BTW---GoldLeaf...you should post your orchid cactus in the plant files--they only have a few listed--and none are as pretty as yours!
April OT
Thanks Lin! I'll bet it was misspelled! It was described as a curly orchid cactus.
This message was edited Apr 14, 2009 11:17 AM
It sure is a beauty!
Do you have one?
No, I don't have that neat curly leaf one! I have E. Oxypetalum, E. Hookeri, a large Ric Rac Orchid Cactus and a few noids.
OK--it's gonna take me awhile to find those--this is new territory for me!
I've had this E. oxypetalum for quite about six years and it has never bloomed for me, but I'm a lazy "plant mom" and don't feed regularly as I should. I gave everything a shot of miracle grow fertilizer a month ago and plan on feeding the orchids sometime soon, so will give a shot of the bloom booster to my orchid cacti at the same time! I look forward to this one blooming because the flowers are fragrant!
This is my Ric Rac orchid cactus. I've had this guy for many years and last year it got one bud for the first time ... I thought some bugs or something was eating it because the next morning the huge flower bud was all shriveled up and ugly looking. Come to find out from some of the pro's here on DG, it's a night bloomer and I missed the beautiful, fragrant bloom! So many Epi's are night blooming, gotta keep a night vigil on them! ^_^
My Epiphyllum hookeri is a night bloomer too. I got this plant as a baby from a friend back in 1976 and it is so big and heavy ... the pot sits out under a tree in the backyard all year round. I just throw a blanket over it if we have real cold temp's predicted in winter. I finally got to see the flowers on this one last year for the very first time! I made a point to stay up and watch the blooms unfold ... kept going outside with flashlight and camera in hand to get pictures!
Holy Cow Lin! Look at all those tropicals! How on earth do you keep up?!! Thanks for the pics--and I also did not know they were night blooming! That's a good tip!
E. hookeri bloom.
Your hookeri is huge! (and beautiful!) Hope I didn't bite off more than I can chew! LOL!
Tremendously great pic! Every bit worth the effort.
LOL, I live to "Play in the dirt"! ^_^
Looking in the other direction towards the covered deck area. Kinda dark and hard to see but I have tons of plants in that area too!
Beautiful--looks like a resort. Can I rent that room? LOL
One more, this is the covered deck area.
LOL, sounds like a plan ... maybe I could trade the use of that area in exchange for watering, feeding and repotting etc?
Back to blooms.
I have a couple of orchids budding and blooming. I'll have to go look up the type of orchid on the left, something Wildcat (clone "Bobcat".) The one on the right was a gift from mrsbonnie when she was visiting her sister in this area last month and we met for lunch one day. I love it and it hasn't stopped blooming!
That wasn't the greatest picture. Here's a close up of the front of one flower and back of another.
A yellow epidendrum orchid in bloom.
I remember when Bonnie gave you that orchid. Does kitty come with the room? LOL
Can ya tell I'm bored? We've had storms and rain the past few hours so I'm playing on the computer instead of playing in the dirt. We've sure needed this rain though, so I'm not complaining!
A lull between raindrops, so I went out in the yard and took a picture of this bromeliad that is planted in a coconut, hanging in the tree.
Pretty epidendrum--I have a pink one--but I almost murdered it last fall, so it is busy starting over--I hope it blooms next spring.
Lin! I can't afford another addiction! I've had a few bromeliads in the past--when I've had more space. Pretty! Does the coconut shell make a good container?
Oooh, I'd love to find a pink one, I bet that's really pretty! My yellow ones came from Home Depot but that's the only color I ever see them carry.
My gardenia bushes are budding out and I just picked two flowers from this one ... love the fragrance of gardenia's!
Our neighbors gave me the coconut shell about four years ago when they came back from a cruise. I took care of their dog and cat for them while they were gone. It's actually carved into the shape of two woodpeckers with the center rounded out to hold birdseed! As you can see, I didn't use it for a feeder, but instead stuck the brom in it. It drains well and the bromeliad has been happy there these past few years!
I see what you mean, mortswife97630 . . . I get those once in a while, too. Could be overwatering, could be underwatering - although your soil looks moist. Something could have told the violet to "start producing blooms or else!", but then the violet realized it wasn't ready . . .
Good,I'm glad you had an answer Syru.I don't have the greatest eyesight!
Gorgeous pictures Lin!! It's enough to make us northerners drool..LOL.Is your pool indoors or out? Sometimes from your pictures I'm not certain.HMMM...now where have I seen that hat hanging on the wall?? He,he!
Lynn
Syr-thank you for that explanation. It certainly looks like that is what has happened; because a couple are getting teeny blooms and they look healthy. Happy spring @ 32 degrees and north wind!! Good day to listen to Chopin and Bach.
Hat hanging on the wall? I have so much "stuff", I had to go back and look to see what hat you were referring to, LOL. That is a little resin "hat" birdhouse. I got it from a catalog many years ago. I collect birdhouses and have many different shapes and sizes!
I also have my Mom's old sun bonnet. When mom passed away, my sister had it with some boxes to go to charity, but I grabbed it and told her I wanted to keep it. She knew I didn't wear sun bonnets but I told her I would find some place for it ... so, I tied ribbon around it, put a silk flower on it and hung it on my back porch. Whenever my mom came to visit, she loved sitting out back by the pool and gazing at all the plants. So now her bonnet is hanging there in her memory.
LOL....I thought it was your Bingo hat!
Mortswife: Wow ... 32º Brrrr, it's still cold where you live! We've been in the mid to upper 80's here for the last month. It's been real nice though since the humidity hasn't been real high yet. I dread the coming months with upper 80's - low 90's and very high humidity that zaps all your strength! The older I get the more the humidity gets to me but I can't imagine living where it gets so cold and stays cold for long!
Lynn: Our pool is outdoors. It's in a screened enclosure. We have a long enclosed porch with windows (some southerner's call them Florida rooms) and just outside the door is the covered wood deck that attaches to the cement pool deck ... the entire area is screened and runs the entire length of the back of the house. It's the only outdoors our cats have ever known and they love it out there.
This is looking from the covered deck area out over the pool towards the backyard.
Oh, it's getting hot here to. It's up to 34 d. LOL
Lovely to have that sun hat! Pretty pool! Yes, I dread summer. Fall, winter and spring are wonderful. I already have most of my hot weather flowers in. I try to do all I can before it gets too hot. I do have to plant my new caladiums soon. My two beds around my trees in front are getting enlarged today and tomorrow! I hired a nice man to do it. I don't like to dig beds and hubby does a lot in the yard, but works hard at work and I try not to pile things on him. I can't wait to see the beds all finished and full of caladiums. My others from last year are coming up right now.
We don't usually have much of a Fall, Winter or Spring here in my area. It is wonderful when we do get a nice fall that lasts more than a week. I love when we get the pretty color changes but it doesn't happen often enough! I like our winters as long as it doesn't get down below 40º. It's not fun when your pretty plants get killed back from one or two cold nights and then it takes weeks or longer for them to look nice again! Our Spring doesn't usually last long either, if we even have one! Sometimes it's hot and humid very early. I'm really thankful for and enjoying the past month we've had here in this part of Florida! It's been really wonderful with lower humidity and breezy days!
I noticed yesterday that some of my Caladiums are popping their little "ears" up above the soil line too! All of our trees leafed out a few weeks ago and the Oleanders have been blooming for a few weeks. I have a couple of little rose bushes that are blooming, the knock out roses are all budded up and a wisteria has buds too! I found one of my Gardenia bushes full of buds and three blooms today, early this year but I'm not complaining. I always look forward to bunches of gardenia's floating in bowls and vases for fragrance!
My fall-spring is mild and wonderful, that is what I meant. I garden all year, those are the best months.
lyn; can i move in. lol what beautiful pictures,wow, tons of plants, i thought i was bad. lol
bonnie
pick me up on the way there bonnie
JIM