, and now (I know I should have done it before I started this post) I'm going to trot off and do that research again.... Susan

We don't have any hickory trees, but we do have several black walnuts on the land we live on, and have had good success with juglone tolerant perennials near them. I agree with gardengal48 that you may experience more of a challenge from the roots of the trees interfering with planting and moisture more than the juglone. Growing from seed may make the landscaping process easier, rather than trying to dig holes for larger nursery container plants. Here are some links to some lists of juglone tolerant plants. Keep in mind though that sometimes various lists will contradict one another about what is juglone tolerant and what isn't: http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1148.html http://wihort.uwex.edu/landscape/Juglone.htm#Trees&Shrubs: http://www.wvu.edu/~Agexten/hortcult/fruits/blkwalnt.htm http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/430/430-021/430-021.html You may want to try to select perennials that also tolerate dry soil, depending on much the trees root systems are dominating the land you live on. Sometimes I find it helpful to research the natural forest habitat of trees...what forest-expert types usually call the "forest alliance"...and then look for the plants that naturally grow underneath them what's known as the "understory" or "herb layer". These types of native plants will likely grow the easiest and require the least maintenance. Not sure what kind of hickory trees you have, but if they're naturally growing in your yard, they would be one of the Caryas...possibly Carya ovata (Shagbark Hickory) or maybe Carya glabra (Pignut Hickory). Depends of course on what area of the country you're in. Here's some info on forests with hickories in Maryland: http://www.dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/Md_Veg_Com/10_.asp Look for what's listed as growing in the "herbaceous layer", "herb layer" and "shrub layer" and you may get a better idea of what will naturally grow well beneath hickories.

The rhizome contains genetic information that will duplicate the parent plant. when you take a leaf cutting, the whole reproductive process changes. Just one cell from either I, II, or III will begin the rooting process but that one cell only contains the genetic material coding for whichever layer it comes from. The rhizome contains all of the genetic information from the parent, instead of having to start from scratch at just one type of cell. many African Violets are this way, chimeras. You can reproduce the plant only if you have a full crown (with all the genetic information, including the mutation) but if you take a leaf and try to propagate a new plant, it will not be true to the parent and will lose some of that genetic coding along the way. The cells in the leaves are very simple. They are to do one thing, and one thing only. Now, the cells in the dormant buds contain a different type of cell, one with much more potential than just a leaf cell. imagine it as if the dormant buds are similar to human stem cells, they can grow into almost any type of organ or tissue. Humans can't regenerate limbs (or bodies) so that example has to stop there lol. But with starfish (sea stars!), they can grow a limb back, but if a limb is ripped off, unless it has part of that central core (body), then the arm cells don't have enough genetic information to create a new body. The difference is the TYPE of cell used in starting the plant, whether it's a "stem cell" that holds information for the whole plant or just a leaf cell that is specialized and only holds the genetic information for its layer of leaf cells. That's probably going to be really confusing. It was kind of all over the natural world lol. I love biology though, so I enjoy our conversations!

Some American spiders can get really big compared to the tiny ones we have over here. I was so fascinated by a giant wolf spider (probably) on my temporary house in Madison, WI and took a picture of it to show people back home. The photo is in my US travel album but I will not show it to my eldest grandson who is scared of spiders. Secretly, as he's a big boy of 19. The other day my 13-year-old granddaughter came to help me in the garden as part of a fundraising project in her school. All went very well until I asked her to remove weeds between pavers on the patio. She stiffened in panic and said some disgusting yellow ants had come up and we had to go inside. Her parents have really failed! Her father, my son, was a commando soldier trained in the forests of northern Sweden, her mother is a nature guide.