I hope EVERYONE had a very nice Thanksgiving. I wanted to get here yesterday, but was soo busy with the cooking .... and then our company forgot they had homes and staid until near 11:00, so I crashed as soon as they left. We had a rally good meal & a good time. I'm not used to all that noise though. I guess it's a sign of getting older. ;-) Technico - the physical characteristics of the products you asked about that make them suitable/unsuitable as a substitute for Turface are their size and structural stability. They need to be primarily in that 3/32-3/16 size range (preferably closer to 1/8"), and they need to retain their structure after you freeze them in water. You don't want something too large/small, or something that turns to mud after you incorporate it into a soil. JJ - You should name your turtle Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano, Sugar Ray, Tommy Hearns ...... after one of the famous boxers. ;-) Take care everyone. I hope that if you're out shopping, you're taking advantage of some great deals, and if you're not, you're having a relaxing day. I think I'm still full, and I didn't even have breakfast. Only in America would they legislate a day when gluttony becomes a patriotic duty. ;-) Al

Others have already hit on it - container culture has vastly different requirements than does growing plants in the ground. Supplemental fertilization of containerized plants is extremely necessary as they rely entirely on what is in the container for all their nutrient needs. And because potting soil generally has minimal nutrient value and what it does have is rapidly depleted or leached through frequent waterings, it must be replaced in order for the plants to thrive and bloom. Not so for inground plantings. They have access to a vast supply of nutrients that in some cases are already being replaced/renewed/replenished by nature and by the routine activity of the activity of the seasons or by the gardener via mulching, etc. Routine fertilization of anything planted in the ground is typically unnecessary and over- or unnecessary fertilization is often detrimental to both the soil and the plants, promoting leggy, lush and disease and insect vulnerable growth, often at the expense of flowering. And depending on the type of fertilizer used in this routine manner, can wind up more of a pollution issue than a garden help. Most horticulturists and soil scientists suggest testing the soil first before applying any fertilizers and then supplying only what is deficient, if anything. If testing is too much of a bother (I'd suggest gardeners have at least one baseline test done so they know what they are working with), then you can shortcut the process, eliminate fertilizers and rely on the benefits of whatever organically based mulch you use. I mulched my old garden at least once a year - more if I was ambitious - with a high quality compost and seldom in 25 years found a need to supply any additional fertilizers. This is where the saying "feed the soil and the soil will feed the plants" comes into play - the repeated application of organic matter (mulch) will ensure that soil quality and fertility remains high and remove any need for artificial or synthetic fertilizers. The "right plant, right place" principle is also an important consideration as well :-)

I grow vegetables, fruit, bulb, perennials, annuals, and roses. I'm not crazy about mail ordering vegetable plants, unless it is something like asparagus. Our local Master Gardeners has a spring plant sale. See if yours does, too. Also buy them from better nurseries, that is, a local nursery that is not a big box store. Growing from seed is actually not that difficult. My early attempts resulted in failure but I do just fine these days. I use the under-counter florescent lights in my kitchen. I rig up a shelf to get the plants high once they germinate. You'd laugh at the shelf, a wire rack sitting on four tall, unopened juice bottles. It works, though. The plant tops need to be just a couple of inches from the light source, which is why you want florescent light, not regular incandescent bulbs. At that close distance, a bulb gives off so much heat it will fry the plants. Try potting up your young plants into slightly larger pots as they grow, then set them out for a few hours each day to get used to the outdoor conditions. Then when you actually plant them in the beds, water them daily for a while, and protect them from birds or squirrels that want to eat the young plants. That is how I lose most plants that don't make it. Rosefolly

I think your description of the rumors is very good - they ran rampant last spring - and I suspect the truth is much more mundane. Certainly there were personal and professional issues involved in his move. A more reasonable question might be why Hans would have stayed with one local specialized wholesaler for such a long time. Shady Oaks still concentrates on hostas and, though they have expanded into some other plants, their selection is still quite limited. Walters, on the other hand, may offer the widest range of perennials of any wholesaler in the US. I know Hans has developed interests beyond the world of hostas, and his opportunity to explore other plants would have been much more limited had he stayed at SO. I stopped at Walters last summer on the way to the convention and fell into spending a couple of hours touring around the farms with the president of the company. They were excited to have Hans, primarily for his interest in some other plants beyond the hostas... So... without participating in the rumor mill... I'm excited for Hans to have the resources of Walters to explore his interests... and yet as a Minnesotan, I was sorry to see him go. And to remain OT, I like HOSTAS, but ligularias in my sandy soil tend to droop so dramatically at the slightest bit of brighter light or heat, I only grow the species plant ligularia przewalskii. It tolerates dry conditions much better than the bigger leaved, more dramatic ones. It has smallish leaves with neat cut edges, so it has its own charm. Nice companion for HOSTAS.