Hi In my area "Costa Color" is the largest supplier of plants to most of the box stores.. Have no idea, but I'll bet it's the shortest amount of time necessary lol Have often wondered what percentage of all their plants actually get to a consumer. I'm guessing that at least 75 percent don't survive the retailer.?? Wouldn't seem very profitable to me but they keep right on doing it so they have some secret lol gary

There is a certain amount of validity to Peggy's point. Organic fertilizers, supplements and soil amendments are not nearly as prevelent in some areas of the country as they are in others. For example, the west coast is very organic-minded and these products tend to be readily available. In fact, my nursery which is organic only, gets requests for these types of products through our online store from all over the country (and overseas!) even though the shipping costs on multiple 12 or 25LB bags of organic fertilizers or amendments are astronomical. However, rather than resorting to hardware or box stores, I'd focus the plea for more organics to the people that specialize in plants - retail nurseries and garden centers. These are the folks who should be promoting and encouraging organic gardening practices.

When I tell someone the age of my plants, I always count from when I planted it no matter how old it may have been from the nursery. I'm sure the trees I've bought weren't in their first year when I bought them, but I call it their first year in the ground. As for whether the lupine will bloom, I bought two potted ones at a nice nursery near me. One of them bloomed that first year but the other one didn't. They were fairly small when I bought them. So based on my experience you have a 50/50 chance.

It can certainly be done......I have an entire garden area under a 60 y.o. lilac tree that I've been adding to over the years (initially this area was just lawn). I have two macropetalas growing up into mine, as I wanted the early season color before the lilac really leafs out well and blooms. Kim, I'm not sure you need to be restricted to type 2's. For one, the bloom seasons will coincide to some extent so you may loose impact from either flower source. An earlier (type 1) or later (type 3) vine could provide extended interest. And I'm not sure I'd be overly concerned about pruning - of the vines I allow to ramble freely through larger shrubs like lilacs or small trees, I tend not to prune very regularly but only when they become too large or messy. As to specific cultivar, I might lean towards a Jackmanii for length and profusion of the bloom season, intensity of color (and contrast with the wimpy lilac color), and the toughness/durability of the vine.