D Pierce. You wrote, I did not overwater. Are you sure? Mentha mentioned heavy soil which is a possibility..but even if you had used heavy soil, if it dried between waterings, where soil looked and felt crumbly, then you can say, I didn't overwater. :) Unless the store you're purchasing Ficus from have diseased or buggy plants, the problem lies on your end. How do Ficus look when you first bring them home? Do you inspect leaves, stems and branches? And how long do they last before dying? Ficus are fussy plants..They dislike change. Some leaf drop is normal, but not an entire plant. If you buy another or more, try duplicating their care at the nursery. Ficus are sun lovers, a south or west window is fine. Water thoroughly, but let soil dry between drinks. Pots should have drainage holes, so water drains freely, not sit in water for long periods. Don't overpot. In you transplant from one pot to another, increase 1-2 sizes higher. In some cases plants don't need larger pots. Wait a while before fertilizing. I noticed more and more nurseries are adding timed-release ferts in soil. You mentioned keeping Ficus outdoors in summer. Although they'll survive in cool temps, (45F) if you wait too long to bring Ficus indoors, they take longer to adapt to a warm, dry house. Mid-Sept is about the right time to bring indoors, depending where you live. Good luck, Toni

You folks are trying to reel in another victim, aren't you? Same thing happened to me a few winters ago. Right now I am having seedlings coming out of my ears and I cannot plant them out fast enough. The weather is not cooperating either. It turned so hot so fast those babies are growing like mad until the roots are bound together. Whine..whine..whine...:-P Welcome to the mad house, Steph. If you still need more seeds, check back in fall. I will have plenty. In fact, I have a lot of plants to share, but it's too hot now to ship them out. I can ship plants for postage in fall, if you are interested. :-)

Heythere, Mike. Hopefully you've gotten the Colocasia storage thing squared away from the excellent advice above. You can also do dormant storage like this with Caladiums, Cannas, Gladiolus. There are also vines that can tolerate dormancy in a dark, cool, dry place, like Mandevilla and Bougainvillea. Not always successful, but nothing lost if you had the plants anyway and are just trying to save them. Among hardy plants, look for unusual and especially large foliage, wild color, growth habit. Covering the trunks of mature trees with desirable vines like climbing Hydrangea and dutchmans' pipe can add to the look. The more closely you pack things, the more tropical it will look. Avoid pastel flowers, which can make it look cottage-y instead, and go with lots of red, yellow, bright fuchsias, in jumbles, not what appears to be a thought-out plan. Make use of seed vines and annuals that compliment your look, and wild-looking fast-growers like Perilla, Coleus, sweet potato vines, Persian shield, castor bean, and veggie plants that have a striking appearance. Peppers originate from the tropics afterall. Then there are micro-climates, my favorites of which involve deep leaf piles and warm, brick areas, planting against foundation/basement walls, raised plantings, cold frame. More ideas in this one. Then there's the removal of that which ruins the appearance, within reason, budget, property value, personal taste, sentiment, etc... of course. I also think that butterflies add to a tropical appearance, so whatever you can come up with for nectar plants will help encourage them to visit. Some of my workhorses in that area are tall Zinnias and Basil. Couple bucks' worth of seeds makes large plants that attract them for months. When Coleus blooms they like those flowers too.

Welcome :-) Fragant violet surviving in zone 5 ? Well, I only see odorata family (are they other fragant violets anyway ? let's forget parme)...and you'd better protect it a little bit during winter :-) If somenone can complet my newbie answer :-) Take care. Thierry.