Linda, I completely agree. While I would love to share with her since I'm in CT, my tiny backyard really precludes the planting of most host plants, so I always concentrate on nectar plants which draw the greatest number of butterflies. Do you think she would be interested in the Connecticut Butterfly Association Garden at Lighthouse Point in New Haven, CT? I just got my newletter with a write-up about how successful it was last summer.( I have yet to get there, but hope to volunteer there this year.) Or is she only interested in backyard-type garden? Maryann

Seems like a difficult business to be in some days. :-) I did a quick search on amazon and came up with this link and another at the bottom of my post. http://www.amazon.com/Operate-Financially-Successful-Landscaping-Business/dp/1601382286/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1279400638&sr=1-1-fkmr2 I would say find a business that is successful and see if you can pick their brain. We seem to be seeing a lot of nurseries going out of business, isn't that true? I would think it's expensive especially if you have to keep greenhouses going. I know Lexington Gardens went out of business a few years ago, and you could see it coming for quite a few years. I was told by someone in management that the cost of fuel to run the greenhouse became outrageous. I know the owner was older and started to have health issues too. As a potential customer, I like that you are inclined toward natives and would love an organic direction as well. I travel a distance to make purchases that are in line with those two basic ideas. I drive 50mins to the NEWFS to buy native, mostly organically grown plant material. I drive the same distance to purchase organic vegetable starts in the spring, in years I don't start my own. I travel to Maine and combine a day trip to justify doing it, to purchase popular perennial and annual 'plugs' once a year in early spring, because so many nurseries that are close to me don't offer a plug size and have just about stopped offering the old '6 pack' size. I buy tiny shrubs from Bluestone Perennials because no one local offers that size and it makes it really affordable. I think a lot of people buy from them because of that and their frequent sales and great customer service. I was going to suggest that if you could model your business on one that didn't need heated greenhouses, you might be ahead of the game. Don't know if that is possible. It would certainly cut your costs, but limit what you offer. Anyway, maybe others can offer their own reasons why they shop at one place or another and what they are looking for in a nursery. Here is a link that might be useful: So you want to start a plant nursery

I had a row of Buddleia davidi's I started from seed and they started seeding around some. I got rid of the whole row and all the seedlings but kept one plant that was all by itself. I have never seen any seedlings come up near it. Maybe they are not self-fertile? I don't cut back the single plant like I used to the row and it doesn't reach such monster proportions either. Thanks for the info, gardengal. I don't really want to remove my Phalaris since it is solving my weedy grass problems. I was so bummed out to see Milk Thistle as a Class A weed one year, as it is a medicinal I would have liked to grow. I don't understand that one as I have never seen it in the wild.

In San Antonio I like the two Rainbow Gardens and of course Antique Rose Emporium. Wildseed Farms in Fredericksburg is wonderful! Bob, Tammy and I were there a couple of weeks ago. There was only one field of blooming wildflowers to be seen this time. I guess the others had already been harvested, but there were acres of beautiful plants and literally tons of gorgeous pots. The pictures below don't even begin to show them all. They don't have the butterfly house any more, but instead a new butterfly garden, also a nice new waterfall garden. It's definitely a great place to visit and from which to buy plants and seeds; and also crafts from their gift shop. The Friday we were there they had a tent set up and were selling plates of fresh barbequed brisket and sausage they were doing on the spot. I don't know how often that happens. Plus there is all the other neat things in Fredericksburg to see and do. The Nimitz Museum is fascinating and well worth the time spent there, and all the quaint little shops along the main street are fun to browse.