I believe I owe y'all a huge apology! I never meant to start a war among friends...honestly. It was an innocent enough post...wasn't looking for advice...it was just an observation...although I did ask why they use multiple mediums, for heaven's sake...LOL I just this morning closed on my house up north after 3 LONNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGG years and have been busy on the phone all week with my honey, the title company, Realtors and of course, the new home owners, GOD BLESS'M!, so I haven't been back online. Sorry...it was not my intention to start a thread...never to respond. My honey is on his way home as I type with my other green obsessioncolor=green> ...hehehe! Firstly, I want to say that the plant was great looking the first week until the remaining buds blasted. I can't take any of the credit for the decline of this plant, because apparently it was in bad shape when I brought it home. Who could tell it was in peril unless one had x-ray vision and could view the roots and medium? Furthermore...I neglected to post that the reasoning behind my re-potting and not just waiting it out, which I know works for me, was the condition of the growth. I wish I had taken a shot of it to show you. The base of the entire plant, at 'soil level' had turned to mush overnight...that was why I felt it needed drastic action. I misted it and gave it very little water while under my care, so the mushy base didn't make sense...I felt it had to be that the store had over-watered it and the medium was probably retaining too much water. (This is the time of year where I withhold water from all my dens, BTW) It was the sudden failing of the plant that lead me to pull it just to see what the heck it was growing in. Now, I could be wrong, but hey!...better I learn from a grocery store chid than on a $200+ imported beauty, I say! I am still learning, after-all. :) Yes...I live in Florida...I grow my orchids outside and although I read & digest all of what everyone here writes I tend to 'listen' more to those who cultivate in like climates such as Olya, Sambac and a few others do...Not because I don't value others' opinions, but because well...its different in Flarda. I know nothing about FC's or light meters and which window's best...probably never will. Doesn't mean I can't grow orchids. It may take me longer to get the hang of it simply because its new to me...but when one of'm blooms big time or shoots up new growth at an alarming rate all the while smilin' at me...I figger I AM learning. I thank each and every one of you for all your help, even if I do hafta kinda sift through what might or might not work for me. Just because what 'A' or 'B' might post doesn't necessarily apply to me and my region, doesn't mean I learn nothing from the advice. Please stop attacking each other. Y'all have so much combined knowledge to share...it'd be a shame if this board lost any one of you! OK! On a lighter note... Anyone remember my V. Mote from last spring? She has two spikes this season so I reckon she loves me...or Florida...hehehe! This was last year... Film @ eleven... Oh...and SCOTT...KETTLE ONE, my dear...KETTLE ONE...LOL

Just thought I'd add in this monstrous Chinese Wisteria pergola we inherited when we bought our house. It's a real bear to maintain. In the summer months it requires weekly to bi-weekly pruning to keep it in check. If I let it go too long it reaches out to anything nearby, including that lamp post, as if it has eyes. It sends out underground runners along the fenceline that I've had to tame as they found their way up a huge white oak behind our back fence about 60ft away. It also reaches for a holly tree just out of the photo to the left. Hard pruning has little effect on its growth as it surges back quickly. My technique for pruning this is barbaric in comparison to how I treat my other plants. I believe it was originally planted in the late '70s as there is an hand written inscription on the bottom step just out of sight with '77 noted after the original family's surname. The pergola was clearly intended for a vine like this because the top rack is all metal angle iron and steel wire. This photo was taken in mid April this year. It unfortunately doesn't flower much. I think another variety was added at the nearest corner, as that is the only portion that flowers and does so before the leaves emerge. This shot is from about a week before its first prune of the season. My tone probably comes across as a little loathsome. It's a love-hate relationship. It's beautifully lush and mature and adds a great mass of greenery to the back yard. It's clearly taken decades to get to the point that it has, and it's something that would take years to reproduce--for that, I'm thankful. Otherwise, it's very high-maintenance! Plant with caution.

I just downloaded and uploaded photos for the 1st time in 2 weeks. I doubt I'll get the June thread up tonight - since I want to finish dealing with my photos. But I'll have it up some time tomorow. prairiemoon - I usually buy my clematis from the Middlesex Conservation District. They have a spring plant sale every year. That is where I got Carnaby this year. I'm starting lunaria from seed since I only had 1 little plant - which I stole from somewhere. And I don't have enough patience to wait for it to reseed itself! claire - your comment about Siberian Iris being a weed got me thinking about mine. I've been putting them around the pond. These are the siberian irises I've transplanted - the 3 photos are 1 year old plants, 2 year old plants and 3 year old plants. terrene - what an amazing path of digitalis. I see lots of blossoms forming, but no blooms yet.

Bill - If you haven't thought about using PVC boxes over your steel pipes, they also work (not structurally sound by themselves, but good over steel supports) and can be quite low maintenance - no warping, no rot, no painting or staining, just an occasional scrub. Some folks don't like the aesthetics, but they are easy. Not sure what colors it's available in other than white, since that's what we've used. You can get it thicker than the typical fence post covers and build your own boxes if wanted. PM2 - The solar panels are great. They provide more than enough power for the shop (except for the 3 phase used by large machines, provided by a generator since we are near the end of the line and don't want to brown out the neighbors) and we use the power grid as our battery so the only cost is the meter fee. (NH has net metering so the meter runs backward when we are generating.) When we eventually have a house down here we will use the extra power to reduce the house bills. Since we have the space, pole mounted panels are more efficient since they don't heat up as much in summer as roof mounted, easily adjust seasonally, and have simple snow removal on the infrequent occasions that they don't self-clear. This picture was taken fairly early on, when the west end of the bed was brand new and the rest of the bed hadn't grown much and I hadn't yet filled in with large perennials and clematis. It gives you a slight idea of what I'm trying to distract from in addition to the solar panels: storage sheds, propane tank, and lots of stored raw material that goes into making bowls and heating the house and shop. (I usually try to take my photos to reduce the visual impact of these since they aren't and won't ever be totally hidden.) From June 2010