Time to start the next monthly thread -
Here is Dendrochilum glumaceum, an Orchid I bought in 2001 from J& L Orchids. It is filling the living room with a wonderful scent of Anise and depending on the time of day, an added touch of Vanilla.
The spikes emerge along with the new growth of the season, this one blooms like clockwork every February.
And the spikes -
and flowers -
A NOID Den. Any idea in type? Den. Nobile family possibly?
Yesterday, we set up at the Kumquat Festival in Dade City. An orchid vender was there and gave me some great buys. I caught him just as he unloaded his plants. It was about 35 degrees when we got there at 6am. Not sure if I should have held off as now some of the leaves are showing stress, but that could have been from the sun (they were in direct sun for about 40 min until I realized the sun shifted and they were exposed). But thinking that they'll be OK. They were fairly tightly packed in transit there and it warmed up to the 40's by the time he pulled his stuff out and set them up. Got three minis and one small for $30 ( he gave me an extra plant as I was an exhibitor) for the first four including
Onc. Twinkle 'Red Fantasy' ............. saw everyone's last month and wanted one of my own. My first four named minis.
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Phal. Lois Pride Amy 'm1098
Brassavola Little Stars 'Yasuji Takasaki'
Iwanagara Appleblossom 'Gold Elf' is notyet open, but the flower was lovely.
Another few I got......... Blc. Chocolate Drop x Roman Holiday................ Another onre talked about last month that I wanted to have once I was the blooms.
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Scl. Pink Doll x Pot. Odoms Sweetheart- red. The flower is a bit shot, but I really like the size and bloom color.
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Lc. Pure Soul 'Yutaka Morimoto'
Zns. Cynosure Blue Birds.... the picture doesn't do the flower colors of shades of near eggplant purple. I LOVE this flower and look forward to the future blooms.
Another view of Zns. Cynosure Blue Birds
I like Blue Birds the best...but wouldn't refuse any of them...LOL
Just on a catch-up from last month's thread....... Lee, I started with the orchids hanging in the oaks, and still have a large amount that do. But I ran out of acceptable limbs areas where I thought the tree canopy was best, so went with the shepards hooks and converted store display rack.
Boo............ went out today and got some good quality bark mix. I also just had the experiance of having a Phal that my SO selected at a visit to an Orchid Nursery last month (it is rare that he gets psyched about plants and usually just tolerates going to nurseries and plant shows, so this was a 'have to have'). The grower used sphag in a plastic pot that stayed too wet and I, too, waited too long to transplant into clay. The roots rotted (don't think that it can be saved). Though the only Orchids that I lost in clay pots were with bark, and not my usual sphag. But I think that the bark mixed had too much fine material. Got a Phal. mix for the remnant of this one and for the the new transplants today. We'll see if it keeps the moisture long enough for where they're located. I know that most of mine are happy in the Sphag. as you can see in my thread on "How does your garden grow". But wanted to give bark another try.
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Ursula, love the Dendrochilum and will put it on my want list.
Stu, nice haul. I was going to go to the Kumquat festival as well but backed out because of the cold. Did you ever get a bag of aliflor? I'm anxious for you to try it.
Jim
Thanks, Ursula. Totally forgot it was Feb! Nice loot, Stu. I have Blue Birds too but it hasn't bloomed this year.
I think sphagnum works at first because the nurseries water less frequently than I do. Like Ursula, I water for my mounted plants and for humidity and the potted plants want less water. But of course their roots stick out so I mist them. I just got a bag of alifor. Hoping the medium is the key.
Speaking of water, I'm pretty upset tonight because my RO unit was supposed to installed tomorrow. I bought the RO unit, hoses, plastic baskets for the hoses, and a faucet splitter for 2 hoses and the plumber already adapted the RO faucet. Then today I read the instructions for installation and it only connects to the cold water pipe which means the water would be ice cold all winter. Not good for orchids. I've e-mailed the seller and the GE company but the seller has no idea what to do and GE won't be in till tomorrow. I really was psyched. I wonder how if I can attach the unit to the faucet instead of the pipe. Sigh.
Stu, good stuff!! I am with Happy, the Blue Birds is very nice. ( bought one last year, no peep out of it yet) I like the shape and color on the Lc Pure Soul 'Yutaka Morimoto' and the others look nice and interesting enough to please too.
Kathy, I had a similar problem with temperature. I wonder if you can store the cold water in a large plastic carboy, which then can be pressurized with a compressor for spraying. The ground keepers at work used to actually drive with a carboy like that on a flatbed truck to water the flower borders.
Yes, medium is the key - like in "no medium"? :-). If you "flood" on a daily basis, you can really take a closer look at what can be mounted or established with only a minimum amount of whatever medium works best for you.
The 8 spike - Laelia anceps I had posted in January was mounted to a branch which had disintegrated a few years ago. No medium!
A friend just told me I might be able to use a blending valve for temp issue. Need to call the plumber...I will use the carboy as a plan B!
boojum - what is the name of the 'Chocolate drop' that you described as a spicy scent - that sounds absolutely yummy!!
Nice haul Stu..especially that Blue bird...what a great colour!
Ursula, your Dendrochilum is alway spectacular.
Kathy, your white dendro looks like a white form of kingianum itself, at least based on the flowers. I need to see a whole shot to confirm this.
FlStu, I think the hooks are a wonderful idea and do thank you for posting pics of your using them. I couldn't at first remember where I had seen them until someone was kind enough to point them out. Have you ever had squirrels eat/harm any of yours in the oaks? That was my concern about hanging them in the dogwood but it's the perfect place for the bird feeders, though. There are many areas here that I can 'plant' the hooks but will just have to have a walk about and see.
Thanks, Lee
BTW, all the pics from all of you are great.
We were allowed to pick some small Orchids ( seedlings?) from grab boxes at Oak Hill Gardens in Sept 2004 or 2005 at the Chicago Orchid Fest.
I had planted two babies of
Blc Liese Pigors x Lc Drumbeat 'Triumph' AM/AOS into an Epiweb basket. Catts love Epiweb and their roots grow right into the material. Since Epiweb doesn't deteriorate, I don't have to worry about decomposing medium.
This year I see a FIRST flower and another new growth in sheath.
and the plant-
Your patience paid off Ursula...that cat is stunning!
Todd, just forund out that Den. x delicatum is D. kingianum x D. tarberi. They both want a very dry winter. Maybe next year I'll have more than 3 flowers!!!
Ursula, a beauty. Let me know if you go to Chicago again. My daughter lives there now......
I have solved the RO water temp issue. After 7 phone calls I actually talked to a technician who said a mixing valve is fine (it mixed the hot water in the pipe with cold water and runs between the two). Doing the happy dance. It will be set at 80 degrees which is lukewarm water. Plumber is here at 11AM. Wish me luck with the flow issue. I'll have a hose running through the ceiling of my office so hopefully gravity will help the pressure. Wish me luck!
Ursula, Splendid flower of Liese! Thanks so much for showing what mine might look like once she opens. ( It's possible I'll be a old, gray man before that happens, even though her buds are full. BTW, I AM an old gray man.LOL)
Am not familiar with Epiweb, however, it seems like the perfect medium.
Lee
Here's your wish of luck Boo. Lee
Lee.............. no issues here with squirrels. I do have a couple of bird houses in that tree stand also (about 6 smaller oaks). No bird feelers, though, and don't have them on the property. I do plant things, though, that have berries and seeds for the birds. The squirrels can get onto a shepards hook as easily as they can a chain coming off a branch if the hooks are under trees. But, k owck wood, no problems with the orchids.
Hey Stu, good information. We live in a rather rural area and this property is surrounded on three sides with a mixed wood forest. Plenty of acorns, berries from the native Ilex, was myrtles, etc but these great but sometimes annoying little creatures have a great affinity for the bird seed. We can usually keep them at bay if we will up their feeders with corn. After trying everything to deter them, I just gave up and let them forage ad lib. I don't really mind it but would indeed mind their foraging in the orchid media. Will still give it a try as soon as Spring temps. allow me to put out the orchids. Lee
Nice catt Ursula.
Jim
It's working! http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/948709/
My Cymbidium is open!
Whole plant
This is what it looked like last year when I bought it April 2008
Not quite as full as when i bought it but hey, I got it to bloom! I will repot again this spring too. maybe that will help some.
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Soooo beautiful! Congrats. One of mine seems to be blasting. Oh well.
This one is blooming for me at the moment
Love the pink flower stems!
GQ, your 7:30pm post of the vandaceous is lovely. Might you tell me the name. I had one similar call 'Butterball' which I really enjoyed as it bloomed about every 3 monts. Would like to try the one you posted.
Thanks, Lee
Ohh, gorgeous Cymbidium and I too love the Ascda (?) Very pretty!!
