hi. I have bought two alocasias zebrinas in one pot, and one amaznica, and all three have been on their way out ever since I bought them. I couldn't for the life of me figure out when to water them, each time I watered them, they would start to cry, so i assumed that meant they want less water, but either way, leaves were yellowing, and all three ended up with no leaves at all. I'm not exaggerating, not a single leaf was left among three of them so I dug them out of the soil, and I got some clay balls, they sort of look like what americans call leca, just smaller and less round, so it may be some other brand of the same thing, or another thing entirely. we don't have leca as such in serbia, and when I bought this, the seller insisted it was not "expanded clay" so, I don't know, I bought it with intention to use it as leca, and it behaves like leca, so I'm sure you can achieve the same thing with leca the important thing with leca to remember, is to use jars with wide opening, no narrowing of any kind, or you'll have to break the container to get them out. and you want to use glass, as it's transparent so, I popped all of the main roots, as well the little bobs of new roots that were growing out of it, and I put them in glass jars, in that pretend leca, and kept watering them. The idea with this method is that you can see how much water there is, and you don't have to guess. you want root to have access to water, but also to have access to air, which is really hard to achieve in soil, but really easy in leca or similar substrate. you just water it to the top, and then wait till all of water is gone to water again. no guessing required. since then, my amazonica grew one leaf, it's not the prettiest leaf ever, it's bent, but it's there, and one zebrina has one leaf, the other one has two, and one of the small roots sprouted a new tiny leaf. so, zebrina looks much better cause both roots are in the same jar, and it has way more leaves than amazonica, but important thing is that they're back to life from having no leaves at all I can also see that most of the little rootlets on amazonica have some growth, but nothing reached the surface yet of course, in my case, roots were healthy and in your not so much, so I'd advise to get them out of the soil and search if there are little baby roots you could use, that may not be rotten. I have seen a guy cut up a rotten part of the root, on tiktok, but I don't remember if he later confirmed if it worked. it does seem like at this point you have very little choice. you could not cut the root (I'm highly suspicious that would work anyway) and just pull it out of soil and clean it with 3% hydrogen and sprinkle with cinnamon, as those might stop the infection, and let the whole thing dry out but not dry up, and then try with leca. if it works great, if it doesn't, it just means you were too late. I know for sure that next time I get an alocasia, it's going straight into clay and no soil for it. I have yet to figure out how to fertilize it tho oh yeah, the leca thing, I saw a girl on youtube talk about starting new plants from those rootlets, and she tried all kinds of things, and had best success with leca, that's why I tried that, I was like "well, it's either dead or I will kill it so I might as well try this" and it worked wonders, so to all who struggle, you can try it, and you can try to find her video, maybe she has some more info I forgot about

You did not say how long you have been in GA or where you came here from. Are you actually thinking formal? It didn't seem like it if you bonsaied the boxwoods, they had probably been sheared all their lives which would suggest formal. You may be better off ripping them out, and putting in new ones, even if you are just wanting to renew an old, boring landscape, you could probably do some judicious pruning to rejuvenate new growth. Formal isn't necessary, just because the house is colonial, keeping up sheared and "formal", is a lot of work, not good for the plants, and takes the fun out of it . Creating a habitat does not have to mean wild, overgrown or unkempt. Even so you can still create a beautifully welcoming entry that would compliment the house, really WOW you and the neighbors and give you the gardening pleasure. Learning a bit more about what grows well or too well here, how not to commit crape murder, what is on the invasive species list, and so overused in most yards of those who are not really gardeners, can all help you do it in a "professional way". I have had the best and very rewarding experience with mine, and I have the joy of being the gardener and designer. I have a very formal looking 80' long double level wall in the back, and the habitat in front. It's just the way it turned out, because we needed a retaining wall. I guess it just depends on how you want to use the front, if you want to use the front area and sit out there when ever there is shade, you want to feel connected to the plantings. I have all the books for gardening here, and love to share gardening with anyone. I am mostly free to meet with or go to nurseries or tours if you need a garden buddy. My husband is always bringing people to see my yard, and always tells them, it was all me. Many people have ask for my help or ideas, he wants to hire me out, but I can't do that. I used to be the gardener at our home church, having a group of kids helping me sometimes. That started when someone suggested we,( meaning me) plant some flowers in preparation for my son's wedding, that lasted several years.

Yes, AKA-Peggy, Jim and Dan have been friends of mine for at least 20 years, in SCA, music, gardening, whatever. We are in the same SCA household. Wonderful people; how do you know them? I'll be up there again Saturday April 23 for the first Passover Seder; where do you live and maybe I can stop in by you that afternoon? Anything in particular you want by way of green kittens? I made two trips up there this weekend -- Saturday with sweetie Richard and his truck to bring back flat slabs of slate for another 10X10 area of patio, and Sunday in my own little (overworked) wagon to get chunks for another stretch of wall. I sent plants to that swap with another old friend Phil N, since I had the awful choice of going to the Four Seasons Fall Swap or going to the Folklore Society of Greater Washington Getaway Weekend in Havre de Grace. Didn't see how it'd be worth the three hours of driving to try to do both. So yes, they were taking my name in vain. One wonderful thing to do with oysters is to take a nice thick beefsteak, an inch at least, and cut a pocket in the middle. Lay in some raw oysters, then season and grill the steak as you normally would. The exquisite sea flavor penetrates the meat, and you get a bit with each bite. MMMMM. If you want to get real elaborate you can put a couple leaves of young spinach or even basil flat in the pocket before putting in your oysters, but some folks consider that overkill. I have the day off (there are real advantages to working for the government) and I'm trying to decide if it's too miserable out to start digging the base for the new section of wall I laid out yesterday... Lynn

All aroids produce tubers. In horticulture the three terms tuber, bulb and corm are used interchangeably but there are scientific differences. I've seen all sorts of aroids sold as "bulbs" and corms but the science books say otherwise. I'll do my best to keep this simple but some of the explanation is tough. A tuber, bulb and a corm are all stems. Most people think of the stem as the support of a leaf but that part is called a petiole. Leaves are technically made up of two parts, the petiole and blade. Some people find it confusing when they read a scientific text and find "the stem is the support of the leaf". That is technically true but only if you understand the petiole is part of the leaf. A stem is the support of the plant. The definition would go something like this: The base, central axis and main support of a plant normally divided into nodes and internodes. The nodes often produce a leaf in the axil of which they produce roots and hold buds which may grow into shoots of various forms. The stem's roots anchor the plant either to the ground, a tree or to a rock. A stem may even spread as a repent rhizome creeping across the soil. May either grow above ground, underground or partially above the soil. Specialized stem forms are called a corm, tuber or bulb. A bulb is an underground storage structure used to store starches and water. A bulb is a condensed stem usually with a basal plate and fleshy storage leaves surrounding the bud that will form the next plant. It is composed of thick modified leaves arranged in layers that are used for food storage. If you want to see the inside of a bulb slice open an onion since an onion is a perfect example. The term bulb is used far more commonly in horticulture but should is not used in relationship to an aroid, at least by a scientist. Most people probably won't but if you did you could see an onion is not like the tubers that grow from an aroid. A corm is similar to both a bulb and a tuber but still different. The corm is an underground stem to which the above-ground parts of the plant may die back in the dormant season. It often stores starch and when it regrows foliage will come from the top and roots from the base like a typical stem. There are no true examples of a corm in the aroid family. My friend and scientist Christopher Rogers wrote the following to further describe a corm: "a corm is composed entirely of stem tissue. It is literally just an underground stem. It has an epidermal layer, a vascular cylinder with phloem and xylem and central pith. A corm can also be a starch storage organ, but it still has true stem tissue. This is why a corm has the new foliage growth coming from the top and the roots coming from the base. Corm examples are Crocus, Cyclamen and Gladiolus." Define phloem and pith The xylem is a plant tissue of various cells that is capable of transporting water and other substances including mineral salts to the leaves. A tuber is a strongly condensed stem as well as an underground structure which is almost entirely a starch storage organ. The buds for future growth and the roots all develop at the apex (top) when the tuber sometimes forms as the tip of a stolon. Stolons are stem runners or stem shoots that run atop or just under the ground from a plant. Stolons possess the ability to produce new plants from the buds along its length or at the apex (tip). Christopher explains further, "A tuber is just parenchyma (with some vascular tissue). It has an epidermal layer with some subdermal vascular tissue, and all the rest is parenchyma." Parenchyma is the primary tissue of most plants which is composed of the thin cells which form the bulk of leaves, roots and other plant parts. He continues with his explanation of a tuber, "It is almost entirely a starch storage organ. This is why the foliage and the roots all come from the top. Most plants with tubers have them borne on stolons, but that is not necessary. In Amorphophallus, Arum and Typhonium for example, the stem tissue is all encased in the small bud at the top of the tuber. That bud grows upward into a leaf or two, and outward into roots, with the tuber beneath. Other tuber examples are potatoes and Sinningia." Xylem is a network of hollow cells found in a plant's vascular system that transports water and soluble nutrients collected by the roots. Sorry to be technical, and I suppose there is nothing wrong with calling a tuber a corm or bulb but if you talk to a scientist they will likely frown if you use the wrong term.