Hi Ed, Actually, the only plant you'd likely have luck with in the ground here in the Phoenix area is the Cyphostemma, but they should be of decent size (about a foot tall) before you really attempt it. They also need superior drainage, so a raised bed with a lot of stone or pumice is wise. They're winter-dormant and too much water around the roots during this time can bring on rot. Aside from that, they're pretty hardy plants. The Adeniums you can "plunge" in the ground in the warm months and then bring it up in the house when it cools again. It's kind of a chore, but works. I've seen Adenia planted near walls before, but am not too certain of their hardiness outside of the interior city where the heat island is most intense. It seems that Sun City is still a bit on the outskirts. Like Tristan mentioned, Fouquieria species do well here in the ground and the F. macdougallii is the most frost sensitive of the bunch. If you choose to plunge any of the others, keep in mind that most of what you have is found in the shade of a nurse tree/shrub, so full sun might not be a wise choice here. Adeniums take a decent amount of sun and Cyphostemma would prefer all they can get. Good luck! Jordan

Keep the plants shaded for a few weeks minimum - and caudex1 is absolutely right; plants need to beef up before they are staged for display because when they are trimmed and pruned they tend to slow down. In traditional bonsai, trees are grown in the ground many years to fatten up trunks quickly, then they are uprooted, pruned and trained for several more years to achieve the desired effect. With succulents it's no different. Re: the Avonia, first of all the pot it is in is huge, a 3-inch pot is more than enough. You are asking for problems. The tuber will grow quicker if it is buried. They are native to areas with very high mineral content in the soil so plant them with a very high % drainage like coarse sand/ gravel. They are sippers - a little water, frequently, when days are warm and nights are cool. Mid-summer and mid-winter they are dormant. They can take regular nightly frosts in the winter. x

Concerning bad weather and rot, I am pretty amazed how quickly they succumb to rot. Saturday I watered one of my biggest seedlings which was growing nicely, caudex rock hard. Sunday the weather changed, temperatures dropping to 17 degrees C (63 F), no sunshine at all. The seedling was still outside sitting in moist soil. Yesterday I noticed that the caudex was a little soft, so I took a look at the roots. Nearly all were rotting. After a major root removal and cinnamon treatment, the seedling is now in a pot again. Hopefully the weather will soon change... Regards, Martin

Don't know if that's better or worse than the HD here. They stopped carrying any indoor plants. I'm in Ohio so if they are going to carry plants in the winter they have to come inside. They used to have an indoor area where they had tropical plants, orchids, cacti, etc., but now, nothing inside. Lowes carries that kind of stuff all year but in reduced numbers in the winter. Is it better to carry them and take poor care of them or to not carry them at all?