Well effdeevee, My point was not to offend you either, just to let you know that some people have some eye/brain problems reading all cap text. I think that it is OK to cap some words to high-light them. No, it was not the implied 'shouting' that bothered me; just the plain simple reading that required much more concentration. Somewhat related, a long time ago, a (work) friend of mine sent me an email with an 'eye/brain' reading test. It was a simple, normally written (numbo/jumbo) paragraph. The test was just to read this paragraph once and count the number of times the specific word "if" was quoted... I failed the test. Was told that many people do fail too! Will be interesting if I can find this test and post here! So, please from now on (for everybody's sake), make sure that your 'Caps Lock' key on your computer keyboard is in the off position. Regards, George (NJ).

and this is why.. you order for delivery in may.. not late june.. or july.. or august ... it is much easier to deal with a delivery when it is cold out.. rather than stifling ... the cause could be many things: the plant was heat stressed or in drought when cut ... which might be why the tried to save it with bleach .. wrapping lettuce ... which is just about what a hosta is.. in plastic.. and then hermetically taping them into a box is called.. an oven... then there is the heat in the big brown or USPS trucks ... etc .. my best advice.. STOP MAIL ORDERING FOR SUMMER ... if you just have to buy more.. time for a road trip ... and buying potted hosta ... i am really surprised at chris .. mail ordering in June .. when he has been living thru 100 degree days 20 miles from me.. whats that all about.. would you just die if you didnt get that one???? lol .. divisions for this years sale should have been cut late last summer.. DO NOT BUY.. IN SUMMER.. ANYTHING THAT IS FRESH CUT.. AND MAILED.. IT WILL DIE ... ken ps: NO 'GOOD' NURSERY SHOULD BE WILLING TO MAIL IN JULY AND AUGUST.. if they agree to do it.. then bells and whistles should be going off in your head.. telling you they may not be on top of their game ... [and i will exclude chris from that.. because he is magical ...] pps: in the alternative.. make an order for early fall shipment ....

Hi again, Ok, I contacted my local Cornell Extension, and they cannot do the test (they don't have that equipment) - it must be mailed to the Cornell Plant Disease Diagnostic clinic. I explained what happened, and she does not think it is Phytophthora, because according to her the soil would have to be excessively wet "almost like a bog." She does not think it is worth having tested because they have been dead too long and other organisms may screw up the test. Now, everything I have read says it spreads in "wet" soil (not just "almost like a bog"), and that one of the main ways it is spread to new areas is through nursery stock. She thinks the trees "Just didn't take." Very odd, in my opinion. The fee for each test is $40, and each test (mold, fungus, nematodes) is a separate fee. I don't think it is worth it, since it has been too long. I'm going to call the nursery and explain what happened and ask them if they have certification proving they do not have Phytophthora. I already removed the mulch and soaked it in a 10% bleach solution, and when I removed the soil from the hole there were at least 100 earthworms in it, so I picked them all out and relocated them to another area of my yard that is pure clay that I've been amending with leaves and pine needles (nothing planted there yet). I'll soak the soil that was immediately around the tree in bleach, and then till the rest of the area and add a lot of compost and some sand for drainage. The plum was already planted above-grade, but I'll plant the mulberry even higher. I figure better safe than sorry and bleaching it is the safe way to go (my book on diseases says to throw the soil out - but that will only spread it to a new area!).

Just ignore the leaves for a bit:). Don't babysit them;). Until I got my own little CC and actually felt one. I can see why yours looked the way it did. Mine would have looked the same being in a box for 2 weeks, and who knows how that box was treated. Out of all my succulents my CC feels the most delicate. If I put it out in the sun I know it would just melt like chocolate. I have single Conophytums with barely any roots that feel tougher than my CC. My Glottiphyllum pygmaeum I can handle with rougher hands, and the leaves on those get messed up with one fingernail stab. I think once mine gains size it will get sturdier, but these guys are not your average eachie:). I'm guessing that's why we don't find them for $5 at Home Depot;). I can see why people have issues with them 100%. When they're small that's where the problems occur. Once they get nicely rooted and big you can exhale. A little;). I've just been lucky mine hasn't croaked yet.