permaculture

[Marimike6@cs.com]

Mitch comments "A very interesting idea, and I will pursue it, but I wonder 
about the possibility of plants from other continents becoming invasive here. 
Many good intentions have gone awry that way."

Read up on P. cineraria, and discuss it with your local ag extension service. 
My brief reading tells me that while it has no peer in colonizing harsh, 
saline landscapes in India, people have had trouble even establlishing it in 
this 
country. It may be harder than it seems. But the payoff looks to be having a 
versatile plant useful to wildlife as well as to man, in areas where 
otherwise 
you just have scrub oak and mesquite, or even just creosote.

As always, proceed cautiously, first do no harm, etc. It's easier to plant 
asparagus than it is to eradicate it. The same goes for wisteria and many 
other 
desirable introductions. In the South there are no statues in honor of Mr 
Johnson (who introduced Johnson grass).