Have you thought of cutting out some tree shapes to go with the houses? I was thinking a few generic pine trees and generic deciduous trees might look fun mixed in with the houses. Just a thought.

No, not totally dry. Basically what happens is, it stops raining where they live. For a couple months or so, at various times of year, it just stops raining and so the plants go into a 'rest' period. While they may not get drenched with water, they DO still get morning mist/dew/fog. So the problem is trying to strike that balance. If you can manage to mist/fog in the mornings during dry periods, more power to you. But for most, it translates to watering less. Some Angs you can actually go by the leaves and withhold water until the leaves start to shrivel a bit. I'm too much of an over-waterer to do that...so far. Leonis is one that can take significant drying. I don't have a veitchii so I can't say much about that side of the parentage. I've seen photos of sesquipedale growing on fallen, rotting, logs. So I really wouldn't be too worried about the breakdown of media, it may be just what the Dr. ordered! (but i really don't know...wild vs. cultivated ...who knows??). I think it's smart to avoid bothering the roots by repotting. If you have to, cut away most of the pot and just pot up. What should I being doing (or not) from now until Bloom time? Answer: getting more Angs What should I do for culture after bloom? Answer: follow the roots, cooler and drier in the winter How much does one cut back on water when he is not growing new tenticles? Answer: it all depends on many factors. Significantly. What should the run time for the cfl's be? Decrease time or stay steady? Answer: go from a max of 16 hours in July to a min of 12 in late December or so, with gradual increases or decreases What should I expect in terms of flowers if I get it right on the 1st try? Answer: you should expect fantastic things to rain down upon you, including the respect and admiration of your fellow man, and moth. OK, I am being presumptuous. Is he blooming size? ( Jeez, wouldn't that be a shock!) Answer: I would think so. What is the most common mistake with Crestwood or his parents? (besides the re-potting tantrum) Answer: the most common mistake is assuming anyone else has one! (I don't, and i've got over 100 Angs!!) I'd guess using bad water is a very common mistake or not giving enough light. Oh, your plant is a 'she'. :) -MB

najoba, funny you should say that. My DH and I have been thinking of moving to the country LOL. If we do I will bring all the daylilies with me and starts of other plants as well. Rick this was a very good year for Texas we had plenty of rain in my neck of the woods. Hope we have good rain next year but we were lacking sunshine this year, to many cloudy days. A lot of us lost plants due to - to much rain but that's cause they were drought tolerant plants. This year was great on the water bill. As we all know there's nothing like rain water. Now I need to ask Santa for a rain barrel for that area :) I could even have it hidden behind the fence. As you all can imagine I am waiting for next spring and summer like a child waiting for their birthday or Christmas to hurry up and get here :)

Thanks, Holiday-ers, I'm glad you enjoyed the view from my LR window...appreciate your gracious comments. jane...the fruit feeder has top & bottom (as seen in pic) w/hole cut out for clear glass custard cup size (so you can see when the jelly is gone!) Plus an archway between the top & bottom for spacing...rope for hanger & 2 screws from the bottom up for the orange halves. Orioles love it...also we get Catbirds who enjoy it. Squirrels do attack (sometimes)...but fruit feeder is on Shepherd's hook & they don't seem to bother it much...we tap on the windows ALOT! & send our dog out the front door often, too! LOL! Ahhh, dust bunnies are certainly multiplying around here...but it's ok...got to be out on the nice days! And I've been enjoying the bunny tureens on the forum lately, too! Thanks, everyone! Love the birds! Jeanne S.