Oooh, total scoop on that DR! What a trunk! The other thing is really cute, I didn't think it was a fig, similar leaves though, so what came to mind. Papyrus. It's interesting (nicest thing I could think to say.) Failing to find tha love for it... Yes I have lasagna'd, too many times to count, here and in OH. I don't know which of the grasses we have, there are several kinds, but it's a vine. I think St. A grass is rhizomatous, if not a vine also. (My comments to follow are about tenacious southern grasses, not the stuff up north...) Sometimes pieces 4 feet long come up when I pull what I think is a sprig. Anyway, it's not easy to kill like rye or fescue grass in OH. It has to sit in a pile for like 3-4 months to actually die enough to even compost. If it doesn't stop raining, I may have to put all of the recently removed grass in a plastic bag... at least it takes so long to make seeds, we rarely get any. Compared to tilling'n'picking'n'sifting, or straight digging, I prefer it every time I can find the patience to wait. You're right, you can't trust one layer of cardboard to do the trick. It's not heavy enough, and some light can get through. I've pulled pieces of this grass near a corner of the house that have gone under the house (dark, skirted) for several feet before finding a way out of a crack on the other side. I put 2 layers of cardboard, then a lot of heavy, wet stuff to make it conform to the soil surface, and be too heavy for anything to push through. The potted plants were originally holding corners and edges but as I've accumulated more OM to put there, I've just set them on top of that. And that's (grass staying alive under there so long) why I'm not planting in it until next spring. I don't want to pull/dig grass there, and won't trust that it's really dead until then, especially the bahaigrass. That stuff has big, tough rhizomes and there's quite a bit of that too. Before planting, check to make sure it's dead with this tenacious grass even if it's been months, and cut all the way around with a shovel, well before planting, to make sure none of it is still secretly alive from being attached to the surrounding untouched grass. I've discovered pieces alive on one side, looking dead as it passes through smothered area, and still alive on the other side, still connected. This cut will also make sure the border works without starting out with unknown live grass under it. Expose a small part for a couple weeks and make sure grass doesn't start growing (after the yard wakes up, if it goes dormant where you are.) Sheet metal seems to kill it faster, if you have any, but then you're at Sq-1 when it's removed, naked dirt that hasn't had something decomposing over it for a while. Nice clean edge tho! Also like to make beds wider by laying the (yet intact) bags of mulch I will spread there later.

florence, they are absolutely stunning. i love azalea's and havng them lining my property line on the south side of my house. i am eyeing an orange one on two properties that i drive by on occasion and i keep thinking that in the dead of night, i'm going to get me a "sample" and propagate one. i have also seen them in yellow. i love that you keep them natural. my neighbor prunes and shapes (if you want to call it that) his and they make me cringe. i have never heard of kerria. as a matter of fact, i don't think i've ever seen it either. that is just gorgeous. thanks ever so much for sharing. just lovely pictures. maryanne

So, does any of you have any Molly The Witch to trade or sell? I have an unknown single yellow that was given to me and I do not know if it is Molly The Witch. It is budding and will try to get back here with pictures. My peony called Flame blooms more than 2 days. Looks like I need to post some pictures. Stay in touch. Peony addict has 140 named varieties of peonies, always looking for one I do not have.

Excellent suggestion, Carol. I usually keep all the big jugs anyway, because they are so useful for mixing plant food and so on. They are in use every day to haul water to the chickens, and I keep some of them full in case the power goes out and we lose the pump for any length of time. It's just habit. The other containers I use are the big dome-top ones that hold a roasted chicken from the deli. We don't buy them very often, but I always save the containers. They make the most perfect little instant greenhouses for starting seeds, and they're easy to move around when necessary. Free is always a nice attribute as well. If I'm paying for the chicken, I like the added bonus. One of the things I didn't mention in the original post is layering. I've had excellent success in layering azaleas, and of course honeysuckle likes to layer itself if it gets the chance. Has anyone ever done any air layering? I've found it to be useful when it would put too much stress on the plant if I tried to pull or train a branch down for the traditional method. So far my trumpet vine does not appear to be multiplying, and I'm grateful. It's fine where it is, but I don't need any more volunteers showing up. Pat