Spring Orchids and AVs

I apologize for the lack of updates. Life has been a bit difficult lately. However, I have some flowers in bloom, and those make me happy.

This plant was given to me a year and a half ago in bloom when my grandfather died. I grow it in his honor. It's a Phal hybrid.

Other blooming orchids are species in the Pleurothallis subtribe.

Here we have Stelis viridipurpurea, which, I assume, has to do with the color of the flowers.

The very tiny Pleurothallis alata.

The not-as-tiny Stelis morganii.

The adorable Platystele reflexa.

And the different Pleurothallis corniculata. (I like orange flowers.)

And of course, some AVs. I have more in bud. It took me long enough to realize that in order to get them to bloom, I needed to let them dry out, droopy leaves and everything.

Winter Blooms

 It's always nice to have flowers blooming in the middle of winter, especially with the winter we've been having.

Here's Passiflora "Betty Meyer." I was not successful in pollinating this plant.

Next is a little Abutilon noid. It's not exactly a high brow plant, but it's a cute little mallow. 

Next is a carnivore: butterwort. 

Next is the mini orchid Dryadella edwallii.

And lastly, we have the Phals. Winter is the natural blooming season for Phals, despite what you see in the grocery store.


First, a Phal noid.

And lastly, Phal. schilleriana. Last year this plant had nearly two dozen blooms. Now it has one. It appears to be upset by moving from it's happy place.

This Phal is mounted, so it's having a bath in the sink.

winter blooms

It's been a while. There was a period of time when nothing was blooming. Now I have blooms! And almost blooms!

First, a common winter flower: amaryllis. This one is two and a half feet tall! With four massive blooms.

Next, a cymbidium noid. 

Gastrochilus bellinus is finally in bloom! Last year it had three blooms. This year it has four. The flowers smell faintly of soap. These pictures were taken from the bottom of the mount looking up. The flowers hang below the leaves.

Here's a winter hibiscus flower. It's not too happy inside. 

My winter jasmine is blooming. All but one bud blasted on this plant, but it still  smells so strong that I could tell it had opened from the other room!

My Seville orange is about to bloom, too. This plant did absolutely nothing all summer. No new leaves, nothing. Yet now it's producing so many flowers!

Lastly is a noid succulent that I was given in a plant swap. It has many little pink flowers.

New Year's Blooms and others

Happy New Year!

Here is a seasonal plant: cyclamen. I picked this up recently, and I hope to rebloom it next year. It likes to be cool, so I have it on an enclosed porch. It seems happy out there. 

A close-up on the naughty bits:

The Phalaenopsis have begun their blooming cycle. They bloom in the winter and need a temperature difference of at least 10F to bloom. This is a noid that I rescued from Stop&Stop a while back.

I also have another orchid blooming: Pleurothallis viduata. Unfortunately it's so small that I can't take a decent picture of it. I have recently purchased a new macro camera, but by the time it arrives, these blooms will have passed. (I've been taking pictures with my cellphone for the past four months.)

Here's an update on my Ponderosa Lemon that was pollinated over the summer: baby!

And two of my AVs:

 I can't get this one to stop blooming! Such problems!

That time of year

As soon as the Christmas commercials start, my zygo cactus blooms. It also blooms in December and March. I got this one on deep discount at Stop & Shop after the blooming season three years ago.

Here's the progression of blooms:

I also have a mini orchid in bloom. This one is Macroclinium manabinum. Here's the whole plant. It's mounted on a tiny piece of cork. (1inch x 2 inches)

 Here's a close up on the fans:

Here're the flowers:

It was very difficult to get a good picture of the flowers, because they're so pale and tiny.

Mansplaining horticulture

I try to keep this a plants-only blog, because plants make me happy. However, last night I had a run-in with mansplaining at my Orchid Society meeting. It made me angry, and unfortunately that anger showed. First off, mansplaining is when entitled (usually white) men explain their viewpoint to a female in hopes that she will take that idea as gospel. Usually these are well intended if somewhat misinformed ideas. I've heard of all sorts of stories of women running into this issue a lot more in recent months. I've run into this problem a lot more recently as well, and it's really starting to wear on me. I'm short and female and look about ten years younger than I am. Clearly that means I know nothing. I don't claim to know everything, but don't assume I'm ignorant of all things.

One member of the society brought in a whole bunch of orchid cactus cuttings and offered them to the club for free. Here's how this conversation went down:

Me: What color is the flower?

Old White Dude: This isn't an orchid.

Me: I know. It's a cactus. What color is it?

OWD: The flowers can grow up to the size of dinner plates and only bloom for one night.

Me: I know. What color?

OWD: They only bloom at night.

Me: I know.

Other Old White Dude Standing Behind Me: What color are the blooms?

OWD: White.

This right there? Not okay. I asked a direct question. There was nothing to misinterpret. Not a thing. I wanted to know what color the flowers were. Orchid cacti come in all sorts of nifty colors: pink, red, white, yellow, even peach. Dragon fruit is an orchid cacti. Logee's sells any color imaginable (not imaginable, but there's a fair selection). I wanted to know the color, so I asked. I didn't ask for basic information. I know that. I didn't ask for anything but the color, so I was I told everything but the color?

Some of my fall orchids started to bloom.

First, here are the baby toes in bloom (not an orchid). They're a succulent, and that dark green triangle on the top of each leaf is a little window to let light inside the leaf so that the plant can photosynthesize inside each leaf.

This is a Cattleya hybrid. It's actually Cattleya, Laelia, and Brassavola hybrid! This is the Hawaiian hybrid BLC Toshie Aoki. It reaks of Easter lilies. I love the lip coloration, though.

Here is Zygonisia Cynosure 'Blue Birds'. It's a hybrid between Aganisia cyanea and  Zygopetalum Skippy Ku. The flower a delicate violet color. I grow this in semi-hydro, which the plant seems to really enjoy, because it's always the right amount of wet.

This is the first Bulbophyllum that I've been able to bloom on my own. I am very proud of this! This is a mini: Bulbophyllum cernuum. It is absolutely adorable.

Here's the Bulbo with a penny:

Tiny!

Hodgepodge of blooms

I have several plants in bloom now. Some are repeat bloomers that bloom any time of year.

First off some Restrepia species.

Restrepia striata.This species does not really stop blooming. Except when I accidentally set it in the sun, and it burned. It sits in water all the time.

Restrepia brachypus.

I also have a mini variegated AV in bloom.

I have a rock plant - one that mimics a rock - in bloom. So cute. I didn't water it all summer, and then I gave it a good soak. A month later, this is what happened:

And my large hibiscus is going strong.