I don't usually drop in over here, but for you, Mike... and the few other regulars here who have been so nice to me in the past, I made an exception. Josh, good to see you, too, of course. :-) I love all the photos... and Josh, that is a lovely flower! I'm glad I got a chance to see it! It's been so long since I've stopped in... that the Den keiki I was gifted with a few years ago finally began its first set of buds. Unfortunately, they shriveled and died before getting a chance to open, but at least I now know the plant is of age and size to bloom. I believe it's simply too dry in the environment I have to offer it, and my husband works with electronics, so a humidifier is not on the menu. It's ok... I'm just happy it's alive and flourishing, and next year I'm sure to get more buds... and I'll be ready with a helping hand of some type... I've got some time to figure it out, and Mike has actually given me some good suggestions. Take care, people... and happy growing!

If you would like a plant out of bloom go to this page to get my email address and use "FREE ORCHID" as the subject. I will send you one that can be grown as a house plant and instructions for growing it. Seeds are a young person's game. It can take several years to get them to bloom and, as mentioned, are quite complex. Orchids send out millions of seeds to get a few started. Give me some idea which way your window faces and the climate. The easiest is buy one in bloom. IMO Trader Joe is the best local source if you have one. Our grocery stores have them too, along with Home Depot and others in the Big Box group. About $15 I think. Don't get your orchid from the bargain shelf, at least not your first plant.

fancy meeting you here, marian :) other than "purple that takes over everything" I should have some star of clevedon cuttings to trade when the weather's nicer. got some edulis, piresii and macrocarpa but they haven't grown a millimeter in five months. I'd trade for brug cuttings for sure :D I'd do irises or daylilies if they bloomed year round, but I don't understand them to be everbloomers... we'll see in the spring though :) Ria

The parsley, phlox, sweet pea, and delphinium should all be fine in frost. I have grown all of these from seed and I even had a sweet pea bloom last week in one of our 45 degree days (a freak accident!). These 4 probably appreciate a bit of a head start indoors as they all need to be a decent size by spring as they are winter and spring-blooming flowers. ...the gaillardia blooms in late spring and summer and will be fine too. I sow mine in fall outside and they don't usually germinate till spring warms up, and boy do they come up all over the place. I'm not sure about the Morning Glory as they are frost-tender. You might want to ask the winter-sowers. I'm trying them this year for the first time... I'm gonna start them in a week or two indoors and grow them in containers on my porch, too. The rest of the seeds I don't know about... good luck! I love growing from seeds, it's so much fun to watch them go...