I would like some of your Lycoris Radiata. All I have to trade is: a piece (not too large of a piece) of a canna with a red flower (might be able to look for the name of it), hostas that have solid green leaves and white flowers, culinary sage plants, forsythia cuttings (not sure if rooted in the ground), possibly Swedish ivy cutting. I can add the following seeds - basil, dill, parsely, short marigold, red sage (not edible, but attracts hummers) and datura seeds that grow purple on the outside, white inside of double blooms. I don't think I can send you an email since there looks to be no link on your member page for that. But, that is ok, just send me an email and/or post here. I'll check back.

OK Here's new mutant and other circle shots! The circle, blooming out...do I see a Minerva?? Jodi, what do you think?? From Amaryllis 2008-09 From Amaryllis 2008-09 I am thinking maybe the frost caused these white markings From Amaryllis 2008-09 GROUND BOUQUET From Amaryllis 2008-09 OK this guy invites himself and wifey to my Florida Forum plant swap and says he will do a demo on Amaryllis...then he brings all these tubs of what he calls "rare bulbs" to sell at my swap. You better believe my GardenHoes got on him and made him GIVE ME, the hostess, a bulb. They also told him this was a SWAP not a SALE!! He called this black something or other..it is beautiful...very rich, dark red From Amaryllis 2008-09 he also gave me a Madame DuBrant Saint something or other bulblet... Then there is THIS GIRL(foreground) It is looking more like something I would not throw out into this bed...thought maybe it was the Lowe's 'White' bulb, but no it has some green, nice veining...?? Maybe tomorrow will tell. From Amaryllis 2008-09 Minerva?? Jodi?? From Amaryllis 2008-09 And some Apple Blossom detail From Amaryllis 2008-09 OK GOtta Go I got to go to work tomorrow GOODNIGHT ALL!! Wash your faces and say your prayers!

Thanks everyone for the nice comments. The beads took a lot of stringing, putting down glue and laying them out. When kind of set up I would use a toothpick to make sure they were straight. The seed beads I just used weldbond - need to fix them though with some mac glue or something that will work better.

I am a former Clevelander, though I grew up on the near east side. I also wouldn't use Virginia creeper as a groundcover. In my yard it tends to grow long distances between leaf nodes, so it's difficult to keep in bounds and there isn't dense enough leaf cover to keep out weeds. You do know that until the groundcover is established densely, you will need to mulch, right? And that even after it's established, you will want to keep on top of the weeds since once they get a foothold it's more difficult to get rid of them. Your maple is a Crimson King Norway maple (Acer platanoides) and so it will have a root system that eventually will be difficult on the plants you put in. Plan on regularly watering and feeding this bed as the maple gets larger. I would perhaps plant a vigorous, lower-growing shrub such as Hydrangea paniculata Bobo. Long-blooming, 3'-4' high, and will be happy in your light conditions now and as the tree grows. Then a groundcover below such as one of the spreading evergreen groundcover Geraniums - such as G. macrorrhizum Album, Bevans Variety or Ingwersen's Variety, or G. x cantabrigiense 'Biokovo', St. Ola, or Karmina, all of which combine evergreen foliage, spring flowers, and for several, fall color. They are tolerant of drier conditions once established. IME Crimson King grows s-l-o-w-l-y so I wouldn't hold my breath on its shading the patio and house any time soon. There was one preexisting here and though we've been here 20 years, it probably isn't much over 20' tall and 10' wide. There are plenty of other trees in the vicinity that have grown much faster, including red maples (Acer rubrum) and Hemlocks (Tsuga candensis), and it is in a spot with good soil and adequate moisture.