Sure, dianthus can be pinched and they will rebloom, but easier is to shear them. Grab a handful of stems and snip them off about halfway down their stems. Afterwards, give them a drink with 10-10-0 fertilizer and thew'll come back nicely and rebloom by mid-summer. Dought tolerant plants are ones that can survive prolonged dry spells. They have vascular or root systems that are capable of storing water, often they'll coated leaves that retai moisture too. Being drought tolerant means also that the storage capacity for water is there to take in as much water as is possible when that water is available. These plants will become very lush and plump when there is heavy rain or flooding. I mention flooding because floodplains are a natural environment and there you will find many drought-tolerant plants. They get wet feet in spring from snow-melt or seasonal spring showers and then when summer comes on it brings heat and little relief from rain. Ponds and brooks dry to puddles and trickles and the plants along them are now encased in drying mud, and that mud can become dry and hard as brick. These plants use their reserve water to survive and resprout, sometimes they ma completely wither above ground, but below their roots are dormant and will live long enough to come out of stasis with the next deep watering from rain or flood. Impatiens will enjoy a few hours of sun each day, do give them watering during dry periods and mulch the soil around the plants with a couple of inches of grass clippings or other organic matter. On the link belore please scroll down below "TIP" to read about Xeriscaping and Dry Climate Gardens. The linsk have info about drought-tolerant plants. T Here is a link that might be useful: Flats Too Dry

Hi, Susan! I'm the other Susan and am so happy you're butterfly gardening. What area of OKC do you live in? Just wondering, cause I can probably share some things with you. If I grow a host or nectar plant in a container, I want to make sure it is hardy to at least zone 6 before leaving it out over the winter. That way, I can at least be assured it has a chance of returning next year. Zone 7 plants would be "iffy" to grow in containers because their roots would be more likely to be killed if we have a winter like last year. You can always take your containers and cover them well (with leaves, mulch, plastic, etc.) in a protected area of your yard over winter, and that will help some, too. If you use plastic, I would make sure it is in a shady spot so the pots don't heat up too much on our warm winter days. You know about our great temp fluctuations here, right? Geez, sometimes you just never know. Things you can grow in pots that would be hardy are: Rue, host for Black Swallowtails and Giant Swallowtails (you can get at Precure; I shop the one on 63rd street just West of Meridian); Fennel, host for Black Swallowtails (@ Precure also); Pearly Everlasting (Painted Lady host--Precure had some when I was last in there); Passionvine (host for Gulf Fritillaries and Variegated Fritillaries) for pots, I'd get the P. incarnata or purple flowering species which is native here; don't think you will find locally, but can order from some of our sources listed in the FAQs). False Nettle (Host for Red Admirals; I can give you starts) Pipevine (for our area, Aristolochia tomentosa, macrophylla, or serpentaria, but you'll need a ton of serpentaria) you won't find locally; need to order) MILKWEED, MILKWEED, MILKWEED! You can grow tropical milkweed in containers, and probably some of the species, too. Tropical is an annual, but is the best host for Monarchs, and a great nectar plant for other butterflies). I have some milkweed seedlings I'd be happy to give you. Senna hebecarpa (Wild Senna), Partridge Pea, and Senna bicapsularis (we can dig up a seedling for you). Wild Senna and Partridge Pea will be hardy in a container, but Senna bicapsularis, whish you'll also see referred to as Christmas Cassia, is not hardy. However, it produces lots of seed, so you'll have some for next year, too. These are all hosts for the Cloudless Sulphur and Sleepy Orange. E-mail me and we can get together! So glad to see you here! Let's see, what name am I going to be now to distinguish between us? Tdog goes by CalSherry since there are several Sherries on the forum, but I can't go by OKCSusan since there are 2 of us (hee hee). How about Susan Sr. since I'm old as dirt! Susan

Yup, the picture was sent on July 25th. I'm thinking we must not be very high on the priority list :( I did email Tamara again on Sept 18 to see if they had forgotten about it, but this is what she wrote back to me: Hi Laurie, I just checked and it's still in the queue to be added. I'm sorry it's taking so long, but our tech team has been very busy -- but, I'm sure they will get to it soon. Thanks! Tamara Maybe by Christmas??????

"This is not really a forum geared towards those who revel in the different." That's where you are wrong. This isn't a forum that revels in the different for difference's sake. However, the unique and innovative will always be celebrated, if it is cost effective (and sometimes even not) and if it utilizes the principals of good design. Too often though, "alternative building methods" are neither cost efficient or well designed. They are too often the flip side of the coin of an architect who designs some pie in the sky gorgeous design exercise of a structure that is impractical to live in. I've seen a shipping container "house". It was poorly insulated, noisy, and frankly hideous. It didn't have to be any of that, but the builder was so focused on "re-use" above all else that he forgot basic construction and design principals. And that, in a nutshell is most alternative construction. Too much of a religion and too little of science and the arts.