Even by tissue culture, propagation is a slow process; hence the higher prices. BUT you should be able to pick up gallons anywhere from $12-$20 depending on variety and nursery. Of course, dark-leaved varieties are slower growing. General info: The plants formerly known as Cimicifuga are typically later bloomers, get huge, and have seed pods as opposed to berries. They like some afternoon shade, but should be in a bright location with some direct morning or evening sun. They are typically woodland edge/savana plants. They don't want to be dry, but I don't find them to be water hogs once they're established either. Treat them like most plants and the'll be fine. They can tolerate full sun with extra water. I highly recommend A. 'Black Negligee' as it has been the fastest growing dark-leaved variety I've tried. Actaea pachypoda, rubra, and a few others are the baneberries. I often see 'Misty Blue' being listed without its species name; it is a form of A. pachypoda. A. pachypoda gets white berries in summer. A rubra gets red berries, though there are white-berried populations. A. nigra is european and gets black berries. They are spring blooming woodland plants and tolerate shade very well. They all have white flowers followed by berries, either red, white, or black. All berries are poisonous. I find them growing here in maple/beech forests, which tend to be very dark. They get 2-3' tall depending on species and variety. A. pachypoda tends to be taller and more upright @ 2'-3', A. rubra is more bushy and shorter and closer to 18"-24". Best bet for success is rich soil with lots of organic matter and even moisture. Some morning sun is good for vigor, especially with A. rubra, but afternoon sun should be avoided. Currently the only one I'm aware of being vegetatively produced with any regularity is 'Misty Blue'. The rest are either seed grown (and fairly expensive- it takes up to 2 year to germinate the seed and another 5-7 years to be a salable plant) or wild collected. Wild collected material should be avoided unless you can certify it came from a construction site rescue. Plant to pay $10 or more for 4.5" quart pots for A. rubra, somewhat less for A. pachypoda as it's a bit faster growing. Both groups are easy to grow, but require some patience. The Plant Geek www.confessionsofaplantgeek.com www.botanophilia.com www.facebook.com/botanophilia

Great suggestions, I'm trying to narrow down the list. There are huge mature maples on the city way, so I have to correct my earlier statement in saying that this area receives morning sunshine...this area gets only slight afternoon sunshine, and not much indirect sunlight. I also have a bleeding heart. This will probably be the first year the roots go undisturbed as I've moved it around in prior years. Flora, great landscaping. I wish my bleeding hearts looked like that. Melissa, great suggestion. I'll consider another bleeding heart if I have the room. My ferns don't look as nice as yours. :( I've seen Hakonechloa in pics before and liked it, though I didn't know what it was. I'm not particularly a fan of ornamental grasses in my landscape, but I do find this one attractive, something to consider for the shade. Of the taller suggestions, I'm leaning towards goatsbeard, Persicaria polymorpha or Oakleaf Hydrangea, though I've read persicaria has a tendency to be invasive? Oakleaf hydrangea looks like it gets pretty big. I've been looking at Fothergilla Mt. Airy, but most pics that I see appear very leggy and sparse, I otherwise have no knowledge of this plant. From what I can tell, the foliage on Goatsbeard isn't actually 5 feet tall, the measurement is with the flowers, correct? Michael, I like the idea of the climbing hydrangea. I have one on the south face of my house in full sun, I am determined it will do well there. Going on three years and so far so good...too bad they take so long to establish.

Hey Musa, I was thinking of buying some rare magnolia seeds this year then decided not to! Would you share how you sprout them and how long it takes approximately? I lost my sieboldii to this year's heat wave along with some other favourites..But, enough with the drama, here are my poor september blooms, some not fragrant but I'm including them to fill out the season! Colchicum ipomoea alba ..aka moonflower, but couldn't focus on both! my only remaining spring cutting cyclamen coum Jasmin from chios island I believe someone asked about it a while ago but can't find the thread, anyway I believe it is J. grandiflorum basically

My comments may not be much help to you in the Pacific Northwest, but here goes. I obtained a very small seedling of Cercis racemosa from Heronswood in 1996. It was very slow to establish and first bloomed for me in 2002. It is now about 20' tall and blooms reliably every year. I am quite fond of this specimen, but few people who see it in my garden are as impressed with it as I am. Unlike the native C. canadensis, it blooms AFTER the foliage has emerged, so its impact is somewhat subdued. The color is much paler than the typical redbud. My specimen routinely sets seedpods, which turn a subtle shade of burgandy by early summer and persist into fall. I was advised by a specialist at the National Arboretum that Cersis is generally considered to be self-sterile. I have 'Forest Pansy' and a pale pink collected specimen of C. canadensis growing nearby, however they both peak a little earlier than C. racemosa. I have not seen any seedlings at the base of the tree, but I understand that germination is somewhat unpredictable. If I ever get seedlings, I'm no sure what they will be. Unlike C. canadensis, by early September C. racemosa sets easily visible buds for spring bloom. They appear like a rigid catkin. In severe winters many of the buds are killed, but bloom is adequate. I know of several people who have tried to cultivate C. racemosa and all have failed. I would not suggest that I have any special talent. I suspect that it is related to the size of the specimen that I acquired. It was less than 12" tall and 1/4" in diameter.