On 1/2/2014 10:54 PM, Dan Espen wrote:
Norminn writes:

Buy a couple of orchid plants, christmas cactus, or potted
azaleas. Learn to care for them...they bloom in winter and might
brighten your day. Always good to have something to look forward to.

I just got my first orchid plant to re-bloom, the second one is on it's
way. Christmas Cactus we've had for years, they bloom all winter,
they're great.

But Azaleas? Do they need a lot of light?
How often do they bloom?


I've never tried azaleas indoors, but my mom did. Mom could keep any
plant alive and flourishing. Her azaleas were small, in pots, normally
in shaded west window. In fall, they went to the cold vestibule of her
apartment building, along with the Christmas cactus, for about a month.
I think she brought them back into the apartment around first of
December....as with many other things, I wish I had written it down )

When I bought my first orchid, I really did not expect it to survive,
but I had sunny windows to use. Now I have six, all looking great. Ice
cubes every other day. I should have repotted them in December, but now
I'll wait until they are done blooming. Made the mistake of leaving one
in a plastic pot and almost drowned it....full of water for who knows
how long ;o(

I picked up an odd looking plant last year at the garden center, having
no idea what it was. Leaves resemble staghorn fern, but are smoothe,
shiny and lighter green. It was massively rootbound, so I put it in a
larger pot. Only in the last month, with new leaves coming up, could I
tell it is actually a fern.