I don't consider myself a beginner at all and wouldn't spend money on any of those plants you mentioned and I have a big yard with many options for sun exposure that you probably don't have in NYC. I haven't tried the zebra plant, but have quickly killed the other 3 in the past. No doubt it was my fault and ignorance about the plants' needs. But since I have so many other plants that do so well, it seems I've learned that these do not do well in the conditions I have to offer. Your taste in pretty leaves seems similar to mine, so I might suggest some others (in addition to the excellent suggestions already made, sorry if any of these are dupes) that are pretty but much easier to keep in captivity... any of the Dracaenas, Syngonium, cane or wax Begonias, parlor palms.

I'll be glad to update you all. Here's an update. I got the seeds several weeks later (no idea the seller was in China). Sprinkled them onto the medium consisting of granite grit and fine pine bark. They sprouted pretty fast, but I think the mix was too heavy because the shoots did not seem to be able to go in at all - they just grew above the medium. Some mold appeared soon after, not much, just here and there in the mix. I did nothing about it and it did not grow much. I watered by misting a few times into each hole, then I'd let it stand and percolate down, then judging by the mix color would often mist a few times more, wait again to percolate. The goal was to have the mix moist but not soggy at all times - it was difficult as expected, I needed to check more than once a day for sure because the lights would dry the small quantity of mix pretty fast. Even if the watering part was OK, without penetrating the mix the germinated seeds were doomed. And indeed the shoots dried up. Even though the mix would be slightly moist, the air right above may have been too dry under lights and the shoots desiccated. Small pockets of mold did survive. :-) So, the other day I emptied it all into the garbage. Lesson learned - need a lighter mix next time if doing something similar. Hey, here's an idea. Pirate Girl, you suggested rooting hoya cutting in water in these. While I am not a fan of water rooting because of the need to regrow soil roots later, BUT I do want to try semi-hydro method for rooting and growing, and I just thought maybe this container can be used. I'll need to use smaller particles than hydroton because I do not think it'll fit through the narrow openings. I'd fill the three globes completely, not partially, with the hydro medium and stick some compact small leaf hoya cuttings in there, defoliated in the mix but of course with leaves above it. To keep the water (fertilizer solution really) fresh, I'd hold the cuttings/plants with my fingers, turn the whole thing over to drain all the water, then refill just a bit or fertilizer solution to stand at the bottom for wicking. What do you all think?

You need to find a good spot for the garden. It needs full sun and good drainage and at least a six inch depth of decent soil. Clay loam can be amended; impenetrable clay subsoil is usually hopeless, and needs to be removed and replaced with good topsoil. Or you can pile topsoil on top of it. Your garden needs a source of water. If it's pretty far away from your outside spigot, you will need to buy some hose. If there are big trees next to the garden, they will suck up ALL of your water and fertilizer. I'm not exaggerating. So no big trees near the garden. You will have to prepare the soil. This isn't a good time. It needs to dry out somewhat before you can till or dig. So you will need to be patient. If you have some plastic film, clear or black, you can put it over the area where the garden is going to be, and it will help the soil to dry out earlier. If you use black plastic, it will also kill the weeds and grass. The next step is to improve the soil. If you don't do this, your crops aren't going to grow well, and weeding is going to be miserable, especially if you have dense clay. I always do the same thing when I'm making a new garden: I till in about one inch of sand and one inch of organic material, such as compost or rotted bark, along with a generous sprinkling of lime and superphosphate. The lime corrects the soil acidity (our soils here are always acid, as far as I know). You will notice that the dollar bills are starting to flow now, right? If you want a successful garden, you have to make an up-front investment. If you don't do it right, you will end up like many (most?) new gardeners: with a garden full of weeds, and no desire to continue. You will definitely not save money the first year, because of the up-front costs. You will get the investment back over several years of gardening, assuming you get pretty good at it. Are you sure you want to do this? Most people badly underestimate the amount of work involved. Also, are you in town or in the country? If in the country, how are you going to keep the bunnies, raccoons and deer out of your garden? More money. Slugs may well be your worst enemy. You will have to terminate them with extreme prejudice. Choose your weapon: bait, scissors, stale beer? Bait works best, but has negatives. So let's say you've improved your soil, and it's late May, and time to start planting. Are you going to grow from seed, or from plants? Since you didn't grow your own plants, you will have to buy them. I recommend that you do everything on a small scale the first year, until you learn the necessary skills. Try some lettuce and tomato plants, and some green bean, radish, pea and red beet seeds. You will need support for the tomatoes and peas. I use big tomato cages, the ones you find at real nurseries, not the itty-bitty ones at Home Depot. If your soil is well prepared and at least 8 inches deep, try some carrots. I wouldn't try peppers, melons, or eggplant; they're likely to fail for a novice. The cabbage family is not hard to grow, but tends to have bug and worm problems. Try some easy flower seeds, like marigold, zinnia, and sunflower. Kids love Mammoth sunflowers; they get about 9 feet tall. And it's fun to watch the blue jays fight over the seeds in the fall. You will need fertilizer. The easiest is to buy some balanced fertilizer such as 5-10-10 or 16-16-16, and forget about doing a soil test. If you find out in a year or so that you are really cut out for gardening, that might be a good time to get a soil test done. There are two ways to use fertilizer. You can mix a teaspoonful into the soil where you are going to place a plant; or you can apply it to the surface around existing plants, and let your irrigation water wash it down to the roots. As soon as you start fertilizing and watering, your new garden is going to explode with weed growth. You must control them when they're small, or your garden will be lost. This is when you will be grateful for the sand and compost. The soil will be loose and workable, and it will be easy to pull the weeds. The good news is that next year and the year after that, the weed situation won't be nearly as bad. However, if you let the weeds go to seed, your garden will be a weed nursery forever. You must not let this happen. There are lots of learning experiences along the way, like learning to identify pests and how to control them. The best way to learn is to find a really good gardener in your neighborhood. They are getting rare. Let them teach you. Next best is Gardenweb. Approach gardening books and mass-media garden gurus with skepticism. There's a lot of BS out there. And ignore advertising. Don't buy anything that says "miracle" on it, or that costs a lot of money. Check with your local expert first, or ask on this forum. That's all I know.

Your Scaphs look great, Scott! I've been really disappointed with mine (Scaph grande and swertifolium) -- they just won't bloom and I know they're getting enough light. Don't think the temps are too high [usually in the 70's] and they stay moist. The grande has had a number of leaves -- mainly older yellow and die off. Swerti. did throw a spike but then abort at the growing tip. Quite aggravating. I do have them in pots but the mesh types so the roots have a great deal of freedom to do what they want. Sorry to hijack your thread, Ingemar. Most of mine are mounted or in pots. In my case, this is because I like to enter mine in shows. Pots make it possible to remove a plant with less trauma.