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.

Fay, the external USB hard drive was the one which failed. I thought as you did, that I'd put them all there and have more control over it. I had gone through the difficulties of my Windows 7 computer denying me access to the pictures while they were on my computer, even though my account was of course the only blasted one there, and of COURSE I was the ADMINISTRATOR. So after that fiasco, I pulled them off the computer and put them on the WD Ambassador 1.5T (1500 gigabyte) external USB harddrive. That was the drive where I also had my backups, the optical image of my computer as well. What I did not figure on what that Western Digital (WD) Ambassador drives were not manufactured by themselves but were "no-name" stuff that were well known in the industry to have frequent failures. No wonder they were cheaper than others. And that information I learned from the online links from Tim Fisher on About.com where he featured services which could possibly salvage data--FOR A PRICE. The cost depends on how delicately they must access the failed drive. Of course it is possible to TRY. I still have the drive in its original box waiting until I decide if it is worth the gamble. I mean, I could use that $500 to $1400 estimate on the house remodel, or on the garden. Why the wide estimate range? Because the bloomin hard drive could be a total mess, or one that is not so bad. If they cannot get anything, then I believe it is no charge. But they need it in hand to even guess. In my hands, it is a BRICK. So if you have all your eggs in one basket, I suggest putting your pictures on a DVD and checking it to be sure it plays. Making two copies might be fine. I know I had several CDs of pictures from MoccasinLanding, before I began hosta gardening, and they may be in storage somewhere. Having homes in two locations, moving, storing for a remodel, it is so hard to keep track of stuff. At this point, I am trying out a cloud storage for the photos off my Android tablet. The problem with that, I have yet to discover how to get the tags for identification on each shot before they are automatically uploaded to the cloud.

Ahhh, a spot on Luna Month!! Tsk tsk, Don, I admit the Luna Moth is one of the strong performers and a blemish is rare. But, it is among the most enduring of plants in my garden. So is Squash Casserole et al, and most of the fragrant hosta. I really feel for BKay, I did not know you had LOW humidity up that way, I thought we had similar circumstances. Gads, when will the Devil Demon Doglet grow up and sit sedately at your side, not chasing things over the hosta bleachers! I'm so glad I have two low to the ground dachshunds who simply like to dig in the mulch. I have moved pots further apart for the fat one though. They like getting beneath the cover of green hosta leaves and tracking scents. My goodness, I have at least four hosta which are totally heat dormant this year, one with a nice scape with seedpods still standing. The light substanced Bibb Lettuce by Stuart Asch was the first to go. Then I can commiserate with Denis, those fried hosta leaves are a familiar sight here too. I thought it was a zonal problem, but I suppose not. I water regularly and patrol the garden looking for dis ease and disease as well, moving things to get more or less of light and/or water. I decided I simply cannot grow Dawn's Early Light. It doesn't like my garden. This is the third year for it to look like carp, and I'm pretty discouraged by that. Most of my golds are doing fine. But, anything with WHITE, it looks like Denis and Santa's with an alligator bite out of the midleaf, and distinct long chewed grooved all around the leaves. I'm truly reluctant to use any chemicals that might harm pollinators that I encourage to attend the needs of my fertile bloomers. I'm not sure of the NIGHT pollinators I might count on, but whatever lands on me after dark is pretty safe, unless they are scared off by my screams and jumping around a lot. This is two Pathfinder with Half And Half in between. The white seems to melt regardless of where it appears on the leaf. Littler Ice Cream is drying up about to blow away. Or else go heat dormant. I moved it to a different spot with more shade and less watering Carnival is simply dead, it was eaten by something, don't you think? All those HOLES in the crown! This doesn't count any of the hosta which have the bottom layer of leaves dying and drying up. Once they are down, I simply pull them off cleanly. Those hosta are generally making a second and third flush of leaves, I cannot find fault with that. After all, they are not even supposed to be growing here, remember? But don't tell them! I'm wondering if I should be taking notes on the varieties not making it elsewhere, if they are problems here too. If so, I'll be putting some on the DO NOT REHIRE list. Life is too short and planting space too precious to choose non-productive plants. Too many good ones yet to discover. Great thread. I'm late to the party yet again.

Last winter I lost many plants that were in pots because we had a warm Feb and a lot of rain. Most of them rotted. This year, I moved them under the deck and it was a good thing because we had a very warm winter again this year with temps above freezing. They all survived just fine under the deck. My daughter who lives up near the Idaho border puts all her potted hosta in her unheated garage and does not water them at all and they always survive. You just need to experiment and see what works for you.