Hey Steve , did you happen to get a pic of the "Robert Young " culms?Ive been going back and forth with Dave,trying to narrow down my search.Your pics of your visit are very helpful. First, the "spectabilis"takes on too much damage from the heavy snow , bending too much.I don't want the aggravation of constantly worrying about that. second, Dave told me his "Robert Young" didn't have the green stripes that he wanted, but, if the bending is minimal, i would be interested, as the yellow culms are very nice. third, after viewing your pics, the "Dulcis " caught my eye big time.It looks to be a fast spreader, with beautiful dark culms that can get upwards of 3".And non bending. If the Robert Young is in good shape(no bending), i would consider that and Dulcis.Im not sure if i could mingle them though, Dulcis looks strong Really what i need to do is take a trip up there to check it out, but if i can make 1 trip, and pick up that day, that would be better. Thanks, Bob

Thanks for starting this post which will give me a place to vent! Our septic field stopped draining correctly and the official in charge of the repair permit determined that we needed a shallower system. SO, we got a new tank AND a whole new field. After about a months wait, and days of "soon" they showed up unexpectedly Tuesday at about 8:45 in the morning. By 9:05 they had not only knocked over two 20+ft trees and a shrub exceeding 10ft in diameter, they completely demolished the most concentrated and diverse (not to mention polished) area of my garden near the foundation of my home. Its like a martian landscape out there now. Ironically, they then proceeded to come knock and tell us that they would have to temporarily remove two boards from our weathered decking. Big deal! What about the hundreds of dollars of plant life that can't be replaced with a couple of hits with the hammer! I hadn't cut anything back in the fall because I wanted to be able to identify plants when I move in a month or two, so it should have been glaringly obvious that I had a garden there. We had never specifically talked about plant or landscape damage control (never put a non-gardener in charge of these things), but it was layed out and diagramed in such a way that it appeared the plantings would be spared. Last minute talks between the contractor and the inspector apparantly dictated that it be done a little differently and the new tank would be placed closer to the house. To be honest, I hadn't even thought of doing precautionary relocation because our house is under contract and presumably the garden should look as it did when it was photographed and viewed by the buyers. What a mess! One of the plants was a clump of Golden Goddess bamboo. It was my first bamboo ever and I had grown it as a dieback plant for 5 years or so. No sign of it. Anyway, when it comes to plantings and septic tanks, be afraid- be VERY VERY afraid! I can't imagine mature rhizomes NOT interfering with a drainage field. Won't they just find the little tunnels and run wild, sprouting at every hole, either blocking it or cracking the line material creating new entry points for not only rhizomes, but soil? "Other opinions are that the bamboo will actually help by wicking excess moisture from the septic system." People are always suggesting/exploring the use of plants to solve drainage issues. I don't think this EVER works with any plants. The problem is, when it rains it POURS and there is only so much a plant can wick. However, you will likely want to continue taking baths and doing laundry during your local monsoon season. Have you ever heard someone complain they planted so many pond plants that they wound up with a non-pond? Don't Do it!

Jodik says: The coir might look dry on top, but down in the center of the pot, it could be quite moisture-laden! I have found it helpful to insert little wooden skewers carefully into the soil to about root level, and leave them there... I take them out and press them against my cheek to test for dampness... if they feel at all damp, I wait to water... but if the skewer comes out dry, it's time to water. My coir is 4" deep in a closed pot. I put the skewer to the bottom of the pot. When I take it out how many inches of bone dry top "soil" should there be before it's time to water again? Is it 1", 2" or 4"? I just went 10 days without water and only 1" of the top was dry so am I supposed to water this direct sun pot once every two weeks or so to avoid over watering, really? And how much water for my 6" closed pot? I had been watering 1 1/2 cup or so once a week and my plant was fine but I'm now worried that was too much so I'm re-evaluating. I know what conventional wisdom says (water deep, not shallow) but that advice doesn't seem to apply to my situation. Also how long should it be before I see new leaf growth in the summer time (first season outside)? My 18 month old Red Lion so far has only grown new leaves once a year. At potting and at dormancy end.

Maybe we can repost this with a note NOT to reply that way it stays at the top? Is there a way we can sticky this?