Yes, knowing the timing of the wedding would help greatly .... "So, her picks are Orchids, Lilies, Lily of the valley, tulips, snapdragons and bleeding hearts." ... As others have said, forget about thinking about orchids as something you'd be able to grow in your garden. ... Lilies are a great idea, though tough being able to get the timing right, and also you'd need to plant LOTS of bulbs, and HOPE they'd bloom the first year! Also, this would not be an inexpensive option. ... Lily of the valley, forget about these, unless you know someone who has an established patch ... a new planting would not likely even flower the first season! ... Tulips, sounds like a good idea if you have a spring wedding and the timing is correct. Otherwise, just takes a few days of extreme heat and they'd be toast! ... Bleeding hearts, now these bloom over a longer period, though would be finished flowering in early mid summer or so .... UNLESS, you have some of the smaller flowered fern leaf types that bloom their heads off till frost? ... Snapdragons are likely the best choice of all things you've listed, though not so great if the wedding is early in the season. I'm sorry if I sound rather negative on many of the above selections, though I'd hate to see you do a ton of planting only to be disappointed! ... BUT, BUT, BUT, there's MANY very good ANNUALS you could look into! Asters Ageratum "Lielani Blue" in particular Amaranthus Bachelor Buttons Calendulas Cosmos Rudbeckias Zinnias Sunflowers ... small flowered types ... As with any of the above, select varieties with long stems suitable for cutting. Also, cut some of each as a test to see how individual types hold up without wilting. You don't want a few wilted flowers to spoil the look of your bouquets! HAPPY GROWING! Terry

Irina The Chrysothemis was a plant my wife brought home because she thought it was "cute"lol The label just said Chrysothemis "Black Flamingo" i put it on the seep wall and was glad when it died as it was crowding the Phal orchids. Anyway it came back from death and is certainly a gorgeous plant lol. My shadehouse is only 12x25 so have limited room. i keep it mainly for epiphytes and they always get priority. Funny that I have kept plants for many years but never a gesneriad ,not even an AV lol Guess I'll have to squeeze them in somewhere. They are the happiest looking plants in the whole SHlol After doing some reseach on the family I can see I could fill the whole yard with them.lol. I'm hoping to expand the SH but there are at least 10,000 orchid I've never kept lol Thanks for the info, gary

Hi Livvy and Bella, I love H. ÂEndless Summer too as a matter of fact I had some hardscape work done last fall which entailed the landscaper removing a hedge of thirteen. They were out of the ground for a few weeks and the landscaper insisted on cutting them all back by one third which of course included this yearÂs blooms on last yearÂs wood. I will be interesting to see just how many blooms I get this year. I have bought Hydrangeas from Hydrangeas Plus http://hydrangeasplus.com/home.php a number of years ago the stock was large and healthy but the shipping even then was outrageous. I just ordered for the first time from Wilkerson Mill Gardens a very well known southern Hydrangea nursery http://hydrangea.com/ I will report when I receive the order. Although I have never order Hydrangea Hydrangea http://www.hydrangeashydrangeas.com/index.html I do know folks who have been happy with their order and the shipping from Nantucket canÂt be that bad. You might also be interest in this older thread about Hydrangeas in New England  2007 Banner Year for Hydrangeas in New England http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/neweng/msg0719523023282.html A few other places I have ordered from and was happy are; 1. Lazy S Farm - http://www.lazyssfarm.com/ 2. Plant Delights - http://www.plantdelights.com/ 3. Forest Farm - http://www.forestfarm.com/ 4. Joy Creek Nursery - http://www.joycreek.com/ 5. Avant Gardens - http://www.avantgardensne.com/ Where do you like to shop for plants? Below are couple of photos of the ugly rhodies I have tried in vain to use primarily as screening so like Dee I am hesitant to chop them down to 6" if they are going to grow back in three plus years into another ugly leggy rhody. Looking at the photos below do you think they are worth cutting back? Sick Yak ÂPrince Was a nice plant until this winter which was its second. Two leggy R ÂNova ZemblaÂs Rhododendron 'Cunningham's White' Leggy older Rhodie Flattering photo of another leggy Rhodie

Can't address a question about KY Coffee tree, but I have 4 mature (40+ years old) Silver Maples in my rear garden and I have many shade tolerant plants growing under them, including, but not limited to, Native & Evergreen Azaleas, Camellias, Hydrangeas, Japanese Maples, Dogwoods, Hollies, Hostas, Ferns & Spikemoss, Epimediums, Helleborus, Asarum, Heuchera, Iris japonica, Cypripedium, Calanthe, Trilliums, Pieris japonica and many native spring flowering perennials and terrestrial orchids. I constructed raised beds about 5-6 inches deep under them and began planting about 15 years ago. When I encounter a large root, I move the planting hole to avoid it. When I fertilize or irrigate, I insure that the entire area under the canopy of the tree is treated, which alleviates the problem of tree root strangulation. While Maples are credited with a voracious appetite for moisture, many of the largest, most robust plants in my garden grow there, without any extraordinary application of water. Note-When constructing raised beds under any tree, it is recommended that their depth be limited to Rb