I hate to second guess your situation without seeing it. But based on what I've heard about the MiracleGro organic potting mix, you might be better off by changing it out and getting rid of the darned stuff. I doubt that your plant will suffer much transplant shock, if you are careful with the root system. No smushing, crunching, packing down, etc. Your 'organic' MiracleGro won't have the polymers often associated with other potting mixes. It's just very fine textured and slow to drain. It IS the potting soil and not the garden soil, right? You should consider adding some extra perlite, too, for added porosity. Please, please know that watering every day is NOT a bad thing, as long as your plant/soil needs it. A fast draining mix will allow for daily drenching without you having to fear that you are over watering. Plant roots, growing in a very porous medium, thrive on those flushes of fresh oxygenated water. If I waited a week in between waterings, all of my outdoor container plants would be deader than a doornail. And so would your poor basil, lol! You might consider moving the plant to that morning exposure, at least for a while, until you get the hang of judging how often to water. Basil does love the sun, but yours might need a bit of break from the hottest afternoon sun and heat. I'd hold off on the fertilizer at the present time. You don't want to do anything to encourage more top growth at the expense of root establishment. Plants find it very difficult to do both things at the same time. Roots first. Give it three or four weeks and then you can begin using a very dilute solution of your favorite product.

Since your not a youngster or middle age,, maybe knocking on the senior door, I would say that your looking healthy is a compliment. I agree with Toni. Now if you were 20 years old, it may have meant something entirely different. I lost about 50 lbs once and someone who barely knew me came up and said "Oh my gosh, you look so different... your butt used to be so much bigger..". I'm pretty sure she later wished she hadn't complimented me quite that way.

Lilacs need wood that is at least 3 seasons old before they bloom, so don't expect any flowers for awhile :-)) Ken, my friend........that was not intended as a gratuitous attack but rather just a clarification of what shrubs do best with these extreme pruning measures. Not all will respond to either method as well as others. And while I admit that you tend to have a more cavalier attitude towards some gardening issues than many of us, your heart is in the right place and your advice is on the whole pretty helpful. Hey, I'm an educator........what can I say?? It's good to be back. Between being out of town for awhile and then computer-less for a few months, I've missed my GW buddies.

I have had soem growing on the top of my of all things Jade plant containers. They come inside and dry out during winter if kept in a sunny window sill or dtay green all winter long on a very cool porch. I don't treat them special and the moss thrives undwer my care. Some even grow in my greenhouse never to see the outside or rain water. As for carnivorous plants, that is a whole different ball of wax. I LOVE moss on my containers and throughout the pond area, and in my greenhouse. I love your idea of growing deep down in glass containers. I use up do that too.