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.

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.

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.