yes, i fight it tooth and nail. i LOVE how it looks, but the problem is it grows so high and thick here that when you cut it you only knock the tops off it and leave the stalks, whether you cut it with a bushhog lawn tractor or pushmower, it always looks the same. when i cut the clover patch earlier inthe week the clover was higher than the top of my tire, yet the parts wehre there was no clvoer the grass was less than half that height! even the main yard part of my yard that has been cut a couple times alreayd the clover is ungodly high after only 6 days growth. if the winds are favorable this weekend, i will put out probably 100 gallons of roundup to kill it off. and yes, it will reseed itself very well. i have seen clover thru the summer in yards that are watered religiously via sprinklers. mine gets water religiously too, when God wants it to be watered he waters it for me. some people LOVE using clover for their yard. i and most other i know personally cannot stand it. but then again, i am in an area of the country that loves bermuda grass and most on here look at it as a weed! :)

I live in the same general area you do. I grow over 400 daylilies and have a number of the ones on your lists. Problem is so many are so new to my garden that I can't give an honest opinion on the performance yet. Here's what I can tell you about the ones I grow... Always Afternoon - I've had for 3 years and it finally took off for me last year. Really gave a show and the blooms lasted a long time. It's really turning out to be a good performer. It just took it's time in getting settled in. Little Grapette - This is another powerhouse bloomer for me. Lots of scapes and lots of blooms and they last for weeks. Pandora's Box - is still just 2 fans and hasn't bloomed for me at all yet and this will be it's 3rd season in my garden. I may have to move it. StarmanÂs Quest - Bloomed a bit the first year I got it then skipped blooming altogether last season. I'll move this one too and see if it makes a difference. Wild Horses - I got this one last year and it gave a real show for a first year plant. This one seems to be a good performer so far. Lake Norman Spider - Just planted this one this week so it's too new to evaluate. So Many Stars - Another one that was new last year and performed very well. Lots of big beautiful blooms held on nice tall scapes. This one is showing it's self to be a keeper. Siloam Double Classic - New last year but gave quite a bit of bloom in it's first season. Not all blooms were double but they were pretty just the same. El Desperado - New to my garden last year but bloomed it's self crazy. This one is already a good performer can't wait to see what it can do when it really gets settled in. Mad Max - New to my garden last fall so I'm hoping it'll perform well this year. Peacock Maiden - First couple of blooms on this one leave a lot to be desired. But the remaining blooms are just gorgeous! Could be because of cool evenings and mornings. Hope this will be a little help with your decisions Joy

Herman2 I laughed so hard at your email! For a fig tree to be 7 years old and has not grown is strange. I've already placed my order to UC Davis for next year. They emailed me and thanked me for the order. But I don't remember if I added the Adriatic. I need to take a look at my order and resubmit if it's not on there. I got one Strawberry and one Chico Strawberry growing side by side. They look the same. However, I'm going to wait till my Chico Strawberry cutting grow this year and see if all 3 are the same. I owe sue some Lamperia cuttings but my Lamperia isn't 24 inches tall yet. But it does have 2 branches. I pinched the tip after the 6th leaf and it branched out. I've been pinching my trees for about a month now and it works great. The main branch has 3 figs on it and growing strong. I'm going to have to air layer the other branch and send it to Sue once it roots because I don't want her to wait till next year for cuttings. It was so nice for her to send me the cuttings and every cutting she sent has rooted and leafed out and growing strong. Thank you again Sue!

ptw--My Vanilla Strawberry was floppy its first year or two also. I propped it up strategically in several places. This year it was much more self-supporting--until all those big pom-pom blooms started taking over the plant. So that a couple of the lower ones wouldn't get stuck with their heads in the dirt, I did prop them up--but most of the plant, as I said, is now self-sufficient. And like you, I planted a Pinky Winky the same year--and not too far from a river birch. Perhaps that is why PW is slower in growth than VS, and lankier (rather than full)--or maybe that just is its nature, but like yours, mine is not bursting with fat blooms like VS is. PW blooms are lagging behind those of VS, and the bloom is longer--more pointed--and narrower than the VS bloom is. PW is beginning to start turning to pink, but it is a very subdued effect for now. Up close it looks quite nice, but it doesn't have the drama and carrying power from a distance that VS does. But you may be right--maybe we should have planted PW further away from our birches--but there is no spot left for me to move it too then--so I guess mine will have to stay where it is. But don't get me wrong--PW is nice--just not a show-off like VS is. Kate