Hi Kay! i like both of them but if anyone knew that one of them is better then the other it had been easier to decide =) have written to Cayeux now and asked about this irises and hope they answer. I must limit my wishlist now and it isn´t the easyest thing to do =) I haven´t seen any tall bearded in bloom so i hope to se any this year, they look stunning in pictures. /susanne /Susanne

I posted this last week in the *Bamboo Forum* since I posted here, with hopes to learn from similar zone, gardeners ... I thought to post this update here, as well. Alan1 suggested to visit the sites I mentioned below ... 'thought would be helpful for those contemplating on acquiring some ... zone5 compatible Bamboos. to Alan 1, I responded to thank him, for his wise suggestion to visit Michigan Bamboo Co. as well as Needmore Bamboo Co. for more info, about Bamboo-growing in our more trying zones! Quoting Needmore: "The reality of Growing Bamboos in Zones 5 & 6" particularly ... I quote: "I've recently come to terms with my 'zonal denial' and I accept that most springs I may have to clear cut nearly all of the previous year's above ground growth".& "I live on the edge of zones 5b/6 and in an average winter the temperature will fall to at least -10F. At these temperatures nearly every species of my bamboo collection will likely suffer total leaf loss and in all most cases, total top kill of the culms." He also warns wanna-be or "new Bamboo growers" of other realities for at least 5 years! Reading through, I had to face the fact that at 72, I may not have the luxury of enjoyment, since I already have 12-16 high to near-high-maintenance, Garden Divas + a female Ginkgo tree to enslave to!!! Â:( ... I have several & love planting, remembrance/memorial plants that are meaningful & symbolic ... my baby brother lived in the Orient all his life ... what more beautiful & symbolic plant than a Bamboo, I thought!!! His name is Henry & July born, so my other choices are a *Clethra-Little Henry* or *Ivory Halo - Cornus Alba* red sticks in Winter (for July)! There were many encouraging Bamboo virtues ... "resiliency" particularly, but for the emotional/sentimental reasons in my search, for a meaningful & symbolic memorial plant, at this stage of my gardening life ... I'll have to forego, Bamboo! Sigh!!! Â:( FWIW ... Enjoy your successes w/ Bamboo plants & to all, Happy Holidays!!! Â;)

Wow , they are beautiful!! I have a Nidularium purpureum here since 3 years, from the collection of the Botanical Garden of Montreal :-) December 2015: [img]https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4454/23932598768_7d8297c458_z.jpg[/img] [img]https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4496/23932598548_8b5f796b7f_z.jpg[/img] And now: [img]https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4512/38030829271_84cb9602e0_z.jpg[/img] Renee

Yes Mike. It is a very handy tool. The bent tip makes it really useful. You can grab the base of the plant and jiggle the base to loosen the roots and pull it out. Very useful when reaching in tight spaces especially for succulents. In bonsai the back of the tool that likes a little spade is useful to tamp down the soil, smooth it out and tamp down moss on the soil. I have two of them because my wife seems to like it too and it disappears from my tool box from time to time. Come to think of it I have two of most tools.