Pudge, I don't think that the reason your Ruby Grass failed to bloom has to do with the length of the season. They were started here in March and as you can see from the photo below, they are in bloom. The biggest problem with this grass is that it requires consistent heat to bloom. I grew it last year and it didn't bloom at all (or very weakly) even though my transplants were very large. But last summer was very cool here and the night temperatures were generally between 15 and 20C. This year we had heat here (and loads of it). July & August was consistently between 29 and 35 C. Our night temperatures hovered in the 20s and itÂs still hot. I took this picture at the Botanical Gardens on August 28th. I am disappointed with this grass since although they are beautiful, they are invasive in warmer places and in cooler locations they don't bloom well. Think IÂll stick to Stipa tenuissima or Pennisetum setaceum. Marilena

given that no one has answered this in the last 3 wks., i think my laughter is warranted. do you REALLY think someone can I.D. a specific variety of pampas grass in its infancy and without any plumes? come on now, REEEEAAALLY!....... as to overwintering it, i've not overwintered a pampas indoors but a friend has successfully overwintered another z.7 grass (We are both z.5)by her unheated attic window., keeping it minimally watered. best, mindy

I started some lemon grass from a grocery store bundle as well. It took a while, I put it in a vase with water and after a couple of weeks, when the roots grew, I planted it on the ground, in a somewhat protected area/bed. At first it did not look like it would make it, I almost forgot about it. A few weeks later I looked at it and what a surprise! it really took off. Just like Cyrus posted here I was very excited about it. I also have a dwarf kaffir lime and elephant ears growing there (Colocasia esculenta - known as taro root in the grocery store and it will also grow!). I call it my 'tropical' or my Thai bed. I also tried to grow ginger in the same area, but no luck with ginger. If it drops below 32F ginger just dies, even though I mulched and mulched. My lemongrass survived the winter, but it got smaller, sadder looking and browned a little. I gave it a hair cut (used the cutting for tea) and it seems to be recovering now, even though we had a very cold spring (cold for us that is). When it is at its largest it is not too big, probably because it does not get all the water it would like in this desert climate of ours. I do water it (I have to water everything but the cacti!) but not a whole lot. My favorite use is in tea (yerba de limon) but I also use it in Thai cooking. I sautee the cut stalks in coconut cream, add kaffir lime leaves, sugar, salt, lots of garlic and hot peppers, and add different vegetables, broth, more coconut milk. I leave the stalks large so they can be picked out of the food. I think though, that you can make a green curry paste consisting mostly of ground up young lemon grass stalks (and other ingredients), but I have not done that yet. I also have lemon balm, lemon verbena, lemon thyme, and two kinds of lemon trees (Meyers and Eureka). They are all lemony, but they are also all very different one from another. I love them all.

Heehee! I know about the "tomato lists". But, we all have good intentions. It's just hard not to make them "gooder"..... Today, I noticed the currants are starting to really turn, so not much longer for them. Also, the Burpee Super Beefsteak and Rutgers are turning as well. The cherries are a bit behind (Black and Supersweet 100), so I don't know what's gonna happen with them. Whatever, I have decided to just harvest what I can when we get a freeze warning, which, as you say, could be any day now. The fall tomatos were just so gorgeous, and much nicer than the spring ones. But, I only started out with the Rutgers and Jet Star (it bit the dust in August), and a later planting in May of the Supersweet 100. By that time, it was too late for the Supersweet 100 to really set many tomatos - the heat was on. The fall planting I did in July did great and those are the ones that look soooo good right now. I'm happy with the container soil I've mixed, the fertilizer I used - I will increase how often I fertilizer next year. Happy with the watering I did - not overwatering cuz I do have a heavy hand in general. Happy with the containers I use, but do intend to purchase some grow bags in 20 gallon size, but will still keep to 8 (okay, okay, maybe 9 or 10) plants. I've really enjoyed growing tomatos much more than I thought I ever would, with an eye toward growing them for me, anyways, and not the hornworms. Altho the hornworms still have their place in the garden, it's just on the Datura now and not the tomatoes, so we're all happy. I did grow pots of basil around the plants, and it did seem to help with some of the pests. The grasshoppers did not touch the tomatoes, no white flies, no flying anything except for the happy little honeybees, bumble bees and skippers, that loved the Basil blooms. Did have some problems with the beet armyworms and the tomato fruitworms, but they remained manageable by handpicking and damaged only very few fruits. All in all, container growing worked out very well for me and I look forward to next year's growing season. Susan