One of the most common causes of necrotic (dead) leaf tips and margins is over-watering. The mechanism by which this occurs arises from the fact that soggy soil reduces the oxygen essential to root function and metabolism, so roots are not efficient enough to move water to the plant's most distal parts - leaf tips and margins. The TWO most common causes of poor foliage are over-watering and a high level of solubles (salts from fertilizer and tap water) in the soil. Both of these maladies are exacerbated by heavy soils that are watered in sips to prevent root rot. Sunburn shows up as grey or silver areas on the foliage as the chlorophyll is bleached (oxidized) by the same free oxygen radicals found in hydrogen peroxide, also a powerful bleach/oxidizer. Following the short period of gray/silver blotches, foliage will turn brown, or sometimes black in plants with succulent foliage. 'Red' isn't in the realm of possibility because these oxidants would destroy the pigments that cause red coloration in plants. I use soils that require very frequent watering - usually daily in the summer months, and I can't remember the last time I had a plant with poor looking foliage. Fast soils allow me to water copiously and flush accumulating salts from the soil each time I water w/o any concern about root rot or suppressing root function because of soggy soil. I can also fertilize frequently at reduced rates with no worries about the level of soluble salts in the soil interfering with water and nutrient uptake. I wouldn't put much faith in the idea that letting your water rest for 24 hours is going to play a significant role in correcting your foliage issues - it won't. It's possible that chlorine (an element necessary for normal plant growth) and fluoride might be marginally contributory to your issues, but the fluoride in drinking water isn't volatile (doesn't dissipate) and nearly all municipal water suppliers are using a non-volatile form of chlorine as well. Almost all causes spoiled foliage issues can be found within the triangle formed by soil choice, watering habits, and nutrition. Unless your plants are next to a heat source (register/radiator, under hot lights, on top of a TV .....), most other cultural conditions like low humidity, chlorine, fluoride .... will be marginally contributory. Most growers take a giant step forward in their ability to produce consistently healthy plants with the least amount of effort once they've come to understand the importance of soil choice to their success. Getting your plants into a healthy, fast draining soil that holds little or no excess water provides a foundation you can build strong plants on. Heavy soils that support excess volumes of water are inherently wrought with issues that find you fighting the soil constantly instead of letting the soil work FOR you. More on that if you wish. I would abandon the use of any fertilizer for plants in containers that have the middle number (phosphorous) higher than either the first or third numbers (nitrogen and potassium respectively). No plant uses more P than either N or K, so it makes no sense to supply it in excess because an excess is limiting. When all the calculations are done, fertilizers in the 3:1:2 RATIO (RATIO is different than NPK %s) come closest to providing nutrients in the ratio plants actually use. This is very important when growing plants with temperamental foliage because it allows you to supply nutrients at the lowest level possible w/o nutritional deficiencies. LOW levels of soluble salts in the soil greatly increase your chances of producing plants with healthy leaves. Questions? Al

The tulip's center of diversity is not in Turkey, it is in the Himalaya region around Pamir. It's native range extends from there all along the Levant, Asia Minor, the Balkans and Southern Europe. They were made well known to Northern Europeans because of the love the Ottomans had for them. With regards to roses let's settle it once and for all: 1. There are no very dark almost black like species roses growing in Turkey or anywhere else. 2. There are no hybrid roses grown in Turkey which are not known and grown elsewhere in the world. 3. There are no Hybrid Tea roses that can be reproduced from seeds. 4. There are no roses which appear to the human eye as truly black 5. There are well known rose hybrids which are very dark red which can appear almost black at a cursory glance depending on the bloom age and the lighting conditions under which they are viewed. 6. ALL internet pics which depict truly black HT type roses from Haffeti or anywhere else are fake or altered.

Well I'm NOT a blue person. Indoors I have NO blue. My husband doesn't understand this. I have no idea why I feel this way. Outdoors things are different! I have a blue/yellow/white garden bed which I love. Yes, delphineums, catananche, campanulas, baptisia and more, are mixed with trollius, coreopsis moonbeam, peony Claire de Lune and low growing white clematis and aquilegia. It is a big mix and wouldn't be any fun at all without the blue! There are loads of clematis that are purple or blue/purple, but also some very nice blues I think. You do get into the question of "what is blue?" My husband and I think this could well be a male/female issue! Also, by saying a flower is blue, perhaps a catalogue gains more sales? * Posted by: coolbeans (My Page) on Sat, Feb 2, 02 at 13:12 This is my VERY favorite thread, and I totally agree with all those who feel that there is just "something" about blue flowers; they ARE magical, they ARE very special; and they make me happier than any other color flower. Don't know why...I just started a flat full of Bluebird delphinium seeds I saved from my one lonely plant last year. A bunch of them germinated, so now I can't wait to have a huge stand of them! Maybe they won't bloom this year, but maybe they will. And also "true blue" penstemons, I'm trying for the first time. I can't get enough of this precious color. * Posted by: Anne_Marie_Alb (My Page) on Tue, Feb 5, 02 at 17:47 WOW....... Did anyone realize that this thread started almost 5 years ago... on Feb. 15, 1997!!!!! I am amazed it has survived that long. Probably, the oldest thread still on the top page! I wonder if "Clare B" (who started the thread) is still an active member of the Garden Web!!! I personally love blue flowers (I mean blue, and not purple, which I also like). I can't believe how many blue flowers I am starting from seeds this year... and that was just a pure coincidence! I also love RED flowers.. Maybe, I should start a "red flower" thread! I will first check the archives! * Posted by: Clare (My Page) on Thu, Feb 7, 02 at 20:34 Yes, Ann_Marie, I am still here! I will be a bit sad to see this thread fade away when it hits the 100 posts mark. After that, the threads are closed. I don't think I have any true blue flowers still. "Victoria Blue" Salvia is the closest thing. I use it a lot. It is such a heavy, long bloomer, and about one in twenty of them will survive winter here. Just wish I could predict which would survive so that I could save seed from those alone and perhaps work up a more hardy strain. By the way, the Hydrangeas in Memphis, Tennessee are incredible. Some are so saturated blue that I'd have to call them navy. * Posted by: Dswan (My Page) on Sat, Feb 9, 02 at 22:37 I'm going to add to this extremely long thread only because there really is something to true blue. I grow from seed a very difficult plant to propagate called Penstemon cyananthus or Wasatch Penstemon. I cold stratify and plant these every year in hopes of gettting one or two in my garden every year. Absolutely gorgeous. * Posted by: Rosa (My Page) on Mon, Mar 11, 02 at 10:24 Did no one mention Gentians-now those are blue! (along with my favorite penstemson of course-some are indeed blue). * Posted by: pineshade7b ) on Mon, Apr 15, 02 at 11:02 i agree with gloria mc coy. i love blue and green , they are my favorite colors in anything. just look in my house and closets. blue..ocean, blue jeans, my own eyes are blue and my husband's are green. many reasons to answer -why blue. although i do not "hyperventilate" , if i should go into a nursery and ask for a blue -flowering plant and the staff looks down their nose at me, i'll know now that they are only doing it because they think I'M a snob. until i adopted gardening as a serious hobby i had no idea that blue was a "snob" color. i just naturally began to look into flowers in the colors i liked personally. you learn something new everyday. i would have been hurt and confused to walk into a nursery and be looked at like a pariah, what did i say? now i know, thanks clare. * Posted by: DesertGardner (My Page) on Fri, Apr 19, 02 at 12:38 Wow - I never knew there was such a controversy over the color blue in the garden. After reading all the posts, I now understand why some gardeners prefer the color. And I have to say that I've never met any gardeners whom I would consider snobbish. Most of them are really quite down to earth! (if you pardon the expression...) I recently tried planting a red, white and blue flower bed, with 'Victoria Blue' Salvia being my blue color. It's a little too purple and doesn't look right as a "patriotic" design. I will probably tear out the red and white and keep the "blue" (purple) since it seems to like this desert heat. Someone mentioned black flowers, and I remembered seeing black pansies in the most recent Burpee catalog. They're a beautiful velvety black with a spot of yellow in the center. I think I'll plant some this winter, and start an obsession with black flowers! (just kidding Clare...) -Kara [* Posted by: yeona_sky (My Page) on Mon, Jun 24, 02 at 0:37 I just bought a blue poppy and am nervously watching its progress. My success with blues has been an up hill battle, but that hasn't changed my desire to spotlight it in my garden. Why blue?, again it's a passion with me. Clare, I hope you get the last word on this thread, and I hope you understand Why blue, a little better. * Posted by: Duster (My Page) on Wed, Jun 26, 02 at 23:56 I agree with the many others about getting annoyed when purple is referred to as blue. Maybe that's why I take up the cause of truly blue flowers! 99% of my Delphiniums are the true electric blue ones. I'd love one of the Himalayan Poppies but just not right for my little yard. I like the blue flowers, rather than the blue foliage plants. And no, blue is NOT my favorite color - I have nothing blue in my home decor. I just like the uniqueness of the TRUE blue and my stubbornness to get people to stop calling it purple!!!!

As far as your last question, you really have to use your judgement about watering. I grew Phals in NY for many years. You really learn by mistakes as to what works under your growing conditions. If your room is cool you want to water when dry. If it is warm and well lit, you can wait until the media is damp. When I grew indoors in NY, I always potted my Phals in small bark with sphag mixed in. My growing conditions were very dry over the winter. My growing space was cool/cold over winter. I had problems with crown rot and dehydrated roots. I put a pad of sphag over the surface to hold some moisture. I removed that in Spring. Without knowing your conditions, I would advise you to wait for the weather to warm with extended daylight hours. Sometimes you just have to keep the plant alive until better conditions. I would suspect that is what is happening to your plant. I have always been a strong believer that light trumps all. If you plant is well lit it will survive the negative conditions. You seek growth which should be happening soon. I wouldn't repot again. I would wait until you see some new root growth and then repot with a little sphag mixed in the bark. You don't need perlite. Just continue to give it good light and warmth, if possible. Jane