I can't answer all your questions, but I'll make a bit of a dent. You should cut back the flowering stalks (not the leaves) as soon as flowering is finished, so the plants don't expend a lot of energy in growing seeds. Then let the leaves stay in place until they're completely yellow. As long as they're green, they're feeding the bulbs for next year's growth. You can plant or seed annuals to grow up and hide the dying foliage and provide colour later in the season. Seeding probably should have been done earlier. It can still be done, but it won't hide the leaves very well this year. Cosmos, bachelor's buttons, California poppies, baby's breath are great ones for this, as they'll self seed too, so you won't have to do it again. None of them require too much water either, which is good. Tulips like to stay dry over the summer. Or you can buy flats of annuals to put in and have quicker colour. Do try to look for kinds that don't want heavy watering. Janet's Garden Blog

Here are my photos of my original jade plant that I ever got. Come December 21, 2006, I'll have had her for ten years. I know, I know. Shame on me with all them weeds growing in the pot but I just get so fed up with trying to do anything anymore with this plant that I just tend to pass her by. Here's a close-up of the leaves and branches. I already trimmed her down a few weeks back before I brought her into the greenhouse. And this is a picture of what some members believed to be hummel sunset. I brought it in briefly to get better lighting. I am really pleased with it. I like how it's been thickening up! I know some might suggest that maybe Ms. Jade (which is what I call my original jade plant) is crowded but I have cuttings where I tried to grow them in a tree-like fashion in their own pots and they still don't get thick or big at all. I made one clipping from the hummel sunset to do a tree-like method and it's growing -very- nicely. It is thickening up and all. I'm just tickled with this one. So I don't know what I'm doing wrong. They're strictly outdoor plants. I have two cats and I can't have any plants inside unless they hang from the ceiling. The jade plants get sun all day long except until early evening when the shadow from the house reaches them. Right now, they're in the greenhouse so that they can live through the winter. I never water them. The only time they get watered is when it rains but that's not usually a problem because while it does rain a bit, I have to run outside and water plants when it hasn't rained in awhile but the succulents don't get watered. You'd send me clippings? I would love some if it's not too much trouble! I'll even pay for shipping via check if you'd like to be repaid for it. .. Or better yet, if you'd like me to, I could send you some cuttings from Ms. Jade and you can see if your methods make them amazing. Do I just click the e-mail link on your profile to send you my address? mrbrownthumb, wow, thanks for pointing the wires out! I didn't see them before. An action like that causes the trunk to thicken?

Thought I'd add todays photo of VP...it's better than the first one I posted. Tom...that happens to me all the time..this forum sure has been busy of late, hasn't it? Julie and Juliet :)..glad you find SLR to your liking. It is a fantastic dl. The clump shot of it on Tinkers is mine, if you'd like to see another photo of it. :) Jan

That's all the blooms I had this year, pretty good over all had 2 that haven't flowered since I shifted house, so just waiting on those, hopefully next spring. Had about 10 that didn't bloom that I knew what they were so hopefully some more photos then too . Cheers for letting me share them with you all..K