I honestly don't remember where those 2 little trees came from - it is 2 3-prong trees in 1 pot... HD has never really been one of my haunts (none in the neighborhood until just a couple of years ago), so probably they came from Fred Meyer (our "local" W coast grocery/dept chain, AKA Kroger), the Grocery Outlet, or an actual locally-owned nursery or hardware store, but I've had them for years & couldn't tell you their current availability....and according to Nancy & my googling of the image, they're different than what are currently being called "candelabras," in that they are straight, not curled back on themselves. If you were feeling brave, or picked up a couple of plants on the cheap, maybe you could probably achieve the look at home by cutting out the growth tip of a single-stem plant & pinching off all the back-buds you didn't want? Just guessing, as I've never pruned a Dracaena before! I'm still mystified how they get the new growth going so perfectly spaced & close to the top of where the tip was cut out! Nancy, thanks for sharing pictures! Those are just funky looking little trees & I agree with you: I can't imagine them growing into anything but a snarled glob in a few years! But, I suppose many people don't keep their plants for that long anyhow, to address the original topic of the post ;) Toni, I cross my non-heart-shaped marginata to fertilize only *very* lightly for at LEAST the next 6 weeks, then move up to lightly & maybe, after re-potting, move up to 1/2 strength for a couple of weeks before top pruning.

As I was posting this message my box came from Blueridge. You will not believe the size of the double fan of Baracuda Bay that Robert sent me - Now, I am not worried about the sucess of this beauty at all! The prices at blueridge are a bit high, but see what you get! This is by far the biggest plant I have ever recieved!! I am so happy with it. Just had to share, I almost pee'd in my pants when I saw this double fan. Even the fans I got from Oakes can't compete with this! -Jessica

Rick and Liz, good morning. Working night shift this week and I'm just getting going good. Just FYI: I'm participating on another garden site (www.davesgarden.com) and there is a great discussion going on there about straw bale gardening, if you're interested. This particular site is probably going to be the one I spend most of my time due to time constraints. So, feel free to email me at kent.rogers@eartlink.net if I end up neglecting this site. I essentially posted the text of the Carolina Country article I mentioned here to get the forum started and it has really taken off. Lot's of good ideas, especially from the organic-side crowd. Lots of PHOTOS, too. (Not sure how to put pics here. Mine on my computer don't have a URL link.) If no ammonium nitrate, then just let your bales weather longer, say at least 2 - 3 weeks. The nitrate just speeds things up. Check the bales as you're watering them and they'll heat up initially and then cool back down. Wait until the "cooking" is done before transplanting. Then fertilize as needed based on your experience, discretion, etc. The main thing is to keep those bales watered; twice a day preferrably. It's not a big job. There's NO weeds in bales, usually. The bales will sprout some wheat or oat grass but that's no problem. I just give my bales a "haircut" with a steak knife. Takes no time. The banana peels and diapers in the bale idea is interesting. Cow and chicken manure is about the only organic fertilizer I was raised up using. My daddy was a big user of 10-10-10! Have a blessed day, Kent

Actually, most of the time it is the buyer that is unrealistic. In my area, sellers have adjusted their prices, buyers still expect them to come down another $30,000-$50,000. It isnt happening. Buyers being unrealistic isn't really an issue because they have all the power right now. A buyer can be as unrealistic and unreasonable as they want to because they have options. They can rent, they can stay put, they can keep looking. Really no consequences at all for a buyer no matter what they choose to do. Time is on a buyer's side. If a buyer really wants to test the waters in their market, I'd suggest they make a lowball offer on a house. Any house, doesn't even have to be one that they really want. See what happens. I guarantee you that it will be interesting. Sellers have opitions too. Like not selling or sticking to their guns and not lowering. Unlike buyers, a seller unwilling to cave to current market conditions will suffer consequences of declining markets and shrinking pools of buyers. Time is not on seller's side unless they can wait it out till 2012 or longer. Anyone who thinks that the U.S. financial crisis does not affect the market they are in seriously needs to read up. This is not about "real estate is local" any more. It's way bigger, much uglier and incredibly long term.