geron1mo

I noticed that barb, but I think the Countess was referring to Edith's case, not to gardening in general. It seemed to me she was attempting to cause Edith to set her goals on something more public and more potent at her stage in life--that gardening should not be her main pursuit while she has much more to offer the world.
It is likely that bit of advice that occasions Edith to go into journalism--next episode.

Duly noted. Thanks, all.

Celosia.

I see the similarity, but that's not it. The leaves of my mystery plant are soft, velvety, green on top and purple on bottom. It's a multi-syllable name, not Tradescantia, but something along those lines. I can't find it anywhere on Google.
Also note that the flowers come out of spade-shaped purple pillows. It is a sun-lover, and is blooming furiously right now. I am irked that I can't recall the name--I repot it each summer from cuttings, and it grows rapidly to the huge specimen you see in the photo. Also, in the bottom photo, I showed the purple underside of the leaf.

It does look like bamboo. Ugh. I have dwarf bamboo in my side yard--it has migrated from the neighbor's side yard. The "side shoots" run underground in long, thick horizontal roots--the new plants pop up along the way. I am still trying to get rid of mine though the neighbors eradicated theirs.

Could it be borage?

It's a delphinium.

I would never remove a specimen that large. I think it will eventually fill out. Trees have a way of looking out for themselves, and this one is relieved its neighbor is gone. You might want to watch it for signs of infestation as it recovers; also remove any dead or broken branches.

Pink and red impatiens along and just inside the wall. About 14 of them would give the desired effect. These would brighten up the shady area and give a blast of color to this rather bland setting.

Why is the survey "currently closed"?

Interesting Renaissance-like colors, as in Da Vinci or Rembrandt.

Lovely.

Tres beau, l'arbre.

Wow.

Fantastic.

He'll be back one day!

Looks like the fairies' castle.

Fabulous white on black. Great photo.

Shivery. Great photo.

The way I feel in this snow-crust! Great photo.

That tells the tale of summer to winter. A great photo.

I also bought an Eastern redbud at half price several years ago, and it is hale and hardy--quite tall now, so it's not always the case that the stock is bad. Just pick and choose.

I agree you have to be wary, because the big-box hardware nurseries do not water their plants consistently; nevertheless, I bought four boxwoods at Lowe's in November three years ago and they have been just excellent.

This definitely looks like quince, which is a hard pear-like fruit that can be used to make jam. The tree is 5-8 meters tall? Spring blooms white or pink? In the Middle East, the seeds are soaked in water to produce a liquid drunk for sore throat. In Europe, quince trees are grown mixed with apple and other fruit trees.

Quince?

OK, CoolGreen, you are correct; it is Cassia marilandica.
And, yes, it is the Maryland Senna or wild senna. I suppose it IS evergreen there in Santa Barbara; of course, it would not be here, since we have frost and freezes. Thanks for your guidance on this--I just had it verified by a local plantsman--Tony Avent.

Well, thanks, but the peanut has four pinnate leaves on each branch. This plant has way more than that. I just checked it, and it's about five feet tall now, and three or four feet in diameter. Any more ideas?

Zone 7--NC. Cassia is evergreen, with thicker leaves, I think.
It does resemble Cassia, but has thin, flat leaves. This plant dies back each fall, then returns in summer. The blooms do look like those of Cassia, though.

Yes, it's Dames Rocket.