As I just stated to someone else who previously bought a mail order Azalea, I would keep it in a window where it will get the most direct sun light for now. You will also need to place it outside (once the last frost date has passed for your area) other wise it will slowly diminish in vigor and eventually die. Make sure its outdoor location has sun in the morning but shaded in the mid afternoon when the sun is the hottest. Most people who get these types of floral gifts like azaleas gardenia's etc.. don't they belong outside and then wonder why their plants die on them after a number of months, chalking it up to the shrub being hard to care for, which isn't true. I've had a bonsai azalea for years. As for watering and fertilizing here is what will be needed. When watering make sure the soil is almost completely dry (not completely) before watering. This will be a skill that might take a little while to perfect but can be done by sticking the tip of your finger (about and inch) in the soil near the edge of the pot. when it feels almost completely dry with just a slightest ting of moisture its time to water. A beginners method is to place a chop stick in the soil near the edge of the pot, when it looks dry its time to water. As for fertilizing i recommend using a well balance formula meant for acid loving plants as azaleas need a soil of a low PH to be happy. Using a liquid fertilizer you should fertilize during the summer once every other week. If this will be your method don't use Miricle-Gro Miracid fertilizer which is most easily found at hardware stores/nurseries as it will burn the roots easily, which will damage and possibly kill the azalea. I recommend using an organic type as it will make burning the roots a lot harder. Organics as refereed to in the name are made of natural chemical components while non-organic types are made from chemical compounds. Slow release organic types are even more preferable if you want a more care free fertilizer as it will only need to be applied then once a month. You can find some good acid granular (slow release) fertilizers on eBay. As for keeping it long term (for years) Keep in mind that it will most likely need a dormant period to rest during winter. On exception their are some semi-tropical Azaleas, but am almost definite that isn't your case. If you are truly up for the challenge of keeping it alive for years to come it will take As a means for every day care and long term survival I recommend you read some bonsai books (which can be easily be acquired from your local library) on how to properly care or your azalea. I also recommend doing some online search for the specific azalea you have seeing as some have different needs than others. Good luck -Mike

Whoo-Hoo!!! I knew it, I knew it. I knew it, but had forgotten until now. So what your neighbor said ( A beautiful single stem pink "lily" comes up around August 20th) when they actually meant a single stem with several pink lily blooms. I am so happy you now know what they are, and that you got pics. Your neighbor was certainly right about their bloom time, so are you going to make her a cake? Did yours bloom, or did you get pics of hers? I took spectacular photos but have to fugure out how to post them on this site. Ok...can you get the pics into the computer? if so, then open up a free Photobucket account and upload your pics to their site....it is fairly self explanatory. Then either copy the HTML code found below the pic (for a regular sized pic (which 'might' end up being huge)and paste it into the message box , or else copy the HTML Thumb code found below the pic and paste it right into the message box. That will make a nice thumbnail pic, that will be clickable if the Photobucket settings are set up right. This is assuming that you are comfortable with having either multiple tabs or multiple windows open at the same time. I tried and tried to help a member post pics and she was having an awful time. Come to find out, she was trying to do it only using one window. Sue...thrilled for ya!

Hi Again, As I look again at your pictures I would say your second picture "might" be Susan but difficult to say for sure. Susan has a faint red area deep in the throat. Here is my Susan from a few years ago and she is just opening again now. and one of the better flowers from my Susan (which is not really one of my favorites) As to your first picture I really don't know, it could be anything. Here is my Vera from several years ago; Very is one of my incredible shrinking bulbs, each year she gets smaller and smaller. It was a lovely coraly pink in it's hayday. My Vera when she was happy.. and of course you know that that homely flower isn't a cybister let alone the lovely Bogota and you should follow Kristi's suggestion that you send ETGB a picture of this and hopefully they will issue a credit for a bulb next year. Some mislabels can be interesting but you got a dud... Yes this had been a really strange year for mislabels probably the highest percentage I can ever remember! Hope this helps a little,...Donna

Usually only the dry seeds themselves are sent, minus the pod, chaff, dried flower petals, bits of stem, etc. -- just the way you would find them in a seed packet that you buy. The Seed Exchange forum has a very good FAQ that will help answer some questions, and if you don't find the answer there, you can post questions on the forum. I wait until I actually have the dried seeds in hand before offering any, so I know how many I can offer. Usually people expect the seeds to be mailed within a few days after you agree to the trade so it's best to have your seeds ready to be packaged. I hope I'm not making seed trading sound harder than it is. It's really lots of fun. While you're waiting for the jewelweed to bloom, you can lurk around the Seed Exchange forum and check out people's trade lists on their member pages, and get an idea of how it all works. And have fun!