Okay what is about 5' tall, deciduos, has pink almost red flowers now, has thorns and leaves emerge after the blooms have begun. My neighbor tried to tell me it was a Hollyhock which is nonsense since those are perenial plants not shrubs with thorns. I think it's a flowering quince. A friend visiting my neighbor thought it was a Hawthorn but what I could find in the way of descriptions didn't seem to agree with this.

Found three azaleas at Lowes today for $1.98 each. I got a Watchet Pink, Glacier White and a Girard Red.
It's my birthday so I've treated myself to a few sale plants!

MollyD

Sorry, I've been away from the computer most of the day.

Hope you had a very Happy Birthday! (see special message!)
I think you've nailed it with the quince ID. The description fits perfectly.

Red I so love that! Thank you!

Waiting for some fruit on that quince to confirm my guess My neighbor is a hoot when it comes to plants. She knows very little about them! She's been telling me for some time about a plant she called a mosquito plant. I couldn't for the life of me figure out what it might be. Today she picked up some and I laughed when I saw it was a scented geranium!! I told her oh it's a nice geranium and she argued it wasn't so I pulled the tag out of the pot and showed her what it said....geranium! In all the years of buying this plant she had never read the tag!!!
I went and bought one for myself. I plan to root some cuttings from it. Our next round was when I pointed out that it would bloom with apricot flowers. She insisted it was not a blooming plant! So I once again pulled the tag and let her read where it told her it bloomed with apricot flowers. She's been keeping them on her porch in deep shade every year so no surprise it never bloomed for her! Why was I being such a snot? Maybe because she has taken it upon herself to tell me how to do everything here on my place! I did refrain from rubbing it in any further though.

MollyD

Happy Belated Birthday, Molly. I'm glad you treated yourself. Ive heard people saying scented geraniums were mosquito repellants, but never called that. your neighbor sounds like a hoot.

awww well, shucks. darnit. I was hoping it would work...rooting a JM.
My dad has had JMs at his last two houses but we never tried to graft any. oh well. i had the potting mix anyhow.

ok. time to end this day.

Thanks Phyl! Yes my neighbor is a hoot!

Hey I wouldn't give up on the JM. Nothing ventured nothing gained as the old saying goes.

MollyD

Ya never know, as I say. the powers of rootone may surprise us again.

its a gorgeous day here. one of those days to be thankful for.

ditto! My church had a garage sale so I helped out all day with that. Had a lot of fun doing it.

MollyD

Please don't pitch the Jap Maple start! Remember how all roses were on rootstock from another rose and now it's a big thing for them to be on their own? You could be a trend setter, Phyl! I really don't know more than I have told you.

My big success story for today is my Chicago hardy fig tree - it was sold to me as marginally hardy and the web sites all say that it might die to the ground and regrow from there. As cold as this winter was here, I figured it was probably a complete goner. I planted it near my (brick) house on the SE side, but didn't mulch it or anything. But it's starting to grow leaves! I'm so excited! I LOVE figs!

So do I, Sheryl. and if you have extra, send me some!!

Sheryl I can't see why a fig wouldn't grow here in middle Tn. When I was a kid in Brooklyn,NY there was one growing in a sheltered backyard and no one paid it any attention. Had lots of fruit every year too. That was way colder than here.

MollyD

Typically they're tropical - Brown Turkey's used to grow in Phoenix all over the place & occasionally get hit by a frost, and they're 9b. I bet the one you saw in NY was the same type as this is. I'm so happy!

Can't say for sure what kind they were but temps back then would drop to -7 during the winter (Jan,Feb and March mostly). Winter there went from around November into April more or less.

MollyD

Brrr-rrr-rrr!!!

You got that right!

Sheryl, I havent had time to throw it out! but it's not dead yet....it doesn't even look withered or wilted. all it cost me to do it is a few cups of potting mix. i'm not giving up this easy.

Good for you, wishing you all the luck with it! My JMs outside are just starting to put out leaves, so some of the wait might be seasonal, too.

My JM's have all leafed out now, and I have a really bad case of JM lust! Good thing the nurseries close to me don't have any varieties I don't already have, because I really don't need to be buying any more maples right now.

Don't you have a Costco in Knoxville? They actually have some JMs for sale.

>running for cover< ...

Red do you know the name of the JM you sent me?

MollyD

It's a seedling from one of my unidentified maples. The previous owners had installed it by the front door. If the seedling takes after its parent, it will be at least 15' x 15' at maturity. I like that the foliage doesn't seem to green/bronze out in the summer heat like some other maples. It stays one red color or another until leaf drop in late fall. You can call it 'Red'