Hello experts,

I'm new to gardening and I'd love to learn. Here is california, san
francisco bay area, I guess zone 10/11? I do not have any yard space.
:-( I live in a condo which has a northwest facing balcony. I saw
beautiful camellia, gardenia and azalea/rhododendron in the stores
now. I'm very eager to try them. I've bought a 5gallon camellia Tom
Knudsen and replanted it in a 13" pot with the help of home depot
expert. I put it in my family room which faces southeast. I put it by
the window to get some sun. I checked books and found some saying that
it is an outdoor plant, some saying it can stay in the containor.
Looks like it is not good for indoor? I feel very upset.

My question is that if I put the plant close to the window so it gets
the sun through window and blinds, is this considered as "direct sun"
or "shade" or "filter sun"? Should I keep it in my family room for
some warm sun or should I move it to the balcony without sun exposure?
What are the choices?

I really want to add some colorful flowers at home. I don't like color
leaf plants. I have peace lily. What are robust flower bearing plants
that can grow indoor? Can I try to grow camellia, gardenia and
azalea/rhododendron indoor?

Thanks a lot for your help!
Tiffany

"Frank" wrote in message
om...
Hello experts,

I'm new to gardening and I'd love to learn. Here is california, san
francisco bay area, I guess zone 10/11? I do not have any yard space.
:-( I live in a condo which has a northwest facing balcony. I saw
beautiful camellia, gardenia and azalea/rhododendron in the stores
now. I'm very eager to try them. I've bought a 5gallon camellia Tom
Knudsen and replanted it in a 13" pot with the help of home depot
expert. I put it in my family room which faces southeast. I put it by
the window to get some sun. I checked books and found some saying that
it is an outdoor plant, some saying it can stay in the containor.
Looks like it is not good for indoor? I feel very upset.

My question is that if I put the plant close to the window so it gets
the sun through window and blinds, is this considered as "direct sun"
or "shade" or "filter sun"? Should I keep it in my family room for
some warm sun or should I move it to the balcony without sun exposure?
What are the choices?

I really want to add some colorful flowers at home. I don't like color
leaf plants. I have peace lily. What are robust flower bearing plants
that can grow indoor? Can I try to grow camellia, gardenia and
azalea/rhododendron indoor?

Thanks a lot for your help!
Tiffany

Had a corded electric mower when I first moved into my last house which had
a very small yard. I spent more time moving the cord out of my way than I
did cutting the grass. I HATED it.

If your yard is small enough, maybe one of the new rechargeable battery
powered mowers would be a good choice.

Hound Dog

camellia will grow best outdoors in California. (The inside of a house
usually is too dry - it has too little humidity), and certain kinds of
diseases and fungi spread very rapidly indoors, without air circulation. If
your balcony is pretty shady, that's ok - camellias do not need a lot of
direct sun. For indoor flowers, probably the most successful one under the
most common circumstances is the african violet. Many people have success
with christmas cactus also.
"Frank" wrote in message
om...
Hello experts,

I'm new to gardening and I'd love to learn. Here is california, san
francisco bay area, I guess zone 10/11? I do not have any yard space.
:-( I live in a condo which has a northwest facing balcony. I saw
beautiful camellia, gardenia and azalea/rhododendron in the stores
now. I'm very eager to try them. I've bought a 5gallon camellia Tom
Knudsen and replanted it in a 13" pot with the help of home depot
expert. I put it in my family room which faces southeast. I put it by
the window to get some sun. I checked books and found some saying that
it is an outdoor plant, some saying it can stay in the containor.
Looks like it is not good for indoor? I feel very upset.

My question is that if I put the plant close to the window so it gets
the sun through window and blinds, is this considered as "direct sun"
or "shade" or "filter sun"? Should I keep it in my family room for
some warm sun or should I move it to the balcony without sun exposure?
What are the choices?

I really want to add some colorful flowers at home. I don't like color
leaf plants. I have peace lily. What are robust flower bearing plants
that can grow indoor? Can I try to grow camellia, gardenia and
azalea/rhododendron indoor?

Thanks a lot for your help!
Tiffany

(Frank) wrote in message . com...
Hello experts,

I'm new to gardening and I'd love to learn. Here is california, san
francisco bay area, I guess zone 10/11? I do not have any yard space.
:-( I live in a condo which has a northwest facing balcony. I saw
beautiful camellia, gardenia and azalea/rhododendron in the stores
now. I'm very eager to try them. I've bought a 5gallon camellia Tom
Knudsen and replanted it in a 13" pot with the help of home depot
expert. I put it in my family room which faces southeast. I put it by
the window to get some sun. I checked books and found some saying that
it is an outdoor plant, some saying it can stay in the containor.
Looks like it is not good for indoor? I feel very upset.


Put that camellia outdoors. You have a great climate for them, and
they will do much better outdoors.

J. Del Col

"Frank" wrote in message
om...
Hello experts,

I'm new to gardening and I'd love to learn. Here is california, san
francisco bay area, I guess zone 10/11? I do not have any yard space.
:-( I live in a condo which has a northwest facing balcony. I saw
beautiful camellia, gardenia and azalea/rhododendron in the stores
now. I'm very eager to try them. I've bought a 5gallon camellia Tom
Knudsen and replanted it in a 13" pot with the help of home depot
expert. I put it in my family room which faces southeast. I put it by
the window to get some sun. I checked books and found some saying that
it is an outdoor plant, some saying it can stay in the containor.
Looks like it is not good for indoor? I feel very upset.

My question is that if I put the plant close to the window so it gets
the sun through window and blinds, is this considered as "direct sun"
or "shade" or "filter sun"? Should I keep it in my family room for
some warm sun or should I move it to the balcony without sun exposure?
What are the choices?

I really want to add some colorful flowers at home. I don't like color
leaf plants. I have peace lily. What are robust flower bearing plants
that can grow indoor? Can I try to grow camellia, gardenia and
azalea/rhododendron indoor?

None of those plants will be happy indoors for more than a week or two.
Plants which grow easily outdoors in most climates will seldom make good
candidates for houseplants - it is too warm and too dry in our houses for
them to thrive. Put your camellia on your balcony - that sounds like an
ideal location for it - and visit a local garden center or store that
specializes in houseplants (not HD or similar). Explain your light situation
to them and they can help you select suitable flowering houseplants. One of
the most long blooming and low care flowering plants for inside are orchids.
If you select one that has a few open flowers and lots of buds, with the
right care it can bloom for months. Rather tricky to get them to rebloom,
but if you purchase at a place like Trader Joe's, they are inexpensive
enough for that not to be a concern. Gardenias can also be grown indoors but
they are considerably more fussy about conditions than orchids.

pam - gardengal

On 9 Feb 2004 17:55:13 -0800, (Frank) wrote:

Hello experts,

snip

Can I try to grow camellia, gardenia and
azalea/rhododendron indoor?

Thanks a lot for your help!
Tiffany

None of these are good choices for indoor plants with maybe the
exception of the gardenia. There is a variety that can be grown
successfully inside. It is small and wouldn't be in anything larger
than a 6" pot. The name escapes me right now but in any case I
wouldn't recommend it to a new gardener. What does very well in the
bay area are bromeliad and begonias.

zhan

Thank you all for your replies!

I'll move my camellia to the balcony and hopefully it will be happy
about it. Here is my new gardening plan for the year. I'll buy a 1G
gardenia and 1G azalea. I found them in wal-mart nursery. They are in
6" long pots so I'll have to transfer them to 8" pots for the first
2-3 years. For indoor, I'll buy anthurium, begonias and orchid for
colors. How does this sound? I heard it is difficult to grow orchid.
What species are good for a beginner? Moth orchid? cyum....?

What are good nursery stores? I checked online and went to a
"Summerwinds" near me. Their plants and pots are more expensive than
HD&walmart. Is it true that HD&walmart are always cheaper? I found
some labels on the plants are the same as those on HD plants. So if
they are from the same source, maybe I can just go with the cheaper
store ones?

Also, I posted a question about self-watering container. It would be
great if you can share your experience with it.

Thanks again! I really appreciate all your time and help!

Tiff

"Frank" wrote in message
om...
Thank you all for your replies!

I'll move my camellia to the balcony and hopefully it will be
happy
about it. Here is my new gardening plan for the year. I'll buy
a 1G
gardenia and 1G azalea. I found them in wal-mart nursery. They
are in
6" long pots so I'll have to transfer them to 8" pots for the
first
2-3 years. For indoor, I'll buy anthurium, begonias and orchid
for
colors. How does this sound? I heard it is difficult to grow
orchid.
What species are good for a beginner? Moth orchid? cyum....?

What are good nursery stores? I checked online and went to a
"Summerwinds" near me. Their plants and pots are more expensive
than
HD&walmart. Is it true that HD&walmart are always cheaper?

No. And the plant quality is often inferior -- if only because
the hired help knows little or nothing about plants.


I found
some labels on the plants are the same as those on HD plants.
So if
they are from the same source, maybe I can just go with the
cheaper
store ones?

The distributor may well sell lesser plamts to the discount
chains.

You are almost always better off going to a local nursery that
has been around for a while. You _may_ pay a bit more, but you
can get expert help, some kind of a guarantee (doesn't cover
stupidity), and better plants.

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - Only where
people have learned to appreciate and cherish the landscape and
its living cover will they treat it with the care and respect it
should have - Paul Bigelow Sears.

"Frank" wrote in message
om...
Thank you all for your replies!

I heard it is difficult to grow orchid.
What species are good for a beginner? Moth orchid? cyum....?

Growing orchids is easier than you would imagine......getting them to
rebloom again is a different story. You may get different opinions, but I
find Phaleanopsis or moth orchids very easy to grow and extremely long
blooming. and the easiest to get to rebloom. Select a healthy looking plant
with deep green foliage and a flower stalk with as many plump buds as you
can manage. These will unfurl slowly over a period of several months. Moths
prefer a bright but indirect light, although they will tolerate quite low
light levels. Just make sure you keep it out of direct sunlight which will
dry out the plant and bleach the foliage. They need lots of water and
shouldn't be allowed to dry out completely, but they do not like standing
water. I water mine thoroughly at the kitchen sink and allow the water to
drain off before replacing them in their decorative pot or saucer. A layer
of pebbles on the saucer will help avoid any sitting water but allow for
some more humidity. Daily misting will help increase humidity too, but avoid
misting the flowers. Room temperatures are perfect, but avoid drafts or
placing close to heat vents.

Once the orchid has stopped blooming, cut the flower stalk back to the
second node ( a little triangular shaped appendage on the stalk) from the
base. Start fertilizing then with an orchid fertilizer (s/b available where
you purchase the orchid) according to the package directions. In 3-5 months
a new flower stalk should begin to emerge from the point where you cut the
old one back. With good care, this should bloom for you as well and perhaps
the plant will reward you with generating a second flower stalk, too. Good
luck!

pam - gardengal

"Jim Lewis" wrote:

The distributor may well sell lesser plamts to the discount
chains.

Most national chains get excellent plants from national and foreign
large scale growers. The day the plants are delivered, they are in
excellent condition. How they fare from then is up to the quality of
the staff at the chain store. Some times they are well taken care of
and sometimes they aren't. The sooner you can get your after they are
delivered, the better luck you will have.

You are almost always better off going to a local nursery that
has been around for a while. You _may_ pay a bit more, but you
can get expert help, some kind of a guarantee (doesn't cover
stupidity), and better plants.

Nurseries vary considerably. Some sell beautiful plants that are not
hardy because they know people will come back and buy more when they
die. One of the "best" local nurseries in our area has this philosophy.
Other local nurseries use kids to take care of their stock and have the
same problem as the national chains. Not every local nursery better
than every chain store.

If you are lucky enough, it is best to buy from a local nursery that has
field grown plants. They are a little more difficult to transplant, but
will do the best in the long run.

--
Pardon my spam deterrent; send email to
Visit my Rhododendron and Azalea web pages at:
http://home.earthlink.net/~rhodyman/rhody.html
Also visit the Rhododendron and Azalea Bookstore at:
http://home.earthlink.net/~rhodyman/rhodybooks.html
Cheers, Steve Henning in Reading, PA USA http://home.earthlink.net/~rhodyman