Did you know that orchids belong to the most diverse family of plants known to man? There are over 880 genera, 28,000 species and well over 300,000 registered cultivars currently documented. They grow all over the world, up in trees, down in the ground, on rocks and just about anywhere except on the oceans.
The above plant is a Cymbidium and I am very excited about it because I have never been able to get one to flower. They do not like heat so in my sub-tropical climate, I had to find a species that was more heat-tolerant. I purchased this little plant in Santa Barbara, California at a magnificent orchid nursery. I went there with Harry's dad, Sidney, not too long before his health failed and he passed away. He loved gardening and we shared that passion. So I call this Sidney's orchid and I sure wish he could see it.
I potted, and fussed over this plant for a long time before giving up on it. I eventually stuck it on the side of the house in practically full sun (pretty much an orchid no-no for most species) and ignored it. The sprinkler gave it a drink every few days so I didn't have to water it. One day I was checking my lemon tree for new fruit, and sitting next to it was this rather beat up looking plant with a three foot long flower stalk. Yippee!!
Orchid growing is an addiction. I got my first orchid years ago in Cleveland. I don't know where it came from (probably Home Depot) and I jumped in to learning how to care for it. It sat in a hall near an indoor pool, and apparently the light and humidity were just right, because I didn't know what I was doing and one day, it bloomed the most magnificent purple huge corsage type flower that people used to get from Woolworth's in clear plastic boxes to give their mother's for Mother's Day. I later learned it was a Cattleya.
I was hooked. Since then I have expanded my collection and one of the joys of living in the Keys it that it is perfect for growing. I have them glued to trees with Liquid Nails. I have them in pots, baskets, on bark slabs and even have a bamboo "great wall of orchids." I have joined an Orchid Club. I have met many wonderful, albeit sometimes strange, people that share my love of this plant. I have had successes and failures. And, I have definitely learned how little I know!!
But one thing is for sure. After waiting, sometimes years, it is very exciting seeing the first bit of a flower stalk peeking out among the leaves. Then there is a wait while it matures. And of course, the dénouement - day the sexy orchid flower bursts out makes all the fussing, all the spraying for fungus, all the moving about finding the perfect light and all the worry when the weather is too cold, too rainy, or a hurricane is forecast, all worth while.
The above plant is a Cymbidium and I am very excited about it because I have never been able to get one to flower. They do not like heat so in my sub-tropical climate, I had to find a species that was more heat-tolerant. I purchased this little plant in Santa Barbara, California at a magnificent orchid nursery. I went there with Harry's dad, Sidney, not too long before his health failed and he passed away. He loved gardening and we shared that passion. So I call this Sidney's orchid and I sure wish he could see it.
I potted, and fussed over this plant for a long time before giving up on it. I eventually stuck it on the side of the house in practically full sun (pretty much an orchid no-no for most species) and ignored it. The sprinkler gave it a drink every few days so I didn't have to water it. One day I was checking my lemon tree for new fruit, and sitting next to it was this rather beat up looking plant with a three foot long flower stalk. Yippee!!
Orchid growing is an addiction. I got my first orchid years ago in Cleveland. I don't know where it came from (probably Home Depot) and I jumped in to learning how to care for it. It sat in a hall near an indoor pool, and apparently the light and humidity were just right, because I didn't know what I was doing and one day, it bloomed the most magnificent purple huge corsage type flower that people used to get from Woolworth's in clear plastic boxes to give their mother's for Mother's Day. I later learned it was a Cattleya.
I was hooked. Since then I have expanded my collection and one of the joys of living in the Keys it that it is perfect for growing. I have them glued to trees with Liquid Nails. I have them in pots, baskets, on bark slabs and even have a bamboo "great wall of orchids." I have joined an Orchid Club. I have met many wonderful, albeit sometimes strange, people that share my love of this plant. I have had successes and failures. And, I have definitely learned how little I know!!
But one thing is for sure. After waiting, sometimes years, it is very exciting seeing the first bit of a flower stalk peeking out among the leaves. Then there is a wait while it matures. And of course, the dénouement - day the sexy orchid flower bursts out makes all the fussing, all the spraying for fungus, all the moving about finding the perfect light and all the worry when the weather is too cold, too rainy, or a hurricane is forecast, all worth while.
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