Have had mint, monarda, obedient plant with little to no problems. Campanula punctata reseeds but cute so I remove most of it in spring and leave few clumps. Macleya cordata reseeds, easy to pull. Bishop weed was planted because of my own stupidity- still trying to get rid of it but the bed full of bulbs and perennials so it is pretty hard to remove it completely. Chameleon plant died on me- I wanted it to grow. Petasites japonicus was speading last year with alarming speed- well, got killed this year during recent cold snap- barely found couple survivors and potted them up. Got some running bamboo last year- it is marginally hardy for me...

I have been working with 2 friends in AZ to gather and preserve several old varieties of date palm. One such palm was a Samany variety of Egyptian origin. The offshoot I got from the Ag. station was up high on the palm so it had no roots to start with. I planted it in May and it sat, and sat, and sat. Usually I figure if it hasn't started growing by the end of summer, it doesn't have much chance. But it held on to a little green and I would keep checking on it and kept water going but no sign at all of any new growth. After 16 months it finally got a small new frond started out from the middle. It then flushed out with 3 good fronds but then promptly choked and the next 2 fronds were very stunted and it stopped growing again. I feared it had sung it's last hurah. Still I kept working with it. Finally, yet another year later, it started some good fronds and has kept going. It was a 2 1/2 year project, but it is now at the 3 1/2 year mark, it is a healthy young palm. I'm hoping to start seeing fruit in about 2 more years.

Making Christmas pillows. But, not for gifts. Just to make my first Christmas in my first apartment festive. And it's cheap too! I'm using some of last years fabric, because I did make gifts then. Always have stuffing on hand! The first pillow I did had a green side with a print of red Christmas bows and balls. The other side is a solid red with a green tree silhouette that I applicayed on. I'm going to do a white one with red strips to simulate a candy cane. Maybe I'll even make it in the shape of a candy cane... this is fun! There is something about the hum and interaction of and with a sewing machine that is so peaceful and relaxing and rewarding!

Brian..Oh my God..Seems to be you do everything right, even Sugar has the whitest fir and the cleanest eyes! What the heck do you feed him, Miracle Grow..?lol Seriously, that coat of fir looks so soft and cuddly and clean! A diamond in the rough buddy..I never saw a dog of that sport look so clean..They usually have a problem with black fir around the eyes if they don't get the right nutrition..You are doing a mighty job buddy! Well I did say everything right, but you fail when it comes to eating sloppy Joe bud..ha Listen, I would kill for a three hour thunderstorm. I can't even get a ten minute one. It's been three years..The deforestation is really doing damage and they are just now admitting it. We are turning into another desert..It's scary. You say you need work between the shoulders..I am all your pal and I won't even charge you..I'll just trade you for one of your trees..lool It was 55 all day here because the front never moved northward until about 3..Then it popped up twenty degrees in a half hour..lol Now it's warm here..60's tonight)))) I love it. You should see how all my trees are loving it and my plants in the yard..Every tree is still outside Brian..I thin after after this weekend that's it...50's and 30's by night for days on end it seems..Arg! Brian, thank you for asking about Mom..She's had a tough day and she can't believe how many here care about her..What a great bunch of beautiful human beings here, including Sugar of course....We need that... I hope you are wrong about this winter..I don't want to spend so many days worried about the heaters going out due to a circuit breaker or storm..It's the most stressful thing for me keeping things in my greenhouse. Every single day it drops well below freezing, I have to keep a thermometer close to my bed for when I wake up or keep calling my home to see what the temps is..My Mother is my watch dog. Sugar must love sitting in there with you buddy> Give him and yourself a hug for me will you? By the way, soil mix question?? Do you have to amend your mix at all? And do you ever over pot or pot just one size up from the root ball? Thanks bud