The thing with terrariums and Wardian cases is that orchids don't like still air - it's a recipe for mould and rot. You'll need to ensure some air movement. Lots of people use computer muffin fans. If you can... Let me be bold and suggest something I usually wouldn't do. Take a look at the Masdevallia and Pleurothallid alliance. They are not beginners' plants, but your conditions could be right for them. They like high humidity (terrarium/Wardian case - check), cooler temperatures (check) and most don't require lots of light (fluorescent lighting - check). The only two other things you would have to be careful of are air movement and pure water - these little guys are sensitive to dissolved salts, so hopefully your tap water is really low in TDS, you collect rain water or have access to RO water. They are smaller plants, usually potted in sphagnum moss, and like staying pretty moist all the time. And watch out for summer temperatures - they need cooler temperatures year round (you didn't mention if your house was also cooler during the summer, or if it got really hot then). The thing is, these are some of the coolest orchids around and pretty neat. They also come from the same places as your Tillandsia. If you've got the conditions for them, go for it! If you'd like to start with something a little easier and more common, I'll reiterate my suggestion for Oncidium and would steer you towards the ones with bigger flowers in whites and purples, like Beallara Tahoma Glacier (do a Google image search, then look for something similar). You won't need the Wardian case (they'll be fine with house humidity, especially since you're not in the desert) and they'll enjoy the cooler temperatures. Be sure that they have some sort of day/night temperature difference (easy - lights on, warmer; lights off, a bit cooler). You will need some supplemental light, though, but they'll be fine with the fluorescents. They will be potted in a bark mixture, maybe with some sphagnum moss. Repot every couple of years in an "orchid mix" available at HD or the like. Water when the plant is dry, about every week or so. You'll be able to tell by the weight of the plant. Those pseudobulbs at the base of the leaves store water, so they don't need to stay very wet. Fertilize every other watering or so. And voila! Julie

Hello Josh, Ken_ny and Arthurm, Ok here we are in the beginning stages of Spring and so far all I've seen is one (1) bloom from my before mentioned Orchid "Epidemdrum" How do they do in the ground, any bigger blooms than in a pot 0r about the same? I am looking to blow these blooms up Big Time! So far the one that has bloomed is about the size of a Hard ball for baseball. Thanks guys whoever has the chance to respond to this Q. bcuz I really like the way this plant looks and I want it to show-off :) Greg

I have a few as well, 'Bantels Sensation' 'Manolyn' ''Forscate' Tenzen' 'Siam Silver' well most Juan has in his first book. I don't grow any S.hanii I started 250 'Forscate' for the Huntington they need heat, and may need to be grown a few feet from a Western Exposure even in Arizona little water, this one is touchy. 'Silver Queen' 'Japanese Stripe' 'Lillian True' 'Silver Princess' 'Craigii'and a few others I don't remember. I really dont like cultivars and sports. I like the species that come straight from Africa and I grow them to look like African plants. I don't want them to look as if they came from Thailand or Hawaii. Norma

Reading your story makes me laugh out loud. My husband, bless his heart is not very mechanical. He installed a ceiling fan above our brand new cherry table. Looked great but he didn't attach it to the beam. Needless to say we bought a new table. I do alot of gardening. So I buy mushroom compost by the ton. Hubby set the trailer up for me and said "your all set to go". Went to go pick up the compost (which is about half horse poop), went to leave the parking lot and felt a huge tug on the back of the truck. The trailer was BOUNCING up and down the very busy highway. I thought I blew a tire. NOOOOOOOOOOOO- hubby didn't have a pin for the trailer so he secured it with a STRING. I am not kidding. I ended up spreading 70 feet of horse poop-no wait- stinking horse poop down the one lane of a very busy highway. Cars were sliding in, honking at me, some guy gave me the finger?!?!?! Fines + tickets+new trailer+cost of cleanup = $3500.00 Needless to say I bought a new trailer and it came with a pin on a chain. I laugh now, but I could have killed him. Your father is right. I say if it's not cancer, then it's not worth the worry. Remember, he will rope the moon for you. He could be trying to please someone else instead of you. Don't beat him up over it, he is already doing that to himself. They really do want to be the knight on that white horse. I read "the proper care and feeding of husbands" CHANGED MY LIFE, MY ATTITUDE, MY MARRIAGE. I fully and whole heartly recommend to any married woman who wants to improve their marriage. Get it on cd and listen to it over and over. Be sure to shut off your own internal dialogue, so you can really absorb. I am NO ONE to give advice, but I try to remember this stuff when I want to "verbally smack" him with all of his mistakes. Forgetting to remind him of how absolutly wonderful he is to me. Again, I am no one to give advice. Women think they know everything and WELL WE DO. Men are far less complicated than us. However, they are deeper than we realize. Make him feel like your hero or someone else will. Why risk it?? Your going to spend $$$$ on a kitchen remodel. Spend the $15 on this cd. You will recover 2,000% of your investment on the cd. Maybe 85% on the kitchen. I wish i would have had this book BEFORE i got married. So put on something sexy, make his favorite meal and let him how much he is appreciated.