For #3 Peperomia came to mind, but I couldn't find anything that quite matched it. They don't appear to have the right leaf arrangement, in general. Leaf structure and arrangement is much like Nematanthus now that I actually compare the two, though--opposite leaves growing in pairs 90 degrees apart. That and Aeschynanthus is also quite close, so I bet Pirate Girl is right on one of those counts. Will have to do a bit of a detailed analysis, maybe, unless someone pops up with a confirmation. Or I suppose I could wait for it to flower... #2 - Chinese croton it is, cliss, thanks! I thought it was something with an 'e' on the label, but that wasn't much to go on. Amazingly, there were two of these plants there priced at $2--made it impossible not to buy! Apparently the sap can cause blindness, giving rise to the Latin name. Good to know when handling it! Maybe that's why it was so cheap... #1 A. haworthii seems like a pretty good guess. I won't even bother asking in the C&S forum because that looks like a match. I have to admit I didn't really think about the future of that banana, I'm sure it will want to get bigger than I can deal with. It's Musa acuminata ssp. zebrina ('blood banana')--an image search shows they get pretty big, but not as big as other bananas seem to, or at least people don't take pictures of very many big ones. Oh well--I can always hack it up if necessary. People in Seattle are able to grow bananas outside, with some mulching and hacking in the winter (though I don't think they exactly have time to thrive in our short period of warmth).

San Marcos Growers has this to say about it: Aeonium 'Kiwi' (Kiwi Aeonium) - This succulent forms rosettes of fleshy, spoon-shaped leaves that are brilliantly colored. The leaves in the center are pale yellow and progressively the leaves get greener to the outside of the rosette. The edges of the leaves are red. Yellow flowers bloom in the summer. Plant in part sun. Drought tolerant. Offsets freely. Hardy to about 25-30 degrees F. This plant is considered to be a Aeonium haworthii hybrid though its origin is a mystery. In Australia the plant is called 'Tricolor' and in Europe it is called 'Kiwionium'. They list a synonym as A. percarneum 'Kiwi', but for the reasons I stated earlier, I don't believe think that is correct. I'm content to just call it Aeonium 'Kiwi'. Brad

Sativa, have you actually compared 2 node cuttings to 4 or 5 node cuttings taken from the same plants and grown under the same conditions? The node count won't make a noticeable difference by the time the plants are 6 months old if the rose is a sort takes off relatively quickly after rooting, but with other, slower building roses it can make a huge difference. The problem with starting all roses from undersized cuttings, whether or not a short supply of propagation material makes it necessary, is that you'll never know whether a lagging cutting is inherently less vigorous than the others or just needed an extra node or 2 to kick start new growth at the beginning. I rooted cuttings under close, 24/7 lights for a while when I first developed an interest in this hobby, but have since found that starting them under mist out of doors and then growing them on in real sunlight yields better results in my southern zone 8 climate. And it's a lot less of a hassle. The growing season is long here, and I'm usually ready to take a break from all things roses by the time winter rolls around. If I lived in zone 4b I'd probably be doing it the way you do, though.

I don't check in here very often either, but I posted the following some months ago: Thought I'd drop by and share my experience on this thread. I'm eight years post-menopausal. My main symptoms were hot flashes (w/night sweats) and emotional swings that included some impressive rages. At the time I was also having heart palpitations and some chest pains, and had been diagnosed with lupus. In addition, I started menopause about 35 lb. overweight and added ten more once it was underway. I argued with three doctors who wanted me to take HRT. I felt, as I do now, that for most women menopause is like childbirth: a natural process rather than a medical condition. Although my mother died before reaching menopause, I felt I would come through it in better shape if I didn't mess with nature. I added hawthorne with motherwort to my supplements, which helped with the palpitations, and took a couple of doses of a homeopathic remedy (essence of pit viper!) for the rages. Other than that, the biggest changes I made were to my lifestyle. I traded my "healthy" high-carb, mostly vegetarian diet for a low-carb, high-protein one and lost my excess weight. I upped my consumption of tofu and soy milk for isoflavones. I joined a gym. And I went out and got a full-time job. These many years later, I am no longer going to gym, but I'm taking up yoga. I had to quit my job to take care of my husband, but I'll eventually go back. Almost all the weight is still off. The hot flashes are long gone, along with the rest of the symptoms. I stopped the hawthorne, etc., ages ago, but still take vitamin supplements. I still eat (and enjoy) the soy foods. I'm often told that I look a lot younger than I am. My health isn't perfect, but I'm convinced HRT would have made things worse rather than better. I'm so glad I didn't listen to those doctors. Kris, another objection I had to HRT is that the most popular prescription, Premarin, is created from the urine of pregnant horses, resulting in a horrendous situation for the rigidly confined mares and the otherwise unwanted foals they are forced to produce on a regular and rapid basis. There are tons of books out there on alternative approaches to menopause. Try a search on amazon.com. Best of luck, Susan