Sylvia's right about topsoil- don't bother, it probably came from some construction site around the corner from you and is the same as what you have - or worse! Clay is very fertile, it just needs organic matter mixed in so it doesn't turn into grease when it's wet and bricks when it's dry. Get a load of compost instead and mix it in with your clay. You say "Not sure if I got enough." I have probably 4,000 bulbs on my 135 x 65' property and I am saying the same thing every fall! What you have is a great start and they will be beautiful. I'm not in your zone so it could be different there, but here most of the bulbs you mentioned are not spring bulbs, they bloom in the summer. Poppies bloom in the early summer and then the whole plant disappears when the heat hits. So it may not be the best combination unless you leave room for the poppies when you plant the bulbs, and then plan for annuals or something once the poppies fade. Good luck!

I'll tell you. Growing orchids from flask is hard. At least for me. I have a greenhouse and everything, but i have trouble with tiny plants. I much prefer growing them from community pots or mini flats. If you want to grow a good sized population of a hybrid or species. Frankly, I don't have the room to do that anymore. If you end up having 20 or more plants of the same grex, you have to expect them to reach at least a 4" pot size or more for them to bloom. That takes up space. And then really cull the plants down as they flower. Take notes on each plant. If the flower is just average, give it away (I throw them away, sounds severe, but I look for award quality blooms). There are a number of orchid nurseries that offer community flats like Carmela or Carter & Holmes.

Phalenopsis are very easy to grow in indirect light. They are the shade lovers of orchids. You would need to make sure that they get very filtered light under your magnolia. They should be considered like a redhead with freckles at the beach -- they burn easily. They would probably be better in pots as they prefer more moisture than some orchids and would dry out pretty quickly in a basket. When you water you need to be sure you don't leave water in the crown of the plant as it can rot overnight. In Florida you should protect your orchids and take them inside if you don't have a greenhouse when it gets cooler than 50 degrees. They do like moisture but don't keep them soaking wet. If you stick your finger into the media and it comes out wet don't water. You just want to keep it wet. As far as fertilizer you would probable do well with a timed-released fertilizer like Dynamite or Nutricote. It comes in little pellets and is good for new growers as it will keep you from overfertilizing. Hope this helps. Orchids are very addicting. You may want to join your local orchid society and they are fun and a great way to learn. Pat Here is a link that might be useful: GOOS

Another here that sears in LC all the time. Maybe, I'm not supposed to but I preheat mine cold, add a bit of oil, & when that's hot I add whatever I'm cooking. I also have a gas range & use my LC on the high output burners at about 2/3rds capacity. I have several LC pans including the 7.25 quart LC 'Le Doufeu' in red & absolutely love it. Just yesterday, I seared a couple pork tenderloins in it before adding green chili & letting it simmer for 6-7 hours. It did a beautiful job of searing. I'm wondering about the electric range...hopefully, somebody will chime in that uses electricity with their results. I sure agree with you though...if it won't brown, it's pretty worthless especially for the price of the stuff. Sorry, you're not in love but I sure understand. /tricia Here is a link that might be useful: LC 'Le Doufeu'