I will wager good money against any of the suggested retail outlets that you will get handouts (for free) of divisions of plants that will grow where you live if you visit a meeting of your local orchid society. Plus cultural advice. When I was just getting interested in orchids, I joined our local group for $10 dues; the first meeting I went to, I got a gift plant. Over the next twelve months, my "collection" went from 9 plants to about 50, and I spent nothing and learned encyclopedias. Well, I brought snacks once. Have fun - Nancy

Summer growing in greenhouses isn't always the most optimal environment. Most of us in temperate zones know that and wish we could grow them outside. Most of us do grow the larger stock either in the field or in open structures covered with shading. The problem comes when we try to grow plants in small containers outside. A good ripping wind or sunny day can dry them out more quickly than they can be watered. Wind can blow them over. Storms can wash all the medium out of the pot. Add to that most of the equipment we need is inside of the g'houses and we can control the enviroment to some extent, so that the plants won't have cultural problems if we get a month of daily rains. We can also avoid issues of run-off from the plants, not a good thing with the amounts of fertiliser or chemicals used. But, you have a very valid point......as much as possible we try to grow what we can in a natural environment. The plants seem healthier and more acclimated. As for drainage hole size, most of us start our plants off very tiny. Tiny plants are succeptible to overwatering. I purposely choose media and pots to provide excellent drainage. I can always add water, but if they're too soggy, try taking it out. LOL.

The easiest way to clone peppers is a cut from a growth tip. Take 3-4" of semi soft growth and make a diagonal cut with a sterilized razor. Immediately put the cutting into a cup with water (not tap)I use spring water. I have a tupperware container that is 12" long x 8" wide x 6" deep with a lid. I painted the outside black to block all light. Vut 6 to 8 3/4" holes in the top. Buy an aquarium pump and air hose, and a flexible 12" air stone. Weigh the airstone down on the bottom with a couple CLEAN river stones - NOT CONCRETE! fill the container to within 1" of the top, place lid on and insert your clones into the holes. Turn on the air pump and place the unit 12 - 14" underneath flourescent bulbe - either compact or tubes. In 8-14 days all your cuttings should have roots. Transplant and keep under floros until well developed. Thats all there is to it. You should have 75-100% success with this method. Good Luck!! You can use a rooting hormone, but best is water willow inner bark and wood taken from a new growth along a stream or pond. Try it, youll buy it! Timo

My toad recipe: Buy Camellia shrub. Plant camellia shrub in nook formed by corner of front porch and house, near hose for watering ease, near porch for enjoyment ease. About a year after planting said shrub, acquire large yellow female dog. It is not known if size, color or gender of dog are factors in toad attraction, however this one is large (107 pounds) and yellow, and female. This one is a lab cross of some sort, but as she was acquired by responding to a plea from a friend working on a construction site where she and a companion had been "living free" for two months (companion wandered into road, rip buddy, sorry your previous owners didn't do better for you), her precise heritage is unknown. Judging from said companion, now located under backyard next to elderly cat, there is some mastiff in there too. Locate outside water dish (dented stainless steel mixing bowl from kitchen) under outside tap, again for ease of watering. (Are you sensing a theme too?) When the local climate becomes hotter than said large yellow dog would like, make arrangements for dog to be outside for extended periods and look the other way while dog burrows under the camellia shrub to excavate a nice shallow trough large enough to accommodate dog's ample butt. (Those construction workers must pack some awesomely fattening lunches.) Decide that you don't really want the dog to excavate under the camellia bush, and rake some leaves under there. When this does not deter her (Her precise words were OOOOO Cushy!) allow small children to "fill" water bowl, look other way when it overflows and begins to fill wide shallow butt depression, flooding dog out. After all, the camellia bush needs water too, right? Note that dog is a wuss when it comes to water, and rake more leaves and lots of sticks under shrub. Really mound them high to remove cushy factor and encourage slime factor. Watch dog give you sad, sad looks while forlornly shoving her way under tall, pointy evergreen looking thing that the previous owner swore was a cedar and randomly stuck in the yard after accepting bid on house. Happily allow dog to set up new digs under the too-rapidly-growing-to-be-a-cedar cedar because mowing under it is impossible and you're tired of cutting each blade of grass by hand. Dog had grass rooted out in two weeks, max. Cedarish thing doesn't appear to care. Wait a year or so until some of the leaves have broken down under the camellia bush, stick your hand under there to retrieve the sprinkler the teen aged son decided belonged under the bush instead of in the shed, and get startled into screeching when all the hoppers go jumping away. Voila! Toads! They've tried to lay eggs in the water dish so I'm looking into acquiring a small pond or water feature sometime next year, which is how I found this thread, and I thought I'd share my toad recipe.