Garden Photos #45

I had them in my office for years. That is my friend's specialty. Great light in my office. I would only water it once every ten days or so. Ran it under the sink and let it drain. It was only in nuggets anyway.

I kill them too Karen. I've begun to mount them since I'm an over waterer. They are a lot happier now.

Oh, that's a good idea, Kathy. I will try that next time I get a Phalaenopsis. Do you just wire it on? Can you glue it? Do you water it only by misting, or do you give them a shower?

Karen

I wanna know too!

Infrequent soaking, as per my friend's instructions, always worked well for me. He said mine in my office did better many of his in his GH!

Great source for anyone considering orchids.

http://www.aos.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Orchid_Information&Template=/CM/HTMLDisplay.cfm&ContentID=7038

I put a bit of new zealand sphagnum on cork or a tree fern mount and I use coated wire to tie the plant over the moss. The leaves should hang so the water doesn't pool in the crown causing crown rot. I either mist the roots heavily or spray them with a hose set on mist but briefly so the roots turns green (each morning). I shower them once a week and shower with fertilizer water instead every other week. I also have one planted in styrofoam peanuts and hydroton (clay pebbles) that's putting up a new spike.

Great info Jen and thanks for the website Victor.

Boo are there many mini varieties? I have been growing dwarf or mini annuals since last year and the mini AV's and Orchids sounds like something that i could get into by extension.It doesnt look like a greenhouse is anywhere in my future so do they need constant temps? In other words are they persnickety :-) The temps in this house fluctuate with my flashes :-0

If the temps go down when they are wet, it's not good. Root tips brown up and they get rot and bugs easily. All orchids want wetness early so they can dry out when temps are lower at night (except rupicolous laelias. I recently read they are used to night water). There's a range of temps each wants for day and night and they like a breeze, high humidity, and specific watering based on the conditions of your house/gh, watering habits and most of all, medium. That's why orchids can be so intimidating. And why no one can give perfect advice. It's easiest to grow all one kind so of course I don't! I never do the easy way in anything I do! Some orchids are really tough and can deal with a lot of different conditions and some need the combo of temp, water, humidity, air to be exact (they are very hard to grow artificially). But don't get me started....

Thanks for the advice on orchids, Kathy. Next time I get a Phalaenopsis I will try mounting it and see how it does. I think that's also a great way to do bromileads, too.

Karen

Boo, Great advice! I think I better find one I really like and concentrate on that type. When I find one, can I bug you about it before I buy it?

Yup.

Boojum, nice to see some of your lovely orchids besides just in the orchid forum. Just remember that we have a wood stove at our house in Vt which is always available to you for as long as you need in a power outage for you to move all your plants, the real Boojum and that nice guy in your life up north in an emergency. It would be a pain, but far better than a week in your barn without heat. The stove is gas, so you could cook and there is always running water in the brook. You would just need candles and some Pioneer Valley Spirit. But a generator seems far similar.

Victor, glad you posted the real id of that plant, as I was thinking my Mock Oranges were complete duds and needed the hook. I will be keeping an eye out for dragons this spring for sure. You sure know how to find a gem.

Flowerjen, I am a lover of the bovine and never have seen a cow like your photo. It appears to be a cross of a Blue Roan and an appaloosa, but those are horse colors. I saw some gray cow short horned cows in Scotland sort of like your photo, but without all the white. A Special Colored Cool Cow for sure. Thanks.

phoebesviolets, Nice to see some interesting A.V. on this forum. Love that leaf pattern on 'Handpicked'. We use to try to grow them and managed on killing them as quickly as we can kill an orchid. I think I have finally learned to enjoy other peoples, but I am not sure my DH has as he still wants to try. I am slightly older and thus perhaps a tad wiser than him. I look forward to seeing more of yours.

We are back in Nantucket, and it is nasty out and we still have bulbs to plant. Drat. But I am about to enjoy my first bloom from one of my new hippeastrum, so it is officially winter in my garden life when they start to bloom. Yippee. Patti

Patti--I'm here whenever your DH wants to give AV's another shot. There are also several forums that are very helpful if you run into any problems...

Ummm....FYI--also....there's some pretty good AV growers on this forum also! LOL!

I love AVs, & have 2 presently, but neither has buds or flowers because I forget to water & fertilize them! Christmas cactus are much more forgiving.

I agree about the Epiphyllum, but I have a mess of named ones that have never bloomed since buying them in April of 2007. They are growing very slowly, but still very much alive. Hopeful.

But here is an old reliable unnamed friend that I have had longer than my husband, which makes it more than 33 years old. But I have divided it many times to keep it a reasonable size. It blooms at Thanksgiving and again in the summer, usually. Happy T-day all. Patti

Very nice, Patti!

Love the color!

That's a long-lasting relationship!

I love stories like that, beautiful Patti!
Tell me, how does DH handle a 33+ YO plant as competition?? LOL

Quietly!

Well said Victor. lol

I love Thanksgivng Cactus, but I always end up giving them away b/c they get too big for my space. I couldn't resist this one on sale in the grocery store last week though. The color is amazing!

Pretty!

Ha. ha. I gave my yellow one away this fall!
Patti, you are my guardian angel!

Hello to everyone here in the Northeast Forum. I've had a rough ride with my latest pregnancy so I haven't been doing as much gardening as I would like. I miss it so much and I'll be sure to post more pictures again in the spring. Just wanted to check in and wish everyone a happy and safe Thanksgiving.

Dyane

The same to all in DG.

Hey Dyane, You're pregnant again??? didn't you just have one? I'm confused.

Jen, you have every reason to be confused. I'll have 3 babies under 3 years old in February!

That's not confusing - that's scary! Feel better, Dyane. Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Dyane, i'm going to say what my Mother said to me...... 'Your either very brave or very foolish, either way you'll be VERY BUSY!' ^_^

dayne i think you need cable tv - happy t-day

YIKES!!!

Oh, bless you! Best wishes for the rest of the pregnancy to go smoothly.

Hope you feel better the rest of your pregnancy. 3 under 3 better, you than me.☺

hope all is well Dyane ... keep in touch

Hello, Dyane! Happy Thanksgiving to you, and to everyone else here, too! Hope your pregnancy goes more smoothly, Dyane. I've never been there or done that, so I can't relate, but I've heard from so many that it can be rough. Take care!

Patti, I was thinking my mock orange here needed the boot as well. Looks really scraggly looking. Not pretty at all. Patti, have you ever seen what 'Oreo' cows? They are actually Belted Galloways. http://www.fearrington.com/village/cows.asp Beautiful epiphyllum, btw. I have a friend who has an enormous one that was just covered with buds a couple weeks ago. Would love to see it now.

Phoebe, your cactus has a very pretty color.

Karen

How wonderful---best wishes, Dyane! Hope you feel more chipper soon.

How about we start a new thread, Garden Photo's won't do anymore, the garden's sleeping.
How about joining me here.........
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1058933/