Wow, Tommy, those look amazing. > The problem with most of these [Bromeliads], though, is the fact that nurseries force them into bloom long before they've had a chance to reach their full grown, mature size. What does this mean, Tommy? Both my big-box-bought Broms created pups after flowering, so they were apparently mature enough for that. We can't blame commercial nurseries for creating the right cultural conditions for plants to flower and otherwise reach sellable/showable/photographable condition sooner rather than later. Isn't that exactly what we hobby growers also strive to do? As for literally the "size" - I do not think that it's a goal for many consumers necessarily. That is why a lot of miniature varieties of plants exist and are very commercially successful. Bromeliads can get huge indeed, depending on the species/cultivar - but then much of the market is excluded from even considering them for purchase, so the growers' incentives are clear. > Cryptanthus are terrestrial members of the brom family as are pineapples. Their roots are made for water uptake and should be watered like "normal" plants. Paul, many broms including epiphytes, can adapt to also take water in through their roots in addition to taking it through the reservoir, if the roots feel any moisture. Neoregelias and Aechmeas (which are the only two I grow) both can do that, I think. I've left both in the original medium, and they are doing fine. My Aechmea doesn't even have much of a cup, so barely any water stays there and it all drains into the mix. Bromeliads are fascinating, I think - unlike any other house plants. I am still learning a lot about them. > Aseed, interesting point about cultivars being possible novelties. I prefer a sturdy species plant usually too. Oh boy, many orchid growers would have a lot to say about that - on both ends of the spectrum. There are species growers who want things as they are in nature and want a challenge. They also do an absolutely indispensable work of preserving many endangered species. But the fact that even they do not dispute is that many orchid hybrids have become so much easier over the many years people have been hybridizing them. Hybrids often bloom larger, brighter, easier, longer and more often - often all of the above in the same hybrid, compared with their ancestor species. Temperature preferences are often wider than for either of the parent species or hybrids. Culture is often consistent or nearly-consistent throughout the year - rather than the cold period and the wet period and the dormant period and the tambourine dancing period that species often have to have. Imagine growing even just a few species with divergent periods like that in a typical house or a greenhouse or outdoors - wherever you grow. I can't personally, unless I am growing ONE group of plants with similar requirements (I'd lose interest in three milliseconds). So that is where the hybrids may come in. With orchids, hybridizers often grow thousands of seedlings for years, they get many of them to flower, then they select one or two for many of the characteristics desirable to growers and consumers, DISCARD all the rest and clone the hell out of the best of the best of the best of the best - we are talking football field sized greenhouses growing 100% genetically identical orchids. That is what ends up in your local big box store, and I would not knock it at all, resiliency- and looks-wise, considering the crazy selection those plants went through. I do not know much about cultivating other species, but I am sure with any cultivars, they do not do it to be difficult, in fact they breed what can be sold - in other words what you and I would buy. So, what's the problem again? Here's another example of this sort of "artificial selection": what's called "Christmas Cactus". In the good old days, your grandma probably grew Schlumbergera bridgesii. But their natural flowering period was a bit off to be sold for the holidays, and their growing habit is to grow out the pot and down right away. That was difficult for growers (need to force the blooms), difficult for shippers (lots of snapped-off segments in transit) and difficult for buyers (the look is not for everybody). Then they noticed that a similar looking Schlumbergera truncata grows more upright (easier to transport, less damage in stores, and a more traditional potted plant look), is a more resilient species and flowers more naturally when they need to be sold. So they hybridized that one instead, and now it is impossible to find the old-fashioned "true" Christmas cactus commercially, except for through word of mouth exchanges - probably from a few grandmas that still grow it. But S. truncata is truly a stronger species. I actually grow the "vintage" one and have no interest in getting the one wider available - but I am not like the mass market, and probably neither are most of you reading this.

Annie,THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! My box just got here & I'm in plant heaven! Inside there is: 'All Fired Up' Daylily 'Prairie Blue Eyes' Daylily Pink with lime throat Daylily 'Candy Apple' dwarf Iris 'Clarence' Iris 'Congratulations' Iris 'Going My Way' Iris 'Harvest Of Memories' Iris 'Jean Marie' Iris 'Jessie's Song' Iris 'Lemon Chess' Iris 'Ron' Iris Yellow Iris ~~~~~~~~~~~ Liatris spiked Gay Feather Monarda'Marshall's Delight' Tall garden phlox 'David' ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Purple Coneflower Also included were plant tags with the names on one side & the year & Annie's name on the other.Now I'll always remeber who gave them to me and when.As if I could forget! I now have iris with NAMES!!((dancing))I love EVERYTHING!!!Thanks again Annie! Now if everyone will excuse me,I'm off to play in the dirt!

Mo: When BF finally does ask where all that stuff came from,I just tell him I've had it "forever" and you just never pay any attention ! giggle :) Yachter: I love TS,YS,GW,etc. and pick up nice things there,plus my sisters and I swap stuff around,especially if it has to do with chickens ! I need to see if any of them took pics of the 6 tablescapes I did for our family reunion in Sept. I thought they turned out beautifully..especially the candle holders I had a friend cut for me out of logs. Purplemoon: I do have an "Oreo". He won't fit in your lap or on a windowsill though. He's my 8 mo.old Paso Fino colt.He's black and white and has a perfect heart shape on his back. We have 5 horses and are expecting another foal in Jan.BF calls them my "yard ornaments" ...lol. Sandi: If your SUV has one of those wells behind the back seat for your spare tire.. raise the cover..store your stuff and put the cover back down. Then hope and pray you don't have a flat tire !! lol !

I thought I would give a little update and share my experience for those like me who are new to horticultural oil and defoliating. I defoliated all my roses on Jan 13ish and now, about 6 weeks later, the roses are all leafing out nicely. Some even have buds. None of my old garden roses have buds yet, but that's probabaly because they were all brand new babies. Here's some that do have buds now, 6 weeks later... Don Juan Barbra Streisand The weaker solution of oil didn't seem to damage anything, but when I mixed and sprayed the stronger "dormant" oil solution, some of the roses didn't seem to like it. No real damage, but some canes have a little tan, or maybe even a little sunburn. Even though I was trying to be careful, some of my newer bands got oil on them. The weaker "summer" solution didn't seem to bother them, but they didn't like it when they got some of the stronger "dormant" solution on them. Again, no catastrophic damage, but just not happy, killed some of their new growth, and they are a little set back. I'm going to imagine that it only got rid of the weaker growth, allowing for a stronger plant in the long run, so I don't feel guilty. ;) All in all, I think I will stick with the weaker "summer" solution in the future if I have little bands or other sensitive plants nearby where I'm spraying. That's about it for the update! :)