Ottawan, Its my understanding that it does matter, both scion and stock need to be dormant. Unless you are bud grafting. That can be done when both are in full vegetation. I think budding needs to be done before flowering or fruit set. I'm no expert but I'm definately obsessed with grafting. If anyone else has more info here please share. Thanks, Little John

I have it too and don't have a clue as to what it is. I hope someone can identify, if for no reason other than to know it's name. Leaves are totally different from lantana; more fragile and thin. And yes, easy to pull up but I agree - a dozen more will come back.

from the University of Alabama extension page on this weed: "The flowers appear as tannish, pea-sized clusters at each node. Unfortunately, mulberry weed is in a hurry to produce seed, so flowers usually appear when plants have only three leaves on them. Plants 2 inches tall are capable of producing copious amounts of seed. Larger plants that get missed in the weeding process produce a truly scary amount of seed. According to one source, the seeds are explosively discharged and spread up to 4 feet from the original plant. The first line of defense against this pestiferous weed is to learn to identify it. Then, dispatch it post haste to the trash bin. This one does not go in the compost heap because my pile never gets hot enough to kill seeds. Be sure to pull it before the seeds mature, which in landscape beds, is most concentrated in September and October. Because light is needed for germination, one study found that a 2-inch layer of mulch gave good, but not complete, control. Chemical weed control is easy using any of the direct contact herbicides,"

It's definitely a Mulberry weed. First time I've ever seen it. I'm guessing a bird must have visited the flowerbed and dropped some seeds. :) I sprayed it with Roundup and after it works I'll yank them out one by one. Last week I pulled one out that was about 6" tall. The roots were over a foot long. This could end up being a chore. The heat & humidity is so bad there's no way I could start pulling them up. Maybe just one of them is a Lantana? lol