So...Bart hibernated for a little snooze!!!! Thanks! for the pics!! I yr around 1949 we lived at lake in So. Dak. dad opened front door, wow what a shock it was solid hard pack snow, he went to all the windows & no sky to be seen. He went up through the attic & out the window with a shovel, I wanted to go & see if he was OK, seemed like hours, finally there was knock on door & it was a tunnel. Amazing I don't know how many hrs he had shoveled but he wouldn't quit until he knew he could get his family out. That was worst I'd seen. Humans are a resilient bunch!! We seem to make do with whatever we have to!! Thanks for pics Kirk! I guess I better get ready to get out of here, fire is close! Jan

Yes--that's the great question: Which parent do they take after, and in which characteristics? Such roses as 'Mme. de Sancy de Parabere', 'Amadis', 'Calypso', and so on, have a lot to offer and certainly have had their admirers early as well as late (Vigneron and Geschwind made late contributions to the class which however was most active three-quarters of a century before: 1800-1830; "Parabere," while dated to 1874, was actually a foundling which one horticultural society member at the time thought he remembered as seeing 40 years previously); and many a time I've been tempted to try them here in coastal Southern California. But it might be best to know beforehand whether I'm entering "lost cause" territory . . . It's interesting to note with the Boursaults that, for different varieties, sometimes the Pendulina was known to be the pod parent, and sometimes the Chinensis.

Shawn, 621 is also know as Lockwood 621. It is from seed collected in Colombia by Tom E. Lockwood in the 70's and sent to a few different botanical gardens. The most well known is Strybing arboretum. They are the ones who named it 621. As far as I know all of the other gardens have lost their plants. They would also have different numbers for it specific to their collections. The Strybing ones are also in fear of being lost due to a mosaic-like virus affecting most of their sanguinea/vulcanicola plants. 621 is believed by many to be a sanguinea x vulcanicola hybrid, as Lockwood was doing his collecting in an area where both plants naturally occur. If anyone has more info(which I know some of you do), or if I messed up somewhere please correct it. Thanks!

Jane, good point about the high ceilings! Agree it can get so cold in that kind of room even though the heat runs plenty. Plus there is less insulation with no attic above. Incredible, Mike! You're so ingenious how you are mimicking their natural environment. Cleaver idea of those see through totes with a raised grid tray. I LOVE your idea of gathering the moss, ya know what I'll be looking for tomorrow :) They look so happy, and wow so many beautiful blooms!! Several cute pink ones. I wish I could hop through the computer screen and enjoy their fragrance and beauty too, and to say hello of course too, lol. One of my favorites you showed is the fishbowl with moss and the orchid. It's like it's own little peaceful world for it to grow. I've seen so many with the wrong plants that don't belong and it makes me sad for their ultimate failure. That pink oncidium(?) in spike looks so pretty, I want to borrow it ;) The fern has such neat pattern of variegation, almost hypnotic (like artwork that is swirling around on the big screens/concerts), it's much bigger than the ones I've seen at the garden center. My gardenia never flowered, been watered consistently, a little food too, southern sun.... but it's the constant heat and humidity it is missing, I believe. AMAZING orchids and set up. ❤️