Morning Cliss, Good luck rooting your Tills. Hope you can open this link...isn't it gorgeous? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tillandsia_tower_arp.jpg Maybe your Tills are taking longer to root due to time of year??? I too like the look of different variety Crypts growing in one container. A shallow pot would probably do well, right? How about an Aechmea in the center, surrounded by Crypts? Preferably pups. That'd be a nice setup. I wish Botanical Gardens wasn't so far north. Seems, places to visit, are always up north.. You're far south, so the ride is a long hike for you, too. Can't recall the year, but we went to BG's the same wkend a Bromiliad and Succulent show was being held..I didn't know BG's sold plants, but what a surprise! LOL How long did it take by public transportation? Heck, it's a long drive by car.. We used to haul our bikes from Brookfield to Caldwell St. Ride through the bike trail until we reached BG's. A good 25 miles from Caldwell to BG's. Browse their gardens and of course, the 3 green houses. Bike back to the car, then the long, tiring drive home. I didn't bring much cash, so the only plant I bought was Sansevieria cylindrica...vendor charged 11 for this Sans, in a 3" pot. One of the least expensive succulents. lol. Did you browse the green houses and gardens? If not, next time you go, you must have a look-see. When is their next show? If it's warm enough, I'd like to go. Warm meaning at least 75F. lol. Discounts are 'usually' available for Navy Pier Show. Used to be. They're prices are way too high. And Parking!!! Last time we went, parking alone cost 27.00. We missed the shuttle bus, so ended up walking a little over a mile. One, tiny cup of pop, 1.75. I bought a few plants, lol. When we left, temps dropped, 'you know how windy the city is,' and snowing, big time. Temps were frigid. By the time we got home, 2 out of 3 plants were frost-bitten. I first met Ted at Navy Pier Show in the mid-90's. We started talking..I was delighted to hear Ted's Nursery existed, and located south instead of north of the city. Bought a Dracaena Draco that day. A few days later, I was off to Ted's. What a nursery!! Did you ever go to Jamacan Gardens? One was in Morton Grove, the other Libertyville. Both stores closed their doors 2009 or 2010. Terrible, just awful. They too had some real rarities. Anyway, Cliss, regarding BG's, owning a car, 'w/high gas costs,' isn't practical. Oak Park Conservatory has C&S's meetings every other Wed. Think it's 15.00 per year to join..A great deal! You're better off going to Ted's Nursery than Navy Pier. The money you spend on entry fee, parking or public trans, drink/food, and over-priced plants can instead go directly to Ted's plants..lol.. Ted told me he visits other locations every so often, plus Tinley Park is having a plant show in March. I might go, but no way will I head downtown only to be ripped off. Vendors acting like car dealers, trying to sell insurance! Unspeakable! Cliss, although I advise people not to repot during winter months, I've been doing it all along. Lights or no lights. I don't touch succulents, but if a tropical is in dire need of a larger home, where it needs daily watering, it's repotted. As long as one is careful, don't disturb roots, there's really no problem, but that's between me and my plants..:) Yep, gotta start somewhere. I mix up my soils, ahead of time, then ready to go. Ever read/watch James Underwood Crockett, the original Victory Garden's host? He also authored indoor and garden books. In one of his house plant books, he explains what needs doing from Jan-Dec. I learned a lot from this man, and pretty much follow his ideas. Insecticide. I mix 2-4 drops dish soap, garlic, hot pepper, citrus, and sometimes mouth wash in water the day before spraying. To prevent or rid Scale, Fish Emulsion with the above ingredients. If FE is used, it cannot be kept overnight. The mix doesn't smell like roses, but works. lol. Cliss, I made up this mix in the late 80's, early 90's. Because we have birds, and I simply dislike chemicals, I came up with this idea when I first found mites on a Croton. All except FE should be sprayed once every other week..w/FE once a month. What type of Philos do you have? I'm happy meeting another Chicagoian. lol. Toni

I can't determine if number 3 is poison ivy, but it is definitely not poison oak or sumac. Would need an up close picture of the leaves. Number 2 is too small for me to tell, as well. I am suspicious of number 1 being poison ivy or oak, though.* None of the plants are poison sumac. That is a definite. Here is how you can tell if you have poison ivy: 1. There will be 3 leaflets on one leaf stem, continuing up the branch in sets of 3. This means that the branch will never have single leaves growing from it. (Poison sumac is different) These leaflets will NEVER occur directly across from each other, they will always be alternate. 2. The middle leaflet almost always has a longer stem than the other 2. It never has a shorter stem. 3. The leaflet's side veins (not the main vein that goes from stem to leaf tip) are alternating in pattern, never across from each other. * This is the reason I am suspicious of number 1 possibly being poison oak or ivy. 4. The base of the leaf stem will be thickened, like a celery stalk. 5. Poison ivy flowers are tiny, white or pale cream, hang in clusters. They may or may not be fragrant. They will alternate on flower stem. 6. If flowers were present, fruit may show. It will be smaller than a pea, light green when young, white when ripe, resembling a tiny peeled orange. There will be black stripes between segments on the fruit. 7. If poison ivy is injured by bugs or damaged in any way, it will exude a resin. When this resin dries, it will make pitch black spots or lines on the plant. This is an excellent way to determine if you have poison ivy or oak. Using a shovel, crush part of the stem. By the next day, you should be able to see the black resin, if it is poison ivy or oak. 8. Poison ivy does not twine around trees. It's growth is pretty much straight up. 9. Eastern Poison Ivy vines, when established (think older plant), resemble old, frayed ropes, due to their aerial roots. Western Poison Oak will not have obvious aerial roots. Stems will be strong and flexible, not wimpy. New bark is reddish brown, older bark will be a weathered gray. New leaf growth is usually red, but not always. Fall color may be vibrant or dull. You will NEVER see the following: 1. Flowers growing from the end of a stem 2. Single, large flowers 3. Flowers any color other than cream or white 4. Upright flowers 5. Fruit larger than a pea 6. Red, blue, or purple fruit 7. Leaf stalks directly across from each other on the stem 8. Sharp spines 9. A vine twining like a barber pole Here is a link that might be useful: Poison Ivy This post was edited by AuroraWA on Thu, Jul 24, 14 at 0:44

Barb...both happy and sad....Happy he is moving forward with his life. Knowing he will go far as long as he stays focused on his studies, and learns to quit being so wasteful. Sad because he is moving on and we will be seeing very little of him in the next 4 years or so. We havent made any new life adventures yet. House needs some TLC. I suppose first we will get used to having a home with just us and the critters and go from there. Chell I used to be a dog and cat groomer. I loved it too. But my employer was a deedeedee. Never had the money to pay me each week and always "owed" me. And she never gave me my tips either.Then at the end of the year she reported more earnings for me than what I had really made.Fortunitly I kept records and proved my case and won, so make sure you don't let the same happen to you. I have kept my clippers, blades and accessories and still will do a neighbors dog or two once in awhile to keep my skills up.....but don't miss the hair stuck in places I did'nt know existed....lol. Love all the pictures the everyone post. Always enjoy seeing ya'lls babies. Regina

Hi all, I have Plectranthus Purpuratus (Purple Swedish Ivy) and I placed it indoor, near a big door that faces a balcony. The balcony is Australian south facing. It is still bright but no direct sunlight. The ivy was thriving, but in the last few weeks it has developed brown spots and now the leaves are not are hard anymore. They are very lumpy and turning yellow. I attached a few pics below. Not sure if it’s because of the (lack of) direct sunlight or overwatering. I heard it’s very easy to grow his plant indoors. So, any tips are appreciated! I really don’t want to kill this gorgeous purple beauty! :(