i took a cutting in the hotel (under cover of the nite and watchfully observing the site for maids) - just couldn't help myself. and flew it in the suitcase :). well, 3 cuttings to be on the safe side. it grew bagged for a year. it's about 3 years old now and almost 3 ' from the pot. i bag it for winter to maintain warmth. and dote on it. i seemed to find it on all kinds of foreign sites: german, japanese, russian, turkish, but no american. seems nobody here is growing it. although in hawaii it seems abandant. did you see a variegated and golden ones? stunners! just out of curiosity, do they allow you to take cuttings of plants with you on the plane OUT of hawaii? i know, they don't allow anything IN-coming.

Saltcedar & Bahia, WOW! I'm sure you hear this all the time but it bears repeating, "You're amazing!" I've been searching the web since I read your posts and, after viewing many photos, also think the first one is Adenium. Bahia, it's on our sunporch which stays around 62°F during the winter. When it warms up, I'll give it some much needed TLC. I believe that I read about using orchid fertilizer for these. Now that I know you both think the second plant is a Bromeliad, I know what to do. Can you believe it stayed outside most of the winter on a covered patio? I have a pot with 4 Bromeliads in it but their leaves don't have those little spikes. I will put it outside when it warms up and watch it grow. Bromes seem to love the humidity here. You can't imagine how excited I was that both of you think the third one is Kalanchoe. I just love those. Bahia, after some googling, I believe you nailed it with Kalanchoe blossfeldiana. It's been outside all winter on the front porch. Honestly, I can't believe it survived, much less, about to bloom. Now that I know what it is, I'll repot it once it blooms. Can't wait to see what color it will be. Saltcedar & Bahia, again, THANK YOU, THANK YOU & THANK YOU!!! It's so nice of you to take the time to share your knowledge with a newbie trying to learn. Bon

when i moved here.. i brought 1500 potted hosta ... in promix.. heavy peat media ... rototilled to 12 inches .. and slipped the hosta out of the pot .. and stuck the media in the native sand ... over the years.. many cared not a bit.. and thrived.. then i started getting fairy rings [the middle dying in EXACTLY the size of the pot/media] .. and out right loss ... the problem is that the sand was wicking all the moisture out of the peat media .. especially come july and august ... when the sand was really hot ... so.. it is best.. to plant them in native soil ... and not leave that wad of media ... thought the better your soil.. the less it matters ... ===>>>>> by making the cone.. and really firming it up.. you can .. hopefully .. set and retain the plant at the PROPER PLANTING DEPTH .... if some of your hosta.. end up planted too deep ... THEY COME UP LATE ... and many will suffer ...in the long run ... if and when they come up .. and they are late.. then they need to be dug up.. and replanted AT THE APPROPRIATE DEPTH ... the pips.. eyes .. NEED TO BE AT SOIL LEVEL ... not one inch lower ... THERE are 3 parts to a hosta.. the roots.. and the leaves .. and between the two.. is a potato like thingee called the crown ... and the crown .. like an iris.. is at soil level ... another way to tell if they are too deep .. is that if the3y are supposed to be 12 inches tall .. and yours is say.. 8 inches.. and just look squat ... then you poke around.. and see if you can find the crown.. most times.. you will find it a couple inches too deep .... ====>>>> chris grows his in mother earth ... i dont know what his potting media is ... ====>>>> you do not need to remove 100% ... just shake off the majority of the media .... if it is severely root bound.. use the hose ... ===>>> potting media is not soil ... if you want to pot them .. use a PROPER MEDIA ... new post if you cant find old posts on that topic ... if no one above suggested what kind .. ===>>>> did i miss any other questions??? ken

As bboy said, 1 is a Portulacaria (I think probably Portulacaria afra). It is Elephant Bush, Elephant Food, and various other nicknames, and is sometimes called Dwarf Jade, but it is not truly a jade -- jades are in the Crassula genus, a different genus of succulents. [Though they resemble each other, Jade plants and Portulacaria afra are not in the same genus, not in the same family, and not even in the same order. They are distant cousins at best.] Here's some info about P. afra: http://www.smgrowers.com/products/plants/plantdisplay.asp?plant_id=1314