Goofster--I can't answer your question about wasps. Just be careful, but they don't necessarily need a dose of Raid! As Donn said, there are THOUSANDS of plants from which to choose. And an equal number of books, on-line topics, newsletters, and all sorts of info to research re flowers and cutting gardens. Begin with this forum. Read EVERTTHING we've all written on and responded to on ALL 9 or 10 pages!. Then acquire the books and newsletters we recommend--look for them, there's bound to be a reference to them in one of the first two pages-- it's part of your homework. LOL! Go to the Soils forum to learn about composting. Roses, Iris, Peonies, all have their own separate forums w/ TONS of info. Then plant some seeds or plants, get dirty & sweaty, and you'll learn the rest. I'm NOT trying to be flippant, but your question is too broad, and does sound like you've NOT done much research yet. You'll learn by doing and failing AND succeeding. PLANT those shasta daisies, (don't "just" "plan to") see how it does, and if you like how it grows and blooms for you. There's a thread maybe on this first page discussing a certain type of daisy. Maybe you'll find some good info there. Seeds on most things are cheaper than plants, so you might try your hand at seed sowing. There are at least two seed sowing forums on Garden Web to give you help. But plants, esp. in small quantities, might give you the "boost" of having something already growing and green to look at, and help fill in your garden space. You'll have to decide which route is the best use of your time & money. You have a good start w/ your peonys and some sunflowers. Get out to your garden, pull up those weeds, incorporate compost, and plant something else. And TALK to the gardeners in your town & county & find out what they grow and why, and what works and doesn't. Talk to your county horticulturist. There're probably several garden clubs in your area that may be geared to just the right style of gardening you prefer. Borrow gardening books from the library, or buy a bunch from Barnes & Noble/Amazon. The county horiticulturist/and or poison control agency might be able to advise you about your wasps, or call a bug-killing service company like Terminex. Most of us (here on the forum and in general U. S. life) prefer a more organic way of life w/ fewer synthetic chemicals. But if the wasps are a danger to your family, the pest control service maybe the better answer. By the way, there is also a Bee Keeping Forum here on gardenweb--they might be able to advise you about your bees. Back to plants, and what to, the famous Arnoskys say to plant EVERYTHING at least once or twice, then you'll know for sure what DOES & DOESN'T work! Don't forget to take notes, when you sow, under what conditions, when the first shoots appear, when you transplant to a bigger container or garden, and most importantly, when it blooms and how long it lasts in a vase of plain water in your house after you cut it. Once you know/do THOSE things, you'll have/be building your knowledge foundation and can only grow from there! Good luck! Read and Plant! You'll do fine. SusiQ in NE TX

Hi Lori - I've got abt. 60 little plants started in cups, they should be good size for the Swap.... please can you E-mail me the directions to your place, I don't remember from last year.... thanx, sally

Welcome to the forum Vic. A good place to find seeds and cutting for a low price is ebay. I have bought seeds from the seller cuckooznest multiple times and he always sends extra. hawiiasally is a good one for cuttings. I know there are other good and trusted ones too, can't think of them at the moment. Also, a good place to start your seeds and cuttings are in pots. All the ones I have planted outside froze last year, even though I covered their tips with socks and then covered them with blankets. I'm in the Tampa area so have about same temps as you. There is a lot of information for you on the forum about growing plummies. Lauri

Ah, yes, Annie...my bare-root Annie from Bierkreek is doing well in it's pot, but I plan to follow Geertje's advice and keep it in a pot for another year. I've reserved another potted Annie from Bierkreek, too, for delivery in fall,and when I go through with that order, I will ask her opinion about when to plant out the potted Annie. This rose is hard to find and I don't want to run any risks with my precious Annies! One day hopefully I'll have a big and vigorous one in my garden, but for now...instead, I already have about...let's see...EIGHT Purple Skyliners dispersed around in my garden,and several babies in pots, one of which may be able to go out in fall. However last fall I planted out several own-root PS's that were very small,and they seem to be doing just fine. Probably the generous rain that has been bestowed on us this spring has something to do with this, but it's also true, as Kim said, that that rose roots very easily, and when a rose roots easily that tends to mean that you can definitely run risks with it. I think for this difficult spot under discussion it may be best to go for a potted rose,or at least one that already has some considerable bulk to it ;i.e., a moved one. I do have Ramona growing elsewhere (planted last winter, grafted) ,but I sort of want to move it, and this would fill the bill of being a single flower. Also, it comes into bloom early,so it would benefit from more light before the oak really leafs out. PB rates it as shade-tolerant, and on HMF there's a phot of it being grown as a lax shrub (a climber might not be so appropriate for this area, methinks). I'll look up Lyda; Cornelia would be a good option, too, I bet. @ frangrancenutter: can you tell me more about your roses? You're in a zone 10, whereas my zone would be estimated as a zone 8b ,I guess, though frankly I'm sort of sceptical about the whole zone thing,since it seems to be based on the concept of "how cold does it get" in a given area, NOT on "how HOT does it get",which seems to me to be a more important issue in Mediterranean climates.