I grow numerous orchids, both epiphytic and terrestrial, as well as a large collection of sarracenias and a few nepenthes. The most successful orchid/cp combinations in my garden are bog gardens, and they are spectacular right now. I have Platanthera (aka. Habenaria) ciliaris in full bloom planted in combination with Sarracenias, VFT's, and Calopogon orchids. I'm still experimenting with Epipactus species, but they are not terribly vigorous here (lots of west coast plants tend to languish in our summer humidity.) Another successful bog companion, as noted in one of the posts above, is Spiranthes cernua. I'm also experimenting with Pogonia ophoglossoides (sp?), but it's taking a while to get established; it's pretty far south of its normal range here, so the heat may be a factor. I have tried cypripediums in bog environments before, but can't recommend that. I find that they need much better drainage to prevent fungal attack than do the CP's, and they're too expensive to risk. Bletillas are a possibility while in growth, but would need to be lifted and stored in a drier, cooler place during the winter - I've seen them sold as bog plants at a couple of local nurseries lately, but wouldn't count on their being perennial without decent winter drainage. As far as the epiphytic species go, I don't see why a combo of Nepenthes and Phals, for instance, wouldn't work, but I agree that it would just be easier to grow them separately. Weight becomes a consideration when you're dealing with plants which hang (I grow all of mine on mounts or suspended in pots or baskets), and you can always group them together for display purposes. Another issue is that epiphytic plants (which includes most of the orchids which are commonly available) need the excellent drainage afforded them by a container which will dry out to the core before being watered again; when you start combining plants in containers, you increase the volume of potting medium and likewise the time it takes for moisture in the center to evaporate. I like the idea of the bromeliad/nepenthes/orchid "tree"; I snagged the remains of a beautiful crepe myrtle from one of my neighbor's trash heap a couple of years ago with the notion of creating something like that, but so far it's just providing a climbing wall for squirrels behind my shed. The best laid plans...

Hi Lulie, I think you saw at the KT where I lost my DMom in Feb. and then just recently lost Glen in May. I am doing o.k., I guess. Ninapearl took the words right out of my head. I loved Glen so much and miss him daily. Today, for some reason has really been rough. Well, one reason is I went to the cemetery and the flowers I had left weren't there and I wonder why... I try to tell myself on the really bad days that this is not how my loved ones nor God would want me to be. I know in my heart that they Are in a better place and no longer suffering. Two major losses like that within less than 3 months is hard. We didn't have any kids together just the animals and they are what keep me going. I can tell they are getting a little better but they do have some separation anxiety it seems when I leave them. No nothing is the same and if someone hasn't been through this they really don't have any idea what it's like. One day they are here with us and then the next they are not. If one more person tells me "you're still young, you'll find someone" I think I just may go postal. It doesn't matter how old you are or they were, when you lose the love of your life that is the last thing on your mind-finding someone to replace them.(which I will never be able to do)we were two halves that made each other whole. I'd like to read your book when it becomes available. Christin was a beautiful young woman with a wonderful soul. Charlotte

I would have laughed out loud, but IÂve seen this joke before. ItÂs still funny. It also followed every criterion for posting on the GardenWeb and ThatHomeSite forums. Homemadecountrylife  you may have found this particular post offensive  but you donÂt get to police this forum. This is a commercially run forum. If you donÂt like it, well, leave. The moderators of IVillage do police the forum, and see nothing wrong with the post. I found your post more offensive than the original post, simply because you are trying to force your viewpoint on others. If you donÂt want to read this stuff  then just donÂt. This forum is certainly not meant for children, so don't expose your toddler to it.

My guess is that it is likely you were taking younger growth tips for cuttings in the past and it took all season for them to mature and harden enough to set flower buds. But this time you probably took a cutting that was older wood. It could easily have already set tiny flower bud cells at the time you originally cut it but then went through a period of having to root and put off developing those flower buds, thus holding them over until the following spring. That would not be unusual at all. I confess however that I do not grow Angel Trumpets so I am not familiar with their growth and blooming periods or how quickly their stems mature to flowering. Meristem tissue is found where a leaf or stem joins the main stem, or at the growing tip of a stem. At the base of the bud (hidden or visible) will be cells that have not yet differentiated. That means they haven't changed enough to know if they are going to be leaves, stem, or flowers. So there is /potential/ for any meristem plant tissue to become flower buds, yes, but no guarantee it will do so. The meristem tissue may have a small cap of cells that have already differentiated into leaf cell structures that form a layered covering. This is what the meristem tissue does most of the time. Produce leaves and stem. It takes particular triggers (chemical, hormonal) to produce the flower buds and these vary with the kind of plant. Some of these triggers are encouraged when the plant reaches a certain size and maturity. Other times they can be set off due to temperatures dropping low enough for long enough. Or triggered when day light lengths extend to reach so many hours a day within set temperature ranges. Very often it can be multiple factors at once that have to line up. In the case of your cuttings, it was likely a maturity issue. Younger, greener growth may not have the chemical factors that are required to set flower bud tissues. Once the cuttings are taken, they have to put energy into making roots rather than getting more 'mature' right away so it can take longer. But older, more mature wood that is prime (and not yet already flowered) then may already have those chemical keys present or maturing at the time when you take the cuttings. Thus it is even possible for them to suddenly break into flower even before new roots are formed, depending on how far along those buds have matured. This is why a cutting you take from a mature plant, when rooted or grafted, may flower long before a regular seedling. Even if you grafted the cutting onto a /seedling/ as well. This is often true no matter what kind of plant it is - adenium, orchid, hibsicus, etc it doesn't matter. But if the cutting material is fairly new, fast growth, it may still be too immature to flower even if it is taken from a mature plant. It depends on what those flowering triggers are and whether they have all been met yet in the cutting material. Does that make sense? I don't know if this will help answer your question, Rick. It's a broad area and there are likely papers published in various science journals specific to the family of plants you are working with as relates to further details in this path of inquiry. Many things are interrelated in plants and are shared regardless of species, and others may be more species specific and variable.