It does seem to depend alot on the variety. Mid-August, I planted about 20 leaves. One had babies within a week (I kid you not!), that was Rob's Boolaroo. The other Bolaroo leaves took a little longer, but still all had babies before anyone else. The Gallwinku babies (leaves smaller than Bolaroo) though took about a month to show up. Another I planted, a NOID, just sent up babies about two weeks ago. The second leaf of this NOID is still happy and turgid-but, no babies yet! All the others were somewhere in between, the average about a month. These were all grown in the same flat, under the same conditions. I'd been wondering if the large leafed varieties take longer. The NOID is a very large plant and the leaves are easily 3 + inches wide and a little taller. This is interesting to me. I would love to hear more folk chime in on the varieties and time it took! Best, Judy

I really only go to the nursery when I am looking for something specific,so I have a definite place I intend to plant whatever I'm after. But I always look at what is on sale and just browse to see what wants to go home with me. It makes me sad to see the things nurseries are selling which I know will be planted by people who think they are buying something which might actually have a chance of surviving, but is toast as soon as they get it home. This year I've spent so much time working to clean up the beds (all the crispy poppies!) and plant things I winter sowed that I can't take time out to go anywhere!! I still have to dig out all the Bermuda grass growing around a yellow Knock Out rose I planted in an "empty" space between shrubs in the front yard. And I have decided to move my birdfeeder site out from in front of an oval bed outside the den windows. This means moving a bunch of rocks, a giant stump and planting grass or ground cover on the resulting bare dirt. And I need to cut down the rusty zebrina hollyhocks in the "death strip" by the barn. And treat the crepe myrtle and lots of other stuff for powdery mildew with a systemic fungicide I just bought. And do something with all the zuchinni and yellow squash. And pick the green beans again. And weed the iris bed. And dig more new potatoes. And keep the baby marigolds, zinnias and cosmos I just planted out alive through the 98 temps predicted this weekend. And I intended to move the chrysanthimums, but they just got pinched/chopped back instead. So, who has time to go to the grocery store, much less the nursery? And my husband still thinks I'm going to cook something every week or so...Thank goodness he will eat leftovers, over and over!! Debby

Hostas can take 5 -10 years to show their true potential, however, if the hosta is pleased with it's location, you should see some progress in growth each year. If they aren't happy in their location, they may go the opposite direction and decline. Causes could be: root competition, drought, critters eating roots, etc.... And, hostas come in all sizes. Perhaps some of what you planted were small to medium ones???

Here's the information we posted on this page two years ago, Norbert, about how we encourage pineapple plants to produce fruits: We place an entire apple beside the base of the pineapple plant, Elena. Because your plant is growing in a pot, you should enclose the entire potted plant in a large clear plastic bag, and close the bag (underneath the pot for a more esthetic appearance). Then position it where the plant will get plenty of light but not in direct full sun, to avoid creating too much heat from the greenhouse effect. As the apple ages, it produced ethylene gas which induces the plant to create a fruit, which will grow to become as large as the pineapples you buy in stores. Note that after you pick the fruit for eating, the plant will eventually die -- but not before it has produced one or more baby plants, each of which in two years will provide your next crop of pineapples. You can get more details about growing pineapples and many other plants on our Gardeners of Southwest Florida group's extensive website at https://meetup.com/FloridaGardeners. Group membership, gardening classes, light refreshments and everything else in this large and helpful group is free, so welcome aboard.