I have heard of people wrapping cuttings in newspaper for the winter and starting them in the spring with no problems. It is hard to kill a brug cutting if it is from the woody part of the plant. Just put it in a pot of slightly damp soil and store it in a cool dark place and give it a small amount of water each month. In the spring, with a little light and regular water, it will take off like a champ Bill

I forgot one important detail. In early April, when most of the plants were at 2 or 3 leaf pairs, they were looking spindly (we mistakenly started some tomatoes at the same time, which grew faster and forced us to push the lights higher, so perhaps the peppers were reaching), so we pinched off a few leaves on many of the peppers in the hopes of getting them to bulk up the stems and slow down. The two groups we didn't do this with, Habs and Ajis, actually look pretty much like the store-bought plants. So maybe this mutant-looking situation came from pinching off the leaves. Can anyone comment on this possibility? And if this is the culprit, are the plants shot or can we still use them?

I actually think plants do much better without a sprinkler system. Without a sprinkler system you aren't forced to think about timing the watering. Timing's for cooking, not for watering. Check the soil, look at the plants and "read" what they're telling you, check the soil again, and then, if it's dry, water until the ground is good and soaked. This has been such a strange weather year that it's no wonder plants are looking bad. It's not all that uncommon for liriope to have brown tips, especially if it's planted in the sun. It might also not like your water, but there's nothing you can do about that. Cut the liriope back next winter, around late Jan. to late Feb., and the new growth should look a lot better. Cutting it back now won't do any good, though. Celosia likes it hot and dry and sunny, but it's been humid and wet for most of the summer. Maybe you could whack your Persian Shield back some. It'll probably start looking better once the weather cools down a bit. Good luck. Sally

ants.. in most parts of the country ... are an after effect.. rather than the original problem ... and that would be presuming they are ants ... more info please ken