I have had Colocasia, Callas and Impatiens growing in my pond without a problem for years. There are also plants on the list that I have planted in the beds around my pond. None of them, as far as I know, have ever caused any problems to my fish. "Horton"

In my younger days i was starting a new azalea bed and old friend of mine who had an old friend who owned a nursery for many years suggested to find an establised azalea planting and take a little soil for it to add to the new bed.As i have said before when i grew orchids at repotting time i add a little bit of the old potting mix to seed the new mix at the advice of a lot of experts that read.In my opinon i belive that seeding the soil with Fungus or bacteria that help break down dead and rotting material is very use.Today they have natural bottled microbes to help in the process of making decaying material in to food the plants can absorb.So inhancing the growth of certain bacteria i.e nitrifying bacteria ia belive is a good thing.However confirming the effacy of a product is somthing left to scientist. Joe

My fig tree is in 4th year and growing well. This year it went from 4 feet to 8 feet and produced many figs in late Oct. I have covered it in past years. Should I do the same each year? If so what can I use to cover such a large plant? It is in the south east corner of my home in a boxed out alcove, protected on 2 sides, with two 3' other plants in front of it. What do you think. Thank you.

I too enjoyed Schieffer's "This Just In". Some of his "in the right place at the right time" experiences, as with the Kennedy assassination, were quite interesting. I recently read "Twelve Years a Slave" and found it incredibly moving. It should be required reading for all school kids, maybe at the middle school level. (the Frederick Douglass book was widely used at one time, this one delivers the necessary punch concerning racism without the unneeded baggage that Douglass brings). The story is known because of the movie, the tale (among other things) graphically describes the treatment and lives of slaves in 1840s Louisiana. It was gut wrenching and incredibly sad, but the story needs to be told again and again. The books is so old that it's in the public domain. Free or very cheap ebook and audio book versions are available.