I figured I'd stop highjacking Swap Thread and start a new one and introduce myself since it seems to be an actual community here.

Michellelee-LOL On the orchid comment. I never got them to rebloom but the only way mine met death was by a ferret shredding them one day. Keeping Spidey the spiderplant alive though has been a challenge. I think with the orchid thing though I just got lucky and found ones that liked the warmth and humidity by my aquariums. Totally lost when it comes to these outdoor plants...

TreePalm-I'm afraid of the "seeing new plants I might want" part. lol My two fears are that A.> I won't properly take care of the plants OR B.> This will become a new, all consuming obsession. Looking forward to seeing everyone's plants though. It sounds like a really great event with some really nice people.

Nightnurse- AHCK! I didn't mean to insinuate anything about anyone else! I didn't even think when I posted that question. I'm just awful shy and stuff and don't want to be rude... I'm really curious about your recipe for black-eyed pea cornbread btw. I have a weird amount of both canned and dry black eyed peas I need to use up and no idea what to do with them.

I live in an apartment and my balcony gets eastern morning sun. It's also a small space so I'm trying to figure out how to go vertical. I'm also building a plant stand in my kitchen that, when it's done, should be 55"x48"x12" and have 2 levels, each lit by 4 48" fluorescent lights.

I've had some bad go rounds with terrestrial plants in the past. The only plants I have to my name right now are a christmas cactus, spiderplant, schefflera, sago palm, some sort of cast off dracaena and outside there's the primroses that the squirrels keep sitting on and by my front door there's a pot of pansies because the winter's killing me and I needed something alive to greet me at the door. There's also a norfolk pine thing for the birds to sit on out on the balcony. That's it for my plant family. Oh, there's also Ben the ficus cutting that's been living in a water glass for about 6 months. He just keep growing and I'm afraid to plant him since he's alive and doing his thing and I don't want to kill him. That's me and my plant family. That's not counting the 6 aquariums- 4 planted, 1 reef. Got a whole lot of plants in those.

Most of what I know about plants comes from the aquariums.. It's weird to not see people obsessively measuring their fertiliser in ppm, hooking up CO2 canisters, and measuring their ph weekly in these forums.

Trying to make a wants list and keep it reasonable given light available, space, and my ability to care for them. Looking at the space I have for them and the plants I love.. I'm thinking my balcony's going to be for all the plants that I think of as Sweet And Old Fashioned. I love bleeding hearts and ferns, pansies & violas.. I have a big soft spot for lilies. There's something about them, probably because grandma always grew them. Crocusses are another plant that I just can't help smile and know spring will finally be coming for real. Blue bells just tickle me pink. Something about geraniums just does me in too. I have the weirdest fetish for plopping their pot in empty metal coffee cans. Even the years I've done nothing with plants during the summer I still usually have at least a pot of geraniums. And allysum mixed in.. And usually by Independance day I cave and mix up a pot of red geraniums and white allysum and blue lobelia.

I have another long standing love affair with fuschias, though my dad left me with the impression that they were annuals by tossing them and buying new ones every year. I'm horrified now as I read that they could have been overwintered. I also remember sitting next to a huge honeysuckle bush and reading for hours. I'd like to have a honeysuckle of my own to read a book with again.

I guess I don't get into house and garden plants obsessively like my aquatic plants. Most of my love for them seems to be based on childhood memories, past associations and missing living in a house with a garden, which I took for granted growing up. Neither rarity or having vast numbers is really the draw for me either. They're just beautiful and peaceful and happy.

I also want to grow herbs, and be able to keep them inside as well for my kitchen plant rack. I really like cooking and nothing beats being able to go cut your own right when you need them. Aside from the herbs, and desperately needing more light in my apartment, part of the push for building the light rack was to be able to grow tropicals. Doubt I'd have that obsession except my boy grew up in hawaii and after seeing the plants, and bringing back a few cuttings that are at his place and flourishing, and how much joy they give both of us.. I'd like nothing more than to be looking at a plumeria while I make morning coffee.

Luckily if push comes to shove on space or light I can just sneakily migrate plants to my boyfriend's house! I don't question or comment much on his need for electronics so he looks the other way when it comes to my own obsessions usually.