ed, we can grow a huge number of species and cultivars of spring-flowering trees and shrubs, although few people take advantage of the full range of possibilities. Here are some of the flowering beauties you are seeing as you drive around Western New York, most of them available in a nursery near you. They are addressed roughly in order of bloom. vsd

•Serviceberry ( Amelanchier, also called shadbush or shadblow): This is the soft-white flowering native shrub you may have seen blossoming two weeks ago; many had flowers knocked

cy halo around the opening of the cup-shaped flower.

Piggyback plant (Tolmiea menziesii) flowers are a bit different from our other saxifrages: Their petals are rusty-purple and fused into a half-inch-long tube that flares out at the far end. Piggyback plant is probably the best recognized of our saxifrages - but recognized for the remarkable leaves, rather than the flowers. As summer progresses, tiny daughter plants will form at the base of many of the leaves on

each piggyback plant (hence the common names, "piggyback" and "youth-on-age"). The daughter plants will grow fairly large, developing roots and the capabi

Become a friend of Wavecrest Discoveries on Facebook! For information on how you can arrange an exploration of our fascinating natural history, contact Marty at 541-267-4027,

lity of starting a new individual plant. Yes, these are the same piggyback 

Massachusetts’ Charter schools operate under looser state regulations than traditional schools, can hire nonunion teachers, and are run by independent advisory boards that report to the state, not to local school committees or elected officials. They also receive funding from the municipalities in which they are located - amounts equivalent to what the public schools would pay if the students were still enrolled there. (In 2010, $12,628 per Boston student.)

The Commonwealth’s charter school program, controversial even now, was met with much suspicion when first proposed. In 1995, in order to get the nascent program off the ground, then-governor William Weld worked out a financial scheme to cover Renaissance’s start-up costs; a cheap lease and a low-interest loan. Four years later, the Commonwealth sold the building to Renaissance for just under $8 million, which the school paid for with additional funding arranged by the state.

of colors. I told her that I felt it was a bait and switch to call the arrangement "Tulip Rainbow", show a picture of it with several colors of tulips on their website, and then tell me that it was acceptable for my order to not even slightly resemble either the name or picture.

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he offered me a small gift card and a slight discount on the arrangement. However, this would not fix the situation, so I declined and told her that I would be contacting my credit card company and the New York State Attorney General's office.

Needless to say, I will not be ordering flowers from From You Flowers again. My girlfriend never received the arrangement I ordered and I believe that From You Flowers' refusal to fix the situation is unacceptable. Also, the company did not stand behind its 100% satisfaction guarantee. All I want is for them to send my girlfriend the arrangement I ordered and if this is not possible, give me a refund.