I started Taro in mid-March and the leaves are now about 1'. I also purchased pink and white Malanga which is budding but does not have any leaves. It is also a beautiful Elephant Ear. Get to an Asian store and purchase Malanga of both colors if you can find. also purchased Dasheen but nothing is happening with it yet. I started planting Taro about 7 years ago and it comes back every year. Can take shade or sun but of course gets larger if planted in the sun. You will be very pleased.

I still had lots of food in the house, but DH told me to go ahead and stock up since he'll probably be on the road for 5-6 weeks this time and the immediate future of our para-transit sytem is iffy at best right now due to budget cuts. (We won't know its fate until March 19. On the 22nd, we'll either have it or it's immediately gone.) So, hey, I'm no dummy. I stocked up. Trader Joes - greek yogurt eggs Cheddar cheese bacon almonds frozen haibut frozen green beans frozen mixed veggies frozen mixed peppers frozen naan butter canned diced tomatos quinoa mustard Regular Grocery Store bread Tortillas raisins black beans lentils canned tuna (my lucky day - albacore at .79 a can!) 5# chicken breasts (on sale at .99 a pound!) 2# pork bag of baking potaotes 2 cucumbers 3 onions 2 gree peppers # asparagas quart strawberries 1/2 gal milk canned mixed fruit # bananas # mushrooms garlic limes flour olive oil freezer bags pinto beans # coffee 2 boxes tea bags On the clearance shelf, we found organic pommegranate juice, V8, cherry juice and peanuts for $1.00 eash. The store isn't going to carry them anymore. So we got two each of those. And I had coupons for two free bottles of laundry soap that expire at the end of the month, so I got those now. Total - too much. OTOH, I'm set for another 4-5 weeks except highly perishable items like lettuce or milk. (Althogh I have some canned milk if I really need it.) That doesn't include the things we get for DH to take on the road as I consider his road supplies separate from my grocery budget.

Hi Beth, We have also gotten some of these minis from the Grocery Outlet and from the Save Mart "Death Rack", when they are past prime; they can have from 4-5 rooted cuttings in them. We have separate the cuttings and allowed them to grow into larger plants outside to "toughen them up" before planting them into our garden. We have a range of colors (several pinks, white, yellow, red, peach); some have flowers up to 3 inches and others are more in the miniature to miniflora range. Some were labeled as "Victory" Roses, others as "Parade". They never provide the precise name of the selection. When we compare these roses to the named miniature and miniflora roses that we grow, we prefer the Victory/Parade types, as they seem to have more petals per flower and open flat without displaying many anthers. They seem to remain in an attractive state on the plant longer than the conventional mini's/minifloras, which seem to "blow" faster, especially in our dry heat. One exceptional pink one, has flowers that have lasted up to 3 weeks on the plant. And, at least so far, they have remained short (less than 18 inches); some of our mini's/miniflora's will grow over 6 feet tall if not pruned regularly. To us, the name of the rose is not all that important, as we are not interested in exhibiting them.

Thanks for the answers so far folks...today more plants have buds, very nice. I know these roses are pretty much just little cuttings when you get them in the store- by mature I mean mature enough to plant out in the yard and have them actually survive. An adult plant rather than a baby cutting. I don't plan on keeping them in gallon pots forever, just want to grow them out to a mature size to give them better luck at survival. They will likely end up in bigger pots before too long. I'm used to growing out perennials for a year or two to a more mature size before planting out- this is just the first time I'm trying it with the mini-roses. If it can take around 3 years to get to a nice maturity, now I can plan on what size and space in my perennial nursery will be needed for a year or two grow-out. And Trader Joe's is a no-go for me. Outside my travel zone, and I can pick up these roses from other retailers more local.