How could I not buy a plant with a name like Sweet Vanilla Butterfly Flower?  “Its sweet vanilla smell draws butterflies and hummingbirds, but this is one tough, versatile plant. Suitable for moist soil, such as next to a lake, but also tolerant of dry conditions. Excellent for everything from large landscape projects to naturalizing to cut-flower arrangements.”

(Update 8/12/10. This turned out to be a milkweed, which lived up to its billing in every way, though the flowering season was disappointingly short. I don’t know if I had deadheaded it if it could have been extended but it happened when I was swamped and was letting the subtle parts of gardening go by unaccomplished.  It wasn’t the common milkweed that most people would be familiar with. I don’t know the specific name of it but it is one of the lanceolate leaved types which I have seen grow in the wild here before the deer started ravaging everything.

“There are two major groups of milkweeds: narrow-leaved (with linear or narrowly lanceolate leaves) and broad-leaved (with leaves usually more than two inches wide throughout most of their length). Some milkweeds make beautiful specimens for the formal flower garden while others are considered dull, invasive weeds…”

Read more about milkweeds here.)

It has arrived and has been planted. It came from the same company I ordered 4 gojis from, but only one arrived despite being invoiced for the four. I called them and they are shipping the other three, no problem.

I have planted some potatoes and in cold frames spinach, a lettuce mix, a greens mix, regular red round radishes and some white icicle radishes. If my energy holds up by this evening I will have fava beans, snap and shell peas planted.

I got catalog fever bad this winter and went nuts ordering. I may live a long time who knows, but I do know I have energy this year and may not next so I am planting more trees, berries, and flowering perennials that are fragrant.  The next two or three weeks are going to be intense. I told most catalogs to ship April first but some are coming already. I ordered from 12 different plant catalogs and two supply catalogs so it will be staggered to a degree and some don’t give you the option as to when they ship, they do it according to their own schedule.

Here is the list. Lots of the strawberries are to be distributed amongst a group of devotees, not all for me, I am only planting about 30.

Quantity Plant Tree, Bush, Vine, Perennial Spacing Height
1 Chocolate vine V 15-20′
1 Corkscrew Vine V 12-36″ 4-6′
1 Grape Buffalo V
1 Grape Ontario V
1 Grape Steuben V
2 Kiwi Arctic female V
1 Kiwi Arctic male V
1 Passion Flower V vigorousTerritorial
1 American Chestnut Hartman hybrid T 50′
1 Apple Winter Banana T
1 Asian pear T 15′ 15′
1 Asian pear T 15′ 15′
1 Asian pear T 15′ 15′
1 Cherry Emporor Francis T
1 Cherry Star Stella T
1 Cherry White Gold T
2 Cornelian Cherry T
1 Hazelnut Jefferson T
1 Hazelnut Yamhill T
1 Hazelnut Delta T
1 Jujube Shuimen T 15′ 30′
1 Jujube Globe T 15′ 30′
1 Jujube Russian #1 T 15′ 30′
1 Pear Sekel T
1 Persimmon Amer. Celebrity U20A T 40-45′
1 Persimmon Amer. Early Golden T 40-45′
1 Persimmon Asian Hokkaido T 25′ 25′
1 Persimmon Asian Rosseyanka T 25′ 25′
1 Polemonium Blue Pearl P 12″ 12″
3 Begonia White Odorata P 8-10″ 10-12″
1 Bunchberry P 6″ 6-8″
1 Clematis Florus Solitary P 30″ 3′
1 Corydalis Berry Exciting P 15-18″ 12″
1 Crambe P 3′ 4-6′
1 Dahlia Who Dun It P 18-24″ 40-44″
20 Dahlias mixture P
2 Daphne Ruby Glow P 3′ 12″
1 Dianthus Coconut Punch P 12″
1 Dianthus Velvet’n Lace P 12-18″ 12-18″
25 Double Freesia P 4″ 15-24″
3 Helleborus mixture P
1 Hibiscus P
6 Hybrid Phlox mixture P 18-24″ 30-48″
1 Iris Jewel Baby P
1 Iris Tomorrow May Rain P
1 Licorice Mint P
6 Lily tree P 8′
10 Oriental Lily mixture P 10-12″ 3-4′
100 Strawberries Earlibelle P 12″
100 Strawberries Cavendish P 12″
100 Strawberries Record P 12″
1 Sweet Vanilla Butterfly Flower P
1 Wintergreen P creeper
3 Yellow Meadow Rue P 24-30″ 36-48″
1 Plum Tree Sweet mini B
1 Angel’s Trumpet B 6′ 8-10′
1 Bearberry B
1 Bilberry Eagle B low
1 Blueberry Aurora B
1 Blueberry Ka-Bluey B
1 Blueberry Rubel B 8 x 4′
3 Cherry Nanking B 4-5′
1 Currant Pink Champagne B 3-4′
1 Dewberry B 3-4′ sprawl
1 Fragrant Abelia B 4-5′ 5-6′
4 Goji.s B 8′
1 Gooseberries Hinnoki Red B
1 Gooseberry Pixwell B 5′ 3-4′
5 Hanson Bush Cherry B 4-5′
1 Lilac Reblooming Jose B 4-5′ 6′
4 Lingonberries Variety B 18″ 12-15″
2 Lingonberries Regal B 18″ 8-15″
2 Lingonberries Red Pearl B 18″ 12-18″
5 Raspberry Prelude B
2 Saskatoon Blueberry B 15-20′
2 Seaberry Female B 2-3′ 8-10′
1 Seaberry Male B 2-3′