Take a deep breath, Alicia. ;o) First, so there is no argument: there is really no such thing as a 'proper' container soil for any plant; though, there are soils that are more appropriate and make it easier to coax your plants into being as close to what they can be as possible, within the limits of other cultural factors. Even though it's often argued, we can say that the large majority will hold that soils made of significant fractions of topsoil/garden soil should be avoided in containers because of their small particle size and excessive water retention, which goes hand in hand with insufficient aeration. Many of us have taken the logical position that soils comprised primarily of other fine particles - peat, compost, coir, also hold more water than we prefer, and feel these soils hold our plants back in terms of growth and vitality. I found this to be very true in my plants by accident. I tried to grow bonsai in soils like MG or other bagged soils, and failed miserably (it's more difficult to grow in shallow pots using heavy soils). After considerable effort spent educating myself about bonsai soils, I started experimenting with ALL my soils for container plants. What grew out of it were the 5:1:1 mix and the gritty mix. Having switched to these soils, I can unabashedly say that the level of growth and vitality, as well how easy it is to achieve these common goals is greatly facilitated by these soils. In the end, it all boils down to how much time/effort you'd like to devote to your growing experience. Fortunately, you have lots of people here willing to hold your hand and help you along if you decide to try something new. The number of people who have found out the same things I have is large, so there is little need to worry about the potential value of the soil(s) to your plants, only whether or not you're up for the journey. ;o) "Do you mix any soil with this gritty mix?" No, the gritty mix IS the soil. It's made from 3 ingredients and looks like this: or this: I have been growing all my houseplants and my long term plantings in this soil for more than 20 years. I'm always experimenting, and IF, in that time, I had found anything better, I'd be using it and helping others learn how tom make it, but so far, this is the best I've found. We're always here to help if you need/want it. Al

I live in Zone 7a, and I grow pretty much all my brugs in the ground. They really don't do well in pots for me, but I do have a few that I lift in the fall. Their rootball DOES survive the winter, but they just don't perform well. These are mostly ones with Versicolor bloodlines, and I use TnGreenThumb's pot-in-the-ground method. He plants his in a 3-gallon bucket that he's drilled several one-inch holes in the sides of (NONE in the bottom, though!), then plunges the bucket in the ground. The brug puts roots out through the holes and has access to more food and water, but come fall he takes a long knife and cuts around the outside edge of the bucket and lifts it for overwintering in his basement. He's grown some pretty spectactular brugs this way! I would move your Peaches n' Cream into partial shade---most of the variegated ones don't seem to like full sun around here.

"I have found the lighter the shade of bloom it will be a shade lover. The fuzzier the leaf the more the sun!"(from Happykarmatoes). I usually acclimate them in the pot for a couple of weeks 1st. They need a sip of water in the early afternoon, and then they still droop a little in the late afternoon. In the acclimation process, the leaves seem to darken. As much sun as possible, with the hottest couple of hrs shaded would be ideal. This is my 1st year with them, and I am learning along the way. I'm sure someone here will chime in to help. Here are some links: http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/brug/msg0500112421041.html http://search.gardenweb.com/search/nph-ind.cgi?term=full+sun&forum=brug&forum_name=Brugmansia Ch. G. --mine are kinda fuzzy, pointy leafed, with curly edges.

There is an "Aztec Sweet Herb" which is not stevia. (can't remember it's botaniocal name) The advice byTucker303 is spot on. Stevia seeds need light to germinate. Leave them on top of your growing medium. I use vermiculite on top of a commercial 'seed raising mix'. I mist the seeds 2-3 times a day I use a beaut $2 mister fom the reject shop Michael2 Here is a link that might be useful: The Fragrant Garden