MANY of these wonderful things have fallen from commerce here with the closure of the specialty nurseries. I'd sought Hugonis flore plena for the past two years. Every garden which grew it, lost it. Vintage supposedly had a mother plant and I offered to buy a sucker from it if they had one, but there was too much going on to hear back. It took two years, but there are buds of flore plena in a whip out front now. Originally, Xanthina was a double flower with the single version identified as Xanthina normalis or spontanea. I contacted every source asking about the petal count of their stock. All sources responded theirs were all single. Because the double form resulted from seed, I obtained imported Xanthina seed. I hope at least one of the seedlings out back flowers double. These things are worth growing, but most don't sell in sufficient quantities for most vendors to stock. Each is going to determine which sells best and is easiest for them to produce, then offer that one type. Good luck! I know what it's like to want something you just can't find. Kim

Hi Linda: I never thought of pesticides. Come to think of it I have not seen a ground hog, skunk, or racoon lately either. The ground hogs always attacked my swiss chard, and ate the apples which dropped from my tree. There are definitely no pesticides on my property and the neighbours on either side have small kids and work so they just plunk in a few annuals from the nursery each year. We live in the suburbs and there are a few farms nearby: mostly corn and strawberries. However, they have recently been bought out by a larger outfit and I wonder about their methods. I commented to neighbours recently that you don't see any worms in the corn, which were present when 'old Henry' ran the farm organically. I must investigate this more fully. I definitely have fewer bees, and I have seen several yellow jackets rather slow moving and listless. I get some butterflies attracted to my Blue Fortune, but that's about it. It really is sad. I must make an effort to check other parts of the neighbourhood. Thanks for your ideas.

Can it hop? Is it feathered out or is it still pink and naked looking? If it can hop and is feathered and there are bushes nearby the parents will guide it to a safe spot they will feed it. If it is in a dangerous spot like near the street or on the sidewalk place it on low brances or in a bush as near to the nest as you can find. Don't try to put it back in the nest or you may make the others jump out. If it is still kind of bald and no where near being able to fly or hop around put it back in the nest. The parents will feed it, birds do not smell well at all.

This recipe was first published on Waitrose.com in October 2005. Salmon Ceviche with Prawns and Lime A dish for sybarites this, with sea flavours perfectly preserved by a brief marination in fresh citrus juice; lime, lemon and bitter orange are all suitable dressings. An hour or two in the marinade is enough to turn the fish's flesh opaque, allowing the flavour and texture to remain fresh and bright. The technique is suitable for any firm-fleshed fish, alone or in combination; try tuna, bass, bream, scallops (without the coral), squid or oysters, for instance. If you like, the prawns can be replaced with diced avocado. Preparation time : 25 minutes, plus marinating Total time : 25 minutes, plus marinating Serves: 4 as a starter Ingredients 350g salmon steak, skinned and boned Juice and grated zest of 3 limes Salt 1 red onion, finely sliced 100g cooked fantail prawns 1 green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped 2 tbsp chopped coriander 1-2 ripe tomatoes, skinned, deseeded and diced (optional) To Serve 1-2 limes, quartered 8 wheat flour tortillas Method Cut the salmon into thin slices. Mix it with the juice and zest of two of the limes, sprinkle with a level teaspoon of salt, cover and leave at room temperature for an hour, or set in the fridge for 2-3 hours, stirring the fish delicately every now and then to allow it all to come into contact with the marinade. While the fish is marinating, put the sliced onion to soak in a little lightly salted water, to soften it and reduce its pungency. Once the fish has turned opaque, drain it and toss with the prawns, remaining lime juice and zest, chilli and most of the coriander. Drain the onion and fold it into the mixture with the optional diced tomato. Garnish with the remaining coriander and serve with quartered limes and wheat flour tortillas, heated in a griddle pan. To eat, roll some ceviche up in a warm tortilla, holding one end closed with your finger so the juices don't run down your chin. In Peru, where ceviche ranks as the national dish, it's eaten with slices of fresh corn on the cob and patacones - slices of plantain flattened with a rolling pin and deep-fried till perfectly crisp.