I forgot to ask about Mahonia Aquifolium (sp), aka Oregon Grape Holly? I really, really want to buy a few of these too.

Sorry to be such a pest!!

Diedre, several of the plants you ask about will grow in this area and are usually available at our twice-annual Raleigh area plant swap which is coming up next month. Click on the Exchange link at the top of this forum for more information.

i second ralph on going to the swaps. they are fun an you'll be bale to get lots of stuff for free. then spend your limited budget on what you didn't get there. no worries that you don't have trades yet. just bring food. see brenda's thread about the swap, and john's as well, both under exchanges.

i have rose of sharons, and always have some seedlings and likely some bigger that i need to move anyhow. i have rosey pink, lavendatr pink, pure white and white with a burgundy eye. someone always brings some 1-2' ones to the swap. just be aware they do reseed all over, so plant them near lawn that you can mow so you don't have to weed.

all of the other things you mentioned do well here. i have a tree peony and love it. there's a nice selection of them at duke gardens if you want to see some of the ones that do well here. they'll be blooming around easter, which is the coolest time to head there anyhow. jcra has one nice one right at the entrance to the lathe/shade garden.

Wow! Thanks. I read the rules about the Exchanges, and knew that I didn't have any plants to swap, so I figured that option was out for me. I'll take a look at those threads!!

And now I'm truly happy because I cannot wait to get my hands on some tree peonies, now that I know they'll do well here.

Thank you again.

well, don't expect anyone to bring THOSE to the swap- lol. there are nice and unusual plants, but those are a bit beyond swappable. i have received regular peonies as swaps, though. i got mine at a big box store, believe it or not. i know logan's in raleigh carries them each year, too.

Wow I didn't know tree peonies grew well here. I should make an investment. Any recommendations on types?

like i said before, be sure to check duke's section, they have about ten different ones, labelled (in the asian garden). mine was a generic type from a big box, so i don't know much more than it looks like a doppleganger of the one at jcra, and is a very double purple. blooms are huge- about 12". it is susceptible to late frost damage some years, but i normally cover if it has too much foliage or buds when we get a hard freeze. they leaf out much earlier than regular peonies- mine's got 4" leaves already, whereas the tuberous are still just eyed out. they grow quite slowly, so invest in the largest one you can. mine is stiill only about 3' high during the summer (hard stems are only 18") even though it's going on 8 or 9 yrs, but the one at jcra is 5-6'. the ones at duke are just a bit bigger than mine. i don't think mine gets quite enough sun, but it's happier other than producing not too many blooms. no diseases or bugs or drought stress or anything else (and i don't water much). the one at jcra is covered when it blooms- it truely is magnificent! i have no idea how old it is, but i'd guess 20-30 years. i'd like to get some of the singles. there's a snow white one with burgundy filaments in the center and bright yellow stamens that is to die for at duke. gotta write down the name this spring.

I grow them all in Greensboro. The tree peony does better with some afternoon shade. It likes loamy forest-type soil, I have a pink one I bought many years ago at Home Depot.Takes a couple of years to get to blooming size. The mahonia likes dappled shade, it will seed itself vigorously under deciduous trees.

it will seed itself vigorously under deciduous trees

Mahonia bealei (the European form) is the one considered invasive. Make sure you don't get that one (and other people - like bartj13 - may have it instead of M. aquifolium and not realize that they do). I've never learned how to tell them apart. I'm constantly plucking babies out of my wooded areas as a result of the plants in other people's yards.

Mahonia aquifolium is the one that is native to the US (California, Oregon, Washington) and Canada.

Here is a link that might be useful: Mahonia bealei in NC

Welcome to NC! I had similar garden woes when we moved here. Definitely come to the swap, it sure has helped me. Over time you realize who has similar conditions as you and then kinda zone in on what they bring. I will be bringing some very smal rose of sharon, double light pink with a dark red eye. If it gets more than a little shade it'll be white. Let me know on the exchange thread if you want one.

Smoke bushes grow here. I have one from national arbor day foundation just the plain green one. And there is a whole planting of the purple ones in the median of bus64 in Knightdale. Gorgeous.

I'm pretty sure we have the exotic bealei here in the Piedmont. On the "Plants to avoid" list from the NC Arboretum.

Deirdre- I have a ROS seedling you can have. I can bring it to the swap. NO trade necessary.It might be a double bloom. If you are ever around N Raleigh I have some ROS 2 yr old plants you can have. You can easily grow them from seed esp. via wintersowing. So between Tietie and me you already have 2 :)Shannon

Thank you everyone. I'll be sure to not plant the bealei. I was really looking for the aquifolium anyways, so now that I know that bealie is invasive, I'll be sure to make sure not to plant it in case I couldn't find aquifolium.

I know tree peonies are expensive, but I think they are so worth the money when they bloom!! Yeah, I wouldn't have figured they'd be up for grabs at the swap LOL!!!

If money wasn't an object my reccommendation for a tree peony would be either Kinkaku, yellow blooms with red center, or Kamata Nishiki, purple blooms with yellow centers. But really, all of the blooms are stunning, so I don't think you can go wrong.

I travel on 64 in Knightdale all the time. Can you refresh my memory where the smoke bushes are? I'm trying to think . . . Of course, I'm usually trying to pick up all the toys my little cherubs have dropped and are screaming for while driving, so it's possible I might have missed them.

I'm sorry to be so ignorant, I blame it on my newcomer status, but, I have no idea what jcra is. Can someone tell me?

Tie Tie and Shannon, thank you so much for the offers of the ROS. I have to double-check the Exchange thread to see the date, but if I can make it, I would gladly accept your most gracious offers!!! Thank you for making me feel so welcome!!!

Lastly, my monitor on my computer went capoot yesterday, so I can only feed my online habits once my husband gets home from work and I can borrow his laptop. SIGH. I never realized how much I enjoyed reading about plants online until I haven't been able to do it the past 2 days!! I must go out this weekend and replace the monitor!!!

i also have rose of sharons you are welcome to.
JCRA is JC Raulston Arboretum, located on beryl road, which is sorta behind the waffle house on hillsborough street, to the right. a must visit- with the cherubs is fine. take a blanket & a picnic- there's areas you can spread out in. neat place. sorry i didn't spell it out earlier. and duke gardens are beside duke u's campus, again well worth a trip out.