Brass siphon for fertilizing – worth its weight in gold

More than 15 years ago, I bought a little time-saving device for fertilizing my flower and water garden. At some point, I stopped using it. I don’t know why. Probably laziness. At any rate, last winter I noticed that, as the number of orchids in my collection grew, the time I spent trying to feed, [...]

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Epi. parkinsonianum blooms…brutal heat

Epi. parkinsonianum — aka Epi. Once-in-a-Blue-Moon — has condescended to bloom again. The last time it sent out its creamy and white blossom, with a texture almost as dense as a hoya flower, was a little more than two years ago. Not sure what the trick is. Last winter was relentlessly cold. Although the Escabe furnace [...]

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Renovating the greenhouse – Fiberglass Reinforced Panels (FRP)

 This summer, we’ve been renovating the greenhouse. Extra shelving was added in early June. Last winter the large, framed hardware cloth used to hang many of the mounted orchids had partly broken loose from the wall. We reattached it. The legs on one of the benches had begun to sag. They were rebuilt and reinforced. [...]

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Shazam! Pop! Pop! The Stanhopea opens!

Newly bloomed Stanhopea florida Some folks tell me that a Stanhopea bud pops like a little firecracker on the Fourth of July when it opens. I missed the pop, but on Friday morning I discovered that my long awaited Stanhopea florida had at last opened!  It’s two blooms were a creamy, pale yellow accented with [...]

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