Here's my take. I know we all have our preferences but I never blame a medium for problems. That is just me. Here again, however, we have a testimonial from someone who deciding that their mix is too 'soggy' repots into something more open but then experiences continued problems now perhaps due to too dry conditions leading to brittle, dead, roots that don't develop. The unassisted (by artificial light) west window is at once too much light and too little! Your area can see frequent clouds and I suspect an atlas would show your locale receiving less than 180 clear days out of 365. IMO this is too little for good growth of anything but 'low light' species. OTOH when the sun 'is' shining and temps are up in the mid-80's possibly higher that is too much, even I admit that. The only recourse is to shade away the worst of the natural light. What is left will not cause heat stress or scorch but neither will it be able to put size into a p-bulb. The difference must be made up artificially. If someone knows of another way I would like to hear it. When orchids stall, sulk or otherwise go on strike the reason will always be found outside of the pot. Too litttle (rarely too much) light, too little or too much heat, too little or too much ventilation... external causatives. Water 1x/wk for a plastic pot, 2x/wk for a clay pot regardless of what is in it and call it good! Do not spray or mist or otherwise try to 'top up' orchid pots. That way lies madness and also root rot. With experience will come the ability to experiment in ways that will not harm your plants. Until then its best to follow some rules. They won't always be a perfect fit but they work for quite a lot of growers new and old. H

Brenda, it is nice when even family members are enablers, eh? LOL!! I actually keep telling my husband "There's this garden in Western NY that someday we have to go visit!" I would love to see your beautiful garden some day. The different areas you have planted and the variety is amazing. I've been lusting for some more photos from you. Would love to see what you have on file for your veggie garden from last year if you have any time to post some. Goodness! I finally cracked open the catalog for my local nursery who I really like to support. She's a true plantswoman who I so enjoy chatting with, etc. I just sent an email over to her with my "list" (is was a long one) of plants to put aside for me for pickup when they open. It's a terrible habit I have of giving her a list each year for pickup. But my birthday is always right around when she opens, so it's a birthday present, right?!?! LOL!

I don't know what i'm going to do - she's already been buying litte outfits! I did give her a gift bag full of baby things for Christmas, making sure that i added some Toronto Maple Leaf socks (Eddie's a Montreal fan, the traitor...). I have a blanket made and i also have a little dress that was supposed to be a gift for someone else and never quite made it. Since she will be a summer baby, she won't need much in the line of sweaters and blankets. I'm going to ask Mike if he'll attempt making a change table for them. We have a crib that he made and a cradle that a friend made, so they'll have that. I can fix up sheets and things and maybe my mother-in-law will do a little quilt. Still waiting for her to have the ultrasound to find out for sure that it's a girl - the ring on a chain said it was! :)

Amanda, you're not the only one. Shame on us, but as long as you aren't killing or damaging the plant, taking from someone elses yard without asking first, I don't see the harm in doing it. I've been doing it for years and don't feel bad about it either. Never damaged the plant etc. never taken from someone's home. Sure have "helped out home depot, walmart, kmart, lowes in pruning their plants, dead heading all kinds of plants. In july actually had someone in walmart thank me for cleaning up the "ugly plants" by dead heading them, right into about 10 different baggies. Looked the woman in the face, smiled and said, "my pleasure, anytime I can help, glad to do so." She kind of looked at me like a sprouted another head. Got caught collecting dianthis firewitch seeds from a local garden center and was told "you realize those seeds will take a couple of years to grow and bloom, don't you?" I smiled and said "that's ok I'm young and can wait." Got in the car and couldn't stop laughing long enough to drive. couple of years, ya right, mister. My WS dianthis firewitch where blooming in my yard when he said that, the WS ones I transplanted in June 2005. Oh yes, he thanked me for doing some of his work, deadheading the plants for him. sometimes you wonder about these places don't you. and in August I went to a nursery, wanted this beautiful huge coleus, new breed called black night. This one was in a huge 15 inch pot. Marked down to half price they wanted $20 for it. Spent lots of time talking to the guys there about it and they said it is for outside and will not survive the winter indoors. A coleus that won't grow in the house all winter. They kept saying it and I kept thinking "you guys are nuts." almost bought it, put it in the cart, figured I could get cuttings and all. then spotted the seed heads on tons of coreopsis sunray. You know the rest, while I was busy, my friend got very rough, nicely rough with that huge coleus. cleaned up the six small pieces that had the "poor accident", put the injured parties in her purse to "nurse back to health" and yes she's a nurse and returned the monster to it's rightfull place. We have 10 small plants well rooted, planted in pots and growing well. (Yes, she's a great nurse, isn't she?). They look nothing like the original plant, but in the spring out in full light, they should be right back to what they are supposed to look like. don't feel guilty, I don't see where we did or do anything wrong. Just don't post on the aroid forum about it. Fran