I've gotten some surprises since I moved from Northern CA to OK. Plants that were invasive in CA are not here, and vice versa. My all-time hated plant for taking over the world is Hypericum, in any of it's varieties. I would never ever consider planting it unless erosion control was desperately needed on a hillside. The root system is very tough and can turn into a nearly solid mat, killing anything else in its path. Once it's really established, I think it would take a tractor and a lot of weed killer and several years to eradicate it. Lily of the Valley can spread out over a huge area and be all but impossible to control. Coreopsis in CA is like a weed. Start a plant or two and it spreads everywhere. Here in OK it doesn't seem to be nearly as much of a problem. In fact, I tried scattering seed in hopes that I'd get a crop of new ones, but nothing happened. However, I found that the spiderwort likes this climate and had a dozen babies the first year. The remaining ones are vinca major or minor, which can be really hard to control; sweet woodruff that was mentioned above, which has such tiny roots that it's easy to keep where it belongs; monarda, which began as 8 plants and is now over 8' wide; and evening primrose (oenothera) which spreads like crazy. I'm using it to fill in an ugly patch and it's doing a very good job of it, very fast. Six little starts last year turned into an area that's about 8'long and 5' wide. Also, honeysuckle in OK is an invasive weed, climbing over, under, around and through anything in its path. I'm growing Goldflame, which is well mannered, with an extremely long bloom period.

Lots of interesting comments here folks, since there were so many good theories, thought I'd copy and paste some of the responses from the Garden Web and Blossom Swap boards. [Apologies for not crediting sources but you know who you are ;-)] I think Mr Seedy's comment about "...growing up listening to all the praise heaped on traditional gardens and traditional plants..." is [probably] a serious reason why so few [relatively speaking] go the route of succulents and cactus. Many garden shows on tv hardly ever showcase the world of succulents. Where someone lives seems to play a part in the popularity of succulents. Can't blame or argue with that. But here in [parts of] California, what's our excuse? Yes, Borrego, you're right, succs do seem to be gaining some strength, especially in some neighborhoods  but still, when I drive down many streets, succulents are not the norm [even less seen than cactus imo] Maybe that will change one day. I also think this comment plays a big part in people's choice of landscaping: "Strangely, many people dont see cacti and succulents as "pretty". To them pretty is leafy and lush." Good thoughts and words  now let's go start the revolution.... Garden Web responses: - "...succulents don't grow quickly enough to be profitable landscape sized specimens" - "Strangely, many people dont see cacti and succulents as pretty". To them pretty is leafy and lush." - "In my own stomping grounds here in NYC, they certainly don't come up, btwn our hot & humid summers & cold snowy winters, I don't think they'd be possible here. Blossom Swap responses: - "The flowers are usually boring, most of them do nothing for me." - "I do think in many cases folks lack imagination, and have many preset notions of what plants are pretty and interesting etc." - "...and sometimes it's also a case of growing up listening to all the praise heaped on traditional gardens and traditional plants and our tastes to a degree are "learned" ones, that some of us refuse to expand. - "But I would think they are not as common just because of the lack of leafy coverage that most people seem to like about shrubs and other landscaping plants."

fun topic. white spirea flowering tree smells like rotting meat/sewer during peak (short) blooming season. later as it wanes and browns, not so bad since we had 'em in front of house as child. i'm lucky to live 1/2 block from 207 acre Humboldt Park in Chicago (3 miles inland from lake but park has it's 'human- made' one). coming over a rise into a hollow with a natural-fed restored 'prairie' creek, one smells the awfullest odor from a ridge across the footbridge FILLED with (too many!) white spirea. not shrubby since lower branches are trimmed off; they end up looking like very low fruit trees. soil is rich with humus and moist from creek and overhead tree canopy, so blooms are really lush and STINK right now. lilacs are great but overwhelming near windows, doors or next to heavily travelled walks etc. they should be in a corner, or out near the open away from walks and windows allowing fragrance to waft subtly. in a house, place 1-3 bunches off on a side table, ornamental table, large table, or mantle, NOT right on a small dining area or in a close room. my mother who loved them and the color lilac passed away this january... Here is a link that might be useful: myspace.com/intotheclear

Hi Denise! Yep, I've got the earliest, and the latest, daffodils there is ;-) According to reports on Dave's Garden pink trumpet vine grows in the Dallas area and there is even one report from someone who grows it in Mass. Most winters it freezes to the ground, but is easy to cut back and clean up since it really doesn't twine, but it's long stems sprawl and lean on arbors or fences. It comes back quickly in the spring, but doesn't bloom until late summer. One thing I like about it is that it doesn't require much water and doesn't spread. Occasionally it roots where a stem touches the ground, but produces only a very few seed pods. No bug or disease bothers it, but the bees love it. I'm trying to see if will root in water right now so I can bring rooted cuttings to the plant swap. Since it didn't freeze back this winter I've also buried some sections of live stems in the ground and covered them with a rock so hopefully they will root. Here's a couple of pictures from last year. You may have seen them already. Here is a link that might be useful: Pink Trumpet Vine, Podranea ricasoliana