RobertEire: Gai Laan (often spelled Kai Laan, and called Chinese Broccoli and Chinese Sprouting Broccoli, among other attempts to create a European name) is one of our favorite vegetables and I'd guess would grow very well in Ireland --once you work out the proper season! It is a winter crop here, and gets tough and bolts when the days are lengthening AND the temperature gets into the 100s (F) --not likely to be an Irish problem. California has a wonderful Asian seed source, EvergreenYH (http://www.evergreenseeds.com/), which carries several varieties in nice large packets. The difference between the varieties didn't seem to be very great --they all produced well, they all tasted good, and they all began to make flowering stalks at about the same time when planted in early September. The flowering stalks are the part Kailaan is grown for commercially, but the leafy thinnings are delicious also. The stalks are quite long, with a shiny outside skin and very sweet, succulent interior. When they grow fairly slowly (cool weather?) they are thicker; as the weather warms the outside skin becomes fibrous --but it's very easy to peel. My suggestion would be to plant in spring, and if the Kailaan bolts quickly, with tough skinny stems, try another planting in midsummer, or perhaps even May, so the main growth time is when days are shortening. It will take some frost --if you can protect it you could try a fall planting, though it's a bit late now, I'd think. The dark green leaves and loosely clustered flower buds (only a few per cluster) add a different texture and flavor to the stalks. We like our Kailaan more or less braised --started with a very quick toss in a little oil, to coat the stalks lightly, finished under cover with a little water or chicken broth, then dressed at serving time with a few drops of soy sauce. It is very good steamed, too. Another vegetable you might like to try is Komatsuna. Same season, but mine seemed less sensitive to day length. Komatsuna has very large, shiny dark green leaves with a sweet, succulent midrib. It is a brassica but not like any other I've grown. The leaves are smooth and thin, not like a cabbage or a mustard, and the flavor is not very mustardy. Just a few plants fed us two or three meals a week for months --two or three leaves made a dish for the two of us, and you can pick from the same plant again and again. Eventually the ribs started to get tough, so I stripped the leafy part, and when it began to bolt the flower stalks were very good too, and produced for quite a long time. The bases of the flower stalks needed peeling eventually --very easy, like kailaan, no trying to peel between knots and branches as when peeling broccoli stems. We have fond memories of Ireland and the great root vegetables the landladies at the farmhouse inns served. It was spring --around Easter-- and possibly just what was left by that time.

Just found a spot for this tree and his little brother (or sister?). It is planted at the edge of my wooded area. No tall trees around it since I've cut down many wild trees in that area. I'll just need to keep the woody plants away from that side. The good thing is that I do not need to cut the grass in that area. I may keep a wide mulch ring. Do not know if they are male or female. The previous owner said he got some fruits (peppers) on the trees. Bu he still have 3 such pepper trees.

Giant swallowtails do NOT lay eggs on Aralia spinosa - it's not a member of the citrus/Rutaceae family that they use. It grows on my property, and I don't think I've ever seen any cats at all on it. If you click on my link to Pine Ridge Gardens and scroll down, you'll find that PRG carries Zanthoxylem clava- herculis, commonly called toothache tree, prickly ash or hercules club, which IS in the rutaceae family and giant swallowtails will use it, although it's definitely not their favorite host plant. Of the plants I have that they use, their favorite host plants are Ptelea trifoliata and my orange tree - they occasionally use my rue, but after my Zanthoxylum clava-herculis only got one egg laid on it in three years or so, I got rid of it. Please don't order Aralia spinosa is you want giant swallowtail caterpillars - if you want a cold hardy plant that they'll use, get Ptelea trifoliata. I think PRG still carries that one, too - scroll down on my link and you can see if she's got any in stock. Sherry

Got your message R-M - thanks - If you still have some left will u send address for ssae. Would love to try growing these.