grandmamaloy: I'm not sure about trimming them since I haven't tried it before, but I might try to overwinter two pots to see if I can trim them or not and how that affects it. I'm just afraid they'll get too large by Spring, but then again if their in a cooler house with less light and water maybe that will help contain them. I started out with 3 little 4" pots and they are spilling out of my whiskey barrel! Hopefully it will work, but if not I've only lost $10-12 in purchasing the parent plants. Might as well try :) Thanks for the tips! 715rose: I've heard that they only grow in water, but maybe they grow in soil for you since they're in a greenhouse? I might try using some rooting hormone that I'm picking up this week and see if that helps. Where do you clip the cuttings and how far/where on the cuttings do you plant them? Any other tips you could share that work for you would be awesome! ken_adrian: I did know it's registered, but I'm only using it for my own personal use in my household, not making any profit. I'm pretty sure no one will knock on my door :) Thanks for the info just in case! mnwsgal: Did you not have very good success or just didn't think it was worth it for you? Thanks to everyone for their advice!

I have a somewhat different view re some of the things vlmastra mentioned. Many of you know that I have a lot of experience maintaining plants in small containers. In some cases, I have plants that have been in the same container for >10 years. To a very large degree, when plants outgrow a container, it's either because you want them to and have allowed it, or you don't know how to maintain them at a size that allows them to remain in those small containers. Maintaining a dish garden requires pruning - period. If you're not pruning, you're not maintaining it, only helping it grow by giving it appropriate amounts of water/fertilizer/light. OK - we have a semantics issue here with the word 'maintain', but you get the point, so I hope you'll allow what I said to be true. When you cut a plant back, to some degree you automatically prune the roots. IOW, the plant will balance the volume of fine roots with the size of the transpiring mass above the soil, and for the most part we can consider the transpiring mass to be the foliage. So, KEEPING the volume of foliage in check reduces the root volume and slows growth. Who cares if the roots get tangled? Lift the entire soil/root mass with all 6 plants in it and go to work. Cut the plants apart and toss them in a bucket of water. One at a time, remove the soil from the roots and prune the roots. Remove mostly large roots if you can, but in many cases you can remove up to 90% of the root mass of a plant and it will recover quickly. Remember, houseplants are houseplants because they are sturdy and tolerate a LOT. At that time, you reduce the top of the plants by cutting back. You guys have seen the thread where I showed the pictures of the China Doll and asparagus fern being reduced several times? That planting was just (top) reduced again this fall for the 4th or 5th time. It's been in the same dish for about 8 years and has not been repotted. I reduce the top, the roots that are unneeded are shed by the plant and break down in the soil, and the beat goes on. Eventually, I'm going to have to root prune and repot that planting, but after I do that, I'll probably give it away so someone else can enjoy it. To be fair, the fact that the plant is in the gritty mix is a major reason the planting was/is able to go so long between repots. Combine such a durable soil with regular top maintenance, and your dish gardens can look good for years and years. Without batting an eye, I can honestly say I could EASILY maintain the same 2 China Doll trees and the same 2 asparagus ferns (plumosa) in that shallow dish tray for 20 years. All that's required is proper maintenance. As I noted above (I think) when it comes to plants possessed of greater vigor than others overtaking/out-competing the less vigorous plants, it's up to you to keep that from happening. There is nothing stopping you from taking a razor knife and cutting the more vigorous plant out of your dish garden, reducing it by pruning roots and cutting it back, and returning it to the dish. You also have the option of starting a cutting long before you intend to reduce or remove the plant and replacing the more vigorous plant with a clone of itself, or replacing it with another plant entirely. Many of the people that come here for the first time, and even some regulars, operate under the assumption that when you bring houseplants home they will inevitably decline and in a few years you'll toss/replace them. I call that the revolving door mentality .... bring one in - take one out; but it's only that way because the plants are not being maintained in a way that ensures their vitality. I have a dear, dear 97 year old friend I've written about often, who lies today in the hospital and confides he's 'on his way out' (please offer a prayer for him if you can). I wrote a little something about him that didn't get much attention and posted it to this forum. In it, I told the story he told me about giving away a 100 (not a typo) year old fern. Most of us can't even imagine keeping a plant in a container for that long, but with the proper maintenance ...... What if I told you you can maintain succulents and Impatiens in the same dish garden or companion pot and both plants would be happy? If anyone doubts, be ready to wager. ;o) What limits our ability to combine a wide variety of plant genera in the same pot? The answer is 'the soil'. The heavier the soil is, the more critical it is that you only combine plants that tolerate wet feet in the same container. A huge % of plants suffer from heavy soils and wet feet. Even if you can't see the damage, there is always lots potential in soils that have the inherent problem of supporting a layer of saturated soil at the bottom of the pot. This kills roots - period. It doesn't kill ALL roots; it starts with the finest roots first - the tiny feeder roots that absorb water and nutrients. Every time we water, and often when we only water in sips, the water 'pools' in the soil at the bottom of the pot and roots their die back to varying degrees. This causes tow things - either root rot, or the tendency for plants that tolerate these wet conditions better to quickly out-compete their stressed or strained companions. As the soil moves toward better aeration/ better drainage, a much wider variety of genera will grow happily, side by side in a soil that is never soggy, only damp. In soils like these, it's possible to grow an impatiens and other plants that tolerate wet feet (though don't necessarily APPRECIATE the condition, alongside other plants that prefer a moist or evenly moist soil. Before we argue the point that succulents do/don't like 'evenly moist' soil, you should consider the fact that you might imagine that directions to allow the soil to dry down (for succulents) before watering again is a good way to help you help your plants that suffer more from saturated soils to recover before the next deluge. Cache-potting will work, but relying on root constriction to keep plants small has it's drawbacks. Loss of foliage, the 'tufted look', which is when foliage appears primarily at the end of branches (on plants that branch), lack of extension, reduced vitality .... are some of the things that accompany root restriction. Once the plant gets root-bound, you still need to go through the same procedures you would need to undertake to maintain the plant if it was growing in a dish garden or just cohabitation with other like-minded plants. ;o) Al

Montauk daisy might work but it gets BIG unless you prune it twice a year. I'm guessing the size containers you describe wouldn't be large enough for it. Also, in my experience the lower leaves get ratty looking. Sedum Autumn Joy flops even in full sun for me so I generally use a peony ring to keep it looking tidy. Another option might be Adenophora pereskiifolia/ladybells; it gets tall (28-42") and blooms off and on right through the season if deadheaded. Mine are sending out fresh blooms now for the third time this year. The stems are strong and don't need staking; the flowers are bell-shaped and lavender. It has a smaller footprint than the others and from what I've observed, is just as drought tolerant and worry-free. It's easily grown from seed.

Thanks Conny I am overjoyed about the seedling auction. I am confident you can do the same. The question is can you part with it when the time comes? Pagan agreed a new thread is needed. And KHZ is just the plant to start it! I hate the pot it's in now because it's going to be a b*tch to pick up and move without disturbing the roots and stability of the plant. Will take some measurements and see what I can find at Cass Bonsai in her size? I can definitely see putting her in the show next year. Maybe even getting a blue ribbon if I can get her to bloom cycle to cooperate.