Reading campanulas thread about rambling roses makes me think of all the well meaning worried looks and wrinkled foreheads of the na-sayers & doubters who gaze in obvious criticism upon my many cactus plants and ask how I deal with all those stickers as if I am a crazy person who has a love of pain. Having dealt with both plants, I'd take dealing with cactus any day, all you need is tweezers as opposed to bandages and heavy bleeding. We have an acreage south of the city that has a wooded area that has been overtaken with rambling roses making it dangerous and a lot of work just to walk though it as you look for ways to get from one spot to the next. It reminds me of the Disney movie Sleeping Beauty and the evil spell cast by the witch who surrounded the castle with a forest of thorns. In short camps, my hat is off to you because that sounds like one horrid job making a sissy cactus grower look like piker by comparison in the pain department. We must really love certain plants to put up with such ordeals. Agaves will draw blood but they don't ramble so at least you can watch your step fairly easily. There is a serious arctic front headed our way next week from the typhoon. Here we sit, completely unprepared with trees still wearing their green leaves, most of them not even thinking of going dormant yet are getting ready to be hit hard by January temperatures. Indian summer will turn into deep winter overnight. Maybe the leaves will just fall off and there will be no colors this fall? The shock value may have me reevaluating many things come spring. We had this happen once before, a blast of bitter cold which hit before plants had a chance to harden off. Even the crepe myrtles got knocked down the the ground and had to start over from the roots. Frankly guys, I'm worried not to mention a bit bummed out right now as I sit here in dread. Many dwarf evergreens and conifers will grow here but somehow it always strikes me as cruel, sort of like having a St. Bernard dog fenced up outdoors in July and August panting non stop just to survive the heat. A really severe heat dome will often put them down or nearly so. We lost quite a few in 2011 and 12 around the city. Between that and that traveling nematode or whatever it is that has killed so many pines, there were 100's of dead trees everywhere and it was quite expensive to deal with.

Sadie, I looked at the photos, read the comments, then went back to the photos to see what everyone had seen. I would echo many of the comments. First, lets remember that 'instant' does not happen in gardens such as ours. Even though we know that, I still repeat that thought to myself even after many years of gardening. It's a work of art which we are creating in partnership with unknowns such as the weather, conditions of the soil, and other living things such as your groundhog. (Unfortunately the groundhog does not see it as a partnership.) I must say that I do like the look of your garden. You comment that the Mullein must go, but I have to agree with Stage Rat - it provides a place for the eye to go, height, and is a statement in itself. At this point I'll also mention that it appears the groundhog does not eat it?? A plant I would definitely keep growing since this appears to be the case so hopefully you have seedlings to keep it going since it is a biennial. Don't be scared to move the Peonies. Consider that they are something you want to see when they bloom and their foliage lasts all season so they could be used as foliage fillers for the rest of the year. Again, Stage Rat's recommendation that the crowns appear on top of the soil is crucial for bloom. The Asclepias is nice! Again, another plant the groundhog won't eat since it's poisonous/toxic to them, so you might like to try some Incarnatas or other varieties. There are other plants which they won't eat for the same reason so do a bit of research and see if you would like them in your gardens. I have a deer issue and Monkshood are great plants, Poppies, Foxgloves and others. I've stopped fighting the battle somewhat and now plant things they don't like. Your Yarrow also appears undisturbed and there are many varieties with stunning colors out there. So take a chair and go sit a few feet from your garden. It's actually quite beautiful. :O) That's not to say that everything is where you want it, but consider the plant and what it is doing for your garden then make a decision as per moving/culling based on the adversities you face, bloom time, whether you like it or not, foliage staying power, purpose, etc. Oh, and consider that next year it will all be different whether you change anything or not this year!

Finally had a chance to go thru some of my seeds. For one of the future seed swaps I can send... 4 o'clocks, white and multi color Cardinal Vine (I think someone ask for some of these but I don't remember who?) Mexico Midget tomatoes - I got these originally from someone in Texas many years ago, and have passed them to a lot of people here in NC and it's a great 'tiny' (1/2") tomato. Indeterminate Sweet Dumpling Winter Squash - I do mine in the oven with a rice stuffing and it's very good, or you can do it with the traditional butter, brown sugar and cinnamon/nutmeg. Elecampane Hyacinth Bean vine Valerian Bronze Fennel Blackberry lily Space Master Cuke Rainbow Mix Coleus Cleome Cracker Jack Marigold I'll have more once I go thru the rest. I'm not growing as much from seed this year and I'm going to get rid of a lot. Some things I'd love! Amsonia tabermontana (Bluestar) Oenethera fruticosa, Sundrops Oleander (are there any that are fragrant?) Perilla frutescens, Beefsteak Plant Spilanthes (Eyeball plant) Any Poppies, Sweet Willam or Columbine species gingers? heirloom tomatoes and peppers

What a coincidence this was bumped re: crape myrtles. Because I almost did so myself. I really think they are way over planted (down here), but I also think they are useful plants and wouldn't mind having ONE in the garden. Years ago I bought a supposed 'Siren Red' from a mail order company but was not initially sure that's really what it was. Then later, out of some idle curiosity about whether any 'vintage' cultivars had an equal or even superior red coloring, ordered 'Cedar Lane Red' from Woodlanders. This is the pre-1990s cultivar imputed to have one of the best red flowers. Well, the final result on the color front is that I think 'Siren Red' has trouble developing a good color here - the fact my plant is in some shade doesn't help, I'm sure - but it is an improvement over 'Cedar Lane Red'. But the REAL downer is that 'Cedar Lane Red', died to the ground, while 'Siren Red' didn't. At 0F with as I've noted repeatedly, incredibly deeply frozen soil. I was always skeptical of the claim that guy in Oklahoma was ALSO hybridizing for hardiness...figures like -10F were being thrown around a few years ago...but, it certainly doesn't seem especially tender. So, the 'Cedar Lane Red' is already "bye bye" and I'm keeping 'Siren Red'. You can't really keep space for inferior cultivars, and I needed a spot for X Gordlinia 'Sweet Tea' anyhow. One more sad change to the above: something very bad is going on with Taiwania. Either...delayed winter damage, or root rot, or root rot triggered by winter damage. This is one of my favorite conifers and I supposedly had the hardier form which is rarely offered, so this might just be the worst development of the entire winter. Eucalyptus parvula, Grevillea 'Poorinda Leane',Cistus 'Ledon' and Rhododendron 'Cloudburst' are definitely gone, but those are hardly irreplaceable and for some of them known to be borderline so no shock. If it was cold that killed it, I'm surprised 0F killed the Taiwania because it had really grown well last year, after sulking in a pot for years. I did untangle the roots and maybe untangled them a little too much: but again I wouldn't expect it to have looked so good going into winter, if that had been the case. Maybe it just needed another year of establishment: since it clearly wasn't happy in a pot I should maybe have planted it spring 2016. There's one little branch that still looks semi-alive, but all of the others have dried up and died, so I think it's a goner. Since my post above it's been on an agonizing downward spiral; though I wonder if it was already dead and just taking a long time to look dead compared to my other rarities!