I bought Spartacus number three a few days ago. A little guy growing in a quart sized pot for just under $4, and it has a flower scape on it too. Must be an extra early bloomer. This one will go in the ground once I make a place for it. I hope it lives, the other two were in pots and rotted, so this time it'll go into the ground what I call my mom's magic soil. I can grow just about anything in her soil, if only the moles would go away. Karen

Mine has grown fast, too. Mine is three years old, in a sunken pot. Have to find a place to put it permanently Since Emerald Ruff Cut was mentioned, it would be awesome if Spartacus would produce a sport with the colors reversed, or Sea Gulf Stream would sport to a green edged one. Because SGS does not desiccate at all for me, unlike ERC, which does that badly for me every year.

Cat....I think I stick to tried and true entirely too much. I think I should be trying to find something a little different to grow like you and Bill. I've never heard of guinea hen flowers. I do like toad lilies but I tried one and it didn't make it through my winter. I hope you will post photos later. Bill...I never saw a slug in my yard until last year. We had a lot of rain that wouldn't let up and they started showing up. Where do they come from, out of nowhere? [g] You remind me of me... when I can't sleep in the summer, I will get up and go out in my pjs with the flashlight and a paper cup and look for earwigs, which I hate! They seem to love me for some reason. Just the same I enjoy being out there at that hour. You get to see all the night creatures and some of the fragrant plants make the trip worth it. And if there is a moon out, a warm breeze and it's very quiet, it's almost magical! And you can't see all your mistakes at night. [g]

Jill, thanks for pointing out the differences between Spartacus and Key Lime Pie...yours are beautiful. I wouldn't say Spartacus is slow but then, it hasn't been particularly fast for me either. Spartacus, 2 years old in 2015