I've grown P. auriculata for years as a blooming potted plant for the summer, it looks great paired with bright raspberry reds and orange/mango colored flowers. Like many things that bloom constantly, it is a heavy feeder, so fertilize regularly (according to package directions) with something like Miracle Gro. You will get more bloom if you deadhead, but even with no deadheading the bloom is constant and copious. It's very easy to winter over, and if your window is sunny enough, it will bloom on and off all winter. It will get leggy inside regardless (blooming or not), so you just need to give it a good haircut before putting it out in the spring. I usually cut it back to about 6" to 8" tall and it sprouts out all over the place. I often take the opportunity to repot at haircut time, knocking much of the soil off the roots and replacing with fresh. After a few years it will get pretty woody at the base and doesn't come back as well from the hard prunings, at which point I usually get a new one. But, if you hate to throw away a plant, it does sucker and you can separate them and start new plants. I've read it's easy to propagate from root cuttings, but have not tried it myself. It's one of my favorite plants for summer color, that shade of blue is just unbeatable. - Steve

Here's some info on growing LOV indoors. Scroll down the page... "Q. I live in southern california and have been looking for "lily of the valley" flowers for quite a few years. are they unable to grow in this area? your website says they flourish in zone 4, however i have no idea where that is. they are my mothers favorite flower and i really wanted to plant some in her flower garden.... please let me know if it is possible to grow them in this area. A: Hello from Muskoka, Canada. Zone 4 is down to -25 in the winter. The only way you can grow lilies in the valley in your area is to treat them like we do dahlia in the winter. You will have to dig them up and store them in your refrigerator for the winter months Nov. - April. This will give your plants a chance to rest and get ready to bloom in the spring. If you have a cold storage area you could keep them potted and just store the whole pot. This will speed the flowering process and make them less messy." /tricia Here is a link that might be useful: LOV

The "little green shoots" should be pointing up and the thick stalk should be pointing down. Make sure that the base of the "little green shoots" are now deeper than two inches below the soil. Have fun. Diann IA z5a

Just to clarify....the plant patent laws are not restricted to those who sell the plants, but are intended for all of us. I will say that private homeowners are hardly likely to get caught or fined, however. I'm a stickler for following the letter of the law because I have been a professional who has paid the necessary fees for (legal) propagation rights. No one will be knocking on your door, that's for sure. But I wouldn't get the enjoyment out of a plant that I took illegal cuttings from. That's just me. We take $$$$ out of the pockets of the individuals, scientists, research institutions, and universities who work hard at 'inventing' plants that are more disease and insect resistant, more heat or cold tolerant, longer blooming, better tasting, more beautiful, etc. How glad will you be when plant breeders finally succeed in developing an Impatiens truly resistant to impatiens downy mildew? Willing to pay for the pleasure? I know that I will show my gratitude at the cash register. I save my pennies for my particular weakness.....hybrid Coleus cultivars. ;-) It can take anywhere from hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars and many years to successfully obtain a plant patent. The patent holders deserve to be paid. It's an interesting discussion but not a debate.