I have Calamagrostis 'Karl Foester' which is well established now, and last November bought 3 'Overdam' and 1 'El Dorado' (yellow & green variegation - very pretty). They were on clearance at a local nursery so I couldn't resist. Since they are cool season grasses, I planted them out last fall, even though it was mid-November. They overwintered fine, and are growing well this Spring. What I noticed with Karl Foerster, is that it gets bigger every year, and the clump is now over 2 feet across. So give them some room even if they seem small now. These are vigorous and hardy grasses, I wouldn't bother exchanging them unless you prefer the other variegation pattern.

These are all very pretty. I can't even pick a favorite because I like them all. I was just entering my workplace this morning here in southern Indiana and noticed that the Stella's at the entrance have a few scapes on them. That means mine can't be far behind. OH JOY!!

Bill, As a hobbyist, you are doing fine and there is no constraint as to whatever you might attempt. My one concern, and it is a niggling one, lay with any future offering of Avlanche for sale, say by Mr. Fausett. In that case, I would prefer, and indeed would only be comfortable, if the plants had been vegetatively propagated from true-to-name mother plants [for many of the reasons stated earlier]. As a nursery business, overwintering, space, insect/viral infection and similar issues would not be a concern for him. What i want to stress, without inadvertently being discourteous or tactless, that in a commercial situation, one cannot make a cross from a pedigree and name the outcome to be the same as Avalanche. And, especially, sell that progeny as Avalanche. One could sell it as "the same cross that produced Avalanche" [truth in advertising]. Had the two parents been maintained as highly inbred lines, assisted by tester lines, then, certainly, every cross of that pedigree would be a modern F1 hybrid. Not quite so for two OP parents. The reason I go to such nitpicking detail is that I have worked on the physiology of flowering, parthenocarpy, the earliness gene, membranes etc. for tomato since 1984. For the past several years, i have crossed and recrossed several large-fruited and cerasiformae, observing interesting linkage and drag effects that are quite unwanted with the trait of interest but exceedingly difficult to get rid of by conventional methods. I am not a plant breeder by a long shot, but have a lifetime passion for the yield physiology, growth and development etc. of the large-fruited tomato. So i completely share your passion, and wish that excellent outcomes like Bwine OTV happened far more often. I have some careully calculated crosses going each year for 1 trait, the results are usually interesting but not what i was hoping for! Good luck! g

Hopefully these will show up - a href="http://s345.photobucket.com/albums/p365/gvultee/?action=view&current=eBay999lionlamp111108Small.jpg" target="_blank"> a href="http://s345.photobucket.com/albums/p365/gvultee/?action=view&current=eBay999lionlamp111108Small.jpg" target="_blank"> a href="http://s345.photobucket.com/albums/p365/gvultee/?action=view&current=eBay999lionlamp111108Small.jpg" target="_blank">