I'm with you Iris...if stamps only grew in the garden I'm happy that some of my cards have been received. I wish I'd put packing tape on the envies after hearing about some of the cards arriving torn. rosemctier and redthreaddiy had the right idea! In the past few days a lovely assortment of holiday greetings have arrived. I've been too ill this year to decorate so the cards are my bit of Christmas cheer. I appreciate the time, energy and care put into each and every one! Thank you Vina/flowergirl34 for the poppy 'lilac pompom' and columbine mix. Your packages are always so colorful and cheerful. I like the use of a money card...afterall, seeds are better than cash :) Lisa/pumkingal, those are the cutest lil stickers! Thank you so much for the blue sea holly. I'm so excited about the bok choi! I love eating it and cant wait to grow it. You made my day with the story about your little grandson 'nans we got planting to do'. How sweet :) Faye/nottougly, my kitty (he's 17) loved your card so much...he rolled on it. Now his black fur is all gold sparkly :) Thank you so much for the Goodneck burgundy Loosestrife. I grew swiss chard for the first time this year and found I really like it. And the seeds are unusual and funny looking :) Rose/rosemctier, I wished for a purple basil...Thanks to you, I'll be growing 2 varieties! 'Purple Ruffles' and 'Dark Opal Purple'...I cant wait :) I'm so happy to also receive Five Spot and Penny Black. Heidi/xiangirl, thank you for the suggestion for squash bugs. I'll have to give that a try. The squash and pumpkins appreciate any help they can get :) The Gaillardia will be fun...you never know what you're going to get...so much variety. I'm so excited about the fennel! I've not grown this before. Those are some tiny seeds. Cant wait to try it. I really appreciate the info on the packet. Thank you so much! Katie/redthreaddiy, I loved the pics you shared of your cards ready to mail. I was lucky enough to receive one of them today :) Your generous gifts covered the flower garden, herb garden and veggie garden. Eggplant 'long purple' and 'black beauty' basil 'Italian large leaf' Pineapple sage...I bought a small plant of this from the farmers market a couple years ago. By the fall it was nearly 3 feet tall and covered with lovely red flowers. I'm so excited to grow this myself :) Salsify 'mammoth sandwish island'-I had to look this up. Its supposed to taste like oysters. This will be fun to try. Has anyone grown this?? I love trying new-to-me tomato varieties. Thanks to you I can try: 'Costoluto Genovese' 'Great White' and 'Rosso Brunno F3' For the flower gardens you sent Mallo 'mystic merlin' and Poppy 'double shirley mix'. Thank you for your generous selections :) I think its time to edit my trade 'wish list' and remove all the wonderful seeds I now have :) I know the swap isnt even over yet but I'm already thinking about what kind of cards to create for next year...fun fun fun :)

For those of you in Florida - see if you can find a concentrated cleaner called "WEB" - (made in Lake Worth, FL by Southland Products Co 561-582-4814 according to the bottle) - sold in Winn-Dixie and at ACE Hardware - combines strong detergent with acid so it removes the soap scum AND hard water stains - just did my shower doors - came out looking new !! - be sure to follow directions for diluting - and rinse well with water -- would suggest a stiff brush or plastic dish scrubber rather than Brillo pad - (aluminum doesn't like steel wool)- works super on tile too - -happy cleaning - Dave

Oh geeze. Thanks for the kind words. Very much appreciated but not necessary. :) Garden Web is my occasional mental vacation/distraction from a hectic real life. As much as I love color, it's nice to come here and read about other stuff.

Oh that's true! Your fall is not my fall. Well with mine, when I do cuttings, I usually expect some semblance of roots in a month's time, hence the 1/2 strength fertilizer business. Then about 2 months in, I begin regular full strength on indoor plants because they only get watered once a month and fertilized once a month (for a total two watering sessions). I would fertilize in September and October, then for me, I will usually just water through the winter (Nov to Jan) very intermittently....like maybe once a month if it's indoors. I know some people still lightly fertilize in the winter, too, with indoor plants. I'll leave that part to you. I do not, but fertilizing is considered a real chore for me, haha. Come Feb, I mean spring...so that, too, will differ for you. But how cold is it for you in October? We are basically in Indian summer....so it's pretty hot still with spikes too 100 easily. Just as a general rule of thumb, if it's growing--fertilize. If it's not, stop. And during your coldest months, hold back on everything. What month that is for you will differ from mine though! What temps your house is and the light will also make a difference. Because yours are cuttings and just starting to grow, I think if I were you, I'd opt for lightly fertilizing through this winter, 1/4 dosage or so just to give them sustenance. But that's up to you. :)