pricklypearsatx I agree with Kentuck, your Green Goddess (Bambusa multiplex 'Riviereorum') should do OK in sun or partial shade. The multiplexes tend to spread out more at the top in full sun and be taller and somewhat straighter in shade. Many bamboo prefer acid soil, but I expect your Green Goddess will tolerate your alkaline soil and do just fine. However, as Kentuck indicates, it would not hurt to ammend your soil. We have somewhat alkaline soil and water here, and I use an ammonium sulfate product to fertillizer my bamboo along with elemental sulfur pellets to help acidify the soil. I just broadcast it around the bamboo. If it does not rain, you will need to water the bamboo well at least once a week during the summer the first year, especially if it is planted in the sun. Good luck with your bamboo. Mike near Brenham TX

I hear the frustration in FloridaBear's post. S. Florida has a lot of opportunities and some adjustments to gardening especially if you were used to gardening "up North". I grow herbs, orchids, fruit trees etc and have found there are herbs, orchids, fruit trees etc that thrive in my climate, others survive or languish and others hate it and die (no matter how hard I try to pursuade them to live). I have made the decision to invite only those plants that thrive in my climate to share it with me and put away the idea of giving up my life to figuring out how to keep plants alive that really don't do well here (it resulted most of the time in failure and wasn't a whole lot of fun even when there was success). I know that heat, humidity, rain and a lot of mulch = mold. I know I can grow all sorts of vegetables during the winter and many herbs under trees and some shade during the rest of the year. Many vegetables disintegrate in our summer humidity (To those "up North" - if you know what happens to plants after a freeze - you know mush - well that's kind of what mold and humidity can do to our plants - full sun and heat just fries them-- but many can be hardened off to the sun.) Now, for hippeastrum...last year I kept an appleblossom outside in a clay pot and it is bigger, the bulb is green and has two offsets. It never lost its leaves, I don't know when it will flower but I can wait. I am just happy to see it happy. (and this forum CHADed me into buying many more that did flower) I kept it in full sun during the winter after it flowered last year and it naturally got accustomed to the sun. It was outside all summer and never lost a beat. Now about pests, I only use pesticide as a last ditch effort and only on potted plants and hand spray sparingly under very controlled circumstances. I do not want any lizzards, frogs, toads or others beings harmed -- they are my main pest control. I have had no need to spray anything in the ground - my pest control squad has it under control. I have lots of lizzards and frogs and loads of toads. Anyeway, I am looking for a place, to try a couple of hippeastrum in the ground (maybe a raised bed with some shade)and we will see how they do. I am also looking to have a covered area outside where I can control the rainfall, but not the heat and humiditiy so I can try a few species that I think might do well here. Anyway, I really do understand your frustration, S. Fl is unlike most other places in the US but just like any other place on this planet there are frustrations and rewards. Hey, what about this - take a few of the 'common' hippeastrum that you find growing in your area and hybridize them with some of the hippeastrum that 'catch your eye' to develop your own hybrid that you find appealing that would grow in your area. Might be fun and might even be successful. Let me know, I might want one for my garden.

Got all these from the cooking forum and they are favorites! Made the spinach salad from Ann for a luncheon, it was a very big hit! Vittorio's Spinach Salad from Ann T Vittorio's was a restaurant in Toronto that we use to go to years ago. Salad isn't something that I would usually order but I loved his. This is my recreation of his recipe. Salad: Washed and dried baby spinach 4 hard boiled eggs, peeled 4 or 5 cleaned mushrooms, sliced 1 can of artichoke hearts halved or quartered 3 Roma tomatoes, quartered 2 chopped green onions Kalamata olives Dressing: 1/4 teaspoon tarragon 1/2 clove of garlic 2 or 3 tablespoons wine vinegar 1/2 cup homemade mayo or Hellmans salt and pepper Place spinach in a large salad bowl. Decorate with eggs, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, tomatoes and green onions and olives. Drizzle with dressing and toss. Can be made on individual plates as well. Dressing: Soak tarragon and garlic in vinegar. Add salt to dissolve. Mix vinegar mixture into mayonnaise and adjust seasoning to taste. ------------------------------------------- Nancy's "55" Salad Dressing (wizardnm) 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic 1 teaspoon dry mustard 1/4 cup vinegar 1/4 cup water 2 teaspoons salt 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper 1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper 1/2 teaspoon celery seed (optional) 1 cup vegetable oil Combine garlic, dry mustard, vinegar and water in a food processor or blender. Pulse to combine. Add salt, sugar, peppers, and celery seed (if using) With processor or blender running, SLOWLY add vegetable oil in a thin stream. After oil is added, continue to process another 3 minutes. --------------------------------------------------------- Creamy Roquefort Dressing (mqmoi) 1/2 cup mayonnaise 1 large shallot, minced 1 tablespoon Sherry wine vinegar 1 large garlic clove, minced 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 1/3 cup crumbled Roquefort cheese 3 tablespoons whipping cream Whisk first 5 ingredients in small bowl to blend. Fold in Roquefort cheese and cream. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Yes, that recipe for German apple pancakes is very similar to what I use. Here the one from Röckenwagner (now called Four Square) restaurant in Venice, CA: Pancake Batter 7 large eggs 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract 1/4 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1-1/2 tsp baking powder Apples 2 tbsp unsalted butter 3 Golden Delicious apples, peeled if desired, cored and cut into 1/2” wedges 1-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 1-1/2 tbsp granulated sugar 1 tbsp confectioners’ sugar 1/4 cup crème fraîche 1 cup strawberries, for garnish Batter In a blender or food processor, combine the eggs, vanilla, and sugar and blend for about 15 seconds, or until combined. Add the flour and baking powder and mix for 60 seconds more, or until very smooth. Apples Preheat the broiler to medium-high heat. Heat a 12” nonstick skillet over medium heat and add the butter. Add the apples and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes, or until softened. Add the cinnamon and sugar, sprinkling them evenly over the apples, and stir for 2 minutes, or until the apples are glazed and slightly translucent at the edges. Assembly Distribute the apples evenly in the skillet and pour the batter over them. (You may also make four individual pancakes, using a smaller pan. Just use one-fourth of the apples and one-fourth of the batter for each.) Cook until the bottom seems quite firm, about 8 minutes. Transfer the pan to the broiler and, while watching carefully, cook until the pancake is firm throughout and golden on top. Cut the pancake into 4 wedges and transfer them, apple side up, to serving plates. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar, place a dollop of the crème fraîche on top, and garnish with the strawberries. Yield: 4 servings Author’s note: We’ve had these apple pancakes at Röckenwagner since we opened, and I think they are fantastic, especially for lunch. One of the things my mom cooked well was apple pancakes. She used to slice the apples into discs so that they had a little hole in the center where the core was. Then she just dipped them in the batter and pan fried them. That’s a little different than the way I like to do it now (mine is more like an upside-down apple pancake), but I have wonderful memories of her apple pancakes.