August Off Topic

I went to the P.O. this morning to mail a package and had to stop at Home Depot on the way home because I had a HD Gardening Club coupon for 15% off any bulbs, houseplants, or flowers that was expiring today... and when I have a coupon for plants you better believe I'm not going to let it pass! ^_^ I also had another coupon that came in e-mail a couple of days ago for 50% off any orchid! Well, the few orchids they had were pretty dried out and not looking too good so I figured I'd use that coupon later since it's expiration date wasn't until 9/07. I ended up buying a little basket of Ceropegia woodii (Rosary Vine) ... I've tried this plant in the past with no luck but it was cute and the only one so I decided to buy it again and I had the 15% off coupon! LOL.

Well, my DH called home around noon and needed me to run some papers up to him at the University that he needed for one of his classes this afternoon, and there's another HD right up that way so I just had to go in there to look at orchids. They didn't have many either but I did find one that looked okay and had to buy it ... $10 after the coupon!

When I re-potted it, I found a label buried in the moss that said Alcra. Sunday Best 'Pink Skirt' and googled it to find info. I only found one picture and it looked a lot brighter pink than my plant. I posted on the orchid forum to confirm the ID and one lady says it looks like Sunday Best 'Pink Skirt' to her. I really want to be sure it's labeled with the right name as sometimes HD plants are not labeled correctly ... not their fault, it's the wholesale nurseries they rec'v the plants from!

Anyway, I thought I'd share a photo of my new orchid. Aliceara Sunday Best 'Pink Skirt':

First time I've seen that one--you got your money's worth! Very pretty Lin!

Thanks! I fell in love with the shape and color of the blooms. I just added it to Plant Files since it wasn't listed yet.

Just stopped in to admire all the pictures.It might even inspire me to go out and take a few pictures of my common garden plants.........I still love them,but they are not nearly as exotic as many of your plants.

Your Orchids are so beautiful! I only have one,a Phal.,which are supposed to be the easist to grow.I cut off the spent bloom stalk,then it formed more buds,which shriveled up.I then cut it all the way back,repotted it in Orchid Bark and the poor thing is still looking sad.....even worse than before.The big leaves look all dry and wrinkled,all 2 of them LOL,and there is one baby leaf in the center.I trimmed the roots when I repotted and everything looked fine,but it just doesn't form new growth or roots.........I think I need a tutorial from all of you.

Connie,what a great shot of that Cicada!! Wish I could take such great closeups as some of you.

Lin.
Sometimes I love the sound of Cicadas and other times it seems to drive me nuts.........well nuttier LOL. What I don't like are the Cicada killer wasps.I know only the females sting and they are not really aggressive,but they are sooo big and who wants to get close enough to see if it's a male or female.......not this woman!!

Lynn

Lynn,

LOL ... I know absolutely nothing about Orchids! I have not had a lot of luck with Phal's or Dendrobium's (?sp) but the Cattleya's and one other (can't remember what it's called) seem to do okay for me. I think they love the Florida heat and humidity. For quite a few years I would grow orchids in orchid bark mix, then I decided they would probably do better in moss (have no clue why I thought that!) so I repotted them all using long fiber spaghnum moss. I had a huge problem with the moss drying out and hardening! LOL ... I'm telling how bad an orchid mom I am with that statement! If I had watered them as I should have the moss would never have gotten so dry! Anyhow, this past spring I repotted all but 2 into bark mix and they are doing much better. The orchid bark mix will of course dry out too but at least it doesn't turn to a mass of rock like stuff as the moss did.

LOL, I know Cicada's can be very loud and it does bother a lot of folks. We have a close family friend who had a problem with depression a few years ago and the Cicada's really got on his nerves. I think it can be aggravating like constant ringing in the ears. Eeew ... I've never heard of Cicada Wasps! Yikes, I don't like stinging things but I wouldn't want one male or female flying near me ... bugs give me the creeps! I wouldn't kill one because I think they have their place and are God's creatures, but sometimes I want to ask God why he had to make things like bugs, spiders and slithery snakes! ^_^ I think he'd probably respond that all those critters want to know why he made human beings!

Well ... I'm trying to stay awake to see if the Space Shuttle Discovery is going to launch tonight! It's supposed to launch at 1:36 a.m. EST but there's now only @40% chance it will be a Go because of rain in the ten mile radius of the space center. I'm watching the NASA tv channel and they just said there was lightning a few miles from the launch pad ... I have a feeling they will abort and not go. I don't know if I can stay awake another hour and a half anyway, but I wanted to try to get pictures. Night launches are so awesome! The sky lights up like a fireball. In daylight we can see the shuttle clearly from our front yard and at night we can see the sky light up and see it for a short distance. We are about 50 miles north of the Kennedy Space Center and if we go over to the beach we really get an awesome view of a launch.

Well, off to lurk on a couple of threads to see if I can stay awake awhile longer, at least until I hear for sure it's a Go or No Go. Have a good night!

Lin

Lin, rosary vines are the easiest plant on the planet! I have totally ignored & abused mine, left them out in freezing temps, dropped them 2 stories, fried them in the sun, and cut them back to soil level where there was absolutely no leaves left - and they always come back! I am suspecting maybe you overwater? These plants are succulents, too much water = not good. You probably have the more common heart shaped variety, which can take full sun...put your plant in a very bright spot, and leave it alone. Water only when very dry. If it gets tangled or bare ugly vines, cut them off. If it starts to look straggly, cut all the vines off, up to the edge of the pot, they will grow back so fast.

I bet the reason you have lost them is that they are probably those HD Exotic Angel plants, and maybe were overwatered so badly and the tubers were starting to rot before you even bought the plant. Just remember, let it get dry! These plants are amazingly forgiving and resiliant. And then check out THIS website.....I can't wait to have a greenhouse, the ceropegia family is so fascinating - the flowers are otherworldly. Now I only have a couple different types of C. woodii, though I have seen some of these in person at a Meadowbrook Farms in Pennsylvania. They are so cool.

http://www.sagereynolds.com/cero/cedex.htm


PS I love the sound of the cicadas too - they just started buzzing around here in the past few weeks - to me that sound means that fall is just around the corner.

This message was edited Aug 26, 2009 9:18 AM

Way off topic of plants but the Space Shuttle Discovery launched at 11:59 p.m. and my husband and I drove over to the beach to get a better view. It was actually lightning out over the ocean to the south and it was kinda hazy here so these aren't the best pictures but I thought I'd share anyway. When it first launches the sky lights up orange. It was so hazy though, it just looks like a big blob of light in the sky.


Space Shuttle Discovery on her way ...

This is after it was up a little ways in the sky, just the blob of light ...

G'night now.

Thanks, Lin! That was worth waiting for. Good night.

Connie

There were lots of folks down on the beach watching. We were up on a boardwalk.

There was a little storm out to the SE and you can see the lightning on the left side of this picture. The lights you see are people on the beach with their cell phones and cameras.

I would dearly love to live where I could see something like this. To me it is just amazing!!

Lin--When I got up @ 5:30 Am to get ready for work, and turned on the news......When they said the space shuttle had been launched, You were the first thing I thought of! I just knew you'd be out there with your eye to the sky! Thanks for posting the pics^_^

Thanks for all the great pics, Lin!!! So exciting for you to live so close.

Okay, Lin...what is this about having a hoya that smells like butterscotch of an evening? Heaven. Do you know the name of it and where you got it?

Thanks!