I grew them last year and depending on the number of fruits on the plant, some didn't get up to full size before maturing. More fruits at a time = smaller fruits. That's how the over-ripe ones sneak up on you. I would notice that the purple would start to fade to that pale greyish lavendar and I knew that they were a little far gone, and then the yellow will set in after that. Ferretbee's fruits must have been hiding under a leaf for a while to get that yellow... Susan

Just my humble opinion here and I have no experience with AeroGrow lights at all but petunias require quite a bit of strong light/sun in order to grow and bloom. I grow them outside in full sun. If the AeroGrow works well enough for the petunias to bloom it seems to me this might be too much light for the violets. I personally would be very careful. Hopefully someone has experience, good luck :)

Natives are in vogue, many independent garden centers have a natives section or at least an assortment of natives among the other selections. However, I haven't noticed and remembered any of those particular plants anywhere this spring. They do grow in gardens fairly well. Twelve places where listed for Disporum hookeri in THE PLANT LOCATOR - WESTERN REGION (Black-Eyed Susans/Timber) during 2004. You might want to look in that.

It would be a good idea to look up fairy garden images to see plenty of different examples. You can find lots of wonderful miniature accessories in lots of themes. I think that you'll see that less stuff is best! I've seen wonderful little 'gardens' in antique serving bowls, candy dishes, one of those wooden bowls used to serve nuts, etc. I've got several simple, pottery bonsai containers, glazed and not, that would be perfect. You can find bonsai containers in all sizes and shapes on line for very little money. Most of the fairy gardens I've seen are for indoor display....not for the direct upen sun, wind, and rain. But you still have to select plants, living breathing things, that will do well in the amount of light you can provide. There are soooo many plants that can be kept small with an occasional snip here and there with a pair of scissors. A good garden center is the best place to find an assortment of miniature plants. Try to remember to match plants with the amount of available light. Moss isn't required though it sure looks great. Moss is difficult to grow inside. But you can find sheet moss or dried moss that totally looks alive. Don't forget that natural elements are what make these little displays so charming. Twigs, bark, pebbles, shells, aquarium gravel, sand, interesting seed heads, and tons of other things are the magic in a fairy garden.