Thanks Ninapearl!!! We are a little ecstatic (and I AM a little inclined to talke/type too much!) but I sure appreciate your response! It would have made me sad not to get ANY responses all though...as you note so appropriately....farmers are busy people! Staying at the computer long enough to read AND post is a rarity! I'll try to keep my future posts more "on-topic" but I sure appreciate your reply! Look forward to becoming better acquainted with you and Lots of new friends! ~~Patti

Sorry for the late reply, HU-243901113. I don't regularly fertilize my Jiaogulan plants, but do occasionally water them with some 'Foliage Pro' in the water, which is what I water my citrus trees with. My first year growing them I kept them in a near total shady spot, and they grew very slowly. When I moved them to a sunnier spot they grew much faster, but too much sun wilted them badly. I now keep mine in a spot were they get the morning sun, and afternoon shade when the day is hotter. They have thrived in that spot. I started/grew Jiaogulan plants last winter in a SunBlaster Grow Light Garden kit I got off Amazon, and it worked OK. I also have put them in a window where they grow, but not as fast as when outdoors. Most of the Jiaogulan roots in the pictures above died this past winter (I should have moved them to a more protected area when the prolong super cold temps came), but they produced a lot of berries last year which I harvested for seed (berries are not edible by the way). Those seeds germinated and I now have replacement plants just as good as the ones above. When they sprouted, the vines had 3 leafs, but now they have matured into 5 leaf Jiaogulan plants. I don't think I'd be willing to sell any of my plants. I got my starter plants from Joe Hollis of Mountain Gardens Herbs, and highly recommend purchasing plants from him. I have purchased plants elsewhere. Not all Jiaogulan plants taste them same, some are bitter, some sweeter, some have no flavor at all. The bare root plants I got from Hollis were most vigorous and had a pleasant taste. I use mostly the leaves for tea, as most of the beneficial properties in Jiaogulan are concentrated in the leaves, from what I have read. I don't *think* the roots or flowers are edible (haven't confirmed they are), but I have read in Jiaogulan resource books that the berries should not be consumed. . Good luck!

Welcome back, Rusty. It sounds like you’ve been through one heck of a time with your lower leg. I hope it continues to heal and that you don’t hear anymore grief from it. Enjoy being home and I hope you have some wonderful spring weather to celebrate.

Felix LeClerc repeats beautifully for me. I have 2 of them - both are great and generous. I love John Cabot, but he does a big spring flush and then just the occasional scattering of bloom. For me. But then, I'm pretty stingy with fertilizer, maybe he repeats more with more baby-ing. The 3 I listed, Felix, Cape Diamond, and Capt. Samuel Holland, repeat very well for me in spite of my cheapness with the fertilizer. Also Parade (but not sure it's hardy for zone 5). Another great one is Purple Skyliner, blooms beautifully and often but I don't think it'd be hardy in zone 5. If you are zone 6 you should be ok.