Thank you all for your suggestions. We will be compiling a list and then running the selections and prices through our Hort Committee. I always over-submit in case some plants are not available at the time of ordering. I will be happy to post our final list when we get through with it. Like Bob said, this is actually a large greenhouse which will be mainly devoted to Broms. If you look on our website www.buffalogardens.com, you will see a photo of the facility- we are working on one of the secondary domes, specifically the one to the left of the main palm dome. *big dome* :) I should take some digitals today and see if I can get them up on the internet- they are working on putting the glass in right now, and it's a mess, but at least you can see the size. All of your help and suggestions are appreciated more than you know. I would really like this to not be such an "epcot" display of a sea of red guzmanias, but a bromeliad "living museum"; a sanctuary where both brom afficionados and the "uninitiated" can go to see some great plants. Don't get me wrong, I like drifts of color, but I also want specimen plants with botanical value. We've got the facilities, and now is the time to add the magic!

I'm not a computer wiz but do know you need an outside host to post pictures. GW does not permit straight hard drive to forum pics. I use Picture Trail and find it very easy to use. I also like being able to post the thumbnail images because they won't slow down people on dial up. You only need to click the picture for it to upsize. Many people use PhotoBucket and recommend it. Both have a limited amount of free space for you to use, which is quite a bit. I don't have a clue about posting pics from a document file - that is way over my head. I resize pics on my hard drive, upload to Picture Trail and then can post to the GW. It is so easy to do, I figured it out for myself - LOL! Brooke

Janie, I was reading your post and laughing so hard that I was crying. I know exactly what you mean about being afraid of snakes. I know my snakes, but I don't care! I hate snakes, the good and the bad. We have so many snakes down here and with all of the development taking place, we are seeing more and more. My neighbor killed a copperhead Saturday, and my other neighbor saw a rattler up near her house. Last year I killed two coral snakes up close to my front door. I don't bother snakes unless they come into my yard and house. Yes, I have had ribbon snakes get into my house on 3 separate occasions, and one time a garter snake got in and the cats found it and took care of it. Scary! Finally my DH got me a little pump 4-10 with snake shot. Well he was the first one to use it to kill, what he thought was a water moccasin, out on the pier. He killed the snake and left a few marks on the pier from the pellets. And yes Janie, keep us informed on your future antics!

Dawn, you are liven' my dream. I would love to have that many cats, and room for outdoor cats. But I know it's a lot of work. Our four keep us slammed, and we insist on no cat smell in the house so that's constant box cleaning. Regarding pellets, you can use the commercial bagged kind like Feline Pine or you can use stove pellets. Some shelters have 'em dropped off half a ton at a time. My vet assures me there is nothing bad in the stove pellets; they are pure sawdust. I have not used them, but have used Feline Pine and liked it. There is another bargain option not mentioned here, which is chicken feed, or what the industry calls "layer crumbles." They are extremely safe and work like wood pellets in that the urine soaks the pellets and they fall to bits go to the bottom. Poop stays on top for scooping. Because they are cheap and safe, I keep them on hand, and use them routinely in my porch box. Indoors, they give off a sort of vitamin-supplement smell that I don't care for. The scent does not travel, however, and the feed does contain the urine odor. I would not call this a clumping litter, though some do. And you can, theoretically, flush it. Pros of using layer crumbs are -- very little dust, safe for your cats, safe for the dump, and as environmentally benign, I guess, as any litter. I don't live in an area where you can compost, but I guess with the poop scooped, they would be compostable? Look for them in 20 and 50 pound bags at places like Southern States or Tractor Supply. My last 50 pound bag ran around $15, IIRC, so that is an awesome bargain. For anyone interested in this, I will post a good link below. Here is a link that might be useful: Link from Cats Adored