From my experience with Southmoon it doesn't require near as many chill hours as stated. I've had great fruit set at 250 chill hours last year. If I had to start all over I would grow 5 low chill varieties. Emerald for shear volume of good fruit and it's very low chill, almost evergreen in my location. Sweetcrisp because the fruit is hands down the best overall. Snowchaser for it's out standing flavor and very early crop. Springhigh for a very early crop and high quality fruit. Jewel for volume and great flavor. I guess I would throw in Sunshine Blue as well. The only knock I can see on that variety is it's a pain to prune cause it can over produce fruit buds in a bad way and it's very twiggy. That being said, if pruned right it is a top notch flavored berry IMO but you don't get a bunch of fruit and it's usually small. As far as rooting cuttings, all of the above varieties except Sunshine Blue are patented so it's illegal to do. If you do, don't tell anyone about it!;) One way that I can think of to creat a humid micro climate for them would be a large kids pool with several inches of water. Place bricks or something in it to keep the bottoms of the pots out of the water and place them in the pool on the brickes. Sounds kinda getto but it works. The water evaporating will provide enough humidity in the leaf canopy to keep them happy along with shade for the brutal sun in your area.

I'm in zone 5, 2 hours east of Chicago. My Persian Cornflower is 4 ft tall & just came into bloom this week. The flowers are not huge, but they are interesting. I have Walkers Low catmint that has been in bloom for a few weeks that's close to 4 ft. & it's went crazy in a bush form. Not sure if it spreads like other mints or not. My Black Knight Butterfly bush is 4 ft. so far, but not even close to blooming now. I have one daylily plant that the leaves are 3 ft. tall & the buds are starting to shoot & they will get 4 ft tall. I don't know the name, but it's a peachy gold color daylily. Moonflower can get pretty tall if you have sturdy enough support for it & the huge, white blooms smell wonderful. It's not 4 ft tall now, by any means though.

I have these left. Please see my wish list for trades I'm looking for. Seeds I have to trade: UPDATED Feb 06 Amaranthus love lies bleeding (green) catananche -cupid's dart (P) corn ' mini rainbow' and a black/yellow type Cosmos 'bright lights'(A)-orange " 'cosmic cosmos"(A) dbl dwarf-orange Datura 'black currant swirl' mixed with double purple (identical) Eupatorium 'chocolate'(P)chaffy larkspur (a) blue nigella (love in a mist) dwarf dbl blue and single blue Hollyhock chatter's white (dbl) " 'Nigra' single black " 'Peaches n Dreams'- peach double (p) Ricinus castor bean. tall green leaf, 'carminceta', and pink pod (darkish leaf) (A) Salvia sp. ex. pamirs (P) salvia 'transylvanica'(P) salvia 'victoria' blue(A) all salvia trades come with chaff. sysrinchium -blue eyed grass (p) the below are just in from a swap: These are perennials joe pye weed malva bibo feldho - must be mispelled-no info hibiscus blue flax balloon flower-blue dames rocket annuals/tropicals/bienneial love lies bleeding bright lights cosmos tall yellow marigold dill lt pink hollyhock mimose quadrivalvis- cat's claw datura stramonium 'tatula' nigella agrostemma gracilis 'mila's queen' This list would be a lot longer but I keep giving away my seed as bonuses! Here are things I am growing and they are listed in the order in which they bloomed for me: This is not actually a trade list-although I might have some of these available. Maybe it will give you an idea..... Starting with the first things to bloom and going to the last one. for my zone 5a garden. (A) = annual P = perennial B = biennial _____________________________________________________________________ BRUNIFOLIA - draba, (P) groundcover, 1-2" tall, bloooms yellow- mar16-approx 3 weeks. full sun, slow grower SCILLA SIBERICA - siberian squill, bulb, 2" tall, blooms blue- April 1 for 1-2 weeks, can be sown in lawn and mowed later. full sun IRIS RETICULATA - dwarf, (P) 3-5" purple blooms, April 12 for 3 weeks . full sun 'VON SION" heirloom daffoldil-, bulb 10" yellow April 13- for 10 days. full sun RED BUD TREE, 4 ft tall now, pink april 13 for 23 days .full sun CROCUS bulb yellow 2 " tall. a few days full sun FORGET ME NOT- 5" tall, (P)? true blue, April 13- and still blooming on July 1! Part sun ALYSSUM SAXATILE COMPACTUM - BASKET OF GOLD, yellow, 12" tall, (P)!! blooms second year from seed. April 16 for 35 days. full sun GRAPE HYACINTH - bulb, blue, 4" tall, full sun or part sun, nasty grassy foliage. April 16 for 25 days DWARF IRIS- unnamed purple and white - 10 " tall, April 20 for 30 days full sun CAMASSIA- bulb with lovely purple flowers - 18" sun- april 23 for 20 days May flowers May 5 'DROPMORE SCARLET HONEYSUCKLE"- 12 ft + on 5 yr old plant- orange/yellow, (P) vine sun still blooming- 3-4 months, don't do cuttings- layer to propagate. May 7 'SAMOBOR' GERANIUM (P) 18" in bloom. noteworthy dark variagation on leaves- dusty pink, blooms 4 weeks, sun- part shade, not exceptional may 10 IRISH MOSS, (p) groundcover 1" tall, white, sun- part shade, slow grow, 3-4 weeks may 11 'PURPLE SENSATION' ALLIUM, 2 weeks purple ball flowers 24" tall bulb (p)- can be dried, sun , seeds viable, will make new bulbs slowly May 11- WOOD POPPY 'FLORE PLENA'PAPAVER - strange bushy plant with double yellow blooms. I've seen wood poppy in shade, mine is full sun (P) self seeds a lot!, still blooming 8+ weeks May 11 - CERASTIUM, SNOW IN SUMMER (not snow on the mtn). gray fuzzy leaves, white flowers, pleasant mound, sun, dry soil ok, 8" at most- quick to spread, 5 weeks May 11- DWARF YELLOW BEARDED IRIS (P)1 week- think I'll yank it! May 12 BLACK COLUMBINE with double flower, 3 weeks, part shade. black flowers 18"tall blooms second yr from seed May 12 'GLADIATOR' ALLIUM, taller lighter purple than purple sensation, sterile seeds, will make new bulbs slowly, 2 weeks May 12 'MAY NIGHT' SALVIA (P) purple 24", will bloom first yr from seed, longest bloom for my of salvias- 4 weeks, - then cut back for 50% rebloom-still blooming- july 7 May 12 DIANTHUS- unnamed pink (P) grey /green foliage- which is the main reason I grow it. Tough, drought tol, sun, 4 weeks May 17 BLUE COLUMBINE (P)- 2-3 weeks, part shade, drought tol. self seeds, blooms second yr from seed may 17 GYPSOPHYLIA REPENS- creeping babies breath - white, 4 ", sun, drought tol. seeds viable , 4 weeks May 17 COLUMBINE CANADENSE- native, yellow- red, pennant blooms, part shade, drought tol, also blooms second yr from seed, too tall - 26"- DIANTHUS 'TINY RUBIES'(P) pink pom-pom blooms 2 -3 inches tallBlooms May 19- for 2 weeks Full sun DIANTHUS 'FLASHING LIGHT" (P)(walmart) hot pink 2 inches plant and 4 inches blooms, blooms may 19- for 2 weeks. prostrate plant with darker leaves- a splendid dainthus for tumbling over rocks... DAISY (P)- shasta maybe, blooms may 19 for 7 weeks altho tapers off after 4 weeks. Very self sowing and spreads quickly.will compete against crab grass! VARIAGATED BEARDED IRIS. (P) Hold var. color all season. Full sun. I have several types and they all bloom the same color- light purple and same time, may 19 for 2 weeks. The aroma of grape jelly is TO die for!! I have an unnamed one plus, : iris pallida 'Aureo-Variegata'and Iris 'Variegata (Zebra- striped sweet iris) Bearded iris for me have had trouble with bacterial root rot with our soggy springs, I haven't had this problem with this iris however, don't put it in a wet spot. CLEMATIS "Guillain Blades' (P) vine white 3 inch blooms may 19 for 3 weeks the has cool hairy seed swirls. mine is part sun would be taller if I taught it to climb- label says 12' COLUMBINE (P)- pink may 19 for 4 weeks, 16 inches, part sun- blooms in 2 yrs from seed NEPETA(catmint) 'walker's low' (P) light purple may 19th and still going 7 weeks later. full sun, drought tol, collects bees that act drunk on it. shorter at 20 inches but give it room- 4 ft across! I cut mine back last year and was sorry- it took so long to rebloom- I'm going to leave it this year. propagates by seed but quicker by division. GERANIUM'Brookside and Johnson's blue- (P) I can't see any difference in these two.Neither are truelly blue. sun, floppy so I have them propped by neighboring plants so this way they are 2 ft tall. may 20- and still going so 7 weeks+ SIBERIAN IRIS 'Caesar's brother' (P) purple)only 2 weeks of bloom starting may 25, but the foliage makes it one of my favorite 'grasses'. Less fuss than bearded iris. Grows 24 + inches tall.visitor's favorite. Divides well and fills in quickly. DAYLILY'stella de oro' gold/orange(P) longest bloomer of daylilies 20" may 27 and still going on a few plants- 6+weeks can be seed grown but quicker by division .part sun to full sun. Thinking about trying in full shade- anyone tried it? SALVIA'Blue Queen' (p) self seeds. sun 20" height and 3-4 ft across after a couple yrs. purple/blue color. blooms may27 for 4 weeks. TALL BEARDED IRIS 'superstition' called black but actually extremely dk purple. lost 60 to bacterial root rot. Too much 'fragrance' for vase. 2 ft blooms may 27 for only 5 days sun Silene U Druetts ( P) may 27- still going mid July. White Dr. Suess flowers on groundcover. Mine from seed bloomed after two yrs with all gray/green foliage,came from mom's and her's have variagated foliage. 3" tall. sun SALVIA 'East Friesland' (P) redish/purple may 27 for 4 weeks. new and so short 14" sun LINARIA (A) 'dwarf fairy mix' many colors, bloomed first, now full size mix in bloom ,sun, wintersow, may 28- july 6 weeks if you plant both types. 1 ft to 18" LEMON LILY DAYLILY. These were 3 ft tall blooms with 18 " foliage but new to my garden so bloomed .shorter. Lemon yellow, sun/part sun. Flowers appear to hover above foliage. May 28- 3 weeks If you look at my member page you can link to my webshots for some pics of these gardens:) Toodles Karen

Khalid: Thank you for those nice pics. & I'm impressed at how large and healthy the leaves are. Your Chartreuse de Parme is beautiful, same with Belle E. Own-root roses are much smaller than grafted, and my cold-zone makes roses 1/2 the size of warm-zone. So I have to go with REALL BIG roses if I want own-root in a cold-zone. Some of the wimpy own-roots like Love Song, Bishop Castle, Jude the Obscure are sold for $40 each at Heirloom roses since it takes longer for them to root. The problem with our winter & growing indoor: STERILE potting soil is used, that doesn't have mycorrhyzal fungi for fast root-growth. Rooting OUTDOOR with fast-drainage & loamy soil plus mycorrhyzal fungi resulted in THICKER roots for me. But I have to mix that in a month is advance. If you click on the below link, you'll see how Jobes' fertilizer NPK 3-5-3 (with bacteria & fungi) makes a big difference in Julia Child's flowering. Ingredients in Jobe's fertilizer NPK 3-5-3 are "Protein Hydrolysate from feather meal, bone meal, composted poultry manure, sulfate of potash and various bacteria, endomycorrhizae, ectomycorrhzae and archaea." https://www.amazon.com/Jobes-09426-Organic-Granular-Fertilizer/dp/B002RBGO0U/ref=lp_3032347011_1_10?srs=3032347011&ie=UTF8&qid=1477666753&sr=8-10 Here's what Jobe's fertilizer for roses contain: " A consortium of three microorganisms - bacteria mycorrhizal fungi plus a unique species of archaea that breaks down complex materials." That the same microbes in compost. One person reported the best result with rooting was with coco-coir (for fast drainage) and compost. I like home-made compost better than store-bought-compost (mostly cow-manure with antibiotics, salt, and that nasty quick-lime added to deodorize).