The certificates were issued from the originating countries. The one from China was in Chinese so I couldn't read that one. The one from Singapore just gave inspection dates, species information, location of the nursery etc. Both envelopes were labed that they contained seeds and could be opened for inspection. This, of course, may mean nothing to the USDA or customs. I know nothing about any of this (obviously) but someone told me that if the envelope is correctly labeled with a phyto certificate and the quantity is small (for personal use) that unless there are visually obvious signs of infestation or the plant is not allowed (?), it will usually get through. Again, I'm only going by hear say.

a couple of things to think about - although digging your own may be cheaper it will take up to 2 years longer to start consistently seeing large culms compared to purchasing container grown plants that have established new rhizome growth in their pots - preferably being in their containers for more than one growing season. this is because when you make a division you will be severing the division from the colony that is currently producing and storing energy as a group. what will happen is that the shoots and new culms that come up next spring will be produced from energy the grove stored in the rhizomes this summer, so you will have nice size culms next spring. but the year after that, the energy stored will come from the new, much smaller rhizome system (whatever the new transplants are able to produce next summer) so the following year you should expect to see much smaller new culms than what you planted and what comes up the first spring after you plant. it will take an additional year for the grove to have enough energy to size back up that 3rd spring. container grown plants have already started growing new rhizome so by the time you plant them they should not have that 'downsizing' spring, each year they will be bigger. if at all possible it is best to obtain plants with well established new rhizome growth in the pots, reputable nurseries will let you un-pot them and check it out. also, digging and transplanting so late in the year will send them into winter in a somewhat destabilized condition, and they will be more cold tender as there will not be much root/rhizome mass to hydrate the culms during deep freezes, although in your climate this may not be too big of a factor. i suspect that you start seeing freezes in november/early december?. that does not allow much time for the transplant to put out new feeder roots.

tcstoehr- It doesn't keep them from growing beyond the mound if I let them...I actually have over an acre, but I just want to keep some runners to a clump shape and the mound reminds me of where to chop if I want to. I don't think that keeping a runner on a small plot has any significant effect on culm size, as long as it's sending up culms only outside that area and they're the ones that get chopped. I've seen lots of bamboo in pots and large containers that send up nice big culms. I'd be interested to hear, though, if there are other opinions on whether maximizing culm size depends on letting it go "free range."

Julie....Julie your box arrived today. I loved going through everything. Julie sent me 2 pr. of garden gloves. One pr. is orange and has grips for raking etc. The other pr. are green. A little fairy garden ornament, a woodpecker treat bar. The woodpeckers have been pecking at my pine cone feeder now they'll have something of their own. Cute little spoons to use as labels (where did you get these???) I have to cut my labels down so they fit under my grow lights. These are perfect. She also sent me a T-shirt with New York on it and a gardening scene on the front. I'm sure it will fit. Also an issue of Horticulture Mag, Intensive Heel Cream (boy do I need that) and a bag of Cherry Cordial Kisses. My husband already has his eye on those. Lots of seeds that I don't have. Echinacea tenneseensis, Aqulegia 'Wm. Guinness',Sea Pinks (formosa-hybrid),Vision Violet Geranium, Catnip,Gaillardia 'Red Plume', Canary Bird Vine (I almost bought some of those seeds today) and Sangiusorba 'Album' (Great Burnet). Gosh I hope I didn't miss anything. Thanks so much Julie I love all your gifts. Hugs, Mariann