I've never seen straws used, but it's an interesting way of doing it. Do you write the name of the pollen parent on the straw? I don't see any writing, or is it a color code? And how far down does the straw go? Does it surround the ovary, and if so, does it keep it from enlarging beyond a certain point? I've always used the little triangular wedges stuck right down the throat, which are then grabbed tight by the sepals when the flower closes. It works fine on Neos, but not so fine on some of the other genera, particularly Billbergias. I have to do a different system with those. As to the hybrids, yes, #1 is Ring of Fire, which is crossed with Lambert's Pride, and #2 is Kiko, which has olens as its other parent. The rest haven't been named yet but I'm working on that at the moment. #3 is crossed with Oesser #100, #4 with burlemarxii, and #5 is (correia-araujoi x concentrica) x Midnight. It can't remember if I tried a Gold Fever cross or not-- I certainly thought about it. If I did, I didn't get anything good, but don't let that stop you. Gold Fever has some really nice qualities, but if you're going for strong color I have a feeling you might have better luck with something a little darker to offset c-a's comparatively washed-out coloration. Hatsumi made 'Justin's Song' using Charm, and that's very nice. I did one with Treasure Chest, and it's just okay. The color is just not as strong as I'd like, and it's not glossy. I think Royal Burgundy would be a good one, and I'm really curious to see what would happen if you crossed it with Barbarian, since that has such a distinctive signiture. I'm not sure which would dominate. I tried Nana, but didn't like the results, and Marble Throat was just plain worthless. One of my "works in progress" is c-a x Red Flush. It has super form-- really wide leaves and a perfectly rounded rosette, but the spots are tiny and the color is vague and weak. I've been trying to cross that with something that will offset those weaknesses. Similarly c-a x concentrica 'De Leon's Best' is kind of a muddle, but crossed with Midnight it gave a nice big dark plant. Most of these are big plants. Kiko is kind of medium-sized, but for an olens cross it's on the large side. The Red Flush cross is more compact than some of the others, but comparable in size to Royal Cordovan or something like that.

Yeah, I have a VFT that I've been growing outside and one that I've been growing inside, the inside one looks a LOT like yours, I thought it was getting enough sun but, um, yeah. I'd try putting it out on the porch or something.

Some things I did when I knew my garden was going to be temporary were: 1. Planted expensive perennials in movable containers 2. To "camoflage" the containers, I planted easy to grow, inexpensive annuals - usually seed paks, around the base of the perennial planters. Check out the Annuals forum for easy things in your zone, some will re-seed too, so you don't really have to treat them as "annuals" since they come back from the seeds they drop on their own. In my dry winter zone 7 a lot of things probably re-seed that might not in your area, but here a list of some of my "aggressive" re-seeders: Alyssum Morning Glory Honesty (Lunaria) Nasturtiums Monarda/Bee Balm Amaranthus (Love-Lies-Bleeding) Hollyhocks Sweet Peas Coreopsis Nigella (Love in a mist) Oregano (the herb) By planting these, you can get some quick color and plants this year around your planters, and if they successfully re-seed, then the plants will keep coming back. If the landlord complains, you could always claim ignorance and say that you only planted annuals thinking they would only be around the year you planted them :P

gladly gal... i appreciate the diplomacy ... i see two things at work here ... first .. PERHAPS .. a newb who might be afraid to prune shrubs.. for fear of killing them ... i wanted to wash away that thought .. all plants can be pruned ... we have all seen topiary and bonsai ... and the hand shearing.. i just wanted to reinforce.. that there are other ways of reducing the size of a plant.. rather than just thru shearing ... which can end up very ugly ... [and if OP is not a newb.. i am sure there are other newbs who read all this stuff.. so i offer the knowledge to them] ... second.. i am glad i can blame a prior owner ... these plants have too great a potential ... to be planted as close to the house as they were ... most often this happens.. when they are planted for the size at point of sale ... with no regard.. that they will double to triple in size.. over the years ... and at that point ... they HAVE TO BE PRUNED ... see the vicious cycle i was trying to bring to everyones attention??? not everyone like yellow conifers ... and not everyone like the job of pruning ... if either thought crosses your mind.. its time for one or both to go ... get rid of the prior owners mistakes.. and plant your own .. lol ... then you have no one to blame ... i never feel guilty killing plants... as they are usually replaced by more than were removed ... any better gal??? ken ps: i have what came as pladycladus breckworths .. or some such.. few latin name changes over the year ... looks very similar to the yellow plant ... from about a foot big.. in 16 years... it is probably over this persons window ... it is sublime out on the acreage ... it would not be.. if planted close to the house.. and i had been cutting on it for the last 5 years ... Thuja orientalis 'Aurea Nana' (Platycladus).. at this link ... note that ever dwarf conifers.. can get very large ... the dwarf word.. is what make peeps think they can plant them 2 feet from the foundation .. note the second pic .... http://www.boethingtreeland.com/thuja-orientalis-aurea-nana-platycladus.html