oh boy...do not put your orchid in direct sunlight. it will kill it faster than anything. they like indirect sunlight. definitely my favourite plant.

i am a horticulturalist, so my thumb is mega-green.

I grow hybrid roses and also tropical plants. I love the bright colors.

black light ( bulb/glass rod, that shines blue is not just for fish tanks.
in mid east coast line, we have couple more mo's before we need to bring potted plants inside,for the winter.
indoor plants provide oxygen.they take in carb. n put out fresh oxygen : )
I plant my herbs in Nov. I have window shelf's in 1 of my kitchen windows.

upon reading title of your post, will, I instantly throught that you were refering to what plants that are used as in eatable or put in soup or drink, poision's.LOL

I like the so called plant "Bird " as will as island flowering plants.

u can also make a make shift hot box out of small dails placed in pot liken to te pod tent n wrap w sara clear plasic wrap ( wrap that we use to cover food). leave an opening at top so that plant can breath n so it can be watered.

i love lavender, pink roses, and asparagus ferns...but don't have any at the moment....wish i did tho.

@ SunCloud ---

I don't care HOW dark it is where you're living, you could definitely have a snake plant!!!! (Also known as 'Mother-in-law's Tongue' or, more properly, 'Sansevieria'.)

And you could almost certainly have philodendron or pothos ivy (devil's ivy), spath lily (peace lily), or a corn plant.

The philodendron and pothos ivy will get stringy if you don't pinch them back once in a while, but they're really low maintenance.
You can even grow 'em in water, if you want.

I used to have dozens and dozens of all different kinds of plants!!!!
Now, even taking care of a plant is too much for me, for the most part.

I have one snake plant and one pothos ivy now.

And they're lucky that they're alive.
Come to think of it, I haven't checked on that snake plant in an awful long time.

I have a black thumb..but, have always enjoyed plants indoors and out. When I used to go to the plant department ( I don't go shopping much now due to other health issues)... my husband would say to the plants " run for your lives".. :-)
I do have indoor plants that have somehow survived me for years.:-) :-)
Hugs...jc

Air plants are amongst my favorites.

well doorknob, i do have a green thumb, 2 in fact and green fingers!!!! Fancy your Mum tossing an orchid out. Shame.
And Babyshelby, hahaha....you like johhnny jump ups so much you jumped up your post 3 times! lol
I am renting and have put in numerous cuttings of various plants just to cover bare earth and at the moment the colourful nastursiums are pretty colourful out the back. Gazinias, very hardy all flowering out front. Then I recently bought some Snap Dragons which are sitting in their pots. I like all plants, trees, succulents...anything, i see beauty in it all. And gardening for me is therapeutic. I love to smell the earth. It's in my blood! Mum and dad gardened, veges, fruit trees so kinda grew up with home grown stuff and appreciate it, to grow things isn't hard. You just can't allow a die back or 2 to turn you off. My mum is orchid nut, she;s in a club and all. She has some in shadehouses, some on back verandah. Guess it depends on the climate where you live. Trial and error. Oh and venus fly traps are cool, kids love em!

venus fly traps sound fun.

Well my orchid isn't dieing it just isn't the dark green it's suppose to be. It's more of a bright green. I know I've read they are suppose to be the color of grass. But I'm just assuming it's not getting enough sun. My house is very dark and my orchid never bloomed this year and it's passed time for it.

I just repotted it and the orchid soil I bought for it has fertilizer in it. I'm also afraid to fertilize it because I have a tendency to over do things.

So far my orchids have survived a lot. they seem to be pretty hardy plants.

do you know what kind of orchid it is. I've grown a number and re-flowered them over the past decade.

Some need direct sunlight to bloom, others you can kill in a day or so with direct sunlight.

Did it look like this?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phalaenopsis

Orchids intimidate me, but my boss has several and she says they are easy, once you find the place they like. I think I'm gonna try one.

There are lots of windows in my home, lots of sunlight, hopefully I will be successful.

I love lavender, but can't grow it here in central Texas. My rosemary thrives. I love the smell!

Yes pirate jack that is the variety orchid I have.

Well it might not quite be time for it to bloom yet, according to a flowering chart it starts in October. So maybe all hope is not lost.

Still I think it is the wrong shade of green.

ok, well they are orchids that like shade - that's why they are so popular for houses.

They do need what you might call bright shade, ideal is a north facing window. I water once a week, with a weak fertilizer 3 weeks, plain water the 4 th week. If they are in proper orchid mix you can pour over a pint in and the water falls out. it's good to pour a lot through - it draws in fresh air. The roots also breath and epiphytitic orchids easily suffocate. Rain water is best. Don't allow them to stand in water - they drown.

They like a moist atmosphere but spraying can be hazardous for them.

They like it warm - the october thing is about a temp drop that will trigger flowering - however I've had several in flower over summer.

er..that's it.

arrr