Plantlady2 Thank you for responding. From your profile you sound like a Dahlia Master!. My previous gardens never had these problems. For 10 years I always dug them up in the fall and replanted in the spring. They were beautiful. Last spring when I did the planting I didn't have any old tubers to plant. We moved here in mid August and I could not dig any up to take with me. Everything was bought fresh, except the ones that grew from the previous owner. I was digging around in the beds over the weekend. I found allot of holes and tunnels. Maybe Moles/Voles were the demise of the dahlias last season. This spring I decided to only plant the dahlias in large pots to see if it makes a difference. I hate to give up on such beautiful flowers! Thanks.......Dianne

There is a Texas sage with barberry planted at its base in my neighborhood. I've been obsessed with it for months now. Maybe obsessed is a strong word, but the silver foliage of the sage really works with the deep burgundy of this barberry. Even the rugged shapes play off each other in a fierce Texas way. I had a texas sage that came with our house. It was old and died. Not sure what killed it, I neglected it for years and took the purple flowers and the "purple rain" of petals for granted then one year they didn't come back. Wish I knew what happened. Maybe too many dog holes. It was literally growing at the bottom of a chain link fence. sigh c

Any chance you can solarize without causing too much trouble? 3" of compost would probably be enough to get started, especially if you can solarize first, and then till in the compost. Top that with 2" of hardwood mulch, and you're golden. Also, start going to Starbucks and ask them to collect the used grounds for you. They'll give it to you free. Sometimes I'm able to get about 40 lbs from a single trip to the store up the street. If there is a composting facility near you, you might be able to get free compost or free mulch. The city of Allen has a free compost program. The only problem is that you might end up with undesirable results. My front yard in those pics is nothing more than Texas clay with 2" of compost and coffee grounds on top, with 1.5" of mulch on top of that. Also be careful along your foundation. Typically you want to maintain the mulch line at or below 3" from the top of the foundation to prevent termites. I tend to go a little higher - 1.5-2" from the top of the foundation, but our entire property has a 10 year termite warranty. Here is a link that might be useful: Solarize your grass

Mandy, those are very nice photos of the flowers. It is easier, though, for ID purposes, if you also include a full plant shot that shows the leaves, plus identify the general area of the state where your plants were growing. Sharon may have provided the correct ID, but Asclepias sullivantii is similar and both grow in zone 7. Asclepias syriaca has leaves that are moderately to densely hairy on the bottom surface, while those of A. sullivantii are glabrous to sparsely hairy.