Bruce, I don't know where that 20% figure came from - I've never seen that allegation before. Not saying it's not true, just that I've never heard it - got any documentation? My own experience with grafting pawpaws on containerized stock - and even on established, in-ground seedlings, is that quite frequently, they'll go along for 2-3 years, then die back to the ground and throw up a vigorous new shoot from the roots. If this happens with a grafted specimen, you've lost the variety and now have an unnamed seedling - usually of unknown parentage. Early writings that I've seen from folks like Corwin Davis and John Gordon suggest that a significant % of pawpaw seedlings grow up to produce fruit very similar to that of the 'mother' plant; hence my suggestion that arctic make his/her original forays into growing them with seeds/seedlings of named-varieties, in particular those originating in northerly climes and with short maturation times. John Gordon(Amherst NY) has indicated that if he were a young man starting over with pawpaws, he'd plant seeds of named varieties, select the ones with the largest leaves, and plant those out, rather than investing a lot of money in grafted varieties.

Hi, vgkg. I wouldn't think that disease would be limited to the north. I believe that fusarium wilt was first identified in South Carolina or somewhere like that in the 1880s. Anyway, What I have observed is that watermelons and cantaloupes do splendidly well the first two years in a new location if well cared for. Then the next year they just don't thrive as well and cannot seem to finish up the fruits with full flavor and vigor. The next year some of the plants die suddenly of classic fusarium wilt about the time the fruits set on. Then what I have had happen is the next year the watermelons do splendidly until the fruits are 2/3 grown and whammy, the whole patch wilts in unison on a hot day. They recover at night , but every hot day they grow worse until most of them die. A few regrow from the center, but are too late to finish good sized fruits. Purdue calls this Mature Vine Decline [Sudden Wilt]. I didn't have that problem in the old melon patches last year, but a new problem that looked nothing like any pictures of melon diseases. The melons again grew splendidly until the fruits were well along. Then one plant on the end got yellow leaves in the center. Further out on the vines the leaves were mottled yellow and green. This developed until the leaves fell off. Then a neighbor plant got it and then the next one got it until one by one the whole row had it. This happened in all three locations. I belatedly used a fungicide Anyway, most of the plants recovered and started a whole new growth from the center and set on more fruits and were extra healthy. In my new location the melons were exceptional in size and number...see not diseased. Some commercial growers fumigate to get them through the season. I cannot do that. Even the big growers have all the fungals they want and more and they watch and spray like a hawk.

I have Royal Red,a seedling type from a friend, unknown left by previous owners,Pink Delight, and Dubonnet. I have lost a few BB's over the years while living in the same area - a Pink Delight and a Nanho Purple. Royal Red is NOT red, but more like a fuschia. It is now a year old and has come back fine. All my others are at least three years old or older, and I've had a lot of success. It it were me, I'd look for the largest size plant that you can find at a reasonable price. And just keep trying until you get one that likes where it's planted. Definitely mulch. I think if you can keep it over at least one winter, you'll stand a better chance of having it for a long time. I never trim mine back until I see new bottom growth in the spring - it may be as late as May. And, stay away from Nanho varieties. They are not hardy here in zone 5/6, so would probably not be hardy for you in zone 5. Linda

I have had good luck with English Delphinium (Delphinium elatum--seed from the Delphinium Society in U.K.). They are 4 to 5 1/2 foot beauties that get semi shade in the hot Chicago afternoons. After trial and error, I got most of mine to overwinter (for 6 years so far) by giving them excellent drainage and making sure no stray leaves or plant material make them soggy over the cold months. They like rose food. Also, they like 2 or 3 tablespoons of powdered lime. When I feel a plant might be in competition with tree or shrub roots, I sink a 16" wide plastic pot into the ground and fill with planters mix, some coarse sand, a little lime and a little blood meal. They thank me with beautiful leaves and 2 flowering cycles. (You have to cut back the depleted first blooms to get the second blooming). They get water from a drip hose , along with my roses. If I mulch, I never put the mulch within an inch of the crown (stems). This is one plant that will rot if the crown gets too wet. The biggest challenge is preventing wind damage, rigging stakes and cord that actually do the job and aren't too obtrusive. All the books on delphiniums warn against ruining the root system and crown by placing the stakes too close in, but none say how to avoid the ugliness and unnatural appearance of the stakes. I keep waiting for some clever person to invent something, some almost invisible corkscrew-like thing that will not touch the base of the plant. I've wracked my brain, but I guess I'm not that clever person. They're pretty easy; they've never had a disease problem (unlike the roses!) and the only work is the necessity to stake.