It's too early to put them out now. Wait until it warms up and the danger of frost has passed. If you do want to grow them inground you can plant them out in the spring and leave them. The above ground growth will die when it gets cold but they'll come back from the roots the following year. At least the CG and FP will. I don't think that I'd leave a Creamsickle in the ground over the winter. You can transplant them into a 8-10" (1-3 gallon) container now and wait for it to start growing roots through the drainage holes before moving it up to a larger pot. I wouldn't go from a 4" pot to huge pot immediately. I have most of my brugs in 24" pots (15 gallon) and some have been almost 8' tall. I think they are easier to care for inground. You don't have to water as much. I've had to water some of my container brugs twice a day when it's really hot out. This was the first year that I left brugs in the ground over the winter so I'll se what happens in the spring. I usually allow them to go dormant inside over the winter. If you want to use MG I'd add some perlite to improve drainage. I think Fafard makes the best soil for container gardening. Good luck with the brugs. They are addicting! Karyn

I am the somewhat reluctant owner of a 'Dr. Alexander Fleming' peony. I purchased this beautiful plant at Wal-Mart, did some research on the internet, then finally contacted my county agent. He confirmed what I had been finding...it's just too warm in the Baton Rouge winters for a peony. Since I had paid $20.00 for it, I couldn't bring myself to just throw it away. Instead, it sat outside in the plastic pot I bought it in, and wintered away. To my amazement and delight this spring, it had three or four new shoots on the crown, and one has started to take off to about 6". Now I'm really confused, (since I had previously assumed that it was dead!) what do I do with it? Will it continue to grow in a container? I have reasonable flower beds, but geared more towards hardy plants that don't mind the clay. If I understand right, they are really picky about soil, when you plant them, watering,...etc. Does anyone know if my wonder peony will survive a scorching hot Louisiana summer? And how much sun will it tolerate? Should I fertilize it? If so, when? Sorry so long, lots of questions! Becky

I would just slice through the roots. I think you should have started with 3.25 gallon crape myrtles. They are smaller but will establish faster and they are also fast growing anyway. Do what you are gonna do now. Dont dig them back up in the fall. I planted 2 of them last july and they are growing very well. Also, the trunks with multple branches emerging will always be like that. If you prune them down they will grow back like that. If you dont like it you ccan cut that leader out. As they grow and get bigger they will fill out. I might post a pic of mine later on tonight when i get home. Also, do you know what variety they are?

You always want to remove all the leaves from a fresh cutting so they don't draw all the moisture out of the body of the cutting. It's going to need that sap to grow roots. These are some useful things I've learned in rooting plumeria cuttings: 1. Root in the growing season. Spring is best but summer works, too. 2. Water the mother plumeria tree well the day before cutting. (If it's a cutting from someone else's tree, the healthier it is the more likely it is to root.) 3. Callus the cutting at least a week. In other words, let the cut end dry out and harden. (All leaves should be removed immediately after cutting.) 4. Use a clear container for rooting, then you can actually see those roots! 5. Coir and perlite seem to be the materials least likely to cause rot. 6. Put the cutting in shade outside. The clear container will create sunburn if not in shade. Water only once, when you put the cutting in the container. 8. Forget it exists for the next two months. Seriously, FORGET it! Don't touch it, don't move it, don't water it. (Rain won't hurt it in my experience, but tap water is another story.) Hopefully after 1-2 months the leaves will begin growing back and you'll know the rooting process has begun.