I agree with Josh. Who is out in nature tying all the root systems into tiny knots so they become congested enough that plants can bloom? It is true that the added STRESS of tight roots produces chemical messengers in some plants, that serve to warn that something is WRONG and doom may be eminent, so some plants hop to it and concentrate a little more energy on things related to passing on the genes - like blooming and eventually fruiting. Stress is what it is ..... stress; and it's no better for plants than it is for humans. Stress is a condition caused by interference in the plant's ability to manage or allocate energy in the manner it normally would, or by the plant operating at or near its genetically programmed limits. Stress unchecked always leads to strain, a more serious condition which causes injury and is not reversible. Generally what you get is a few more blooms because of the added stress of tight roots, but it's very easy to 'take it too far'. I've often seen it written that "plants concentrate on root growth until they fill the pot before they will grow or bloom". Roots don't 'concentrate' on anything. Plants are in the energy conservation business and not interested in wasting it. They will neither grow more roots than the foliage can support (with photosynthate/energy) nor grow foliage or photosynthesising machinery the roots can't support. If something happens to cause the plant to lose balance so the plant develops a wobble in the energy loop, the plant becomes a shedding organism and sheds either roots or photosynthesizing machinery to restore balance. Plants in our landscapes bloom beautifully with root systems as widely spread as benefits the plant. To believe that plants NEED tight roots to bloom in containers is a contention difficult to support, one that as Josh mentioned already, probably fits nicely into the horticultural myth slot. Al

Nancy, that's just gorgeous, I'll bet you got that from a local potter at that craft show, they make such nice stuff. Mine is old, I forgot to take a picture. Tan on the bottom, dark on the top, says R&M, I think. I did have one of the old brown dripware ones like the one in that Goodwill site, but I dropped it and broke it. Fortunately, it was empty. Since I still had the other one, Grandma's old one, I didn't bother to replace it. There are a lot of the dripware type like that on ebay, usually Hull, but shipping is always outrageous. Annie

Responding to the questions: : Why do induction adverts generally show stainless pans? Partly, it is pro-style marketing and a perception of what is trendy, stylish, great looking, up-market, etc. Think about this: how often do you see any adverts showing $20 cast-iron pans on induction? They work very well on induction but you hardly see any ads showing them on induction, do you? Too down market when pitching premium priced goods, eh? Also makers and marketeers are likely a little gunshy of controversy. Showing high-end inert stainless steel pans avoids backlash and controversy. From whom? Well, there are folks who are vociferously paranoid about any use of any pans with non-stick surfaces. There are equally vociferous (but not paranoid) folks for whom non-stick is objectionable because of the risk of toxicity for factory workers involved in the manufacturing proceesses. There are other folks who object to the relatively short lifespan of the non-stick surfaces, something they see as wasteful and environmentally harmful. Using stainless in the adverts simply avoids more controversy. More controversy? Without much searching, you can turn up a bunch of internet chatter about induction supposedly being like using uncontained microwaves, being like cooking your food over unshielded nuclear waste, about magnetic waves desrtoying all nutrients and/or converting food into masses of cancer-causing free radicals, being likely to electrocute or burn you if you use metal utensils while cooking, and likely to fry any pacemaker within a 20 foot radius. Does anybody use non-stick cookware on induction? Lots of people do. Lots of non-stick surfaced-cookware is made for induction. Besides the brands mentioned above, another example is Circulon Premier Pro. I bought a set at my local Costco about four years ago. It was still being sold there the last time I was in earlier this month. Less than $200 (sometimes on sale for less than $150). Annodized aluminum bodies with magnetic ferrous plates in the bases. Works equally well on my induction and gas burners. Straddling two burners? Some use & care manuals forbid it, some manuals allow it, and some makers will tell you it is fine when you call tech support or check the product website. For example, the GE induction ranges (currently the PHS920 and PHB920, formerly the PHS925 and PHB925) have two 8-inch burners in a zone on the left side of the cooking surface. If you check the website and the FAQs, you will see that GE says it is okay to straddle those two burners with a grill or roasting pan and okay to use large kettles for canning. As others have pointed out above, straddling has to be done with burners in the same zone. The catch is what Danielle Waters points out above: you will likely get uneven heating in the center. With cast iron griddles (say, the Lodge 10 x 20 reversible griddle/grill pan) or carbon steel ones (say the big Chef-King models), and with roasting pans --- the heat will tend to be concentrated above the burners, leaving a gap in the middle that will be somewhat less-hot and also there may be less-hot areas at the outermost edges. The same thing happens, btw, with spanning on electric and gas stoves and cooktops, too. Not a big deal for things you can stir around on the surface --- say, that roasting pan when making the holiday gravy --- but a bit of problem with things like pancakes. Pancake batter poured into the very middle of burner-straddling griddle will take longer to cook than the batter poured onto the parts directly above the burners. A lot of preheating helps some, but not much. (Cast iron and carbon steel will conduct some heat but are not partcularly good at it; their forte is more retaining heat than spreading it evenly.) These effects are avoided when the stove or cooktop has additional elements that "bridge" the gaps in heating. (Obviously enough, that's why they are called "bridging elements.") The Bosch Benchmark flexinduction is a different concept. It basically borrows the "Freedom" technology of Thermador (a corporate sibling in BSH) and puts an array of smaller induction coils across the burner areas. This has more uses than just straddling with griddles. For example, in theory, it can give more even heating across the entire base of a pan. Induction fields are toroidal -- doughnut shaped -- so the very center of pan won't be as hot as the middle 2/3 of the base. Having a lot of smaller induction coils should, in theory, make for a more even spread of heat. Also helps with bridging, too. Likewise, some manuals will tell you to never, ever use any pans more than ½" larger in diameter than the induction burner diameter. So you should never ever brew beer or use a 20-quart canning kettle on those induction units. Other makers will say it is just fine as long as you know that the heating may not be perfectly even across the entire base. The part directly above the burner (the part within the strong part of the induction field ) can be hotter than the outer part of the base. No big deal when cooking with lots of liquid but maybe a problem when you want to perfectly melt and hold a couple gallons of a delicate sauce or melting and holding chocolate at the same exact temperature all across the base a 14" diameter pan. As for burner-straddling and oversize pans potentially harming the glass-top --- not bloody likely. Schott Ceram surfaces are rated for thermal differentials of 750° F. Once upon a time, several decades ago, in a lab far, far away, in the course of developing the early radiant electric smoothtops, some engineers supposedly managed to have a thin metal pan on burner on the highest setting for long enough to either melt the pan or crack the cooktop. Maybe both. (Stories vary.) Doesn't happen with induction. Pan gets too hot for too long and the burner shuts off. Weight may be a different matter. Some cooktops may have thinner tops than others and others may be designed with mountings with a limited weight-bearing capacity. Get a 5 gallon kettle full of water for boiling pasta or a ten-gallon kettle for brewing beer, and you've got an awful lot of weight. If the stove or cooktop's use and care manual forbids canning, the weight may be reason for the prohibition. As for Kas's point about unprotected electronics in areas beneath the spaces between burners, that is a possibility for some induction cooktops. Those would be the ones with the manuals that expressly forbid burner-spanning and oversize pots. So, if burner spanning is something you want to do, read the manuals and avoid the units that forbid it. Stainless trim/edging: Sorry, I've got no idea on this.

It looks like you have to tie the M. Rue up to a stake to keep it from flopping. If possible I'd consider a spot with more sun if its spending part of the day in shade and leave the other two there rather than the other way around, The two sunflower plants look quite good. Personally I like tall plants like Meadow Rue as dramatic features growing among lower growing plants. All three being the same height (except different plants) doesn't work visually, the middle odd duck guy seems like he's between twin brothers with a strap across his middle.