Thanks to everyone for all the information and links... I have read the Canadian Orchid Congress culture notes... very good info there! I grow everything I can in unglazed clay, and I grow most things in a mixture of coco coir and vermiculite, with a layer of horticultural charcoal at the bottom of the pots... EXCEPT orchids, of course! For these, I use Schultz's Orchid Bark... I have tried using sphagnum moss as a medium, but it stays too wet and seems to hasten rotting in my growing conditions. My Phal is potted in a small clay pot with a layer of charcoal at the bottom, and orchid bark as the medium. I have a wooden skewer inserted near the center of the pot, and I take it out every few days to check for moisture. I know that the surface of the medium will be drier than the medium further down inside the pot. When I water, I use a dilute solution of orchid fertilizer and water. I have Superthrive, but haven't used it on the orchids yet... I use it every once in a while on my hippeastrums and other plants, and it seems to help them grow faster and look healthier. I use a few drops per gallon of water. The only good natural light in my apartment is from an east window, which is stuffed with plants, mostly hippeastrums in various stages of growth... and the orchids are front and center! They also have a light over them, approx. 8 inches away from the leaves. I know that the ambient temperature of the air in my apartment fluctuates... this is due to the type of heating unit run in winter... this cannot be helped. However, I do have a heat mat, and if this will be beneficial to the orchids, I can use it. When I repotted the Phal, I used a rooting hormone to hasten the development of roots. Since the spike that was growing when I repotted it is still growing and healthy, as is the youngest leaf, I was rather stumped by the older, larger leaves that began drooping... I will give the Phal a soaking in Superthrive, place the heat mat under it... and hope that it all helps to keep the Phal going until it can recover and grow more roots... I have an Epi Radicans sitting in the east window, as well... and it is doing well... I have that one planted in a small clay pot using coco coir/vermiculite as the medium. I water it with orchid fertilizer just like the Phal... if the Epi is doing good, why is the Phal unhappy? I don't believe their cultural requirements are that different...

Miles Redd did a Farrow and Ball Hague Blue butler's pantry recently. I think it's in either Elle Decor or Traditional Home or Veranda this month. It may give you a color idea. Also, I have seen a kitchen done in Pitch Blue. GORGEOUS. Cannot recall one done with darker blue green lowers and paler blue uppers, but I bet I would love it. Okay, I just searched. I'm fairly certain it's Elle Decor--the one with Suzanne Rheinstein's New York apartment on the cover.

Gigi, first off I love your home. It has a cozy elegance about it that just is so enticing. So many of your beautiful belongings remind me of my DM's home. She had lovely taste as do you. The Relentless Olive looks perfect! I am so anxious to see your room when the painting is finished. Mtn, LOL over your comment on Olive Kitteridge, she was indeed relentless. ET change a word

I don't have a way to make photos of something so small...the macro function on my digital camera doesn't go close enough. Last year this fungus spread through a lot of seedlings I was growing under grow lights, and eventually killed the plants. This year I just saw it for the first time on some bean and cucumber seedlings. I tried spraying a dilute bleach mix on the cucumber seedlings after I planted them in containers. The leaves didn't take the spray very well, so I've waiting to see if the plant will put out new leaves and if they are infected. I've looked at online photos of vegetable fungus diseases, but haven't seen anything with these tiny dark green shiny round blobs ( 1/16" or smaller) that spread on the leaves. Whatever it is, it doesn't seem to be common. I'm looking for some closeup lenses for my Panasonic FZ28. If I can a set, I'll post photos if this fungus comes back.