I can send you a box full of the following houseplant types: pothos, ivy (have two types, solid green and light green/cream variegated) mother of thousands, fuzzy wandering jew. If you are interested in other perennials, visit my page and let me know.

Ken - the key difference between your milk jug and mine is yours needs "bottom heat under lights" in order for the plant to grow, both of which require electricity. Winter sowing is all natural, doesn't cost any more than a bag of growers mix and leaves the growing part to Mother Nature. The added bonus is re-purposing recyclables. Once I set a milk jug with growers mix and seeds out in the snow/cold, Ma Nature is in charge and I'm off the payroll until the seeds germinate and pretty much until they're ready for planting out if it comes to that. There is a post in the winter sowing forum about various ways to prep jugs. I'll try to find & link it. One beauty of winter sowing is, there is really no right or wrong way to prep a container. Containers can be anything that's deep enough, lets in sufficient light & has enough head room for top growth. I use an ice pick to poke drainage holes; others use a box cutter or soldering iron. Whatever works for each individual is fine. The most important thing is drainage so seeds don't rot + enough growers mix for healthy root development. There are some amateur winter sowing videos on YouTube. They'll demonstrate what to do but I'd have to say they're not on a level with Roberts Rules of Order. 'Nuff said. A couple years ago I tried growing ornamental dogwood trees from seeds I harvested at the office where I work. They sprouted and grew at the rate of 12-14 inches per year. A neighbor asked me to grow heirloom apple and pear tree seeds for him from trees he picked from as a boy in upstate Vermont. He gave me 4 apple tree seeds & 10 pear tree seeds in December 2010. I gave hime 4 apple tree seedlings & 10 pear tree seedlings in April 2011 to plant in his orchard. One benefit of winter sowing is amazingly high germination rates. It was not my intent to steal the thread and turn it into a winter sowing testimonial. I just wanted the OP to be aware & consider WS as a USDA-approved way to economically/affordably fill her garden beds with flowering perennials as well as annuals, vines, vegetables, herbs, trees & shrubs. Just today I noticed the potentilla/cinquefoil I winter sowed last year is up...

If a plant is patented. the the seller is required to enclose a plant identification tag with that plant, listing it's name and the fact that a patent has been applied for(PPAF) or if granted, the patent # (PPxxxxx). It will also include a statement that "asexual propagation prohibited". If it does not include that tag, then I have always assumed that it is permissible to propagate the plant, at will. There are many thousands of desirable cultivars that aren't patented, as many, many people are only happy to share their beauties without compensation. Only the greedy want coin for their fortuitous garden seedlings, TC culls, plant sports, "witches broom's", etc. (MHO) If a patent is merited, with disclosure of extensive, long term breeding efforts, then I am likely to purchase a desirable plant. On the other hand, if no human effort was involved in development and it appears that the patent was applied for a species Ecotype(Morphotype), then I am disinclined to pay a royalty to obtain it. (Again, MHO) Rb

The dark hue inside the crown is usually a sign that rot is setting in. T. ionanthas do not like terrariums, they need air. Tug on the middle leaves.