Jennifer, on your boxes of "bulb booster".....see if it says what is in the box....i.e. what the ingredients are. I think you will find a mention of phosphate...in many ways the element is contrived. Phosphurus aids in development of roots and encourages bloom. So any boosting of the bulb at planting time, would suggest it is helping the bulb put down its roots. Superphosphate does that....it is high in phosphurus.0/20/0......and in other boxes you might read the label to say "triple superphosphate"...0/46/0. Meaning it has no other use other than giving to the plant increased amounts of phosphurus.....no nitrogen, no potassium. (potash) Before using any so-called enhancements, do read the label and follow the directions. I invite you too, to put into your browser window... "SUPERPHOSPHATE".......and read about this particular amendment and how it can be used for many plants to push bloom. Especially read about how this product can often bring a plant to bloom when it has in the past, refused to do so. Its a kick-in-the-pants kind of product.

I'm in zone 5, not too far off from your zone 6, and I prefer unglazed clay pots for indoor use... for outdoor use, the type of pot I use depends on what's going in it and where it will be located. Most of my huge patio planters are made of that fake terra cotta resin material... they look like clay pots, but they're much lighter and they hold moisture for a longer period of time. Those pots are in front of a 3 bay garage, facing east. I use plastic hanging baskets placed on a shepherd's hook in an area that gets a good amount of windy breeze during the summer... they don't dry out as fast as the wire and coco liner baskets. I reserve the wire baskets with coco liners for a shepherd's hook that sits in front of a building with an eastern exposure... there's very little wind, so it holds moisture a bit longer in that position. As for drainage... I make sure all my containers, whether they're clay or plastic or resin, have decent drainage holes... and if they don't, I drill more. I also make certain to add a layer of either charcoal, gravel or packing peanuts to the bottom of the containers for drainage. What I use depends on pot size. Typically, anything that holds soil has the possibility to become a planter... as long as it has holes for drainage. I wouldn't place a metal or unglazed clay container in an area that got all day sun and wind... but I think just about anything has a place in a garden as a container for plants. I think you just have to use common sense when thinking about what pots to use where, and what to plant them with.

Sarah, didn't mean to sound hasty, but I was about to turn off the puter, when I noticed your thread. I was using a dishsoap with Citrus. One of the ingredients is true citrus, so they say. LOL. Used it for years, now it's like the brand is extinct. Can't find it anywhere. Ajax has a citrus scented dishsoap which is what I now add to the mixture. Acually any dish soap will work, just steer clear of Dawn. You poor thing..all those bugs!! What the heck happened? Sarah, it's strange, beneficial insects are dying/dead while the bad guys are flying around..that doesn't make sense? Why in the world do people use so many chemicals??? By doing so, they're killing off the good guys. Not to mention, spraying something that most likely causes cancer. I feel bad for people who don't use chemicals, yet because of their neighbors, have to breath in that crap. Sarah, the mix I use will kill mites and scale, but it won't touch whitefly..Before your plants are totally infested, purchase Yellow Sticky Traps..they work fantastic, and no chemicals. They're sold on Ebay and a place called Gardens Alive. Cost is more reasonable on Ebay. In Ebay's search window type in yellow sticky traps. Traps come with a little, metal holder. Traps are attached to these holders. Stick holder in soil. You'd be amazed how many whitefly they capture. About 3 or 4 yrs ago, I had the same problem..Whitefly. I found the source, a hardy Hydragea..95% of my plants were whitefly infested. Some plants worse than others, especially Hibiscus, citrus and gardenias. I bought the traps, placed one trap among a group of plants. Each trap captured hundreds of whitefly days later. That was it, they died. So, if you have whitefly, and want to use natural, non-chemical 'help,' buy the traps, ASAP. Keep us posted, Sarah and Good luck, Toni

I just purchased Ginger Splashables shower baskets for both my master and hall bath. My husband does not want niches at all. We are going for the hotel look with polished chrome wire baskets. The hall bath has the typical shower/tub combo. We planned to put the 18" shower basket in the center of the long wall.....I hope that look isn't outdated as raehelen mentioned! But I do think the shower spray will hit the soap. I am thinking of alternative locations for it, possibly on the short wall where the showerhead and tub spout is. Not sure if it will look too busy since there will also be a handheld on hook located there too. Any ideas? I attached a pic of the shower basket. Ginger products are supposed to be well made. I think they are pricey but I was concerned about rusting. Ginger online prices are much less than local stores. I ordered mine on qualitybath dot com. They had the lowest prices when you add their 5% sale. Good luck! My Ginger products get delivered this Thursday.