http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=SPMA3

anyone grown it? I somehow managed to get on the e-mail newsletter thingy for a plantsman in West Virginia- Sunshine Farm and Gardens. He (Barry Glick) apparently offers up the occassional "deal" via e-mail with a little sales pitch attached. Some of his proclamations are kinda funny, and his style of writing is homey and engaging, but he wants 25 bucks for three starts of these little things. I of course won't pay that kind of money for anything but an orchid, lol (hides the Mahonia tags in the corner) but anyway... lmao.

What really caught my attention was the claim that these are the best for attracting hummingbirds. I also like the bicolor, tubular orange and creamy yellow flowers. But one of his comments has me concerned- he says he puts it in sun for better seed production. Hmm, is this gonna be one of those cool little plants that ends up becoming a horrible weed a couple years after you plant it? Or like so many things native to the deep south (Texas to the coastal deep south states up to Maryland, and inland to Illinois), is this going to just never get up to much here in our relatively mild but cool springs?

Anyone tried it? Would love to hear your experience with it. It is a pretty thing...

hmm, maybe I can find some at the Arboretum sale then. I think Farwest has been a vendor in the past. I buy so few non-natives though, that I would really rather know ahead of time what to expect. How did yours do? Flowers as showy as the pics or not? And sign if reseeding? I'm just rather leary of introducing any more weedy species to my already overgrown yard, lol...

A coworker bought some roots of them at the Seattle Flower and garden show a couple of years ago. She said it struggled and never grew much, she planted it in the ground and finally lost it the following winter. She thinks it may need more heat. We also have decided that those small packages of little roots really take more pampering than we are willing to give most plants, and we'd really rather spend a couple of more bucks and get a bigger, sturdier plant!

Thanks Dahlia, didn't realize I said Farwest instead of Far Reaches. I heard they were in the mail order business and checked out their catalog online. Although for me I am in Port Townsend often so I would do pick up; however, I buy from them at plant sales.