Even though this is an older thread, I thought I'd comment on my experience with these plants, since it came back up. My Alocasia amazonica 'Polly' haven't been finicky for me. Mine have tolerated some neglect last year. Two of the bulbs went dormant through the winter, while the other two kept their leaves. Despite not getting watered as often as they should have. Now that spring is just around the corner, the two dormant bulbs are sending up leaves, while the the two active ones are shedding theirs. They may be going dormant, but I suspect it won't be for very long. I have since bought yet another one that my local garden center had just gotten in their latest shipment. I was planning on repotting my Alocasias anyways. So I'll be adding the newer plant in along with them into a larger pot. I absolutely love their interesting foliage. I haven't found them to be difficult to grow either. They have been very tolerant of my neglect. As for Anthuriums, they don't have any form of bulbs, tubers, or rhizomes. So they do not go dormant and continue actively growing throughout the year.

Dear Ken, If you can find the time, you will really enjoy meeting this group of gardeners at the Green Elephant. Cheers, Jim Eichner

I would love to have the English lavender and foxgloves. Please send me your address. Would have Morning glory/cypress vine seeds soon if you like.Or I'd mail you the SASE.Thanks,Kerai

Yes, I'm growing a couple varieties of Lamium and it can be an aggressive spreader under the right conditions. But the plant is so attractive that I don't mind and it's easy to pull up the bits you don't want. Haven't you ever seen Lamium for sale at your local nurseries or the garden centers in home improvement stores? Many varieties of Lamium are commonly available at our local nurseries through out the year. To tell you the truth, if you don't have them growing in the right spot, they can look rather ratty and they won't spread that much. They prefer dry shade... soil that is too damp can cause the foliage to take on a muddy hue and they're likely to rot. I learned that the hard way. And though they are mainly grown as a shade plant, they do appreciate a bit of sun. Early morning or late afternoon sun is ok. It might be alright under your maple. My mother recently cut down her maple because it was sucking up all the water in her front yard and its roots were choking out other plants nearby..it killed a 20 ft long hedge of Indian Hawthorne.