I have not noticed the helianthus family requiring much in the way of sratification...so would hold off planting them until late February. Astonishingly, there are NO woodland sunflowers available as seed or plants in the UK or EU - helianthus strumosus is the nearest I can get through B&T world seeds - so it would be new to me and I will have to check the germination requirements. I usually sow seed at the approximate time it would ripen in the wild...unless it was from a tender plant..but with a limited supply, my default sowing times are usually early spring. I sincerely doubt there will be any need for heat, lights or any special treatment other than sowing half a dozen seeds in a 5inch pot of a reasonable friable potting mix, covering with a layer of fine grit, watering and letting them get on with it in some sheltered spot outside. I would probably cover the pots with a perforated seed tray, enough to admit some light but keep out foraging birds and insects...but hey, we should have a communal sowing session and keep each other up to date. Seeds are cheap, addictive and completely thrilling. I stumbled upon a Pictorial Meadow seed mix display in the week around some municipal tennis courts on one of the college greens...just as seeds were nicely ripe...and filled all my dog poo bags with seed heads (at least 7 of them) in a maniac redistribution/scavenging session (even collaring a couple of passing children to help).

Earlier, some of you were discussing the beautiful small towns that have been abandoned...and that's true in our area, too. Maybe not as much as the Mid-west, but the mountain areas (eastern Washington state) also has large farming areas, with many abandoned small towns. I know many people move to the 'coast' because that's where many of the businesses (and jobs) seem to be. But, in the age of computers...why aren't more people moving to inexpensive, lovely and green towns...and faxing in the work? Just an observation. As for the drought, I am so sorry that your water is being shipped off to parts unknown. We pay higher electricity rates, because much of our power is shipped to California, so I know a little of that frustration...especially with our winter heat bills skyrocketing. When you have snow and below zero temperatures (and too many cloudy days for effective solar) you have to pay the electric bill!

I put down plastic mulch and row covers on valentines day and have tomatoes up to my knees, and will pick the first summer squash this week. Pepper transplants just sat there and so did basil , watermelon transplants lost vigor and I pulled them an put in more tomato plants. I potted the rest of the peppers up because I don't want to lose them. They are going to be big when they finally go in. Leeks at various stages and short day onions and intermediate day onions are going...mint is good to go. I am going to put in bush beans and italian purple pote beans today. It's a little bit of a gamble, but oh well, It seems worth it. There is one 38 cell flat of lemon cucumbers, marketmore cucumbers and butternut squash each that will go in in about a week. A variety of summer squashes too, in a cold frame in 4" pots. I can still do cabbage and broccoli and have lots of those to go in. ..not sure if I want to bother with direct seeding root crops ....any thing not transplanted is always so vulnerable to pests and requires lots of defensive strategies since I live in a wild land area. I have a table garden with lettuces , mustard, kale and arugala...and am going to try to keep those kinds of greens going at least until tomatoes are ready . One last thing starting is a sweet potato for slips. Probably end up doing more, or buying some ...this will be a first!

It's not a graft, I damaged it when it was young . . . . . I won't say how. That Table Mountain Pine near Blacksburg is spectacular, I wish I had it growing on my property. There is a very old Virginia Pine growing in Cherokee County, Georgia, north of Atlanta, that has been named "Ancient Wonder". I can't find a picture of it on the internet but there is one in the book "Landscaping with Conifers and Ginkgo for the Southeast". It is a beautiful tree estimated to be around 150 years old, you can read more about it at the link below. Thanks for uploading those pictures. Jim Here is a link that might be useful: Saving a Rare Tree