Good point. If this really is her "last hoorah," you might as well enjoy it. :o)
June's Summertime Orchids
One new bloomer today, this is Epicattleya El Hatillo 'Pinta'.
Jim
Jim, I got this orchid as a bag baby several years ago but have not yet bloomed it. The hybridizer also did a 'Nina' and 'Santa Maria'. Honest. The plant was hybridized in S. America. I can't remember the guy's name.
I think it's a keeper. I would love to see the other two ships.
Jim
:). Finally dragging in from the garden due to much needed rain. We got some yesterday and a deluge a few days before that. Nothing for several weeks prior though. Amazing to watch the temperature go from ninety to seventy in minutes. I'm missing the orchids though we are having fun picking broccoli, arugula, lettuces, snow and snap peas. Yellow squash will be ready next week.
L
Rhynchostylis retusa has opened up a bit more.
Jim
Well, I have a close-up view but three times now the software has not allowed me to post it. Perhaps if I put more verbage it will go through.
Jim
HA! It worked. Stupid soft.......... he muttered.
Jim
I generally leave spiders alone...knowing they're controlling other pests on my orchids. But I've got orchids that are being completely "wrapped" in horizontal spider webs...and have had to clean them up. They catch all manner of debris, and are just ugly...and so dense that they're shading out the orchids. Does anybody know what's up with a type of spider that would suddenly overtake nearly a dozen of my orchids. I should've snapped a photo before cleaning off the dense sheet-webs...
It sounds like an orb weaver of some kind but I would have to see a picture. My concern would be what it was that the spider was feasting on. At any rate, I would get rid of both hunter and pray with a good insecticide. I expect to find a similar situation when I start hauling my orchids in from the bushes.
Jim
Don't know the spider but I think I have them too and leave them. In autumn, I used to bring plants into the solarium with spiders on them. The spiders seemed happy there and were not interested in moving into the house. They would die sometime in the winter and the babies would hatch. Fun to watch; the babies would eat each other and dangle around. Then out they'd go again in spring and leave me with lots of dead ants to clean up. The spider you are seeing is not an orb weaver. These make that web "sheet" and then hide under it.
I've got new ones blooming but am too lazy to photograph today. The Ascocenda Arthorn posted earlier was awarded a red ribbon last evening. Weymen Bussey was the speaker and gave a great presentation on orchids of Mexico. Lots of good information that included the many and varied climate zones and the range and limitations of various orchids within each. Wish it all stuck in my brain.
I would like to have heard that talk too! I usually check Jay Phal's site to see where they're found in nature before I buy an orchid that I'm drooling over. If it says "vigorous grower" or "cloud forrest" I promptly scratch it off my list. Luckily, many of the Mexican orchids come from a similar climate to mine.
Weymen has a great presentation. There's a bit of circus involved. He has everyone blow up balloons and then sit on them as an ice breaker, asks questions about IDing orchids when the name is obvious and up on the screen and then gives out vanilla beans as rewards. You have to raise your hand or you don't get a bean. Corny but engaging. It's one of the few times where an elbow in SO's ribs to stay the snoring was not required. I know him very peripherally from many years ago in another orchid life. You may remember my responses to posts regarding Jean Merkel, his old friend. They were the Andy of the 70's-80's. Anywhoo...the beauty of the presentation is he has lived and photographed orchids in Mexico for years. His presentation shows geographic maps of Mexico with climate zones and goes back and forth with photos of what grows in situ in the zones. So, you could see why and how those Laelias or Encyclias or Catasetums do so well. He also discusses conservation or, if you will false conservation, a very hot topic in the tropics.
Sounds fun AND educational! Wish I could have been there!
Wish you were here too, Carol. :)
Miltassia Shelob 'Webmaster' named for the giant she spider in Tolkien's, "The Two Towers".
Vanda denisoniana x Ascocenda Udom Gold. The flowers are getting more richly colored each day.
Here's the plant.
Ascocenda Suksamran Sunlight is just starting to open in the background as Epl. Little Nuggets is loosing flowers.
Wonderful show, Laurel. Your orchids are doing well.
Jim
Beautiful, Laurel! Wish you hadn't told us about that ' Webmaster' name though. I shuddered when I read the book, and when I saw the movie!
Haha, Carol. She was creepy.
This is Encyclia tampensis, a Florida native. It was my first orchid (not this one) because I wanted one from my home state. I also have the alba form. http://www.marblebranchfarms.com/ep020.html
And the plant...
SO took some really nice photos of the V. denisonian x Ascda. Udom Gold. So here are a couple more. Hope you don't mind. It's nice to have a few bloomers big enough for folks to see.
Here's another. We have been desperate for rain and it poured most of last night so the plants were soaked in the morning.
Here is the Ascda. Arthorn that was awarded a red ribbon on Monday. I need a better, studio-type photo. The flowers have tiny darker red spots ringing the lip and radiating out to the tips of the sepals and petals. At first glance it might look like an Asctm. curvifolium cross but the Asctm. parent is supposed to be Asctm. miniatum. The flowers are actually deep apricot orange with an overlay of red.
This message was edited Jun 16, 2011 5:46 PM
Great show, Laurel. I am impressed by V. denisonian x Ascda. Udom Gold. If I don't have the Encyclia tampensis, I should have. Very nice native. I put a few phals back on the lanai right up against the house thinking they would be in the shade. Unfortunately, the sun is so high this time of year they got fried in only a day. They are all tucked back in the shade again but have some bad sunburn.
Congrats on yet another ribbon!
Jim
I'm still picking up falling leaves and cutting burned spots from the overheating incident that happened the weekend of March 13th. So sorry about your burns. You were gaining a nice collection of Phals. The hazards of growing in new space are losses. Sun will damage Phals. quickly but overheating does even worse damage on so many others. It's really critical to be able to keep the temps down.
Wonderful, Laurel! I wouldn't turn down either of them, but I'm partial to the little faces in 'Arthorn'. A well deserved ribbon!
Ha! It's easy to forget about the high temps when ours are in the 70s. I ordered a 6" pot of C.dowiana from Odoms yesterday, and they were going to ship it FedEx ground. After having nightmares about it last night, I checked the weather for the south, and called them this morning, and asked them to change the shipping to express. I'd rather pay the extra shipping than have the budded plant sit in a truck in triple didgets for 5 days!!!
Carol, can't wait to see the photo of C. dowiana in bloom. It's an awesome orchid. This should do really well in your drier climate. Many of the Encyclias would probably be right up your alley to. They can handle wind and dry conditions year around. Sturdy little buggers compared to many other orchids.
Got my fingers crossed! I seem to be in a "species" phase. I especially like the Catts. and Laelias, but I think this will be my last SPLURGE for a while...got to see if I can keep them growing and blooming.
I imagine this was not a cheapy. Keep my fingers crossed too. I dabbled in Laelias years ago and did not grow them well. I've not tried them this go 'round.
Don't know if I can either, but at least they tend to be more temp. tolerant, and as you said , less dependent on high humidity. Time will tell.
The materials for my lanai roof have been delivered but they will not be installed until next week. They are suppose to be here Monday to begin. I am surprised to see it comes in big rolls instead of individual panels. It should go quickly.
I'm off to the Extension Service for phone duty.
Jim
Take pictures, if you can, please!
Beautiful orchid flowers everyone. Heres P. Suk. x kevins wine.
and P. Leeanum just opened..
Great Paphs, Bree. You really have the hang of growing them.
Jim
Epicattleya El Hatillo 'Pinta' is looking good.
Jim
Let's take a closer look.
Jim
I'm getting quite fond of Bletilla yokohama 'Kate' .
Jim
This message was edited Jun 18, 2011 7:52 PM
This message was edited Jun 18, 2011 7:56 PM
