Looking good! That's a lot of babies. I checked out your link, and you're right, it is a really cute plant. As for how they'll do in sphag, it's only a temporary situation. I'd say don't keep the sphag too wet, and separate them out to their 'grown up' medium of choice when they get big enough. I don't know when that is, exactly, not being super familiar with the type, but I'm thinking you have a better idea of that than me. If you weren't over the border, I'd trade you some of my modestas for some of these guys : (

Well, that rabbit or his/her relatives did not behave. They hit the gazania plants again, just as they where full of buds. Seems that gazania is #1 on the list of rabbit food in the flower beds. Now the chipmunks and groundhogs are not particular, the first thing the find goes down the throat. BUT They do not like marigolds, and will not go near plants that have marigolds beside them or around them. So next years plan is 100's of marigold plants used as an edging all around the beds, sort of like a fence of marigolds. At least it's worth a try to keep the 4 legged critters away. Angie, Paula, I should have plenty of seeds of the easter egg plant. In the fall the white easter eggs start to turn yellow and when they are bright, bright yellow, they are ripe. Then I pick them off, but them in half, then each half in quarters and let them dry to get the seeds for next year. The fun look is that you have various colors on the plant as the "eggs" start to ripen ranging from pure white to starting to turn yellow to bright bright yellow. Oh, when you feel the "egg" it feels like a real egg as well, feels like an eggshell on the outside. The irony, to me, is it starts out looking like a real white egg, feels like a real white egg and when ripe, turns to the the color of the bright yellow yolk of a real egg. I've seen various information on them with google searches that say they are just ornamental and that they can be eaten. I've just decided to leave it as a conversation piece of plant growing in pots in the garden, since I haven't been able to get a clear answer as to whether they are safe to eat. Paula, I should have plenty of seeds from the cosmos candy stripe for trade, the seeds are just beginning to ripen now. Will be posting in mid Sept for trades Mnswgal, i planted the zinnia "Old Mexico" in HOS of about 10 seedlings at a time. All the seeds where from a burpee commercial pack of zinnia old mexico seeds purchased at K-mart. They had all their seeds from the time they came in to the store through the late spring at 40% off. Did get several packets of seeds there of burpee and martha stewart brand. Anyways, they where all sown at the same time in 3 different containers and believe it or not, they bloomed with 3 different types of blooms. the one above and these 2 blooms this big clump of old mexico that is blooming as it it supposed to look except for one bloom if you look carefully on the right of the pick, there is an old paler flower in the middle of the clump and this bloom of a clump that bloomed totally different from what it was supposed to also, but I do like this one as well and the entire clump is like this The dwarf balloon flower grows about 8 inches tall. I'll have tons of seeds of them once the pods ripen, but it takes forever for them to do so. At least another month before I have ripe seeds for trades, but will have them Thanks Karen Fran

Rusty, I wanted to make the wild rice special. otherwise it will always be just a side. The recipes is very simple, not to take away the subtle nutty taste of wild rice. It is just wild rice with chestnuts cooked in concentrated beef mushroom stock. Wild rice is not sticky. I added tapioca flour as a binder. After that I rolled the rice into balls and froze them in the freezer. The frozen rice balls is very easy to coat with a simple egg batter and deep fried. It was very interesting to bite into a crispy ball with wild rice in it. I am working on a different batter to make it even more interesting. dcarch

Thank you everyone for your nice comments. Hosta flower buds are very tender and delicious. The flower itself does not have much taste, just for looks. Cauliflower grilled, as you know, really delicious. I am having fun with cutting beets as thin as paper using a single-bevel knife. Much thinner than a mandolin can slice. Jasdip, sous vide can cook meat from raw to very well done, and anywhere in between, without fail, precisely every time. That's the whole idea. You just set the temperature and walk away. Timing is not that critical. There is no skill involved. dcarch