Thanks! :) Your rooted cuttings make a lovely little tree but I'm not sure it's gonna be happy in that glass for long. My plantlets haven't grown much for a good while, only they filled their pots with roots. Not sure if the same's gonna happen to yours but if they grow, there won't be enough space. And to flush the medium you need holes at the bottom. All my semi-hydro plants are in normal pots with holes and saucer/cache pot underneath. The ones in non-draining glasses are bromeliads and they only get sprayed with water every now and then. I just wondered, how come your mother plant has plain green and variegated leaves at the same time?

there seems to be a long road between what you want.. and what you got .... you are not going to make it fill out.. because it is too dark .... your ONLY option is to root some pieces.. and start over... or get rid of it.. and buy another ... key words at the link: most of which are native to the Old World tropics.... In their native habitats Ficus can be found growing in full sun and dense forest.... It is grown outdoors in bush form for hedges in the south Florida area ... Ficus can survive low interior light but would prefer bright filtered light. the problem.. as you are finding.. is that your flat.. is not the tropics.. nor FL .. and your plant is just not going to grow the way you want it to ... but of course.. that should not stop you from trying .... good luck ken Here is a link that might be useful: link

Hi, I have found that you can still stagger them a bit by keeping them in the dark and not planting them, but you really do have to keep an eye out for the 'more than the tip' of the bloom showing. If you delay too long, you chance the bud being deformed or aborting. When you see the thicker portion of the bud, you definitely do need to pot it up and give it some water. I have purchased some at discount at the end of the season. Some had deformed blooms, but to my surprise, many of those produced a second bloom. Some had not bloomed at all yet. Those were Minerva and Red Lion. HD had them for $1, so I bought lots. As you can tell by my zone, they grow in the gardens here, but despite a large collection, I still tend to bring most of them into an enclosed porch and patio area and enjoy the ones that decide to bloom during the winter months. I keep them outside as long as possible. Our first frost is often Thanksgiving week, and I'm scrambling to start bringing them inside. Some I cover with a blanket and do not bring in until later. As long as they are protected, the leaves do not totally melt (some are tinged). This tends to prolong the time until they bloom. By Christmas time, we usually have another hard frost/freeze and those that are indoor bound are inside for the rest of the winter. Most bloom inside, except for the Johnsonii which are in the garden. Johnsonii bloom after the last frost which is normally mid March or April 1. I think that you will find that the bloom time is not precise, so you most likely will get staggered blooms. Some blooms will last longer than others. Some will produce a second set of blooms. Good Luck and enjoy! I don't think I have 50 varieties, but I have many. Most are hybrids. Many are doubled. I have just started collecting diploids this past year and hope to purchase more this year.

Hi all, I've returned to California last year, and putting in a garden from scratch. My fav 'plant children' live on the deck (my hubby says it is groaning under the weight) (smile) but anything i plant in the earth needs to have deer-resistant qualities, and i'm concentrating on very aromatic herbs. We placed a large circle of quite large rocks (hubby has old John Deer with backhoe) and in it I've planted sage, thyme, rosemary, lots of onions and garlic, daffodils, St John's Wort, Nandina, Fritillaria, California poppies ... so far seems the deer is leaving it alone, but don't know if same tactics are going to keep the jackrabbits out :-) In any case, I used to grow Melianthus when i lived in this zone before and it did very well growth-wise plus deer left it alone. I love it for its peanutty smell, the beautiful turquoisy-grey frilled leaves, and the nostalgia value of being a wellknown S. African plant from my country of origin. Now I'm trying to find seeds or offsets to start growing some again ... Last time, in late nineties, i ordered seed from Silverhill Seeds in South Africa but this time I'd love to get a kickstart ... years have marched on, I've gotten quite older, and time is precious :-) Anyone growing any of the Melianthus, please contact me and let's work out a trade that will be to our mutual benefit. I've enabled 'Message" on my profile, but don't have much faith in it yet here on the new site so am providing my email addy ... modjadje at gmail dot com ... and would love to hear from you! thank you