First - I've never tried growing saltwort, but I'll bet it would really like the ocean influence in my zone. It is easy to give advice but I will say this. I doubt that this vegetable seed needs cold or scarification treatment, but it is a thought. But unless Johnny's specified it, probably not. On the other hand, if this plant grows in salty marshes, perhaps your seeding medium is a bit too acidic. If I have doubts about seed being too old (I'm a seed saver), I sprout them in folded, damp paper towels - if enough of them don't sprout, I'd opt for some new fresh ones. One last thought - many seeds sprout better in open ground, rather than in planting medium. Just a thought - if it is a salad green, it sounds like it might be more conducive to direct sowing. Just my 2 c's. Bejay

It is not Tamarix but Tamarindus indica. I have seen it for sale by a few private individuals, but not in a CA nursery. I think I read they had problems getting it to flower in CA, so it probably is not invasive here. I am surprised nurseries do not offer Tamarix for sale. There are quite a few trees near one of the local shopping malls. I thought they were landscaping with it, but maybe they were landscaping around it.

Yes, Gardengal, I think you're more nearer the mark, though I 'Googled' the name and the first site on the list indicates 15 metres but the next 2 sites show 2.5 metres! Talk about the experts not getting things right. I've had my plant about 3 years, and in the active seasons it never got beyond about 2.5 metres, however, on a frame and some more sunshine I reckon it'll get much bigger. Also, I checked up on my reference manual, 'Australian Native Plants', a respectable tome, and they say its distribution is from Victoria (way down south), New South Wales and on to Queensland. That range is broadly from cool temperate to tropical. I'm about borderline warm temperate/cool subtropical, that's why I reckon I'm about US zone 9.5 to 10. It also suggests it is fairly hardy! As a Canadian friend of mine would say "Go figure!" The picture above seems to be from that second (or third) Google site, which suggests 2.5 metres. I think I'll dig it up in June anyway, divide it if it looks divideable (divisable) as I'd like 2 and see how I go from there. Thanks Gardegal and Brian, I appreciate your interest and comment. regards. Bill (my real name)

I have had them for almost 10 years and they are hardy here. They spread at a moderate to slow rate in my garden, and the reliable blooms are lovely. I have pink and white - I like the pink best. The leaves on my pinks are a mid green, kind of ridged, with a hint of white along the edges, and they die to the ground every fall. I wouldn't use it as an accent tho, because the show is short - like a bulb would be, and the foliage gets beat up in high winds. On a protected patio in a pot, that might not happen. They are hardy, but if we have late frosts or freezes the tips which are emerging get winter burn and then look burned for the season, and it also seems to affect the blooms too. I think if I were looking for a patio plant with an unusual bloom I prefer the toad lilies. They bloom in fall, but a much prettier plant. Maybe plant them together.