Yes Floral_uk is right. Could be the South for example which requires a completely different strategy. If I sowed seed where I lived I would battle to get any flowers at all as they only flower in their second season. So you need to start seedlings the year before plant them out Autumn then they will flower in Spring early summer the following year. As we don't have a suitable cool enough summer to start them off I could only sow in winter and they would die when Spring arrived because of the heat and humidity. If I had a cool green house with fans, air-con and a mister I could of course but thats an awful lot of trouble for what is an annual bedding plant in our "zone". So Im lucky the Dutch do it for me. I tried foxgloves (grown in Japan) for the first time this year but they appeared on the market too late to work, only now sending up miserable flower spikes which is too late. Foxgloves have the same growth, "biannual" as Campanula medium. If that helps you Amanda. They don't live much beyond two years but in suitable climates will happily self seed. I just thought I should say that this year we had quite a stable cool dry winter season and I've had Campanula medium, the same plants I bought in bud last year in early December "Autumn" flowering and performing stunningly well for more than four months! They very slowly open their buds, keeping the open flowers for ages and ages in mint condition, well well after all the buds have opened. Winter is our dry season so watering is required, not excessively, just to keep moist. I think the lack of rain actually is a big plus for the longevity of the flowers and the fact I planted in shady conditions. Our humidity is never much bellow 60% even in the dry season. We are in our fifth month and the temps have gone into 26-28%C, this week 30-31%C with 80-90% humidity and still there are flowers! It's truly remarkable. Much smaller flowers but the plants haven't wilted yet. Sure they will and very soon, though. What I did after three months and a half of solid performance was remove all the spent flowers that had partially formed green leafy seed capsules, this made them produce many smaller new buds, the ones still flowering now. I would love to get the crisp white ones next year but I haven't seen them here at all. Maybe "Bells of Holland" the shorter variety only come in pink and purple. Highly recommended as a winter annual or bedding plant in sub-tropical climates if you can buy them already established, in full bud. Choose the plants where the buds are not open, just a sprinkle of the larger top buds open. Our temps don't fall much bellow 10- 15% in winter and not much higher than 20-23 %C so for Canterbury bells it's like one long mild late Spring early summer. For Southern gardens in the USA including parts of Florida, right up to Miami with no frost, winter is the time to enjoy! Plant producers and buyers for retail take note. They outperform even things like busy tizzies and bedding begonias. I planted in the shade with only an hour or so of passing sun a day.

Great post. 1. Select excellent seeds of varieties known to do well in your area (check the forums) and start several seeds in good mix in at least 4" pots. Select for strongest seedling after about 3-4 weeks (snip the others with scissors, don't pull). 2. Plant deeply into well prepared, amended soil in raised bed or mounded row, including lots of organics (compost, natural mulches added additionally over the years), with additional bonemeal in the hole. Have it tested if it doesn't seem to be right. If you must fertilizer use organic pellets. 3. Lots of sun and good water. Water infrequently but deeply and slowly. Drip irrigation lets you water more often but even more slowly (best). Notes: You really shouldn't have to fertilize your tomatoes once they're growing if your soil is right. But a foliar spray of liquid seaweed or other organic, micronutrient solutions produce amazing results quickly for ailing plants. Keep foliage dry if at all possible and spray them in the morning if necessary. Also make sure to give each plant enough room for ventilation and root space. Neem oil works great for most pest probs but can sometimes burn young leaves. Organic mulches keep fruit off the ground (for sprawling), breakdown into good stuff, and keep soil from splashing up onto the plant when it rains (important). Cages allow for keeping fruit off the ground and protect them from sunscald.

Hello! This is awesome information, thank you all so much!! ttodd - so you used fabric glue instead of sewing? Was it messy? Do you think it will hold over time? I was thinking of sewing it as I have never used the glue. charlieinnj - wow! That looks great! I'd like to try this as well. Sleek/comtempory...yes this is exactly what I am going for. Yes, the quilt wall hanging may not work! LOL! I'll have to break that to dh. Ok, about the fabric repeating exactly...I wonder if one 84" or 96" curtain panel will be enough fabric to accomplish this? This is a curtain panel that I found, not fabric. blondepegasus - yes, I will have the yellow ribbon on the curtains, the yellow in the fabric wall hangings, yellow pillows on the chair. I'm so excited to get started on these projects!! Thanks!! Elaine

My wife organizes a yard sale every year for her church. When it's all said and done, every thing left is picked up by good will. maybe you can donate it to some organization. Remember, no matter how little you have, there's someone out there with less. Sorry about the sermon:-)