Wow... Thanks so much everyone for your answers. Not sure my own follow up posted. Can't see it here... So forgive me if it repeats... not very familiar with using forums... :-) Yes, Flora, the first of May is very special in France and brings all kind of wonderful memories... Not the least of them just going to pick wild Muguet for Mom as a little girl... Or receiving it from your first admirers as a teen... :-) Nothing celebrates the coming of spring better than those white mini-bells' incomparable fragrance!.. Except maybe the return of the Barn Swallows... :-) So yes... I do miss them ... And I thank you for acknowledge it and telling me what to do... So... I'll plant them now... Should I chill them first in the frig? Will they flower this year if I do and bring some inside? How can I make sure they come up and flower next spring if I plant them outside now in a separate pot? I have a terrace on the 11th floor of a building in Manhattan exposed to the North East... So I get sun from sunrise until about 11AM to 1 or 2PM, depending on where on the terrace. Should I put them in the spot with the least sun time? Or in the shadow of other bigger plants? I don't really have a dappled shady spot... And it can get hot and windy up here on the terrace!... I was thinking to add them in my two self watering 30'x12' tubs at the foot of my Clematises and Rose Climbing bush where I just added a couple Peonies and Day Lilies bulbs. I usually add impatiens and other shade lovers annuals in spring, but I would like to have more perennials and less to plant in spring. As well as achieve the 'head in sun, feet in shade need' of the Clematis and Rose Bush. You can see the terrace on my Studio link. Not the tubs which would be in the back of the photographer on the NE wall. Would they take over there too and choke the others? Should I absolutely plant them in separate small pots? Wouldn't them freeze or dry too much in the winter? But maybe I can bring some inside in Jan-Feb to have them bloom early that way?... Thanks Vetivert8 for your extensive response... Wow again... All a way from New Zealand!... I loved NZ!... Even had a Maori roommate when I was studying in Paris... Do they have LOV in NZ?... Lived in Tahiti too... So Tiare is another incomparable fragrance that brings amazing fond memories!... :-) So I will not plant them with the Clematis and Roses. Anything I can plant with them in the pot to have some show in the summer and/or fall to hide the pot when they 'look awful' as I do not have room on the terrace or inside !... How about under my Hostas or Astilbes or at the foot of my Euonymus tree which is thinning at the bottom? Never had LOV in the US so I'm not sure what their exact look cycle is here... :-) And just to precise something... They would not flower this season even if I was placing them in the frig before planting like they suggest for forcing? That only works in winter, right?... I'm so eager to smell them!... LOL... So many questions, sorry... :-) Thanks again for your time and expertise... Veronique PS: oh ... Just one more... Does a link stash on a post? or is it not allowed? Thought I included it but its no longer there... Will try again...:-) www.ChelseaDaylightStudio.com Here is a link that might be useful: My NYC Terrace

Hello Stephanie, Stan and Kawagoe, Here is my first bloom of 2017! It seems I will have only three of my 20 plants blooming. This is a cutting I got from a front yard in LA in 2015. I drive down there quite often and that is from where most of my cuttings come.....relatives, friends and strangers who like to share. Of the seven plants I ordered from Maui Plumeria Gardens last October only three are still among the living. I planted and kept them indoors all winter. These are the first plumeria for which I paid. I will try to go back to Maui in September and purchase a replacement for the Scott Pratt (red) variety. All of my other plumeria remained outdoors under overhangs during the winter. I planted a large four foot cutting into the ground a couple of weeks ago in Prunedale. I live in Santa Clara during the week which is warmer so I will definitely have to cover my newest addition over the winter. I'll keep my fingers crossed. It was a freebie from a very fragrant yellow plumeria tree in LA that some ladies gave me from their front yard. I'm sure your are all also enjoying your blooms........ Take care, Aileen

We just planted a Blue Spruce, about 18 inches tall deep in the Mojave Desert of Joshua Tree. rich sandy soil of the Chaparral at 3,000 ft,. water rung around it, giving it a gallon a day. Temperatures are iver 100°, humidity under 20%, usually under 10%, 4-5% common. In 2 months we have 2 inches of new blue branch growth (tree is green). This week I will start watering evry 5 days, and letting it go deep (great drainage) forcing deeper roots. It is in a shallow arroyo that dies not ever ”wash out“, and retains deeper moisture. We have 5 native desrt firs that are thriving after 2 years also. The Spruce will be our only non-native…no danger of it becoming ”invasive”. We out thought into it.

Well, it got colder than predicted last night at my house, I should have covered more! Luckily all my potted stuff was in the heated greenhouse. I've had my weather station so long, that that particular model is discontinued. I liked it because it was wireless and battery AND solar powered. There are several really good models out there now. For maintenance on mine, all I have to do is change the batteries once a year and while I'm up there I clean out the rain gauge. The hard part really is just the initial setup and getting it connected to your computer. There's software you have to install too, which connects to WUNDERGROUND and you can get that off the WUHU Yahoo groups page. A good place to start looking for a station is ambientweather dot com, once you find what you like you can google the brand and see if you can find it cheaper elsewhere... Kevin