Propagation: 2015 Seed Starting, Part 5, 2 by DonnaMack

DonnaMack wrote:
Just got my new JL Hudson catalogue and he has 'Apricot Beauty'. And I have a South African Foxglove seed that Pam sent me, which is going to hit the seed starting mat soon!

Speaking of poisonous! The Chicago Park District plants TONS of ricinus all over the place. Looks like 'Carmencita'. In planters, near Lincoln Park Zoo - everywhere. The seeds look like jelly beans, and when they ripen they spray everywhere. And in Hawaii there are literally acres of them, like forests. I was stunned when I saw them. They are completely out of control.

When I lost two double file viburnums (well, I actually lost five but that's another story - one unusual winter took out three mature and two developing ones). I put in three ricinus 'Carmencita', which completely filled the bed, but it was away from anyplace children could get at them.

And then I learned that a loss can be a gain. I planted Austin rose 'Constance Spry', which was bigger than the two shrubs. In the area where I had three, along the property line in the rear of my house, I put in several 'Sea Foam'. Nasty neighborhood kids used to come up behind my viburnums, invisible, and tamper with the rear of my property. The would move the rocks, which were sandstone, into the alley where they would be crushed. They would leave garbage. I couldn't see them.

But when they tried to cross with 'Sea Foam', which is quite thorny, although low growing, would rip their ankles off. Same spot. Problem solved! And no more trespassing, either.