No need to freak out kim.....you can cut back just about anything.....it is a good practice once your plants have outgrown their planters and are drying out too fast.....my impatiens are becoming little trees and are drinking alot and may start to seperate in cooler months ahead...I will post a photo after I hack the hell out of them and the after they recover....I will be away for a week at the end of the month and everything would be dead when I come back if i didn't reduce them....regular petunias planted on the ground really benefit from heavy cutting back the last of july to avoid getting leggy......I think you should try the flowering kale at this late date for planting in your zone.......and a trailer like creeping jenny or vinca.....if you can find something small in flower like begonias or lobelia at this time of year and you can stuff it in there, do it...........this time of year you can get away with cramming in some plants because they will not have enough season left to be overplanted.......your kale and trailer planted so close to your house should get you to christmas.......another option would be geraniums or marigolds(or both) if you think you need a flowering plant......you could buy some kale put it in the ground, plant geraniums or marigolds for now with a trailer.....and swap them in november.....Kale will look nice to minus 20.......as long as snow does not lay on it you could have it well into january that close to the house, when choosing Kale, try to find some that the stems are not too tall, if they are a little leggy, plant them deep..........I don't believe you posted your supertunia photo kim......lets see what your other containers are doing

If this is queen of the night expect some crazy growth. The one I'm growing has flat pads, cylinder like and 3 sided. I give it very bright light, not full sun but close. Loves humidity, loves a well balanced fertilizer. Many people put this one on a trellis because it's easier to contain, nice heavy pot and a tomato cage, or decorative. Space between segments and pad growth usually are s good 20 inches spart.. Hanging this guy results in a heavy duty hanger and s reinforced hook in the ceiling. This epi gets HUGE. More light on the crown of yhe plant produces growth from the soil. Mines in an orchid bark spagnum mix, very well draining, seems to love it. Goodluck!

Hey Houstonpat, If you have any more bromeliads that you want to get rid of I'd be willing to pay postage and make a donation to you. I am a Bromeliad Newbie and I just can't wait to get my hands on as many different ones as I can. I'm making the baskets of bromeliads to go in my huge oak trees on my place. Since I'm new to them, my baskets look nothing like yours and I certainly don't have any of those bromeliads (YET) LOL Today I was told the names of the few I have recently purchased. I really started buying them about 2 weeks ago.So far these are the ones I have: Neo Tricolor Neo Tangerine Gold Fever Tossed Salad Billbergia Nutans Vriesea ? Vriesea Hybrid ? Chantini dark green-almost black and greyish-silver) And several NOIDS. Please get back with me if you are willing to part with anymore of your Bromes. Thank You in advance, Marian

Actually I am trying to find out if I have the right names for the colors. Originally I had the brown vase listed as 'custard' too. The baskets look green to me, so 'custard' doesn't make sense. I was wondering if someone could give me some insight.