Cold and snow-showery here!
Well, I just found the culprit who ate most of my Brassavola Little Stars spikes. A slug - probably a leftover courtesy of a very wet Spring/Summer.
The Acanthephippium next to it didn't look so hot. I picked it up and noticed the tell tale slug streaks over some of the growth. Sure enough, a slug was munching on the roots. That was one plant I didn't repot last year!!
Happy New Year /January Orchids
It went below freezing here around midnight last night and stayed in the 20s F for most of the night, so the predictions seem to have been correct though I haven't looked at the official low temperature yet. I was up until 4 AM slinging strings of twinkle lights and building tents for some tender tropicals. The orchids were already stuffed inside the greenhouse, so there shouldn't be a problem with them unless some are too close to the greenhouse roof, but I was trying to be conscious about that this year since I had some damage last year from cold air that seeped down from the corrugated fiberglass ceiling. I haven't been out to survey the damage, but I can see from my upstairs window that the Blue Sky Vine (Thunbergia grandiflora) is showing the effects of a sustained freeze with its annual winter defoliation and die-back. I didn't get a chance to protect the cacti/succulent/tropical fruit & flowers garden, but most of it will survive even with a severe hit of cold. The bromeliads also were left to the elements, but they were unprotected last year and though many of them died back to the ground, they sent up new plants from the root crown. So I shall think of the devastation from the freezing weather as renewal, and not as death. I'm hoping the Tree Dahlia (D. imperialis) survived this first hit of freezing weather so that I can get some seeds from it. It is always unfortunately timed that the many seed heads don't have a chance to fully ripen before the dip below 32 F occurs and the 15 ft tree shrivels into a mass of dead leaves and branches.
Jeremy
I guess we sailed right through this first cold night of 2010. I can't see any damage and don't think it went below freezing during the night. My guess is around 36 or so was as low as it got. Another cold night tonight and then improvement. I hope this is it for the year.
I lugged all my tropical palms in their heavy pots under the porch and wrapped them in gossamer cloth so they can breethe and the less precious plants I just left where they were and wrapped them.
under the lanai it looks like this
and since I ran out of room for the orchids, our bedroom came into play.
I just looked at the forcast and this isn't going to be over for another 6 days. Every night calls for 35 degrees or so with one at 31. I'm going out this afternoon to build my tent city. Grumble, grumble...
Jim
Two new ones opened today. Den. rigidum. There are 4 more buds, too. I got this one on ebay in bloom in the fall, so I was surprised to see the buds.
The miniplant.
Stay warm you Floridians!!
Kathy, very cute!
We're warm Ursula. It's our babies who are freezing. It says dew point 26 degrees for my neighborhood right now. I can not correlate that to temperature. What does it mean to me?
fred
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dew_point
Second one opening is Ctna. Maui Maid x Epc. Morea.
Ok, so if the dew point falls below 32 degrees ice or frost is supposed to form? I don't see that dew 26. I guess I underestimated the cold weather once again when all the promised us was a low of 38 for tonight. I guess they just guess at the temps and hope for the best.
I just said good bye to this cattleya as it'll probably be gone by morning.
Our temp here is 19.4 degrees F and our dew point is 12 (at 73% humidity). So the dew point is lower than the temp.
Here's what I get for Naples. Tonite: Partly cloudy. Lows 34 to 38. North winds 5 to 10 mph. Lowest wind chill readings 28 to 33. Pray for 5mph.
We have been un-seasonally mild...38 F today with rain. I can't believe the nearly 2 feet of snow we had in mid-December is now gone! My lawn is completely snow-free..very weird for the first week of January...seems we have dodged a month of winter....suppose to stay above freezing the rest of this week too.....global warming???? (the Florida folks might not think so!)
I just finished my tent city and I'm cold. The high today was 48 and it was cloudy and windy. At one point I saw a fisherman on his bass boat float by. I looked at him, shook my head and thought how crazy he was. After a few more minutes of stringing electcal cords, looping Christmas tree lights in the trees and bushes and wrapping everything with blankets, I noticed the fisherman looking at me, shaking his head and it occured to me that he was thinking how crazy I was. Isn't life grand?
Jim
It is bitter cold around here, no sign of either local or global warming.
Ursula, many New Year beauties, Cym Chen's Ruby is lovely as is (Dar. Charm x Vf Virgil ) x V. BlueSky.
Kathy, very nice blooms there as well, the Paph hainanense is super as well as your Chantilly Lace.
Breeindy, great show also, love the Paphiopedilum Delophyllum.
Todd, that is bad news regarding your phrag collection.
Jim, Fred, Jeremy, it is very frustrating when you have duel with Mother Nature.
The nice symmetrical display of Brassidium Shooting Star 'Maui Meteor' to brighten up our dull weather
Ken.
Close up, Brassidium Shooting Star 'Maui Meteor'.
Ken, they are beautifully lined up! That is nice!!
Kathy, Naples is pretty big even though the city itself is quite small. I'm in Golden Gate Estates or at KFLNAPLE17 in weather staiton lingo. Dew point is now up to 35. We may be Ok after all:
http://www.wunderground.com/weatherstation/WXDailyHistory.asp?ID=KFLNAPLE17 or
http://www.google.com/ig#max3
I'm near flag 49 where it shows the temp to be 49 degrees. Wierd - seems colder and as you say they forecast 34-38 for Naples itself.
We'll see what things look like in the morning.
Fred
This message was edited Jan 3, 2010 10:21 PM
Sounds like good news.
Nice Brassidium, Ken!
Ken, very nice Brassidium pic.
Best I can tell it was 38 on the lanai and 36 out in the yard last night. I just finished wrapping more plants and ran out of old towels and blankets. I am as ready as I'm ever going to be and tonight may be colder than last night. All I have to do now is flip a switch and many of the little tents will light up and hopefully stay warm. I'm worried about the length of time my orchids will be shut up in the garage with little light and water.
Jim
paph helvitia
Oo! Very nice!
Great Brassidium Ken and I love that Paph Bree!
Blooming in the greenhouse at work...Lc. Steven Oliver Fouraker...if only I could bloom them at home!
Bree, interesting Paph Helvetia. I would assume this is the one:
see spelling -
http://apps.rhs.org.uk/horticulturaldatabase/orchidregister/orchiddetails.asp?ID=2227
Todd, it is gorgeous!
It seems you're better off to be right in the cold zones rather than in marginal ones. Because when the worst comes you're always prepared for it. Living in marginal zones you get lulled into a false sense of security during above normal periods and then get wiped out when below normal conditions strike
Well yes. There is a sort of finality to it when you carry all your plants inside for the season, comes the end of September - as in NJ.
I waited patiently until all the buds on my Angraecum sesquipedale 'Mount Zion' FCC/AOS x 'Star of Malagasy' were open to take pics. The scent coming every evening floating down the stairs from the greenhouse is amazing!
Today I took the plant carefully downstairs for a photo session. ( I had it anchored securely in the greenhouse to prevent it from tipping over.)
Concentrating on the blooms -
- and a closer look at the gorgeous flowers. They look and feel like thick wax. The spurs measure 12 inches and the flowers have a spread of about 7 inches. The slightly yellow blooms had opened last.
This year the plant produced its first keiki.
Hope you enjoy.
Really, really nice, Ursula.
Jim
I've got an Angraecum sesquipedale but it's still only small. Now I'm looking forward to when it blooms like that.
Ursula,
what did I tell you about publishing? The sesqi of youyrs is something else. A real winner.
fred
Your paph is lovely Bree.
Good show on the Lc Todd, no matter where you get it to bloom.
Ursula, I would have to say you have a real star in your presence, well done!
Ken
Amazing! I too have a baby. Hope it blooms in my lifetime!
Thanks so much!! :-)
That Angraecum is stunning! You could win a CCM!
I went to Bill Hutchinson's GH (Larch Hill Orchids) yesterday (without a camera) on a whim and ended up with 4 new orchids. Blc. Mem. Vida Lee 'Limelight'.
