Have you ever seen the big tall poles with a propellor on them. They produce energy and for most people who put them in they produce more energy then they use and they start getting a check from the electic company instead of a bill. Problem is for most people the amountof money they are saving is not even close to the cost of the generator. (Est. $10-20,000_ With a bill of $500 dollars a month it would pay for itself in four years and then your electric is essentially free. I don't know about electric heat, but I would imagine you may still need more power than a single wind generator can produce. If you plan on staying in your house for a while it may be a worth while investment. In my case (or my fathers case) it would take too many years for the generator to pay for itself than is worth while for us and we don't have that kind of money upfront. It is easier to pay for the electric bill each month which is a smaller cost than the wind generator even though the long term costs are higher.

lavender_lass: Wow, another person with such an expansive garden! Unfortunately, I can't make out much detail in the first two photos (think it's the resolution of my screen) but I can definitely the beauty in the bee balm. What's next to the bee balm a columbine (and if so, which)? Ingrid_vc: I totally forgot to mention the sea lavender too. I've intentionally walked away from it at the garden center thinking I'd never know how to use it but your photos illustrate their beautify wonderfully. I've never actually seen them so tall. How are they as cut flowers? They're really quite gorgeous. campanula: You make me want everything you've listed. Do you have any photos you can share? I'll bet your garden is wonderful. I love looking at grasses in the gardens of others but don't have enough space to allow them to become the plant they want to be. Years ago I planted one and it spread so fast and so large that when I went to remove it, I nearly needed a forklift. I'm in Southern Calfiornia where many uses grasses to accent the front of their houses as they're quite drought hardy and they look amazing. I, on the other hand, wouldn't have room for all the roses and other flowers I need in the garden if I were to grow them. Please do post some photos, if you have a chance, as I know we'd all like to see those beautifies if you have them growing in your garden. Thanks for the great recommendations.

I live in Virginia Beach, VA and posted a while ago about my confederate jasmines surviving here. Here is the latest update: Madison is supposed to be more cold tolerant than the other varieties. For the past 6 or so years they have all grown happily outside in the ground. This winter (since my last post) the temps got very cold (down to the low teens with wind chill causing single digit "feel"). My Madison jasmines suffered tremendously. All of the leaves "burned" and for all practical purposes appear dead. Strangely, the "other" confederate jasmines fared much better. Although some got a few burned leaves, most show not a whole lot of damage at all and are now starting to show bloom growth. The only difference between the two varieties is the Madison was planted on the front of my house and the 10 or so others in the back. I'm stumped but think it perhaps had something to do with the direction of the wind.

I have two on an arbor, that have existed for many years, but the coldest temperature they have experienced is -2°F. When they were very young, the leaves would fall off after very cold temperatures, but as they developed some age, that doesn't happen anymore. There are reports that they are grown in Tulsa, also Zone 6, but may be a few degrees warmer than your location. You might try it in a mostly sunny location protected from cold winter winds, near the foundation of your home or in a chimney corner, with a southern exposure and mulch it heavily for the winter. It can be pruned, after blooming, to maintain a shrub form or have seen it used as a ground cover, but it appeared to me that the blooms were very sparse in that case. I would take some cuttings of new growth in late summer and overwinter them indoors, in a sunny window (4-6 hours of sun), in case your outdoor plant didn't survive, you would have some new starts. Good luck! Rb