Thanks! That reminds me. Last fall late, I was visiting a (gardening) friend who now lives at an assisted living place. We both noticed in the courtyard, that several little lambs ears had jumped out of the bed, and were growing in the grass. We both thought it would be a good idea to rescue them from a mower, or worse yet some sort of lawn spray that kills off anything that isn't a grass. I'll be visiting her in the next few days, and helping to rescue at least a few of the wee plants. It's our duty...right? Sue

I think https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crassulaceae sums it up nicely. Aeonium and Sempervivum are separate genera in the same family, Crassulaceae. There are 3 subfamilies in Crassulaceae. Aeonium and Sempervivum are in the same subfamily, Sempervivoideae. My experience with Delosperma has been hit and miss- mostly miss. Their labels often say zone 5 but so far I've not had them reliably survive the winter. However, a plant's winter survival depends on more than just the extreme cold tolerance of the plant. Edit: oh, this was grave dug. sorry.

I got 17 from Koi a few weeks ago. All came in good shape, with most having roots coming out the bottom of the small pots. Had to cut away the pots to get the plants out to plant in gallon pots for the Winter. A few of the type 2s wilted down within a few days, but look like they will reemerge with new shoots, at least I hope so. And suposedly they guarantee 2 years (if they are still in business). Be sure to check out all their clem listings, because some are down to 5.39 or so. And combined shipping is really good at 50 cents per additional plant. Back in April I was anxious to get a new clem season going so I ordered some from a different vendor. Between being very small to start with and the super wet & snowy Spring, they wilted in a few days & never came back. Checked later & roots all rotten. Enjoy your new clems. Marie

I agree with Ken that siphoning is almost always a result of either very inconsistent heat levels during the cycle or an improper cool down. It isn't related to the start-up cycle. Venting during the start-up for 10 mins - begin timing the 10 mins as soon as you have a steady, uninterrupted flow of steam. If air remains in the canner you will see spurts of steam kind of like smoke signals. ;) I disagree with the instructions to reduce heat BEFORE placing on the weights. First because it isn't what is recommended (see NCHFP instructions linked below) and second, heat reduction should only be done once the canner is brought up to pressure and then done VERY gradually in VERY small increments. Rapid heat reduction will almost always cause siphoning. Dave Here is a link that might be useful: NCHFP - How to Use a Pressure Canner