Viewing comments posted by Bonehead

This is a very vigorous plant, with a substantial size. In full sun, and given enough space, Lucifer will easily form a vaselike clump 6' tall and wide. Be ruthless in cutting back leaners early so the plant will put its energy into the upright stalks. Be cautioned that if it does not get enough sun, it will lean heavily, take over its neighbor's space, and you may lose the vase effect to just a messy-looking thug. The vivid orange-red flowers are spectacular and are offset nicely with other bold colors (deep golds/purples, even fuchsia). I like Melissa (lemon balm) at the foot of Lucifer, which acts as a bit of support for the strappy leaves. Lucifer multiples freely for me - both by dropping seed and by multiplying. If you have the space for 3 or more clumps spaced around your garden area, your eye will be drawn from one to the other. As others have noted, it is an absolute hummingbird magnet.

I have not found this to be invasive in the Pacific NW, and don't find it on our invasive species list. I have a fairly thick stand of it, which has increased over the years, but not overly aggressively. I use it as a pleasant visual screen barrier between my side yard and the neighbor. It does need some room - my hedge is about 8' wide and 20' long. Birds use the hedge for nesting, and it gets lovely big hips in the fall.

I've had problems with chamomile "disappearing" on me after a few seasons. This one is supposedly evergreen, so I'm hoping it will be easier to keep track of. Per the label, it "seldom blooms," which has clearly not been the case for me. I had lots of bloom the first season. It also spread out well and I'm hoping it will be a reliable groundcover for the cosmetic section of my herb garden.

I planted this in my herb garden, intending to use the petals for various lotions and potions. Very fragrant rose, with a nice bright color. Blooms and reblooms. So far, little insect or disease damage. Update: this was winter killed the first winter after planting, not sure why.

This jolly plant will reseed itself freely. I let it pop up wherever it likes (within reason) for a bright splash of color throughout the summer. Both the flowers and leaves may be infused or decocted and used as an antiseptic. The flowers may be added to a vinegar hair rinse, and may also be used as a dye plant.

This is marketed as an early tomato (58 days) but was about 2-3 weeks later than my other early varieties (most in the 60-65 day range). It is a large cherry, about 1.5 inches in diameter, firm and juicy. Both the skin and flesh are a pretty pale yellow. Seems to be moderately productive, lots of fruit set. The taste, however, is really really bland. Like biting into...nothing.

Edited to add: A perfectly ripe Lemon Cherry does have a nice sweet taste and firm texture, but really really mild. It's a very pretty tomato and is a nice addition to a mixed plate. Two bite cherry, or really small slicer.

Interesting coloration, but difficult for me to tell when it was ripe. The one year I grew this, I also found it to be buggy/diseasy and put it in my "Don't Get Again" list.

Sativa dominant strain (80-20). May be therapeutic for anxiety, stress, depression, pain, arthritis, muscle spasms. Strong citrus aroma, with piney undertone. High THC content. I assume this will not come true from seed, and also don't know if it will even produce seed. I started 4 seeds inside with 100% germination rate, transplanted into gallon pots and grew outdoors in an old sandbox. This strain apparently likes sharp drainage and put on much more growth than others direct planted in soil.

Dark purple stems, green leaves, cream flowers, white berries.

Medium hot bell. Matures in 60 days.

Spreads rapidly. Foliage is bronze-red in winter, brilliant green in summer. Tolerates light foot traffic, but best used between stones or pavers if in a pathway. This spread very rapidly for me, covering about a 4' diameter raised bed in one season from three 4" pots.

This ripened well for me with good yield, but I found the flavor to be bland and a bit on the mushy side.

Although a pest, this plant has both nutritional and medicinal qualities. When it is dried, most animals will eat it. Interestingly, the only animal that will eat it fresh is the donkey.

This is a good shrub to incorporate into a landscape. The plant emerges early, it provides pretty blooms and delicious berries, and it is absolutely stunning in the fall when the leaves turn. Keep it well watered for the best fruiting. I have 5 NOIDS that we rescued when a berry farm sold out to a housing development. I wish I knew the varieties.

Native in Japan, China, Korea, Russia, Greenland, and North America, found on sand dunes. It has a large rhizome, which anchors it into the sand and helps stabilize the dunes. Indigenous people wove the grass for use as baskets, mats, handles, ropes, and reef nets. It is cultivated in Japan for ropes, mats, and paper. This native beach grass is often threatened by European Beach Grass (Calamagrostis arenaria), which is native to Europe but has been introduced to the Pacific coast for its sand binding properties.

Nice little groundcover that will colonize, especially at the foot of shrubs. I don't find it overly aggressive and it is easy enough to pull where I don't want it. Blends nicely with other plants but doesn't overpower them.

I use this as a ground cover for a hosta bed. It has not overstepped its boundaries, although it does get a a bit over-eager in growth. I just pull it back to the ground, knowing it will rebound quickly. It does brighten up the shady corner, and offsets the hosta nicely. On the negative side - I cannot abide the smell of the foliage, which is quite sharp. I also find the variegation tends to revert back to solid green (I try to pull those out entirely but don't always get them all). As others have noted, I would hesitate to put this in a bed that cannot be closely controlled.

Class B noxious weed in Washington, found in the understory of forests, out-competing natives. It spreads by seed, which can be ejected up to 20 feet from the mother plant. Easy to pull the shallow roots by hand, or can be controlled by mowing prior to seed set. It's a pretty little plant and I was disappointed to discover it is an invasive in my area.

Typically grown for the bronze feathery foliage, and often dead-headed before flowers form. The flowers are, however, an important host for parasitic wasps, which help to control caterpillars and aphids. To prevent rampant re-seeding, allow flowers to bloom but dead-head before the seeds mature. Fennel may be short lived, so allowing a small amount of re-seeding may be advantageous. Catch unwanted seedlings early as fennel has a long taproot and more mature plants are difficult to pull up. Looks rather ratty after a frost (the leaves just straggle down), so I cut to the ground in late fall. Some folks may be sensitive to the sap, which can cause phytophotodermatitis. If you are susceptible to this, work with this plant on overcast days wearing gloves and long sleeves.

Native in the Pacific NW, from Alaska to California, and east to Colorado and Utah. Found in open places (roadsides, meadows, stream sides). The hips are large and purplish-red. The young spring shoots are edible in a pinch. The leaves may be crushed and applied to bee stings, or boiled and used as a poultice for sore eyes. This plant is similar to Rose (Rosa pisocarpa) (also native in the PNW) which is a clustered rose, while R. nutkana is borne singly at the ends of branch tips.