Thank you so much for the wonderful information!!
Re: Houseplants
I think the biggest problem is my room doesn't get any direct sunlight (I'm not too bad at watering). Being a tech person, I think a possible solution might be some sort of LED (conserve power!) is such a thing exists. Do you know of any? And would a porthos do OK in this situation?
Re: Escallonia
Yes, I used rooting hormone. I'm happy that any of my attempts grew! I'll try again in the fall. (According to what I read that's the best time to try it for these.) According to the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone map
http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/# I'm in zone 9b too. I have my two plants on a drip system with a timer, so they get watered regularly. The one died and the other stressed out before I had the drip system.
OK, fertilizer, I need to know more about it. What do you recommend? I stuck my plants/original cuttings into some Miracle Grow, but that was a year ago and I have never added any chemicals ever. Any advice is greatly appreciated, Cheerful!