i'm very fortunate in that my 1 car garage is heated and cooled, so it's ideal for wintering stuff, and starting things pre-season with simple and inexpensive lights....if i were not so lucky as to have this situation, i would attempt to create a small space that i could gain control of temperature wise....i like your notion of the bookshelf style mini greenhouse, and i would take that a step further and try to provide a light source and a heat source....this obviously would have a great deal to do with the sort of lights you opt for...i have tremendous success with fluorescents, but they are not a significant source of warmth....ideally, you'll want something with a thermostat, and in the garage, i think your best bet would be an electric device...personally, i would try a small ceramic heater, or maybe a small heat lamp, positioned so as to not be too intense, but to keep the interior of your hothouse warmer than it's surroundings (remember your gradeschool science lessons: heat rises)....in the end, experimentation is your best bet....i'm certain you'll find the right formula if you keep trying.... good growing, and many blessings to you and yours, doug

tumblingtomatoes, I think P. edulis is your best bet overall. If you want to start it from seed you want it fresh, and the fresher the better. The best way to do this, if possible, would be to buy fresh fruit. I really don't know, but perhaps a Latin market would be the best in your part of the country if not available where you normally shop? Germination will still probably take 2-4 weeks, I think. Purple passionfruit (P. edulis f. edulis) vs. P. edulis flavicarpa (yellow) may be an option where you are--P. edulis f. edulis is hardier. Red ones tend to have both in their background and most if not all are hardier than flavicarpa, I think. Hopefully someone who knows about this plant can tell you about P. edulis flavicarpa in Florida. Fruit from seeds will be variable in quality, that from named varieties should be of more uniform quality. Some people sell seeds that came from a particular variety--I have no idea whether this increases the chances of good fruit. I strongly agree with the recommendation of Grassy Knoll. If you speak (or write) to Elizabeth, she can also recommend other species/hybrids besides P. edulis. That would be a very useful thing to do--she sells more passiflora than anyone in the country and she is very nice and extremely helpful. The only problem with Grassy Knoll is that they don't ship this time of the year. If you are interested in free P. edulis seedlings from store-bought fruit I can send you a couple. It's unlikely but I might have something better--I'm wating to hear from someone else. I do know that there is someone in Florida who has offered cuttings of P. edulis in the past, but I don't want to speak for him or post his info--again email me. So those are a couple possibilities, but you can't go wrong with Grassy Knoll. But if you want to do it by seed (which will take a couple years) make sure you get the freshest, by whatever means. Hopefully someone here can recommend a company. The general rule about fruit is only eat it when it falls off the vine. The vines and immature fruit tend to be poisonous. Check out Myle's Irvine's (passionflow's) site: http://www.passionflow.co.uk/passion-flower-passiflora-toxicity.htm

Hi All, Thank you for your nice comments and love all the photos of what you've got growing. Surgery went well and PT says I'm doing good.. It's been 2 weeks, tho it seems more like 2 months! ha ha! I'm not used to being almost helpless. My family is taking great care of me, I am so fortunate, and watering my plants/seedlings that I DID start/have growing to plant when I can. My stamina is not great, but it takes alot of energy (apparently) to heal. And I"m doing good. I take one day at a time, and know that each brings me closer to having a "bionic knee" that will perform SO much better than my old one! :D Keep the photos coming, everyone! I love to see them, and hear what you're up to, what's growing and how things are coming!

Nice example but actually there are much bigger ones around. I prefer to keep house plants indoors all of the time, apart from them having to cope with sudden changes in light exposure, humidity and temperature when they are moved from one environment to the other the Great Outdoors is full of bugs and slugs. As indoor plants Schlumbergera need a comparatively coarse, cactus style (yet high organic content) potting mix, bright yet indirect light, moderate watering and humidity plus fertilization (per label directions) with products packaged for use on flowering house plants during summer, with a dry period right after flowering. I find the Thanksgiving types to be very forgiving but the Christmas cactus type like you have may need to be protected from nighttime illumination during the pre Christmas budding period to flower well - or flower on schedule, anyway (a friend has one in bloom right now). Also these are prone to dropping of flower buds if allowed to become too dry after they have been set. The wild parental species grow on trees or rocks in tropical rain forest of SE Brazil, you need to give your plant less light and more humidity than a desert cactus would need. Growing as epiphytes puts them up out of the gloom of the forest floor, but still not where they are likely to be hit by hours of direct sun - in combination with low humidity, at any rate.