I grew the blue bacopa from seeds this year. I got them from Ebay. They are tiny little seedlings, but almost all of what I sowed in the house under lights grew. I put some in a hanging basket and some in a pot with other plants. Both were in full sun from 7 am till about 8 pm. They are still in full bloom. I'm going to try bringing them in the house for the winter in the next few days as it supposed to frost.

I've just collected some Lantana seeds and was looking for info on how to germinate them. I found the following in a scientific paper from Australia. It seems to confirm the experiences of members of this and other GW forums, that germination tends to be low, but can be improved by removing the pulp from the berries and providing sufficient light and heat (as would be likely in Texas as opposed to Massachusetts or Michigan): "Lantana seeds need high light conditions for germination and early growth (Gentle and Duggin 1997b; Duggin and Gentle 1998, in Day et al. 2003), and seedlings are unlikely to survive beneath parent bushes. The germination rate of lantana is low under both laboratory and field conditions, with estimates of 4Â20% (Graaff 1987) and 44.5% (Duggin and Gentle 1998, in Day et al. 2003). Germination rates increased from ten per cent to 46 per cent when the fleshy pulp was manually removed from the seed. This higher germination rate is comparable to that obtained from seeds collected from the faeces of wild birds. Seeds germinate at any time of the year given sufficient soil moisture, with most seed germinating after the first summer storms in northern Australia (Parsons and Cuthbertson 2001, in Day et al. 2003). This species has been nominated as among 100 of the "World's Worst" invaders." Here is a link that might be useful: Global Invasive Species Database: Lantana camara

onetwothreetim: I've given up on live rootstock. Gurneys burnt me so many times that I lost all faith. Once I ordered a walnut tree and it came with the roots exposed in air and the branches wrapped with sphagnum moss! Me, too, unless I'm desperate. Just isn't worth it. Pay more and get better first or start your own and wait longer. Good luck with your seeds. I'm getting hooked on starting outside in containers....I started my Bee Balm a few weeks ago and I'm having much better luck than planting it in situ. Thanks, I've got 17 containers and assorted ready to plant ASAP. It's a late start, but I've been successful with perennials in prior years that way, as long as you get them in the ground about 2 months B4 hard freeze. One year I stuck 5 1 gal nursery containers of coreopsis in the ground just before a hard freeze. They survived, only have two left but one has spread so much I will need to divide it. 25-cent pkt of seeds. So you never know. I figure even though the tops froze off right away, the roots were still protected, wouldn't work for some things. It was either that or overwinter in sunroom, and I didn't want 5 more things to pamper thru winter. The WS forum has been very inspiring. Here is a tip someone gave me here last year when I wanted to start some gypsophilia (the florist kind) in situ. Scoop out a cavity, fill with potting soil, plant your seeds, put a 2 liter soda bottle over it with cap off. Water when there's no moisture in the bottle. It worked great, but the gypsophilia wasn't happy, have two dinky ones left, never bloomed. Already tried chalk at someone's suggestion, crushed up drywall. It's a gamble when it gets too hot. Gotta post this, daughter here.

Mint? Go to the grocery store, buy a bunch of mint for a dollar or two. (Make sure it looks alive! Not wilted but vigorous.) take a 4" deep tray, fill with moist playsand (DO NOT MAKE MUD!...roots need oxygen). Pop pencil holes in the sand, drop in diagonally cut stems and cover with a humidity dome or a sealed clear plastic bag. Use sunlight or daylight artificials. No rooting hormone required. In 2-3 weeks you'll have more mint to transplant than you'll ever need. If you want the roots to get big...leave plants in the sand, remove dome and water with with a super diluted nutrient supplement like Masterblend or MiracleGro This technique will work with almost all fresh cut (perennia) herbs.