Funny about the rooster eating the buds! The Japanese beetles are already getting to some of mine - grrrrrr! Some of the roses are from new bands that I've bought this year and I have been eagerly awaiting the first blooms and then the beetles ruin them (I think I need an Earl here!) Anyway, back to the Brass Band situation.......Teas does not have any more BB's but boy they sure had a bunch of other roses! Of course the only one I wanted was the BB and that one was the one that is gone. I contacted RosesinTulsa (something like that) and even though it is past their shipping time, they were willing to send me the ONE (it's almost funny) that they had left in their field. So now, with the two that were not mislabeled, I'll have three. Yes, I'm going to have to dig up the other roses and make another drive over there. The plants are actually very healthy looking and the flowers are pretty - wish I knew what they were. Thanks for letting me know - when you know! - if your BB is truly a BB! Lynn

Can't speak from experience, but google came up with some links to vendors. Even though I was looking for the rabbit eye, some of the vendors in the first page have hits for the southern highbush as well. Searching on the botanical name can help greatly with results. FataMorgana Here is a link that might be useful: google results

Our house is 10 miles S of the Mason and Dixon LIne, but we lived in SE PA for years. SE PA covers a wide area from just w of Elizabethtown to Easton and southward with lots of warm and cold sections. The Bethel-Shartlesville-Hamburg- Lenhartsville section is the coldest with annual lows about zero to the South of Highway 1 area south-southwest of Philadelphia and southward is the warmest with annual lows of about 4 degrees f. Another factor where it is hilly is not only your elevation, but your exposure to winds and whether you are on a S or N facing hill. Crape Myrtle and Southern Magnolia grow well. Willow Oak and loblolly Pine can be grown as well. Palms, other than needle palm are a very poor investment. In Delaware and eastern Maryland and NE VA (above Richmond) Needle palms and Sabal Minor (in the warmer sections, not colder sections like northern Harford County or northern Baltimore County,) are your only feasible options A few hardy varieties of palm can be grown along the shore areas of Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia (with annual lows near 10 degrees.) Southern live oak can survive under the same conditions as needle palm, but will freeze to the roots until established, and will defoliate/ or partially defoliate in harsh winters. We plan on planting three live oaks at our house in west-central New Castle County, along with several needle palms.

Alison, Thank you! I have a fence that needs softening and indestructible plants are the answer. Since you are shipping iris, the best thing to do would be to ship them bare root and trim down the leaves. Wrap them in newspaper and use a priority express box which is free from the post office. For about a pound of plants it will cost $4.80ish, maybe a little more. They will arrive just fine in 2/3 days. I'd be happy to take as many as you can spare, and pay whatever difference there may be in postage. Do you have paypal? Daylilies are also best shipped trimmed and bareroot dry. Once your receive them, just put them in water for a few hours with a little bit of bleach before planting. Would you like a pound in weight, or would you like more? I'll email you my contact details.