There's also the houseplant section at any Home Depot type of store. They might have a nice red Cordyline (Ti plant), and they can grow to a nice size. Just plunk the plant in the soil, pot and all (make sure it has large holes at the bottom of the pot), and pull it up for a nice houseplant in the winter. If you're looking for perennials for that spot, that's a lot harder to fit the bill. A few suggestions (some of them might be hard to find, but you never know): -Cornus sericea - red twig dogwood (might be taller than what you want) -Berberis thunbergii - Barberry (dwarf varities are available) -Astilbe chinensis 'Vision Red' (there are many dark leaved Astilbes out there) -There are tons of dark leaved Cimicifugas out there too - 'Hilside Black Beauty' is a very common one. (These might be listed as Actaea in some places - they've been renamed to that from Cimicifuga, but it hasn't quite caught on yet) BP

At this time of year, perfectly normal. Probably the worst time of year you could select for tree planting. Your tree has transplant shock. Just keep it properly watered and you should be OK, providing the rootball itself was thoroughly hydrated before planting. If not, I'd dig, rehydrate properly, then replant. If your current weather is warm and dry, I'd bump up that watering frequency to at least 2 times a week, soaking the planting area thoroughly and deeply each time. Next time, do NOT plant trees in August, do NOT amend the planting hole (whatever soil comes out goes back in without additions) and do NOT add bonemeal or any other fertilizer at planting time. Nurseries often give out very poor and outdated planting advice.

Thanks macranthos. There were hundreds of these plants. They were in one of those special places where rare plants are often found, so I didn't pick one for examination. They're definitely not Lactuca. As said in my original post, leaves were clasping and alternate. They were also soft, and rounded at both ends. This will be easy once the flowers appear.

It is not possible to identify a brug without a DNA testing, and quite frankly, if I like it, I don't care whether it has a name of not. I cannot tell for sure but the leaves look serrated, are they? The only two I am aware of in the yellow family with serrated leaves are Dr. Seuss and his son, Charles Grimaldi. You might look these up and see if the properties are the same. BTW, the brug pics posted on this thread are gorgeous.