IÂve been planting pale yellow ones for the last 2 years. I donÂt know what the name is. I really like them. They are a little smaller than regular petunias, but not as small as million bells or mini-tunias. They have slightly darker veins so have an interesting textural look rather than just solid. I planted mine with dark red ones to enhance the yellow color. I have all of mine in hanging baskets because the bunnies will eat petunias in my garden. Last year, FWIW, it seemed that they were not as vigorous or floriferous as the regular petunias. For that reason I did not plant any containers with them alone. I still liked the color well enough to get more this year.

The color all depends on what you're growing. As Al said, blue/cool white lamps promote foliage, and the red/warm white lamps promote more flowering. For orchids, I agree with Toni....one of each. Keep in mind though, what you think is bright, isn't necessarily bright. 2 lamps isn't very much light, especially if you have a T12 fixture. You must be pretty much right on top of the plants with a 2 lamp fixture, because fluorescent light intensity drops off VERY fast. As I said in other posts, if I were to start growing under lights again, I would replace my 400w metal halide I used to use, which worked awesome, with a 4 or 6 lamp T5 highbay fixture. Joe P.S. Buying the cheapy shop lights from big box stores will cost you more in the long run. They are inefficient, and they don't actually contain real ballasts, in turn burning up lamps faster then a normal ballast fixture.

Oh, Sandy, the heat is awful! I just came in after watering a few things. Just planted out my A. purpurescens, so keeping a close eye on them. The others haven't done too well, to be honest. I think the early heat wave that began in May has taken its toll on a lot of plants and people. I still have to plant a few but I am trying to wait until fall to do a lot of them. The A. variegata is just "hanging in" there for now, but this heat has intercepted any significant growth on a lot of my plants, except for the tropicals I am raising. Finally getting my first blooms on Night Blooming Jessimine (Cestrum nocturnum), which is said to attract the sphinx moths in droves. We'll see. Eric, I am also growing the tropical A. physocarpa, aka Oscar, aka Family Jewels, etc., and usually it attracts as well if not better than the A. curassavica. So, I was kinda surprised they hit the Tropical first. Ya just never know. :) I don't know, Sandy, about the drove of Monarchs. I just haven't seen it yet. But perhaps. I saw the biggest Red Admiral this morning I've ever seen. She had to be almost equal in size to a large QM. She's probably gonna lay eggs on the Boehmeria cylindrica. The early heat in May and the rain we've had seems to have caused an explosion in the insect population, too. Lots of predators out there, and the wasps are numerous. Are you experiencing the same thing? Susan

To answer all of your questions and concerns would fill this web page to the brim. Nurseries in our area sell plants that are very suspect for the zone we live in yet they have plenty of plants available that are well suited for our zone. Plants in containers, in my experience, are better than sowing seeds. If you are concerned about invasiveness of ornamental grasses then read about the grasses that you wish to plant and then purchase those that are more contained and controllable. We have never cut the bottom off a container and planted the container. Knowing some growers that have done this their stories as told was the grasses eventually grow out the bottom and sprouted outside the pot. Yes the grasses were controlled for a period of time but ....! Ornamental grasses in general, not all grasses but most, like to be abused. This being less water than most other perennial plants. There are early or cool season grasses and warm season grasses. Cool meaning they start their growth in the early spring and bloom early summer. Some of these grasses will stay attractive throughout the season while others will look spent. Warm season grasses start their growth when the temperature gets warmer or more into late April early May. The warm season grasses will bloom late summer throughout the fall. Now addressing the "bright" colors your statement leaves me a little confused as there are no real yellows, blues, purples, reds or oranges that can be associated with grasses as these colors are associated with perennials and annuals. Grasses do have green to green-blue to blue-green, dull green to pale green to bright green and green-white vertical stripes to white-green stripes and green with yellow and or white horizontal stripes. In stature grasses are known as - clump or tufted very short 6-12" (something like a Hostess snowball is shaped such as Festuca glauca "Elijah Blue"), - mounding 15" or larger (similar to clump but larger in size (such as Pennisetum "Hameln"), - upright (very vertical like Calamagrostis "Karl Foerster"), - upright divergent (vertical w/ some spreading at the top or vase shaped such as Panicum "Cloud Nine"), - upright arching (top portion arches outward such as Panicum "Cloud Nine"), - arching taller than mound with very little upright base and arching over (such as Miscanthus "Morning Light" a very large portion of Miscanthus grasses are arching or upright arching). In closing I would highly recommend that you get a hold of a book called Encyclopedia of Ornamental Grasses by Rick Darke. Money well spent. Jake