You're right, Corrie, I am slipping. OK, Al, here's the deal: Show up with a truckload of gritty mix and repot all of my container plants AND bribe me with a order of Tatiana's Tomato seeds. And then, maybe I'll think about forgiving you. (and now I'm ROTFLMAO)

Camellias can be grown inside year-around but they are going to be difficult creatures because you have to simulate their natural habitat environment (outdoors) in the house. And that, as many of us learn, can be difficult. You have to provide several hours of sunlight, adequate humidity and cool nights. Think of conservatories and greenhouses where they are also grown and you get the idea. If you are successful then -add insult to injury- you also have the eventual problem of heigth. Even though plant size will be somewhat under control due to the use of a container, at some point the plant may get quite tall and require pruning as it gets close to the height of your ceiling. I wish I would have that problem, though. Until you identify the exact problem that causes your current plants not to bloom well, I would not try another one, even if it is a sasanqua. Possible areas of research regarding the bloom problem: not enough sunlight, inadequate humity levels, inside pests (spider mites for example), switching the plant in/out. To clarify the last item, if your plant starts to grow the blooms while it is located inside the house then you could loose the blooms if you bring the shrub outside and the temperatures fluctuate a lot or often (the buds are not acclimated to the outside environment and are more sensitive to cold temps). To help reach adequate humidity levels inside the home, consider installing a dial hygrometer to measure the relative humidity in the room. Measure the amount of sunlight/temperatures that the plant gets throughout the year in their current location by writing them down in a log or a wall calendar. And look out for pests during the bud forming time of the year (now).

See the thing is I live in an urban area, so I have been growing fruits and vegetables indoors under lights. This is very satisfying for me (even more so than growing outdoors, which I have done in the past). I realize that every plant is different and I'm unfamiliar with garlic, especially the likelihood of success when it comes to growing it indoors. I wanted to know more about soil preparation, climate needs, fertilizing, etc. because I am very interested in making this happen indoors.

you may have used the gw google, but in the event you have not, here is a start to some interesting/informative reading. Also, read al's 5-1-1 [water movement] threads like this one in this forum. grapes, grapes, and more grapes ...