Just to add to PG's comment. Another person asked about an Aralia they own (I believe theirs is also a 'Ming') and I gave some input based on my experiences with growing one. Here you go: "They enjoy humidity, so place them on a pebble tray (I didn't mist mine, didn't seem to mind just the humidity from the pebble tray). To keep them from getting leggy, bright light is suggested. I had mine about a foot away or so from a South window. It got afternoon sun with no problem. They don't like to be wet whatsoever (no houseplant wants to be wet though). You will want to allow it to dry out almost completely (don't let it dry out completely, but don't keep it as regularly moist as you would other houseplants that want to stay moist all the time). It might throw a diva fit and lose leaves, I think I read this can happen in the winter (maybe something to do with the change in the amount of sunlight). It will re-sprout again so it's not dead." It's better to not water on a schedule as that lady advised you, your conditions may me different than hers and you may need to water more or less often than she does. I hope you found this information useful. Planto

Why not just lay a thick layer of compost down, scratch it in a little, and start planting? That's what I did in several areas I didn't want to turn with a shovel, and it worked great, especially if I had killed the grass first with mulch or newspaper. If you live in Dekalb County, they give compost away free at the Buford Hwy waste compaction site. Many plants like the ones you describe are thriving in my bed made by killing the grass with newspaper, then laying down about six inches of Dekalb Cty compost. The worms love it, too!

Donna, Blaine is one of the northern suburbs of the Twin Cities; we are directly west on Lake Minnetonka, as Kate guessed. It would be so much fun to have visitors, if you ever get up this way again. Kate, Lord Fletcher's is still very much a place to be on a hot summer evening, and, yes, they still have Sunday brunch. Can't wait to put our boat in. This week, weather willing.

I'm also a fan of pictureframes.com for anything custom that you aren't having done by a frame shop. It's sort of a tiered thing ... from thrift shops and Ikea at the low cost end, through Target, Michaels, Home Goods and Maxx, then to pictureframes.com, and then the good independent custom framers. (I left out the rest of the chain craft stores for reasons of my own.)