It is confusing. The correlation of water with light is good general cultural practice (less light = less energy = less growth = less water). But that is during the growing period, and NOT to be confused with watering practice during a cattleya's rest period. It just happens that at our latitude (longitude?) winter coincides with low light. But for most catts in native habitat, winter (the rest period) is dry and BRIGHT. I tell you this because, with your MH light, your setup will mimic native conditions in this respect more closely than a windowsill or greenhouse grower in temperate North America. Many but not all catts are hard-wired for an annual rest period - mostly the spring bloomers. Just observe the plant. I've got two resting cattleyas right now, and an actively growing one in exactly the same conditions (MH+HPS). So the plants know what they're doing. I try to observe the behavior and support whatever it is. I don't completely withhold water from the resting catts; I'm more careful with them, though, and certainly no fertilizer. Even though they're getting water on a regular basis, they're still resting away. Some ARE very touchy about water during rest, though. C. dowiana particularly. HTH, John

Hi, John B. can tell you about the Capitol Chapter of the Gesneriad Society in Washington DC. That would be an excellent source for plants and leaves. At the AGGS convention on Long Island last July there was a great selection of chiritas in the plant sale. I think I bought about four or five chiritas. I just love my little plant of 'Betty', a knockout foliage form of sinensis. The chapter in New Jersey does a fantastic job of propagating these and other choice gesneriads. Their sale would be worth a special trip as well as the DC show and sale. Another source would be to visit some of our mail order nurseries. I have heard many good reports from people who have visited Lyndon Lyon Greenhouses in upstate NY. The best grown chiritas that I bought at the convention came from them--'Betty', liboensis, etc.. Florals of Fredericks is another source that is somewhere in the mid-Atlantic area. I don't know about visiting them though. The last source I can think of is the AGGS seed fund. The selection of chiritas is down a bit from its highpoint but there are still many good ones. Just remember that not all chiritas are the rosulate kinds. They come in shrubs like moonii and walkeri (and 'Moonwalker'), as well as annuals. For mail order I would recommend Lyndon Lyons, for the quality of the plants. They may arrive with some broken leaves as chiritas are not pliant, but those leaves and even leaf halves can be put down for propagation--that's what I did with pieces of my chiritas that I brought back on the airplane from the convention. The on-line catalogs for these nurseries are linked from the AGGS sources page on their web site ( www.aggs.org ). Happy chirita hunting! Jon

Hi Weekendweeder, and welcome! I love your excitement as a new gardener. Watch out, it can quickly turn into an obsession! Hosta seedlings don't look like the parent plant. You can get lots of variety in the looks of seedlings, even from the same seed pod. (Most are just plain green ones, though). I like finding seedlings in my yard, I usually let a few grow for the season, just to see if they turn into anything interesting. Usually I end up throwing them out, but a few I have potted up & given away (usually blue ones and ruffled ones). Happy gardening! Wendy

There are multiple issues going on here. First, the shrub (which appears to be a camellia) is suffering from a whopping case of sooty mold. That is what is making the leaves dark. The sooty mold is not a terrifically serious issue itself - tends to be mostly cosmetic - but the causes behind it are worth investigating and correcting if possible. Sooty mold is a fungus that grows on the honeydew or sweet, sticky excrement of sucking insects like aphids and scale. And they can be damaging to the health and vigor of whatever plant they can be found on. And sometimes they are not on the plant that develops the sooty mold but on overhanging or adjacent plantings. I don't really see anything in the photo that would qualify, so would assume the shrub itself is the source. However, since the SM takes some time to develop, the honeydew producing insects may or may not be present now.....I'd check anyway. If no honeydew producing insects present - no sooty mold development. It can be washed off the foliage and that will immediately improve the shrub's appearance and help it to 'breath' easier :-) The flies are also attracted to the sweet substance. I am not 100% certain but but it sure looks like a camellia. And they can be pruned relatively easily, typically right after the bloom cycle. How small you can be able to keep depends on the type or cultivar - some get a lot bigger than others. Offhand, it looks like a less than ideal choice for that tight siting without requiring at least annual pruning to keep size in check. I'd consider moving and replacing.