We'll assume it's a Phal (most common orchid sold). 1. Yes, a small pot is OK. 2. Probably roots, it's OK too. 3a. A little more serious possibly, if it is the stem that used to hold the flowers that is normal, cut it back to within 1/2" to 1" of where it comes out of the main part of the plant. If it is not a flower stalk, we're probably talking about a different kind of orchid and you'll need to give us more info as far as how the plant looks and grows so we can determine the type (phal, dend, onc, catt, etc...) 3b. Brown roots are never good, be sure that when mom waters she takes it out of the pretty pot and lets the water run through the clear pot until finished dripping. Then put it back in the pretty pot. If out of the pretty pot, mom should run lots of water through it, way more than 1/3 cup, just let it run through completely until done dripping. Within 6" or so of an east facing window is good for a Phal. Good luck to your mom, Bob

Thanks so much, Terrene. You've saved me money as well as time & energy. I'm sticking with the old fashion purple coneflowers & not buying any modern hybrids no matter how pretty & how colorful they are. Here's hoping that you got rid of all the obnoxious neighbors & that yours bloom true. I've been googling & found a post saying just what you have said. Strong eagle wrote on 12/13/09: "Echinacea ... various colors cross readily ... several years ago, my purple crossed with the white ... and I now have light pink flowers on several large plants." idiginmygarden.com Gardenweed, doesn't it often depend how close the plants are as to whether or not they crosspollinate? Your pics show a big yard. Could you put a good bit of space between different kinds of echies? I am very grateful, thanks! Congrats to you, aklinda & kvenkat!! How about a cat off the internet to dance with you? Credit for dancing cat

One of my joys of ws is having lots of sprouts to share with others. It's is sad that you had to give away those you would have planted. We humans also go through seasons, some where we are busy and active and others seasons where we need to re-coop our physical and mental health through less activity. Great that your family members are able to use your sprouts and seeds. That way you will be able to visit and see them grow. Sounds like you have enough planted in your gardens to allow you to putter and enjoy gardening at a more relaxed pace this year. Saturday evening I sat in my backyard satisfied with the results of a busy day transplanting and moving garden plants around and contemplating the work that needs to be done in the next week. The quiet and wafting lilac scent was relaxing.

I've been using bunny poop for the past 9 years. I don't even bother composting it and I've never had it burn my plants. My only problem is that my rabbits are litter box trained so I either have to separate the poop from the litter or allow the litter to decpompose. I use recycled newspaper litter so it's fine to put in the garden along with the pellets. my rabbits will be 10 in Sept and I don't think they'll be around much longer. I wonder if the chinchilla poop will work as well? They eat pretty much the same food as my rabbits. Karyn PS: I don't use the bunny poo on my passies but I do dig some chopped banana peels into the soil every 6 weeks.