Hi blueridgemtngrl/Jeanne, I'm a little confused by you saying you have enough for one trade, Pipsissewa are individual plants, from what I can tell. Are you for sure speaking of or Chimaphila maculataSpotted Wintergreen (Striped Wintergreen, Spotted Pipsissewa) There are a lot of things that go by the name of wintergreen so just want to be sure. Off to email you now! Sue...all excited Sue

Out here there's an upland species, Baccharis pilularis (coyote brush), Wildflowergma, that looks similar to your B. halimifolia. However, Baccharis salicifolia (mule fat) is usually found in wetlands. (I was on a marsh restoration job once where the person in charge of getting materials ordered the upland species by mistake THREE times...sigh). B. salicifolia does look very different from both, except for similarities in flowers and being dioecious.

I hope to post some information here on native (eastern US) plants (mainly herbaceous) for drought conditions. I'm assembling the information from several sources: native plant nurseries, other on-line guides, books. One thing I've noticed is that different authorities do not fully agree on the cultural requirements of native species: wet vs. dry, heavy (clay) vs. light (sandy) soil, sun vs. shade. Why the disagreement? (a) Controlled experiments, growing each species under a variety of conditions (soil type, light level, and moisture), would provide the most accurate answers to these questions. I doubt that such experiments have been done. (b) Genetic variation within the species may lead to a variation in growth requirements. (Some individuals in a given species may be more drought tolerant than other individuals in the same species.) (c) Most plants become more drought tolerant as their root systems develop. This is especially true of plants that produce deep tap roots (up to 20 feet deep for some herbaceous species). The genus Baptisia (False Indigo) is a good example. (d) Related to (c), drought tolerance may depend on whether the plant is in its preferred soil type. For example, a species that prospers in sandy loam might wilt in clay soil because the roots can't grow in clay. Sorry to confuse things, but I think it's important to point out that drought tolerance isn't as "cut and dried" as a simple list might suggest. The best advice is probably to take an experimental approach, and try a number of different plants to see what works best in your garden.

Well, they didn't have a phone number listed so didn't get any information; guess I'll just have to go out there and see what's going on! I did print out their list and there are a lot of natives that sure aren't available at Home Depot, that's for sure! Lilyfinch, I know just what you're talking about, used to live up north, and I do appreciate our long growing season. However, you get the gorgeous colors in the Fall, and such a beautiful spring showing!