deep_woods, Thanks for your tips....I have become moss obsessed and have found very little info on the web for growing it in containers. I hope to eventually take it outside, but for now, I am focusing on growing it indoors in several types of containers including: under a cloche, in a hanging terrarium (with a hole in the front), in a jar, and in a small bowl with no covering. I have harvested moss in my area (Philadelphia), where it grows all over the rocks and in cracked pavement (almost no soil at all), and even on debris-filled pot holes. From your previous conversations, I gather that taking some of the native soil/debri for the containers would be a good idea. Just as brendainva, I am growing in containers that have no drainage holes. I also gather that you would not suggest pebbles, clay balls, or charcoal at the bottom? These are suggestions I have heard from other sites. As I mentioned, most of the moss here, which is short, bold green, and clumpy, grows on extremely nutrient poor areas such as rocks and walls. Which makes me think it might do well on some rocks/pebbles. Although I cannot tell you what species it is, what are your thoughts on this? You said, "Shallow containers with fertilizer and warm weather and regular misting or watering from above with some mosses can lead to doubling the moss in a month." What type of fertilizer are you referring to? Eventually I would like to add some ferns or other native plants to my moss terrariums. For now, however, I am focusing on the moss. Thanks so much!! We need a MOSS FORUM QUICK! If you have any other sites or articles that you would recommend, pleeease send them my way.

I kinda got the shade thing down, believe it or not, most of that garden gets a lot of direct sun in the late morning, early afternoon and then again some in the late afternoon from the other direction. My biggest problem under the trees is the MOISTURE content and the hard dry soil. I need to find plants that can tolerate really dry conditions as well as some shade. I have some daylilies and just started adding some epimedium, so far, so good. One area gets less sun and has more moisture and it does well, I have fern and hosta, huchera, tiarella, and some others that do well there. My biggest problem is the area that is dry. Thanks for the direction to the shade forum, I hadn't thought of that as a reference. I guess because my garden does get a bit of sun, and it is dry that I didn't associate the two. I know a lot of the plants you list above like it on the moist side...I tried astilbe when I first started, not the right site at all. Now I am more versed in plants and their requirements and try to match the site to the plant as best I can. Thanks JoAnn

i wouldnt doubt it because there are naturalized parrots in many cool areas. Brooklyn is a zone 7 and has parrots thriving in some communities. They are in abundance too but arent very widespread and live together. Just like all other city birds they eat a lot of food that is on the ground but will eat a lot of other foods too. They dont look like tropical parrots, but can be trained to talk, but probably will never do so in the wild. Definitely not those beautiful tropical looking parrots you see as pets or in the zoo, but they do have nice green colors to them. But as far as stealing fruit, there are lots of other much more common birds that will do that job a lot quicker than these parrots in brooklyn (I believe they are called quaker parrots and are from argentina). I think they are also in other areas but Im really only familiar with the ones in Brooklyn. Good luck! -Alex

A few years ago I decided to try to grow my own produce, having grown up on a farm where we grew all of our own food. Since I live on a small city lot, there wasn't a lot of space, so I cut out more than half of my driveway and re-landscaped that area to be a garden/orchard. I put in a fence with espaliered trees (apples and cherries) on one side, along with a fig tree, all of which are pollenated by my own mason bees. I then built raised beds in different configurations and use those along with barrels and bits of open spots for all of my summer veggies, herbs and tea plants. I was fortunate this year to be able to can beets, tomatoes, green beans, blueberries, raspberries and strawberries from my garden. I eat strictly from my pesticide and chemical free garden all summer long, and sometimes well into the fall. I do try to winter over some veggies, but thus far haven't mastered it! I buy fresh tuna from the coast and can that to last all year as well. For the rest of my produce that I can't grow, I shop the local farmer's markets and get my eggs from friends that have chickens. My roasting hens come from a local farmer that butchers only twice a year, and also supplies me with cheese making supplies and fresh non-pasturized milk that freezes wonderfully. As I've gotten older, it has become more important to me to eat organic, chemical free produce. It feels better to eat healthier, and I enjoy being able to taste real food. What I can't grow or find locally, or for those occasional snack foods, I just head to the local Whole Foods. I also try to eat by the season, only those foods that are normally grown in that season, which tends to eliminate buying produce from other countries which may be less controlled regarding pesticide use. It's not easy to eat healthy, and does take a lot more prep (which should be much easier with the new kitchen!), but it's worth it to feel good and healthy. I think a lot of our current health problems are related to the diet that most Americans eat and I am hoping to counteract my bad genetics with healthy (albeit expensive) eating habits!