Those are some nice things! I do love the Pagoda dogwood (C. alternifolia) also. Mine bloomed one bloom for the first time this year.

I might be able to share some sessile bellwort with you instead of the U. grandifolia. Contact me via my profile.

As for using the common versus scientific names, I do a little of both. If you want to be really sure, always use the scientific name (especially when there might be several that "share" a common name like "bellwort").

Congratulations, you are off to a good start.

Thansk for the encouragement, esh. I have a pretty big space to fill, and it is the impatient gardener in me that wants it filled NOW. I need to learn to enjoy the process, the adding a little here, a little there. But all I want to see is the finished product.

At the local nature center dinner-auction in February I offered a wildflower garden. The winning bid was $140. I have just potted up some two dozen (three of each kind) wildflowers and half a dozen native ferns. I estimate the value at over $400.

Very Nice donation, Thank you for providing the item. Even if I could not be there to bid, Grin

I was in PA this winter and noticed that there were quite a few wild plant nurseries. Is this a trend across the east or does the area around where I was just have more than average?

Nice collection of plants! There's nothing like buying 2 or 3 year-old perennials or a large expensive shrubs to get that feeling of instant gratification. It's also fun to start plants from seed and watch a plant grow up from a little seedling.

I started many native species from seed this year, which is cheaper and gives you much more flexibility in what you can grow, and it would have been expensive and complicated to find all these species either at nurseries or online. But you have to patience this way. I've already potted up several dozen seedlings in large cups to grow out the first season. Slow growers like Baptisia australis and leucantha, Asclepias variegata, and Campsis radicans will take years to bloom. But I've got lots of mature perennials so I don't mind waiting for them. Also, there's something nice to just going with the flow of Ma Nature's timetable.

Btw, I purchased 10 Cornus alternifolia seedlings from the NH Nursery last year. They look great this year, but they are only 3 year old trees, about 2 feet tall. They are offering it in their Dogwood package, but they may have stopped shipping for this Spring. You ought to be able to find it somewhere!

terrene, thanks for the hot tip! I will check it out. Truly, I haven't Googled it yet, and I was trying to find it locally, first.

I will someday get to the point of starting my own seeds. I had no idea it was so much work until I did some heirloom tomatoes and ornamental kales and peppers. No sure I am quite ready, yet. In the meantime I do what I can to support those who put the time and effort into growing natives for people like me!

terrene...can you post a picture of your cornus seedlings? I have a shrub that was given that as an ID, but I want to make sure. It was a volunteer in my garden, and I can't believe I was that lucky, since I usually just get weeds as volunteers.:)

Is the nursery the Natural Gardens on North Ave.? I've been wanting to go there for some time, but never get the chance. I'm hoping to get some dalea purpureum..prairie clover. Did you happen to spot that?

Great plants you bought...the celadine poppy will self sow freely in the right spot (mine does) and you will never have to buy that again. LOL.

"Is the nursery the Natural Gardens on North Ave.? I've been wanting to go there for some time, but never get the chance. I'm hoping to get some dalea purpureum..prairie clover. Did you happen to spot that? "

Yes it is, and I sure did! :o) I can't wait to go back...I spent two hours just wandering around in a daze...and it's not THAT big a place, lol! Worth it if you are within an hour or so from there.

Possibility Place in Monee, IL will have the pagoda dogwood.

The Natural Garden is a cool place.

Here is a link that might be useful: possibility place

joepyeweed, THANKS! I had totally forgotten about them! I lived 45 minutes from Ender's Greenhouse in Cherry Valley before they closed, and all their trees and shrubs came from Possibility Place.

You are a genius, thanks!

Ummm...yeah...that's farther than I thought! I think I will have to combine that with a trip to my in-laws in Portage. INDIANA. :o/

But you were right, they have almost everything else on my list that I cannot get closer. What a nice website!

Are you in the Rockford area? (Cherry Valley, I think is near Rockford?)

Are you a member of the Rock River Chapter of Wild ones?

They usually have a fall native tree/shrub sale where all the plants come from possibility place, you can pick them up in Rockford, and the proceeds go to Wild Ones...

If you can wait until fall, you may want to look into that...

Another excellent suggestion, joepyeweed! As a matter of fact, I am a recently lapsed member of the RRV Wild Ones. I intend (this week!) to renew my membership, and waiting for Fall is an excellent idea. I am not really in a rush...I don't think...I AM impatient, though. I guess I can either combine it witha trip to the in-laws or wait, neither one will kill me.

Are YOU a member of RRV Wild Ones?

I am always torn by using the scientific names and sounding pretentious or using the common names and sounding like an amateur.
You don't sound pretentious...To have said any less would have left us wonder which Jack's, shooting stars, etc you got.

I so love the Stylophorum diphyllum. It used to bloom (died last winter...sigh) from March until June. I have some seeds, so I guess I will scatter them, as mine never reseeded much. I suspect last summers drought may have been what did it in.

Sue

I strive to learn the bonatical names of plants, and prefer to use them because it is much more specific. But because many gardeners don't bother learning these, I usually type both names, especially on forums where common names seem to predominate. One day I realized I had reached a learning threshold when I knew the botanical name of a plant, but couldn't think of the common name!! (Don't even bother learning the common name sometimes because there are like 5 of them...)

Anitamo, here are a couple pictures I took yesterday of the 2 species of Cornus I have - Cornus alternifolia and Cornus racemosa seedlings, both purchased from the NH nursery last year. Well they aren't really seedlings any more, they are starting to put on some size. They are still growing in holding beds.

Alternate-leaf/Pagoda Dogwood -
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Gray dogwood -
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terrene, thanks for the teaser photos, even thought they weren't directed at me. But WOO HOO! We just got an invitation to a fishfry at the in-laws June 13th! Possibility Place, here I come!

I am a Wild One's member "at large", because there isn't a chapter close to me. I'm in the Peoria area, and Rockford is a bit too far away. But I do get their newsletter, and I have ordered plants from their sale in the past.

I killed my pagoda dogwood. It survived two seasons and then this year it was dead. Actually I think rabbits girdled it by gnawing on the little trunk. Whatever you get make sure you protect it from rabbits.

I have some new jersey tea (ceanothus americanus)that is limping along that was dessimated by rabbits over the winter. They knocked over the chicken wire that I had protecting it and ate three little shrubs down to nothing but nubs. I got some stronger wire mesh and staked it in better. They seem to have survived... for now.

Point taken, I live in town now, but see more rabbits then when we were in the country. I also have some wee roses to protect before THEY get eaten to the nubs! Boy will I be sorry if THAT happens.

P.S., sent off my renewal fee today, I will soon be a member in good standing again, lol!

joepyeweed!! Where have you been??

Hey greenhaven, I love The Natural Garden too. I'm an hour north of joe, but still far enough away from TNG and PP that it's a drain on the budget to get to these neat places up and over there! I have an order at Possibility Place and go on June 6th to pick it up. Be sure to call and make sure they have your plants before you go. It's by appointment only and even though my things were pre-ordered last fall, they won't be ready till the 6th of June. I spoke with the owner and another day his son and always with the lady who answers the phone and they've all said they prefer not to sell individual perennials, flats are better. My aunt is also a member of that chapter of Wild One's up in Rockford. You really just missed their spring sale! My aunt picked up a lot this spring from that sale and I need to go visit her and raid her garden!âº

For the Latin vs. common names...I'm trying to learn all the Latin names of the plants. I have found so many times at a nursery that they don't know the Latin name even if I'm sure that my pronunciation is correct or even if it's wrong, it's not that wrong! I get a blank stare though. Pronouncing correctly is hard too. I have also found that one nursery might pronounce it this way and another place pronounces it differently. I have plants I haven't a clue on common name, only the Latin.

Hi terryr, I am here... I check in every once in awhile.

IMO, Rabbits are more destructive in town than in the country... in the country, the coyotes keep the rabbits on the run and help keep their numbers down.

Well, I just have to get in the conversation here (it would have been sooner but I was trying to take pics and learn how to post them). I think Cornus alternifolia is my favorite tree of all. HereÂs a picture of the one I bought as a balled & burlaped small tree about 5-6 years ago
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I have had many opportunities to buy more, since I ended up being a Wild One in that Rock River Valley chapter, whose fall tree & shrub sale has them every year. But I havenÂt had to, because mineÂs had 4 babies so far, and IÂm hoping for more! I couldnÂt get a good shot of any of them, but terreneÂs is perfect anyway. ItÂs actually an easy one to spot--if I can do it anyone can! (And look for the greenish bark, too, that you canÂt really see in her picture.)

Terryr, hope your aunt is happy! I also happen to be the one in charge of that WO spring sale! If anybody out there wants to be on the mailing list, feel free to email me.

I also love Natural Gardens, wish I could afford to go more! Red Buffalo Nursery in Hebron has retail hours by appointments, and he does farmerÂs markets. But I sure do miss Enders Greenhouse! Having a source for native plants 10 minutes from my home was a real blessing.

My aunt is extremely happy! When I called her last week, she was planting away..lol.

Your photo has reminded me of a question I have. I think I'll start a new post on the topic of turf grass ending and the woodlands edge beginning....

terrene,...thanks for posting those photos. The one I asked to be ID'd last year doesn't look like yours. What do you think?

dbs, no longer a mystery! ;o) If you hold any sway, get WO to reserve plenty of C. alterniflora for the fall sale, since I may not make it to Monee. I know folks who would love to have more (or one!). Your pics are gorgeous!!! That truly is a breath-taking plant. It was Shannon at Ender's that first introduced me to the lovely Pagoda.

I bought some plants from Red Buffalo last year, and most are going like gangbusters this year. Rudbeckia triloba is suffering, but I have no idea why. Everything else, is, well...look!

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There are WAY more Illini here than I expected! Maybe I will see some of you at the next WO meeting. How fun!

anitamo, yours looks more like the gray dogwood than the pagoda. As a matter of fact, I am certain it's not pagoda. I am unsure of the difference between gray and red offhand, but it is easy enough to look up, I think....

So anitamo, are YOU close enough for a membership in the RRV Wild Ones?

It's in Rockford, right? Then no, I'm not close enough. I'm about 90 miles away.

I was hoping for Pagoda, I don't hear much about the gray dogwood. Now I've got to buy some Pagodas.

greenhaven,

I know many, but definitely not all, of the botanical names. I find that typing the common name with the scientific name in parentheses helps those who don't know the botanical name to LEARN them. I know it is a lot more typing, but, I feel it is educational.

Hope this helps.

maifleur,

You mention finding more native plant nurseries in PA; I hope it is a trend. Do you mind sharing the names and locations of the nurseries you've found?

Thanks,

David

Ya know, Dave, it helps ME, too, when I type both. I should get in the habit! :o)

greenhaven,

That was my thought--but, I noticed, I don't always practice what I preach! (I was posting replies to a few other threads after my suggestion, and realized I didn't include the botanical names!

Oh well, the more I know from heart, the more I'll type them.

David