The specimen I viewed at the local greenhouse was over 6' tall ! definitely cant use a plant that large. At this point I dont really have a plan. Which would do less harm to the plant, cutting it back or letting it die back ?

Instructions for overwintering Firespike in northern Georgia.https://www.google.com/search?q=overwintering+odontonema+in+northern+georgia.+should+i+cut+ot+nack%3F&oq=overwintering+odontonema+in+northern+georgia.+should+i+cut+ot+nack%3F&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOdIBCTQwMjM5ajBqN6gCELACAQ&client=ms-android-verizon-us-rvc3&sourceid=chrome-mobile&source=chrome.ob&ie=UTF-8#lfId=ChxjMe

My apologies lovetogarden. When I clicked on the profile when I saw this thread, it looked like you hadn't been here in a while.

And of course I wouldn't have even noticed it if Cyn hadn't responded to you. I'm glad you got responses that helped!

There are 2 Rhododendrons that bloom at the end of May and into June. Percy Wiseman and the native Rhododendron canadense. Your question requires a lot of research so it would be helpful if you also included a state and county. I'm sure there must be more. According to my search Rosa elegans should begin blooming at the end of May going into June for the state of Maine. I used Maine because I don't know your state.

Thanks for everyone's response! I am still looking for a good keeper book to have on hand. I recently checked out Rosemary Gladstar's Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner's Guide from the library and enjoy looking through her book. I may purchase that one soon to have a book on hand.

Thanks everyone, as soon as someone mentioned milkweed it seemed quite obvious, aside from the pod shape. I was able to dig out a photo of the general area from this summer and did confirm that Asclepias tuberosa (butterfly milkweed) was growing in this same spot. I have just never seen the seed pods before, not even in the wild at local parks. Here is a photo of the stem that shows alternate leaf arrangement. Thanks again!

Agreed, butterfly milkweed it is. The alternate leaf arrangement is a handy field mark, since almost all the other milkweeds around here have opposite leaves. A lovely one to have in a backyard meadow!

I'm with Jay on this one — those fleshy leaves and tiny yellow flowers really look like common purslane, and yes, it is edible with a nice lemony bite. I ran a photo through floweridentifier.org and it narrowed it down to purslane as well.