Welcome to the forum, it's good to have you here. It looks like you may be a plant pioneer judging from the lack of replies. Good for you! I'm sure I'm not the only one who would love to hear of your experiences with them, can you share? I've heard a ton about the berries, but not much about the plant, especially in the desert southwest. Take care and welcome again, Grant

Sorry about not being able to answer your questions Tennesseestorm. This is the first time I've been logged into this site in over 6 months! Now to your questions. I saw on another Spanish Moss forum that it is cold hardy to 5 degrees. It has survived here to temps. as low as 8 degrees thats all the colder it's been here in the last 2 years which is the legnth of time I've been growing spanish moss here. When single digits or an ice storm warning are predicted it comes into the garage or an unheated room just long enough for the nastyness to pass then its back outside. Also I have not misted my moss in about a year(except for the drought last summer) and it is still doing great. in regards to your moss that died the moss needs to have as close to the original light conditions as possible or it could be burned up if it was originally in the shade and is moved to a sunny exposure. I had the same thing happen to me and it was all taken from part shade and moved to afternoon sun. Due to this error I lost half of my new moss chunks. I need a clarification. Did you say it was dead even before you took it out of the box? If so how long was it in there? If I missed any questions or you have anymore feel free to ask. Started a new area of plant emphasis, hardy cacti and succulents. I am also growin a Balsam fir, American larch, and Dawn Redwood. So far as I know I am the only person in this part of TN (middle TN) grow the first 2 trees listed. Also have other plant stuff to talk about if interested.

Bill, I couldn't help but take a minute to respond to this post. If you want to grow salvia farinacea, the best variety I have tried is the one called Victoria Blue. It is often sold as an annual at Home Depot, even though down here it is really a tender perennial. It should last through several seasons, and really adds a great look to the garden. Mine make big clumps reminiscent of lavender, which I can't seem to grow at all. (Except for fernleaf lavender.) Salvia azurea was stunning...for about six weeks. And then it went downhill quickly. For my money, the hardiest of the blue salvias are salvia leucantha (Mexican sage), salvia guaranitica Black & Blue, Purple Majesty salvia (I think it's a guaranitica, too, but not sure), and for a couple of seasons, salvia farinacea Victoria Blue. Good luck! Marcia

How about this one ? Read all about it ! ------------------------------------------- Indigo Rose, the world’s first tomato variety with purple anthocyanins, was released commercially this year by the vegetable breeding program at Oregon State University. “The purple color is extraordinary,” said Jim Myers, who heads the vegetable breeding program. “It has a good balance of sugars and acids and tastes just like a tomato.” (Anthocyanins are essentially tasteless.) The new tomato is released as an open pollinated variety, and as such, seed saved from self-pollinated plants will grow true and not produce hybrids. “It’s also important to know that these tomatoes are not GMO,” Myers said. “Genetic engineering techniques are never used to develop these lines.