Since you want so few plants, can you buy them at a local nursery and save yourself lots of $$$ in shipping costs? I know many nurseries around me carry plants for quite a wide range of basil types. Go to the local nurseries rather than the "big box" stores for the best selection. Heck, you can probably ask them what varieties they'll be stocking since they probably already started them or have it planned out. To be honest, I never start basil indoors. I direct sow it. It comes off later on than indoors starts, but I use my indoor starting space for stuff like peppers and tomatoes. Direct sow basil at the same time you would plant tomatoes and peppers in your garden. If that doesn't work for you, you can see about Richters. They have live plants of these for sale. They do have a minimum order of 6 plants and you may wish to review other policies/shipping before ordering. That all said, mistakes happen. We all make them. The shipping and return policies for Possum Creek says that if you want a specific ship date, you need to use the message field in your order. They also say that they can be contacted for a refund w/in 72 hours of receipt if "anything else" isn't right with the order - which in the end they did issue a refund and you still got to keep the plants. While this may have not been handled the best by anyone involved, was it truly "horrible?" What quality/condition are the plants you received? FataMorgana

lady of the bats We feel your pain. I am currently facing the three horsemen of the apocalyse: Deer, Wallaby and Yowie. If it wasn't for the kind words of encouragement from the forum-mongers, Uncle Remiggio and I would have long ago surrendered. I won't bore you with the long history or soul-crushing defeats, outright routings and dismal failures we have had to contend with, but believe me, my Ice Berg roses will never be the same again and Uncle Remiggio still has a slight limp and one eye is more askew than socially acceptable. Be advised, don't waste time exploring the various solutions on offer - their is no chemical, device, detector, emmitter or philosophy that has any effect on these creatures (I include possums as a potential fourth horeseman). Their is one and only one solution - extermination. After months of research - literally weeks spent acting and thinking like animals, Uncle Remiggio and I have engaged in a ruthless guerilla war determined to eliminate the foe or die trying. You will be abused. You will be reviled. The percieved cuteness of the possum is seem by many as more than enough reason to allow them to eat your plants and defecate on your Ice-bergs - but be strong - kill - kill - kill. Please note that any comments in defence of "native" animals will be ignored vigorously.

Lower/smaller growing plants that the deer don't seem to bother in my yard are campanula, hellebore (tolerates southern exposure for me, but might not if you are in a warmer zone), geraniums, catmint, heuchera, japanese painted fern, mini/groundcover roses. Roses and catmint will probably require periodic trimming back; Heuchera might be your best bet.

mad_gallica--Re hardiness of Cephalotaxus. Some sites say it is hardy to zone 5 and I had one at my old property when I was certainly still zone 5. I know it came through one spell of minus 16 degrees. My name says zone 6A, but with climate change, I expect I'm now likely zone 7--winter temps haven't gotten below maybe 10-12 degrees in years with a once or twice dip to maybe 3-4 degrees. It actually rarely even gets into the teens even at night. I miss winter! I've never seen it around here either, but you don't see much other than what can be purchased at Lowes around here. My new neighbors were astonished that plants could be purchased through mail order.