This is the Vanda that I received for my birthday this past October...It had 2 flower stalks when I got it, and darn if it isn't starting to spike with another one! Excitement abounds here!!! WooHooooo!!!!!

Oh I love that!!!

I would be happy too!

My Wilsonara Hilda Plumtree Purple Wings has sent out a new spike! My first time really to have this orchid blooming more than a month...the bloom spike last Nov carried over to whole of Dec to early Jan and is done and over with..now a 2nd one is coming about...woohooo!

That is exciting! Way to grow!

Thanks Tara! Our babies are making us happy caretakers

And how! I've still got 3 Phals that are getting ready to pop any day for me now! This is my first time having so many spiking at one time. Quite fun!

I also got two Phals spiking, one of the spikes still too small to take a photo of..but it is coming along slowly..so excited as well...they took a very long hiatus after its last bloom in 2012.

I got these little starts of Jewel orchids Ludisia discolor in Apopka a month ago. The stems just started elongating a few days ago, and sure as a gun they're going to be in full bloom while I'm away.


Not sure who this one is, but it's a bonus spike for sure. Might be Lc. Trick or Treat, as I did find a label of that one on the patio a while ago.

The Ludisia looks beautiful!!!

Patience is a virtue. Getting ready for the St. Louis show this weekend. We are driving up on Friday at the crack of dawn with the MOS orchids. I keep telling my three to hurry up and bloom!

Den Princess x Gold Star 'Orange Royal' is about 1/3 of the buds open and should have 2/3 open by the show. It won Orchid of the Month this past Sunday.

Den Gillieston Gold is taking its sweet time in blooming. It may not be ready and I might have to drive it back to center judging 2nd Sat in February.

Clo. Jumbo York has only 2 blooms on the 2nd spike. 1st spike is already faded and cut.

HURRY UP!!!

Heh, growing Orchids, Patience is our middle name!!

Good luck, Melissa, and congratulations on the Orchid of the Month win.

All three of your orchids are lovely (I looked them up), Melissa. Good luck in the show.

Jim

WHOPPIE, WHOPPIE, WHOPPIE. I AM GOING TO BE A FIRST-TIME DAD!

Some may remember my posting last summer that I had tried my hand at growing a few varieties of terrestrial orchids and failed miserably. I had two varieties of Spathoglottis plicata (white and purple), Sarcoglottis sceptrodes ("Green Dragon Orchid"), and Vanilla plantifolia ("Vanilla Orchid"). The only one I had reasonable success with was the Vanilla Orchid. I lost the vast majority of the Spathoglottis plants and thought I had about lost all my Sarcoglottis plants.

Since there were a few of the Sarcoglottis plants that still had some nice, firm roots (the leaves were about rotted to nothing!) I decided to repot those and used 1/2 potting mix and 1/2 medium fir bark. Well, long story, short, I salvaged about a dozen plants and some have nice, new leaf growth. Today I discovered several of those plants have buds emerging from the crown of the plants. It looks like I will actually see flowers for the first time! This is what brings me the most joy - seeing orchids bloom for the first time. These plants are survivors, so I am doubly happy.




Coming attraction

Congrats Ken!

Congratulations, they look great. My Sarcoglottis is dormant now and I won't see the hand puppets until next spring.

Beautiful day here and the painters are working up a storm.

Jim

I'm one happy camper.

I spent the entire afternoon moving seedlings from their sort-of community pots into individual 3" mesh pots. It was cold out but nice in the greenhouse. I only got a couple of dozen done though. Trimming the roots just takes me forever. It would probably go faster IF I wore my glasses so that I could really see what I was doing..

Ken, they look great!! You should have a nice gallery of hand puppets soon!!

I prefer "Green Dragons", thank you anyway.