Eric, that cultivar of Phytolacca americana is quite striking. I wonder if it would seed true? Pokeweed is one of the weediest plants on my lot, and one of the few wild natives that competes effectively with the exotic invasives. The same suspects that NHbabs deals with - buckthorn, oriental bittersweet, Rosa multiflora, etc. One other "worst weedy" is the species Eupatorium rugosum which I started from seed. If you think the chocolate version is weedy, you should see the regular green version. Rampant grower and seeder in shade or drought, and none of the critters eat it. At least it's native and the flowers are pretty, and the bumblebees love them.

Macky, your technique is quite similar to mine. I have two matching stainless steel kettles with large strainer basket inserts... this works well for large-scale freezing, since one basket can be cooling while the other is blanching. But rather than fill a sink with cold water, I place a kettle in the sink large enough to immerse the basket, and keep the tap running slowly into it. My well water is cold enough to make your teeth hurt! The cold water sinks to the bottom, and the warmer water is constantly flowing over the top. I stir constantly when the basket is first immersed, for about a minute, then let the veggies sit under the running water. Meanwhile, I strain out any fragments that might remain in the blanching kettle (the wide hand strainers sold in Asian stores work great for this), place the second basket in, and once the water resumes boiling, put in another batch to blanch. I remove & drain the batch that is cooling about a minute before the blanching is complete; by that time the water in the cooling kettle is cold. The other sink holds a colander for draining; but it's not that important to get the veggies completely dry. I initially freeze veggies in square plastic freezer boxes, then vacuum seal the frozen "blocks" into bags (this lessens the chance of debris interfering with the seal). A little water helps the veggies hold together during the transfer. I freeze greens (such as chard) covered in water; this reduces freezer burn. If you don't use a vacuum sealer, covering with water is a good alternative for extended storage. Place the veggies in a ziplock freezer bag, cover with water, squeeze out air bubbles, and seal. Be sure to leave enough room for the bag to expand as it freezes. In my experience, you don't want to use a cheap freezer bag for this, the seam might pop open or leak as it freezes. For me, vacuum-sealed green beans will last for over a year with good quality, if kept at 0 degrees F. A refrigerator ice box generally doesn't get that cold, so storage life would be reduced in the warmer conditions. A small chest freezer is a worthwhile investment if you want to freeze enough veggies for the year. Oh, one last note about blanching. For the best quality, it is best to work small batches. For me, one pound seems to be the magic number... the blanching times tend to match those listed in the Ball Blue Book, which is my reference of choice for canning & freezing. When freezing a new variety for the first time, it's a good idea to do a test batch & check for proper blanching, before freezing large quantities. One tip I've noticed is that when properly blanched, the beans (and most other cut veggies) will sink as they cool.

Walker's Low catmint- Who knew it would get so big so fast? And grow into a thick mat that chokes out everything? I lost a few plants to it before I ripped it out and replanted it in dry shade. It turned out to be a good place since the less than ideal growing spot keeps it in bounds and nothing much will grow there. I didn't plant it, but the neighbors' grass- Maybe zoysia? I was told that it was planted by the original homeowner. It was supposed to fill in fast and choke out weeds, a plus, I suppose, to someone who's yard consists of a few trees and a large swath of lawn. Well, done and done. It left its yard for new lawns to conquer. It spreads by runners and its roots run deep. If you don't get every bit of it, it will be back and choke out everything but established trees and shrubs. Its kryptonite seems to be shade. I have a long list of flowers that don't play well with others- certain asters, daisy mums, dahlias and black and blue sage, to name a few. I can usually find a spot for them where their qualities are appreciated or at least muted a bit. I don't have a lot of space with enough sun to grow roses so that is reserved for roses and rose-friendly plants.

Okay, that makes me feel even better about doing it. I originally wanted to put the rocks in the Pachypodium Lamerei, but it looked so cool I just went ahead and did it to all of my outdoor plants. Will it keep the soil wet longer or is that not an issue? The soil beneath it is just a store bought C&S mix. I've been using it for over 5 years and haven't had a single issue with it so I've been sticking with it. I think the rocks complement the pots and plants too so there that as well. Thank you Stefan for your hasty response. What do scales look like on agaves?