bump!!!

Lucky you, the house is a neutral and you can choose what you like! For the front, are you thinking low like juniper or do you want more color? Are there already foundation plantings or are you starting from scratch? We got boxwood and dwarf yaupon with our older home and trimmed and kept them for year round green. I'm north of you but Jewels of Opar, the lime colored one, really brightens my shady area and doesn't look gaudy. Mine blooms right up to first freeze. My design style is far from formal, I don't know what to suggest :-)

I've never met a black tomato I didn't like. With yellow tomatoes, I think you need a specific recommendation, because many are tasteless. I've found several yellow cherry tomatoes that I like (snow white cherry, blondkopftchen), but never had a good full sized yellow, so maybe someone else can help you there if you want color variety. I just had Japanese Black Trifele for the first time, and it was excellent. One of my surprise favorites this year was early kus, which came from wintersown. They're small tomatoes, bright red, and excellent flavor. I don't know whether heirlooms are harder to grow then hybrids-- I haven't grown many hybrids-- but if they survive my neglect (cough-- dry farming), they must be pretty hardy :-D

Hi, Joan, It is so interesting to read your thoughtful questions and enthusiasm! You obviously are an avid and inquisitive gardener and know what you are doing. The great responses and advice you received from Rosie are perfect. The mix you use is very good, as it seems to work. The plant you have is a classic beauty. It is most likely from Optimara. Their plants are intended for natural window-sill light. They tend to sucker, as you discovered. They are bred for "looks," to give a satisfying full head of long-lasting blooms with "stick-tite" features. (They will not fall off, you remove the spent blossom stalk from the base. As you discovered.) They are a commercial vendor that developed the features that make AVs ideal houseplants, such as slow-growing symmetrical foliage. They have extensive information on their website. Optimara.com. Their store is Selective Gardener. AVs grow leaves in a whorl of three at a time. If a leaf is removed, a new leaf will not grow in its place. But a sucker might. Your plant can stay in that 4" pot size. When repotting, it is advised to trim the bottom roots and add fresh mix. As Rosie advised. More on that below. In general, Optimara plants come packed in peat for transportation purposes. Peats tends to dry out and pull away from the sides of the pot. Many people leave the plant in peat while blooming and just make sure they water frequently. Others repot right away in their own AV potting mix, which is looser. If the mix your plant is in is caking, try to loosen it up and add fresh potting mix. After repotting, it will not need refreshing of the potting medium for about one year. Ordinarily, fertilizer is not needed when freshly repotted. The bag will tell you. When repotting, remove the plant from the pot when dry. If it looks root-bound, gently pry off or cut off the lower 1/3. Place fresh AV potting mix in the bottom. Remove any tired looking leaves. Scrape off old mix from the top and replace. It can remain in 4". The rule of thumb is the leaf span can be 3 times the diameter of the pot. So, theoretically, 12" in a 4" pot. Plastic pots are fine. The flimsy peat pots have larger holes. When selecting a new store-bought, thicker plastic pot, look for narrower drainage holes. Capillary matting is for larger collections for people who don't have time to check frequently or water lots of plants. Clay pots are fine but need more frequent watering. Ceramic glazed can be used for cache pots with the AV in a plastic pot. As Rosie said, for just a few pots you check often, wicking is not needed. But nice to have as insurance. Optimara (Selective Gardener) makes an attractive self-watering plastic pot for their size of AVs. They are good if you need to be away from watering for a few days. Some people like the self-watering ceramic pots made for AVs. However, they must be made in the U.S. or Canada and must be decalcified annually. Those made in China do not work. They lack sufficient porosity There are other potting methods that give good results but those are usually reserved for specialty plants. Optimaras are rugged and bred for average skills. No fuss, no muss. If you want to add another AV to your collection, I can recommend Simpler Times. It is an older, classic variety that will thrive for many years and can grow large. It can grow to need a larger pot size, 6" or more. The flowers are dark blue double petal "star" (round) shape. The leaves are deep green. It is available from Lyndon Lyon. Com. I If you place an order, you might as well order a few other varieties because there is a minimum shipping cost. The older varieties are stable and tested by time for longevity. Yes, AVs bloom cyclically and usually in the brighter, faster-growing times of year. Blooms typically come from beneath the top row of leaves only. As you noted, from deep beneath leaves. Avs have no center stalk, so the blooms emerge, tucked beneath. They normally last many weeks. Perhaps 3 or 4. Once the blooms are spent, you can use your foliage booster. They grow out from the crown. They won't bloom again until the crown leaves have matured. You were wise to let the foliage develop strength. Eventually, some people switch to organic fertilizers and potting mixes. As for light, some people recommend 12 hours of light, 12 hours of dark. However, your method sounds fine. Best, Joanne