1 Persicaria or Polygonum of some sort. Weeds, count on it. 2 Crabapple seedling 3 Probably Solanum dulcamara, Bittersweet Nightshade 4 ?? 5 Another tree seedling - Crabapple or flowering plum or something 6 More Solanum dulcamara 7 Might be Lovage but I don't think so. 8 Lepidium campestre, like FataMorgana said 9 Possibly Erigeron. OR it might be Pilewort, Erechtites . 10 Bleeding Heart 11 Prbably Nutsedge, Carex 12 Maybe Goldenrod/Aster. Or it might be a garden plant, I'd give that one a shot. 13 I was going to say Amaranth (Pigweed) of some kind, but on second look I think Jeanne is right, it's a potato. I made my own list so I put it in even though it's about the same as the others. Too lazy to edit. Lovage is a culinary herb, although it's not very common these days. I don't know if you use the seeds (like dill, which it's rather similar to) but the leaves taste just like strong celery. Which I guess is also related. However, I don't think it looks exactly like lovage, and there are some poisonous wild members of that family, so I wouldn't eat it until you've figured out for sure what it is. But it probably is something that was planted on purpose, I'd let it grow and see what it turns into. WW

So, here are the results of yesterday's search for rooting gel: My first stop was the local garden centre. The very knowledgeable young lady who has helped me in the past showed me what they have, but was doubtful if I could use it on my orchid. However, I jotted down the name of the active ingredient so that I could check it out on the internet... Meanwhile I phoned the place where I bought the plant. They are usually very helpful. This time, they were friendly, but not very encouraging. When pressed, they admitted to using a rooting hormone for their own purposes, but weren't about to hand over any to me. I didn't contact any of my friends from the Orchid Society, as I don't have time this week to make the trip out to them, anyway. Meanwhile, the active ingredient turned out to be IBA (indole butyric acid) which, if I understand correctly, is a synthetically-produced auxin. It is in powder form and has to be mixed with liquid and diluted down before use.. Would this be the active ingredient of Clonex?? Orchid 126, your experience has given me a lot of encouragement. I assume you didn't use rooting gel, if you didn't mention it. How long did it take for the first signs of roots? It seems that the basic principle is to provide the leaves with constant moisture without getting the base of the plant wet. And that there are many effective ways of providing these conditions. Judy

Hi NewbiewNew - and welcome to the life long addiction. I have oodles of violets and do not need another one - but I picked Rhapsodie Cora yesterday in HomeDepot for $2.97. I love this variety - and it is so unusual - you do not need a tag to recognize it. Out of 5-7 - I picked the one with the best color and shape of the flowers (not the one that looked the rattiest and the most pitiful), I paid for it, got out and disbudded it at the nearest trash can. I got home, took it out of the pot - shook the soil off - what a tarry substance - no air for the roots - and then washed the roots under the lukewarm water trying to catch the runoff - and trash it outside not to clog the drain. No mealy bugs, very healthy. I potted it in a good mix with Marathon added - and put it under the dome for isolation and recovery. There were a couple of broken leaves I removed - and put them down for the babies. Did I do everything right - I did OK - am I guaranteed that I didn't get any passengers - no. Irina

Every plant is worth saving on this planet! But only 2 leaves? Its winter here and my zebrinas have all 6 or more leaves, even the small plants. If it still have leaves left, it lives so why isn't is growing? (Conditions, Temp, Humidity, Light?) So more info please! Simon.