I've taken the lasagna method and adapted it to my own use. I piled up layers of materials on top of some pretty heavy clay. I put it all right on top of the grass and weeds that were there. I started back in July when I found out that our landfill gives out the previous fall's leaf mulch for free. I piled it as deep as I could with as many loads as I could until I couldn't move anymore. Over the summer and fall, it's sat there. I've planted a few things here and there throughout the fall. What I have noticed is that I have a lot more earthworms and pill bugs. I have also found that I can dig in the soil below my layers a lot easier than I could this past spring. Whenever I plant something, I makes sure to dig the hole down into the original soil, mix in and replace with some of the organic material, and even add a little garden soil from a bag. It might not be the perfect method, but my plants seem happy and that makes me happy. Sure, I have weeds. I have some issues with too much moisture in shadier areas, and the beds that I actually tilled and mixed in the organic stuff seems much happier, but it's also in a different part of the yard. I can't say for sure it is the method or the original dirt. I'm doing what works for me. My plants let me know when they need something. Hopefully, I can get into a cycle that allows ME to know before they tell me. My only concern from here on is how to keep everything working.

Hi cmlewis1985 It's great to be able to welcome another new member to our forum and I hope you enjoy being a member and learn a lot about these wonderful plants. Having had a similar thing happen to me with a Guzmania I purchased once, I will relate to you what I found the problem to be. In my case, the plant I purchased was growing in a very light open mixture which didn't hold the plant very firmly. What with transport from the grower to the market where I bought it and then transport to my home, it became quite unstable in the pot causing it to take on a lean very much like the one in your picture. To rectify the problem, I straightened up the plant, firmed down the potting mix and added a little more mix to top it up, gave it a good watering to make sure the water ran through without any obstruction and just let it re-establish itself. Sometimes if the inflorescence is quite a tall one and the plant isn't secure in the pot, the plant will take on a lean due to the extra weight of the inflorescence. If it was caused by the light alone, I think it would just be the inflorescence which would lean and not the whole plant. As for turning the plant around; if it's inside in low light, it's probably a good idea to give it a quarter turn each week to prevent the inflorescence growing to one side as it reaches out in the direction of any extra light. I hope this solves the problem All the best, Nev.

Thanks, Jenn! I got your comments there, but I will continue posting here for now. Thank you for posting Patricia's Crepuscule (sp?) rose, that is DEFINATELY an inspiration pic! I'm going to think over your comments about evergreens...some tend to get pretty big here, since they seem to frequently like the cold. But winter interest would be nice, I agree. I also like the idea of the curved bed under the window. That little house at the back you noted is the cellar bulkhead. The area in the right of that pic will soon be level all the way across, as that is where the kitchen will expand to. I could make a big kidney shape, curving away from the house, back in towards the center, and then out again along the bulkhead. Was that what you were thinking, or more of an arc from corner to corner, like a pie wedge?

It sounds like the base is rotten and not salvageable. Most likely the once-a-week watering you started with was too much, if it's planted in a regular peat based potting mix, and even the initial signs that you saw were those of overwatering rather than under watering (annoyingly, they're the same signs). You should be able to cut off the last pad if it's still healthy and root it. Make sure there's absolutely no sign of rot in the section you're saving, cut away anything that is suspect. Set the cutting aside for several days to let the cut end dry out and callous over. You should then be able to plant it into a well- draining mix and allow it to root. Look up gritty mix, or use straight pumice, or a bagged succulent soil that is heavily amended (50/50) with perlite or pumice. Don't water it at all for at least a couple of weeks. Once the cutting feels really stable in the mix, that's an indication that roots have formed, and you can start watering. Let the soil dry between waterings, though a gritty type mix will be much more forgiving when it comes to watering frequency. When you see new top growth you can add a little fertilizer.