I'm trying heirloom southern apples. Planted four varieties in November. Can't wait to see how they do (or if they lived through the winter :o)

I'm also trying crinums for the 1st time this year. Plant Delights is shipping them in March. I guess I'll get blooms in a few years :o(

EVERYTHING!!!! LOL I've been in a new house on 15 acres now for almost exactly one year. And this is virgin land, no builder landscaping at all, not even grass. So last year I got a good stand of grass started and only a couple of wanted plants put in. I have several nice oak trees on the perimeter of the yard and a beautiful flat sandy loam yard to work with. Right now I've got one bed and a stone sidewalk laid out and under construction. I've also got an area I've designated as a Catcus/Palm garden that is under construction. Several other areas have been designated but not started yet. We also got our storage building and an 18 X 21 Garden shed for the equipment finished last year. Needless to say I've got a really busy season ahead! :-)But I'm sooo looking forward to it, I've missed the gardening I did at my old house and literally had to sit on my hands to force myself to concentrate on the projects last year and not dig into the ground full force. Right now, current plans for this year are: I ordered a TON of seeds for all of my veggies for this year, a couple of roses ordered, another palm and a banana, and some mini citrus and a mini pineapple for containers on the deck. Also we are putting our decks in this year. :-) So I have a lot of tilling ahead soon!

Hellebores
Abutilon, probably 'Orange Hot Lava.'
Brugmansia, a varigated one, possibly Miner's Claim.
Calanthe sieboldii
Campanula poscharskyana 'Camgood'
Colocasia heterochroma 'Dark Shadows'
Cyclamen (not sure which)
An epimedium (undecided)
Euphorbia x martinii 'Cherokee'
Meehania montis-koyae
Muhlenbergia capillaris
Nierembergia gracilis 'Starry Eyes'
Polygonatum odoratum 'Spiral Staircase' or else P odoratum 'Variegatum'
As many salvias as I can carry.
Sedum telephium 'Sunset Cloud'
Stokesia laevis ' Honeysong Purple'
Thelypteris kunthii
Tiarella 'Pink Skyrocket'
Verbena 'Princess Bride'

Okay, a quick estimate puts that over $300 for just one plant each. I could give up food though. :o>

JohninBelmont: I work at PDN, and the foliage is already up and beautiful on lots of crinums. I hope that means you'll get blooms sooner than you think, although I am just an inventory person and no horticulture expert.

I just saw a photo of Heuchera 'French Quarter'..new for 2008. Looks beautiful.

I've got my eyes on a few potted tropicals for the porch, a funky bat-winded pea called Christia (something that begins with an "o" species). I saw a photo of it years ago and I've been chasing it since. I've finally found a couple of sources for it and the price has come down a bunch.

I'm looking at fragrant potted plants that bloom all summer - think jasmines.

I have plenty for the yard - just gotta git them in the ground. Due to the drought I won't be buying much this year.

I just Googled an image of Heuchera 'French Quarter'. Wow, pfmastin, it will be interesting to see if it ends up looking like the photo.

Trianglejohn, what is a "funky bat-winded pea called Christia (something that begins with an "o" species)"???

As for me, I'm crossing my fingers that the 2 Liberty apple trees I put in yesterday will do well here in upstate SC. I also have some seed for Purple Prince and White Wedding Zinnias that I'm anxious to try for the first time.
And even though I've heard that potatoes are "difficult" or "too much trouble" to grow here in the south, I'm going to try anyway.

I just ordered R. virginiana, Reine des Violettes, Bayse's Purple, Fortune's Double Yellow and Crepescule. These will be new to my garden and I'm looking forward to seeing how they do.

I started my tomato seeds, this year I am trying San Marzano, had never tried it before. Also started luffa sponges. Was thinking vertical !

transplanted - google (images) Christia obcordata and you'll see a photo of its leaves.

In the last few months I have developed an absolute obsession with bergenia! They leap out at me from photographs in plant books and magazines. It seems they are everywhere. And it reminds me of one I found growing in the garden of a house where I lived for a short time in California. I don't know why but I...MUST...HAVE...BERGENIA! Weird, huh? But that's one I'll even go to Woodley's to buy this spring.

Also, I've been nursing a tiny lespedeza that I'll plant out in spring. They are supposed to grow very fast and I hope that will be the case. There is a whole bed for that one to fill!

And among the things I've wintersowed are several I've never grown before - knautia, English daisies, clasping coneflowers, Mexican hats, Kiss Me Over The Garden Gate, snapdragon vine, hyacinth bean. I know a lot of those are fairly common and I don't know how I've left them out of my gardens until now but I'm looking forward to getting to know them.

i'll be very curious if bergenia does well for you. i started it from seed long ago when it seized me like it has you and it just couldn't take the heat here and we're cooler than you are. does anyone around these parts grow it successfully? it is beautiful; i just gave up on it years ago. oh, and ditto with the english daisies. they do ok in the spring, but the summer heat gets them. just figure on them being annuals.

mexican hats will do great- and beware they reseed a bit. asarina is so cute and will reseed for you in the oddest places. i love knautia but haven't found it to be too long lived. i'm trying it from seed again myself this year.

i hope i don't jinx it by saying so, but i bought some small yellow lady slippers from/with another gardenwebber and should be getting them later this spring. i've been wanting them for quite a while. for the most part, i'm trying really really hard not to start or buy much, but instead plant my pot ghettos so they have a chance of making it.

You may be right about the heat being too much. I already expect it for the English daisies but I'm still hoping they will be a nice spring start for my new red bed (they are the red pomponette ones). I'm planning to use the bergenia in my "shade bed" - dappled shade in a sort of woodland area. I grow hostas, ferns, and heuchera in there along with impatiens for color. I may toss in some peat to help hold the moisture where I plant them. Our sharp drainage doesn't seem quite right for them.

I have one Bergenia that has done fairly well, though I doubt it will ever look like the gorgeous drifts I've drooled over in cooler climates. All the other glossy leaved bergenias I've tried have died, but this particular plant seems to be much more heat tolerant. Unfortunately it didn't have a tag when I bought it, or I'd go find some more. I've also had some success with Bergenia ciliata, though they got the dwindles pretty bad last summer.

I am trying too many to list but a couple that I am excited about is trying Irish Cobbler potatos this year and a white cherry tomato called Icicle. Last year we planted 15 asparagus crowns that were 2 years old, it popped out a few Fall spears so we are looking forward to getting some this Spring and we are planting 25 more crowns the end of this month.

Susan

John - best of luck with the apples. I'm also contemplating planting at least one fruit tree this year - maybe a Plum? Not sure which type does the best in the summer heat.

Mad/Mickey - I grew "Super Marzano" last year. Very productive, and interestingly, the last tomatoes (picked in November) lasted until January. Also, I too am trying out the Luffa sponge this year (forgot that on my list). I have seeds from a friend in Florida, who got a bunch of good-sized sponges all from one plant. In fact, we've been using them in our bath (both adults and kids) for a year now. They do, however, lose their firmness over time - another excuse to grow more. :^)

Susan - I am very interested to hear about your asparagus experience (say that twenty times, fast!) - I see that Home Depot has crowns (Jersey), 12 for $10. Cheaper than the catalogs, but maybe the catalog varieties are better?

Also, my Blueberry varieties are:
Becky Blue
Bright Well
Premier
Woodard

All are Rabiteye varieties (heat tolerant, native to the south). Anyone have success with "Vaccinium Ashei"?

Cheers!
- Jerry

I just started three new beds. I'm using lasagna layering and square-foot planting. New to me this year will be: Raspberries (going to dig them up this afternoon!), broccoli, snow peas, strawberries. I'm thinking I'll put brussels sprouts in a flower pot if I can find any plants.

Now, as for the list, I have no idea on the flowers, but I've grown asparagus, swiss chard, and Spearmint from Jerry's list. Spearmint does not seem to be as invasive as peppermint, and it's prettier, too. :) But, you can't beat peppermint for Asian cooking. Swiss Chard we had last year in the big garden and it lasted really well, even in hot weather. I'm not any good with asparagus so far, but then I haven't really done them properly, so we'll see now that I'm getting two batches of crowns from Gurney's, IF THE DANG THINGS EVER GET HERE!!!!! (can you say impatient? they were supposed to be here Tuesday!) And now we're having freezing rain tonight.

'tis the season...

Lisa

I am in a new house this year and trying to follow the advice to not disturb the yard for a full year, to make sure I don't dig up anything worthwhile. I am in the planning stages for three beds.

One will be a blue, white, and pink bed with:
three Pinky Winky hydrangeas at the rear with perennials in front.
3 Echinops ritro
some white mums
violet Charm clematis (for white lattice pump house cover)
a crimson pygmy barberry
lithodora Grace Ward
liriope
sedum Frosty Morn
2 wht luna hibiscus
Hibiscus x moscheutos 'Plum Crazy'
More will fill in later, I'm sure.

There will be a(#2) "tropical" bed with:
Cannas (6-8 Indian Shot), (2 Tropicana), (1 Pretoria)
Lg Althea Shrub
2 bonfire patio peach
rosemary
red/yellow daylilies

This wraps around to a (#3) shaded area which will be filled by many hostas, but mainly my tender tropicals.

BTW, all these are currently in my pot ghetto. I moved from a rented house with a postage stamp sized yard where I collected all these in antisipation of a better yard. Can't wait to get these in the ground. They've been very patient with me.

I planted some cyclamen bulbs in the fall, along with some fritillaria. I bought a couple of Tony Avent's new canna (Thai Rainbow and Thai One On). I have a couple of new hellebores from him as well. I keep thinking I'm not going to plant much in the spring, but those rain barrels are full. ;-)