The Lawson Cypress had a rootbound rootball when I bought it. I didn't cut the encircling roots like I should have. It tipped over repeatedly so I left it on it's side as an example of what happens when you plant a rootbound conifer. If it was in a location with more light, it would make a nice short hedge. The picture shows the backside. The Camperdown Elm grows the way it is pictured. I prune out the interior branches every few months. Thanks for the compliments purpleinopp. Mike

Mike, Thanks for the link. I did saw this thread while back and also read some other thread said the wick should be pushed into root zone, and some people use multi wickers. Conflict information is the reason of my question. Just want to clarify before I start repotting. To answer your question. The plants mix is original peat based nursary mix ( two years )which is due to be replaced. Plants have been growing reasonalbe well, not as green as yours, or bear as many fruits as yours, but they grow new leave, bloom, and fruits. However, I did see that it takes long for soil to be dry. I was planning to change soil into either 511/gritty/ mix or regular soil this coming winter but this storm forced me to do it now. I have some amount of 511, and gritty mix mixed. Just don't have enough for all the plants that fell to the ground. I, in a very limited base, moved some plants into either gritty or 511 mix just to see what works and what doesn't. I moved a Bougainvilla into gritty mix 4 weeks ago, it is thriving so far. I moved a brugmainsia into 511 mix ,but did not see much better result than in regular soil. On the contrary, the leaves seem getting smaller. This may be the ph or fertilizer issue, not the soil air exchange issue. In a word, I am experimenting, not a lot, both mixes in very small scale and in a very slow pace. You ask my objective. It is simple, less work, more flowers and leaves. I like the 511 or gritty mixes' porous, breathable feature, but I do not like it has to supply water/fertilizer often. I am on the lazy side, my ideal potting soil includes all the goodness of gritty mix plus mother nature's way... Have all the minerals in the soil and plants take it whenever plants need it. Not when we fertilize it. let plants decide when they want what. Regular soil has all the minerals but is not as porous/breathable as 511/gritty mix. The major reason I ask if I can use compose is trying to avoid using peat and add some mineral into the soil. My current 511 mix is on the porous side because the pine barks I bought are mostly on the large side, close to 3/8. The perlit is corse perlit I bought from orchid nursary. When I mix more 511, I will watch out not to add too much compose. Thank you very much, Mike, for your help here.

Oh, wow! Yes, having them right next to each other like that helps a lot. But is Sovereign Queen usually really light pink like that? I was thinking of it as a lavender daylily, too. Or could the rebloom change the color that much? Or was I completely mistaken on that point? Lately, pictures of Spode are looking a lot more pink than lavender, too ... so I very likely could be off. It's funny, but when Dave's Garden shows pictures of Sovereign Queen varying from the very light pink that your picture shows (pictures #6 & #7) to a purple nearly as deep at Court Magician (picture #3), it makes it rather exceedingly difficult to get a good idea of what the color really is... Here is a link that might be useful: Dave's Sovereign Queen pictures

Got a little bit more time, tonight to respond to the nice comments and the time some of you took, like 'idiothe'! You're SO RIGHT, I know, about the work that is ahead for me, in the not-so-distant future, but I just love the closeness of a sea of hosta! I'd rather have the instant gratification and then have to figure out what to do later, I guess. I can't wait till I'm begging people to take some divisions! I have several who have asked me "do you ever divide your hosta?" and I feel really *small* saying, "not yet"!! Not that I haven't shared, but some of my hosta are relatively new to my area, since I've only been about gathering them the past 5 summers, and I love the huge clumps they can eventually be! Phil--now that you've kidded me about 'showing off' I kinda feel like it probably does look like I am. And, I suppose I am, because I am so pleased at what all the work I've done has turned out to be, in a relatively short time!! I thought it would take me many more years to have it come together as it has, and I want you all, who are just starting out, to know you will be so thrilled with the outcome in less than 3-5 years, in my experience!!! So keep up the hard work and just know it WILL be worth it!!!! Paul--look into my eyes----you want more and more and more hosta, along with a wonderful variety of companion plantings!!! Is it working? hahaha Alexis--thank you again for your generous praise---and be careful of what you ask for! I'm easy!!! 'Threedogsmom', the only amending I do is on the surface with compost that is mixed with aged cow manure, and sometimes some alfalfa pellets sprinkled around the plants. And, I try to water them at least once a week, but don't always, especially if it rains, of course! Rain is always better for plants, over ground water and I love it when by the time I've made the rounds, the first hosta watered are already standing much taller! I have to also tell, you '3dogs' that every year that I use that composted stuff the soil is so much more improved!! I've always ground up my Fall leaves and put them on the beds, and the clay areas I've done that are nice and very black, with the clay seeming to recede down about 6" or more. With the composted stuff now being applied--just one year made a huge difference in an area out front that last year I could not get a shovel to take a bite, with me jumping on it! This year, it is now very workable!!! Amazing stuff!!! Going for more of it this week! Oh, and Dan--(one of my 'inspirational gardeners'), my pots usually do fine over the winter, but in '07 with the weird pre-mature Spring we had, I lost over 35 hosta, and many of those were in the whiskey barrels, too! Most of the others were in pots I hadn't planted yet, but I did have them tipped, to no avail that year!!! What I do, do, is plant them in pine-bark mulch that I've sent through our wood-chipper, since I can't buy pine fines or 'soil conditioner' in my area. I do add about 1/3 compost to the mix and usually I have no problems with them--AND, (a big 'AND') I've discovered that any barrel or pot will have a better chance of hosta-survival if it is in direct contact with the ground, not sitting on anything to level them or support them. In fact, I have 'planted' all my large pots, and barrels at least 2" deep (in-ground), and more deeply with the pots--up to 1/3 of the pot deep!! I think they stay more consistent a temp that way!!! I use to have my barrels on a triangle we made of treated lumber to prevent them from deteriating but find that probably is why I lost what I did in '07! Oh, and make sure to drill 1/4" (at least) holes around the sides of the barrels, every 8" or more about 6" from the bottoms and make sure there's drainage in the bottoms!I now cover the big hole in the bottom with 1/4" screening to deter voles!!! Again--thank you, all I've not addressed, so far--Lisa, Melissa, msjo, Mary, ptilda, sassy, Queenie, Starina, Carol, (Oh, I know I'm going to leave someone out--I'm sorry if I do!)--thank you ALL, for your enthusiastic comments, making me feel really good about my efforts!!! Okay--this time, I'm done!!