Hmm. You'll find the difficultly of repotting these to depend how intertwined the different root structures are. I just recently "moved" a china doll of similar size. I purposely shied away from "breaking up" any of the roots, and attempted to plant the root structure with all the oil soil into a new container, spreading the "roots" only enough to flatten them just a wee bit (it was uneven lol). It then tripled in size in three months :) Personally, my method always goes by "remove the pot, let the soil gently fall apart, obsess over not injuring the roots, replant with as much of the original soil as possible". I'm sure there are more precise procedures, though ::

How forgiving your tree is depends in large part on what approach you take to reverse its decline, and timing plays an important part in determining how enthusiastically your tree will react to your ministrations. Let me know if you want to make a plan that will begin with eliminating the mealybug problem and entering into a discussion about what's going on in the root zone. In addition to my offerings here, it's likely I'll offer some links to short (short in comparison to a book, but longer than the average GW/Houzz post) articles/posts I wrote, which you can read at your leisure. Sound like something you're up for? Al

I can only speak to Lavender Lassie. Lavender Lassie only reblooms for me if the winter and winter/spring transition has not been too severe. This past year was the first year since that awful Easter freeze of '07 that she and any of my other established hybrid musks rebloomed. If Lavender Lassie is doing okay, it blooms heavily in the spring and then a little more in the fall, but that is about it. No magic answer on this one.

D`Ann, here's all I gots on the China Doll: 1. Davesgarden.com info. 2. A little blurb of info, highlighted for easy finding on webpage; I think the China Doll's location is southern Louisiana). 3. More outdoor info, talking about the blooms; located in Texas. 4. Couldn't refind the original website of the man who wrote this quote...I put the addy into the internet archives (courtesy Wayback Machine)...and got this, and did find someone else quoting him...copied from this source: China Doll is often sold as a small indoor plant at many places. This is what happens when you put one in the ground in Zone 9B of southeast Texas! Produces a beautiful tree that is right at home in any landscape, especially tropical or Oriental. It was used quite extensively in southern Florida during the 1930Âs but is almost nonexistent in Texas. The binnate leaves having numerous green leaflets are quite distinctive. It would make a beautiful specimen tree. Had I known this it would have been planted in a more prominent place. The tree pictured is about 18 feet in height and still growing. Quite a few years ago it did die back to about 1 foot above the ground when we had an unseasonably cold winter that reached down to 20 degrees F with an ice storm. The tree revived itself by producing 4 new trunks. This winter it went through 5 periods where the temperature reached 27 degrees F and hardly lost a leaf but the trunks are 3.4 to 4 inches in diameter now and more heavily barked than that previous cold winter. Hopefully this will protect it from future bitter cold. 5. In Santa Monica, is a statement how they're placing China Dolls for street trees next to their sidewalks. Just interesting info (also, highlighted to find easier on the webpage, scroll downward). Sure thought more info was saved on my laptop, too, but dunno where I put it. I planted a China Doll, full sun, in Feb., or maybe that was March of this year; it has three trunks, one 3ft., one 4, and one six feet. I skirted up the lower branches today because of wind damage, and under-watering it (needs good rain really badly!). My plan was to skirt away, originally, just not so soon. Dunno how well it will do but you know I'm hoping for the best! :o) ....best wishes for you too!