Even by tissue culture, propagation is a slow process; hence the higher prices. BUT you should be able to pick up gallons anywhere from $12-$20 depending on variety and nursery. Of course, dark-leaved varieties are slower growing. General info: The plants formerly known as Cimicifuga are typically later bloomers, get huge, and have seed pods as opposed to berries. They like some afternoon shade, but should be in a bright location with some direct morning or evening sun. They are typically woodland edge/savana plants. They don't want to be dry, but I don't find them to be water hogs once they're established either. Treat them like most plants and the'll be fine. They can tolerate full sun with extra water. I highly recommend A. 'Black Negligee' as it has been the fastest growing dark-leaved variety I've tried. Actaea pachypoda, rubra, and a few others are the baneberries. I often see 'Misty Blue' being listed without its species name; it is a form of A. pachypoda. A. pachypoda gets white berries in summer. A rubra gets red berries, though there are white-berried populations. A. nigra is european and gets black berries. They are spring blooming woodland plants and tolerate shade very well. They all have white flowers followed by berries, either red, white, or black. All berries are poisonous. I find them growing here in maple/beech forests, which tend to be very dark. They get 2-3' tall depending on species and variety. A. pachypoda tends to be taller and more upright @ 2'-3', A. rubra is more bushy and shorter and closer to 18"-24". Best bet for success is rich soil with lots of organic matter and even moisture. Some morning sun is good for vigor, especially with A. rubra, but afternoon sun should be avoided. Currently the only one I'm aware of being vegetatively produced with any regularity is 'Misty Blue'. The rest are either seed grown (and fairly expensive- it takes up to 2 year to germinate the seed and another 5-7 years to be a salable plant) or wild collected. Wild collected material should be avoided unless you can certify it came from a construction site rescue. Plant to pay $10 or more for 4.5" quart pots for A. rubra, somewhat less for A. pachypoda as it's a bit faster growing. Both groups are easy to grow, but require some patience. The Plant Geek www.confessionsofaplantgeek.com www.botanophilia.com www.facebook.com/botanophilia

Great suggestions, I'm trying to narrow down the list. There are huge mature maples on the city way, so I have to correct my earlier statement in saying that this area receives morning sunshine...this area gets only slight afternoon sunshine, and not much indirect sunlight. I also have a bleeding heart. This will probably be the first year the roots go undisturbed as I've moved it around in prior years. Flora, great landscaping. I wish my bleeding hearts looked like that. Melissa, great suggestion. I'll consider another bleeding heart if I have the room. My ferns don't look as nice as yours. :( I've seen Hakonechloa in pics before and liked it, though I didn't know what it was. I'm not particularly a fan of ornamental grasses in my landscape, but I do find this one attractive, something to consider for the shade. Of the taller suggestions, I'm leaning towards goatsbeard, Persicaria polymorpha or Oakleaf Hydrangea, though I've read persicaria has a tendency to be invasive? Oakleaf hydrangea looks like it gets pretty big. I've been looking at Fothergilla Mt. Airy, but most pics that I see appear very leggy and sparse, I otherwise have no knowledge of this plant. From what I can tell, the foliage on Goatsbeard isn't actually 5 feet tall, the measurement is with the flowers, correct? Michael, I like the idea of the climbing hydrangea. I have one on the south face of my house in full sun, I am determined it will do well there. Going on three years and so far so good...too bad they take so long to establish.

Fantastic list of seeds! I think it is just great that you have focused your life on nature at such a young age. I too would love to have 10 (maybe 5) acres someday to plant a wonderland of natives plants, and am already doing that on 1.25 acres. Difference is, my interest didn't come into sharp focus until age 45. :) There are quite a few seeds on this list I am interested in, and I checked your want list and I have a few on that list. Maybe we can do a trade this fall? Just a note - on your want list is Cynanchum louiseae - this is an extremely invasive non-native vine that is becoming a serious problem in the Northeast US. And it has the additional problem that Monarch butterflies will "sense" it is in the Milkweed family, lay eggs on it, and then it will kill the caterpillars because it is toxic to Monarch larvae.

Or the Red Baneberry, Actaea rubra. Either way, an absolutely wonderful plant. Also be on the lookout for Aralia racemosa, American Spikenard. If you don't have it growing naturally, try to find a source (that may not be easy). It grows large but stays graceful, has dark red stems, wonderful berries. You may be on the fringe of it's natuaral growing area. BTW, when I was checking the USDA maps for Spikenard's range, I checked the Baneberries also, and it looks like the Doll's Eyes Baneberry doesn't occur naturally up in NW Minnesota, whereas the Red grows all the way up to Alaska. You'll find out for sure which one it is when the fruit comes. Good luck with your woodland garden. The labor you put in will be well worth it. It's so wonderful to have a shady area at the height of the hot summers!