Orchids

I’ve got one dendrobium blooming (photo) and two pots of phalaenopsis with long, well established bloom stalks. One of the phalaenopsis has two different types of orchid in the same pot. The buds on one are as big around as a dime. After it blooms, I’ll separate and repot it. I post photos of these after they bloom

One of my phalaenopsis died this fall. The birthday orchid had a problem with its roots and basically died of neglect. It was truly beautiful and I will miss it.

One of the two “babies” my sister-in-law gave me in April seems to be alive. I’ve never tried to establish one of these, so this is an experiment. It’s a dendrobium and the cane looks healthy and the roots looked good when I potted it. Time will tell.

No new purchases lately. What with all the deck reconstruction last summer, and the orchids’ banishment to the shade of the dogwood trees, it didn’t seem wise to expand the nursery. I’m already plotting how I’ll fix the deck to house them come spring.

The vanda is healthy but showing no signs of blooming. I was told it was a miracle that I was able to get it to bloom once at all. They need an extremely humid environment. After I win the lottery, I will build a greenhouse into my mansion.

I read somewhere that night blooming cereus needs to be fed well before they bloom. I’ll try that this year. The plant is healthy so it seems possible I can get it to bloom. It’s not really an orchid, it’s a cactus. I lump it in with my orchids because it seems to grow the same. Once again, time will tell.