Orchid blog
This blog is dormant at the moment, but it is still getting a lot of visitis so I will keep it up for you guys as a resource. My future adventures will be published on my new blog, hope to see you there!
My focus… if pressed to name favorites it would have to be orchids of the Pleurothallid Alliance. But a Paphiopedilum was the first orchid I ever fell in love with so slipper orchids will always be close to my heart, and while we are on the subject I might as well disclose a love affair with Neofinetia as well.
Gastrochilus sororius a faithful bloomer
This miniature orchid from the Trichoglottis Alliance was first described by Schlechter in 1913. It hails from the hills and lower montane forests of the Greater Sunda Islands where it grows at elevations up to about 1550 meters. The flowers form small clusters on a very short inflorescence and they are small, about 15 mm, but has great detail. I love the "fringe" on the lip, it looks almost like a beard. Check out this amazing drawing [...]
Seed pod failure
It has been quite exciting to follow the development of the Prosthechea cochleata seed pod over the past few weeks. It has been swelling rather quickly and it has been a thrill to watch as it is my first pollination attempt. Then things started going wrong... The new bud forming on this years new bulb started turning brown, I did not see any reason for this to happening then, and I was a bit confounded as [...]
The aptly named Masdevallia descendens
This lovely little orchid is blooming now for the fist time. I really like the shape of the flowers and the slight sheer interior. Mine has quite a bit more yellow in the color than other pictures I have seen of this species. I bought another Masdevallia (M. rolfeana) at the same time from the same grower that was mislabeled. Could this one be mislabeled too? But perhaps not, it absolutely lives up to its name. The name [...]
The death of an orchid flower
There is something tragic, yet very graceful, when the orchid flower has done its time. It slowly begins to wilt and finally become a memory (or a mummy) of its former beauty. Yet it lingers, refusing to give up the right to exist, to remember its former grandeur. Sometimes I almost like this process more than buds opening, in a macabre, Edgar Allan Poe sort of way... exploring the theme of death. Although I study [...]
Vandas on winter vacation
It has become a bit of a tradition to have all the vandas tag along on our vacations, so I figured I would post a photo of this year's group. Since I grow my vandas bare root they get a bath every day (or every other day now when it is a little darker and cooler). Princess Mikasa came with us skiing last xmas, and the whole gang came out on summer vacation for a [...]
Happy Holidays 2009!
I want to wish you all a wonderful xmas and a very nice holiday season. I hope the coming year will bring many wonderful orchid experiences. Thanks for a fantastic year! Love, Karma