I'm sorry to say that I'm not a veggie grower, I stick to pretty flowers, so I can't speak from personal experience. But other wintersowers grow all kinds of vegetables, with great success. They grow about any all all tomatoes and some don't plant them until spring. You need not feel rushed to plant on the solstice as some of us "wintersow" all year 'round. Basically it involves using the same recyclable containers, the same method, and planting at times other than winter, too. For me, I have only done flowers. Most of us begin in winter with perennials and hardy annuals, waiting until spring for very tender things like zinnias. It works extremely well and in spring we have literally thousands of seedlings. We have our own seed exchange, linked just above the threads on page 1 of the forum. See Trudi's offer listed there Stick around and some expert will come along to help you. Welcome to the forum, we're happy to have you. Karen Here is a link that might be useful: Trudi's offer

Sure you can root clematis that are lying along the ground via a method called layering. Now is typically not the time to do it however since you need new growth to do so. Perhaps in your SC location the plants have already begun growing. See the link below on how to layer clematis. There are many websites and nurseries that sell clematis including Brushwood Nursery, Joy Creek, Donahues Clematis, Chalk Hill, Silver Star Vinery, a seller on eBay who goes by the name of Koi Gardens (also has a website) and Garden Crossings. Google any of these names and you will find the websites. Walmart used to carry small clematis in little rust colored pots from Roseville that only cost $4.88 that were great buys if you potted the plants up in one gallon pots and grew them out. As for starting clematis from seed, here is a link to a posting I had going a while back about various methods of starting clematis from seed. http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/clematis/msg0315333828203.html?19 Here is a link to a website that talks about and has much info about starting clematis from seed. http://www.bcollingwood.com/ Starting clematis from seed can be exciting but some varieties may take a while to germinate. Here is a link that might be useful: Propagating clematis via layering.

Welcome, Angela! Yes, there are a few Jade lovers here, indeed ;-) First, the most important question will be: Can they survive the winter in your area? As for the 'rock/bark' medium, that's for container mixes. Growing in containers is vastly different than growing in the ground, primarily due to the difference in drainage. I have summered Jades and Jade cuttings in the ground, and then dug them up in the Fall. So if you want to put your plants in pots for the Winter, simply dig 'em up, clean the roots so that you don't have pests hitching a ride in the soil, and re-pot in an appropriate mix. Josh

Why does this whole thing with Tom & Bob keep coming up? I have bought stuff from both of them and am glad that the world has both of them. Tom posts on several web sites and always has (free) advice & experiences to share. He is never arrogant or disrespectful - always gracious and helpful. As an amateur cycad enthusiast, I have a tremendous amount of respect for the research he has done (and information published). While some of us may get tired of seeing the 10,000 questions asked about 'sago palms', Tom graciously tries to help and answer questions such as the one posed in this thread (and make a point in his crusade against CAS). Thanks Tom. Anyone interested in buying cycads & not sure who to trust on the internet can rest assured that he's the real deal. I have no problem with people posting links to their businesses as long as they are legit & offer a relevant service to those who are viewing the thread. If he were posting links to V I A G R A or some other BS, then it would be unwelcome and he should be rightly shot or hanged. Bob is also a nice guy whom I have bought a few plants from. Always helpful, always throws in and extra plant or seeds or whatever. His web site is not as informative as Tom's, but he knows his dioons & ceratozamias better than I ever will. Another trustworthy source. BTW - Chip, the sago looks great. You have a nice plant. After it flushes, be prepared for nothing to happen for another year (unless you fertilize regularly & have warm weather). As long as it's green (not brown, yellow or covered with white crud), it's healthy. Cheers & Happy New Year!