Great! This is my e-mail: someguy00273952@yahoo.com. Please e-mail me with your e-mail too so I can contact you in spring. Also, please add 'gardenweb' in the subject so it doesn't go into my spam folder. Thanks!

It comes very easy from either tip or interdodal cuttings. This is a different plant, but prepare cuttings like this: It's important that the medium you use holds lots of air and doesn't stay soggy. Cut just below a node with a very sharp blade to avoid crushing the stem. Clip the leaves off the node(s) that will go in the soil, then stick the cuttings. You can use 100% perlite or a mix of almost all perlite + a little peat. I usually use the gritty mix (you might not be familiar with it). Keep the medium damp, not wet. Put the cuttings in open or dappled shade (open is best) and wait. If you think the medium is getting dry, use a spritzer to mist the soil, but not the leaves. If you're doing only a few cuttings, you can use a set-up like this: or stick the cuttings in the bottom of a milk jug with the top cut off and slip the top back into the bottom. This single cutting is in a yogurt cup, but you can plant directly in the bottom of the jug. If you decide to follow this procedure, let me know & I'll offer some easy tips that will help ensure success. Note the slits (hard to see) in the top half of the milk jug - makes it easier to nest the top down into the bottom. This keeps humidity high in the air surrounding the cuttings. If you post a picture of a cutting, I'll give more specific direction. Al

I am requesting any assistance that you might provide in procuring seeds of this South African species, Helichrysum umbraculigerum. Thank you, Ethan Russo, MD Vashon, WA USA ethanrusso@Comcast.net

Hello! I recently started growing flowers for fun and because I like to do everything the difficult way around I decided I would grow them from SEEDS. Goodness. So I have successfully planted, germinated and kept alive (woohoo) about 200 helichrysum (straw flower) seeds. They are currently about 1 inch in height BUT the problem is, they're crowding. They are not yet big enough to transplant (which I don't know how to do either, so any help there would be appreciated too). All I want to know is, how long can I carry on growing them feasibly before overcrowding will kill them? It doesn't seem to be bothering them too much at the moment, they're still soldiering on and getting new leaf growth every day. They're on about their third or fourth set on new leaves if I had to guess. Questions I have include: I'd like to grow all the seedlings in pots, which size pots should I use? I don't really have a garden at my disposal sadly so I must grow in pots as much I can but I have space for BIG POTS, so any size pot recommendation would be great. Is there any special way of keeping little flying bugs off of my helichrysum? They don't eat the plants, they just annoy me. Maybe something DIY... they're like little flying bug mite things. Think they're attracted to my fluorescent indoor growing light. Is there anything I could do to help their growth? I've potted in Canadian peat moss to start and mixed in very little seedling food, sprinkled with a layer of compost over the top. I gave them general organic liquid plant food a few days ago with their water. How often so they need to be watered at this size?So many questions! Thank you so much.