â¢Posted by summersunshine The easiest, most fool proof way to grow Cattleya orchids in my opinion is to use the "Semi Hydro" method. LOL I've killed any orchid I've tried semi-hydro with. I know folks who have a great deal of success with SH, but I'm not one of them. Orchid bark or large grade coconut husk chunks works well for me (and I grow a lot of orchids). You can even grow the catt as a mounted plant though it will require more frequent watering if it is mounted. Catts, as a whole, require high light -- an unobstructed SE, S, SW or W exposure windowsill can work well for them. Best way to get orchid supplies is to attend an orchid show. Unfortunately, there won't be any in Michigan until January. In the meantime, Lowes used to carry an orchid bark mix that should do. Just make sure you pick out any bits of sphagnum moss they might have in the mix. (Having such is fine for orchids like Phalanopsis but tends to increase water retention more than catts desire.) Many orchids can be grown quite easily indoors. Plumeria typically require a dormancy period during which time they drop all their leaves. If memory serves correctly, during that period, water is reduced to almost zero. (You'd need to check further on that.) For the winter, a cool dry area may suffice for its winter dormancy period. Strelitzia can be grown inside but plants get HUGE. Definitely not a good long term houseplant candidate unless you have a good sized greenhouse to keep it in.

Thanks very much. That's it (Portulaca grandiflora) It looked just like this picture:

Yup, that's what it is. Looks really nice in this close-up... not so much in my garden :(

Correction maybe? A seedpod generally contains more than one seed and while some seed pods may look like they're a single individual seed, they generally do have more than one inside the pod? Nealy all the mallows do have a single pod inside the individual flowers of course but the inside has compartments with a varying number of seeds in each compartment . Sounds perhaps like a hardy hibiscus, or "moscheutos" though I don't recall seeing those in CA, and the winters may not be cold enough for their normal dormant winter period? Could be just one of your larger flowered hybrids of regular tropical hibiscus as well? I would add however, not all plants produce seeds in pods and sometimes the seeds are individuals around the dry flower head, in the case of most of the composite family. No pods there, as far as I know.