Somehow I managed to buy two Bc. Maikai orchids. This one is 'Louise' AM/AOS
Jim
Our December Holiday Blooms
Here is a closer look at Louise.
Jim
And then there is Bc. Maikai 'Spotted Star'.
Jim
A closer look at Spotted Star. Now to post the Slc. India Rose plant on the mounting thread. You will be surprised.
Jim
This message was edited Dec 14, 2011 3:47 PM
A look at Tolumnia Paprika Dust this week.
And a close up shows the paprika dust on the edges of the petals...
Vanda Boonchoo x Ascocenda Kulvadee Fragrance opened one flower yesterday and one today. I've also seen that spelled Kulwadee Fragrance. The flowers have not finished unfolding and rotating.
Another view.
Platystele ortiziana is hanging on tight to those umbels but they are not opening. It's normally a spring bloomer so maybe it's waiting for a certain day length. Dunno. It likes to be kept constantly bathed in humidity. Some people park them in front of humidifiers. BTW, that's a spider web, not a dog hair there. lol
Looks like little raspberries hanging off it. This is one of the smallest in my collection.
Here is the accident Oncidium ornithorhyncum had. I'm suing SO for orchid whiplash! Boohoo.
dizzypixxie, Epi radicans can be somewhat contained in a large pot. I have one in a 14" pot that does well with support. Depends on the look you want. Here, it blooms year round in sun. Mine needs to be repotted and root pruned, as it tips over without being tied to support.
Beautiful pictures you guys. Love the flower tour. Laurel, I'm looking forward to your show pix
Thanks, Carol. Blooming year round would be really great! I'd like to let it trail rather than try to stake up the stems so probably a well drained and ventilated hanging basket will do the trick.
I'll be really happy when I have one orchid bloom of any sort to post a picture of. I've got a phal and a Brassavola gearing up to bloom, but what with the nice (cool) weather we've had, they are sure taking their time! This orchid growing is not only challenging (learning all the time) expensive (collecting wine corks and plants) and habit forming (collecting wine corks . . ) it sure takes great patience.
I had a neighbor with 6 kids years ago, and in her kitchen she had a plaque that said "Dear Lord give me patience, and I want it RIGHTNOW!"
Jim, looks like you are having too much fun!! Thanks for spreading that cheer with us.
Laurel, your pics are so stimulating. Can't wait for more.
Elaine, it was not all that long ago when my goal was to post one blooming orchid a month. When I joined DG in '07 I was coming back to orchids after nearly twenty years away. There was a lot of re-learning that went along with the new learning. My advice is to be patient and, since we know that will fail, buy more orchids.
Peg, Jim is bad about having too much fun. When the two of us get together there is so much fun going on it's ridiculous! Even SO, who is not an orchid grower, has fun when Jim is around.
I experimented today with a cheap hand magnifier. Once one of the kids was magnifier and fire experimenting and blew up a glass deodorant bottle with this magnifier. That's how it came into my possession; it was confiscated. The first photo is the humidistat. I was trying to anchor the magnifier with a big office paper clip and impress everyone with my super humidity at this time of year.
The best shot was the Platystele. You can see how tiny it is with the dime. Talk about patience. I wish this would bloom already.
Another tiny, but without the magnifier is frequent bloomer, Pleurothallis brighamii.
Not so tiny Dendrobium Andree Millar. This is a great, easy orchid for beginners. Mine came from Marble Branch a few years ago. It will continue to produce new spikes into spring.
A shot of some of the flowers.
And a few others.
Paph. Petula var. alba is opening its first flower. This year, once again, there are two flowers.
Here it is from the front.
Here it is keeping company with the Paph. niveum hybrid.
Geez, Laurel, that is two blue ribbons for plants I have given you. Think maybe I'll get a mention in the footnotes of the Atlanta Orchid Society annals? :>)
Jim
Love the Paphs. Wish I could grow them.
Jim
Keep up the good work, Jim. Good job! You just keep on buying them and I'll keep getting the ribbons. lol And lest we forget, the Vanda Crownfox not only got a blue in the monthly judging but a red in the big annual show. That one was judged by American Orchid Society judges. It took a second to my blue ribbon Aerangis citrata which you didn't buy me. That one had five spikes and seventy two flowers last year. It has nine spikes forming this year. Fingers crossed.
On the topic of crossed fingers. Check out Bulbophyllum medusae. I got this as a bare root cutting two years ago. Whoohoo! Ahem, I mean pleeeeze let it happen.
Great job with the medusae. I love that orchid but spend all my time just trying to keep it alive. It is a hard one for me to grow.
Jim
Such lovely flowers, Jim and Laurel. You are so great at showing us what blooms at each season on these month by month threads.
Speaking of blooms, my little bargain phal who just finished blooming for 3 months seems to have more buds forming on the ends of the old bloom stem - is this likely? I was about to cut it off when I noticed little shiny swellings at the tips!
I am also excited to see a couple of spikes on my big clumpy B.nodosa as well as buds on 'Little stars'
Never cut off a Phal spike until it is obviously dead. Not only do they rebloom, but they also may put out a little plant called a kiki.
Jim
I agree with Jim! There are some orchids that bloom from old spikes, even when they look dead. That's why I like to buy at shows...you get to talk to the grower (in most cases), and they let you in on these little secrets that you don't get by reading about them. When you buy from the big box stores, and even on the internet, you never get the info. you need. There are many orchids that go dormant, but the seller doesn't tell you this, so you assume it died...NOT! That's why forums , like this one help the novice growers. Never feel stupid for asking questions on these forums. The folks that know love to share their knowledge with others. As to buying on the internet...call the vendor and ask questions. Most will be happy to help you succede. As to Phals, I never cut a spike until it's brown all the way to the bottom.
So true, Carol but you are fortunate to live in an area with lots of shows. I rely on other growers to help me learn. Though I grew for many years, meeting growers through my local orchid society has opened a lot of doors for information and exchange. Most orchid societies have libraries and make books available for check out to members. That's a huge perk. We have a very limited number of professional growers within a reasonable (half day) drive from Atlanta. Hard to believe in such a big city and with one of the largest orchid societies in the country.
You guys & gals are such a treasure!
So I will have bonus flowers and, guess what else? That stem does indeed have a little 1in. leaf on it, too. Maybe a keiki? Not bAd for a $10 orchid from IKEA! The other one I got at the same time has survived its attack of wilted squidgy leaves as well. Amazing.
i'll try to post a pic tomorrow. My computer suffered hard drive arrest yesterday so I am using my teeny little notebook and it's deadly slow. DH is in Singapore, and the computer devils knew my support staff was halfway around the world so I will be slightly impaired until next week.
Elaine
I can easily get used to being told my photos are stimulating and I'm a treasure.
Elaine the ten dollar Phalaenopsis is sounding like it might end up being a very expensive endeavor over the next few years.
Yesterday I had this weird bird in the greenhut.
Today there is a beautiful swan. Bulbophyllum paluense x Bulbophyllum echninolabium. It's a sequential bloomer (one flower at a time).
Well, yeah but we never really count all the time, effort and supplies we lavish on our plants in the expense column, right?
Once they belong to us they're our 'chids for better or worse.
It's when we start building them luxury homes and providing spa memberships (complete with steam rooms, Swiss showers and whirlpools) at the expense of our personal needs that we realize what enablers we are.
Is you talkin' 'bout me?
Jim
I was thinking more on the order of the greenhut but if the buying shoe fits...