In addition to accessories, the first thing I would consider if you canâÂÂt/donâÂÂt want to paint the ceiling to bring in more teal, and you are going to hate me for this, is to change the banding on the drapes to teal, or at least add a couple inch band of teal between the red and the print. That will also help the teal pop out of the drapery fabric. I would NOT paint the panels above the fireplace in the teal. What I would do is get a thicker piece for the mantel shelf, and drop it down so that the bottom of it starts at the top line of the tile, and paint it the same color as the rest of the panels (white?) I would then look for three platters or six smaller plates to hang in the panels with teal as the primary color. Or, use two of these on each of the outside panels, hung one over the other, and then a teal vase in the center with some branches and greenery to give some height. teal seashell plates Maybe this vase from Pier1: Teal reactive vase Pier1 will have all the faux and dried grasses, twigs and small floral accents to pull in the colors you want into the vase. If you donâÂÂt like the plates, look at the seashell and starfish/coral wall art pieces on the Pier 1 site - they would work instead of the plates on the two side panels. Please also take a little time to paint all the vents teal to disappear on the wall. They are not decorative items. :-) A taller more vertical mirror over the sideboard, and either one bigger lamp on one side, or a pair of lamps on either side. Consider finding something if you do a single larger lamp, that has a ceramic base. I know this is expensive, but I think it would be stunning there against the teal wall, and picks up the coral pattern in the drapery: coral porcelain temple jar lamp

Arthrum: good point, the temps in my house are only kept above 65 degrees, but it still seems that some temperature hardy plants still show dislike of my repotting... Dbarron: oh my! Sounds like a tragedy! I get upset enough when I break of a new shoot! Vtandrea: thanks for the suggestion! I'll definitely try it on one of my oncidiums! Jane: I live in the Oakland hills in the SF Bay Area. I grow almost all my indoor orchids in the same spot, positioned around a fireplace to control the amount of light. The facing of the house isn't the best. 80% of the light is late morning to afternoon sun . 90% of the windows are west facing :( like the house... The problem might be I repotted at the wrong time. I didn't a lot of reporting in the winter/ late fall (whoops...)

Stu.. If you are changing the soil and putting it in a larger container, you can take most of the soil off and if you are a little unsure then leave some around the rootball to keep it intact. Its ok. First time is the hardest... I wouldn't wait to repot if you think it needs it. You want the tree to be at the height of its growing peak and that would be now.. Trees will start to slow down at the end of the season and you want to make changes to any tree at the height of it vigor... Which would be now. When we talk of acclimating our trees, we mean to keep them protected from the sun that they might be sitting in before you repot. If you placed them back in the same sunlight, it could really cause stress in the tree because of all of the changes.. So giving it time and letting it adjust is the best for your tree. Lets say I have a tree that I'm repotting . I will take that tree and make sure it comes out of the container as a whole rootball. That should be a good indication it needs attention. I would either use my hands to shed the soil away from the sides or I would soak it in a bucket to help get rid of the extra soil.. You can use the hose to help get rid of the excess soil ( carefully) After I make my mix and have it ready( before I start the whole process) I would have my new container ready.. Put new soil in your container to the height that will keep the original top of the tree from the last container. Pack the soil in with your hands and gently tap the side of the container to help the soil settle into the container. Gently pack the soil around the stem so its firm and the stem is not moving around.... Stake the new tree and I would stake it with two stakes on each side of the new tree. Use gardening tape to help support the stem to the stakes so it doesn't move... This will help the roots take hold and make it able to recover . Repotting a tree shocks it and it needs a little rest. So I would also take the tree, give it a good soaking of water and place it in the shade for two weeks and then gradually increase the sunlight it received.. The water will run out of the container the first time you water after you repot. Remember.. Fast draining is good, but it will need another drink in a few days if you are in a hot climate. Don't over water, but give it some after repotting. It will bounce back after a few days.. Keep an eye on the water level after repotting. After it perks up and looks like its adjusted, go back to the wet/ dry cycle ! I hope this explains how to " acclimate". Have. A great night! Laura

Let's use your second picture, the closeup, for this discussion. The larger branch that sticks up from the dominant trunk has to go, so cut it off flush with the trunk with a fine saw, then paint the wound carefully with waterproof wood glue. The glue seals the wood, prevents it from drying, prevents a large scar that takes a long time to heal, and helps the callus tissue that forms at the edge of the wound to roll over the wound without resistance. As you follow the trunk line up, you come to another branch that sticks up, then has a branch that moves off to the right. That stays, but the little stub that sticks up gets the same treatment I described for the first upright branch off the trunk. The branch underneath the higher branch that moves to the right and looks like a continuation of the main trunk line and appears parallel to the upper branch should be removed. Your trunk will move to the right, then move upward a short distance, then continue to the right. That little 'crook in the trunk line adds interest. The reason the lower branch should be moved is, it competes with your eye as the apex. Even though the trunk line your keeping is higher than the branch, it still confuses your eye. All the branches on the subordinate trunk should move to the right, but no branch should be directly above another. The lowest branch should move right and toward you. The next should move right and be in line with the trunk, the third branch should move right and toward the back. There should be no branches on the dominant trunk that move to the right. Coming off the dominant trunk, you should have 3-4 branches arranged alternately that move to the left. These should be longer branches to offer visual balance (so the tree doesn't look like it's going to fall over to the right). There is a branch that is growing off the really short stub that sticks up where the dominant trunk line makes a jog. It appears to be growing to the left. That is a key branch. Train it so it grows toward the front and moves left. No branches should grow directly toward the front of the composition, so they look like they want to poke you in the eye. Did you get all that? FWIW, I'm a bonsai judge, and 30 years of practice at bonsai allows me to see the tree in the tree. It also allows me to see problems and offer plans that allow the grower to work around the problems or in some cases turn them into a feature. Comments? Al