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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The Big Wait – Stanhopea florida buds

This week’s blog posting is delayed while I wait for the final unfurling of the long-awaited Stanhopea florida blossoms. Photo shows progress –excruciatingly slow progress — of its unfurling. [Note ants -- those ubiquitous ants!]

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Using pumice stone as a potting mix

One of the great advantages of attending orchid conferences is learning new and promising growing techniques from experts like Chuck Hanson of Ecuagenera. He raises his Gongora plants in 3/8 inch pumice stone. Among other things, his technique insures that the media is appropriate to the species’ need for a dry season.  Hanson keeps his Gongora plants dry [...]

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Repotting – A Housekeeping Note

As spring approaches, I’m getting ready for the repotting sessions that come with that time of year: stocking up on bark and moss and other potting supplies, and identifying the plants that need repotting. I’m also sterilizing used pots. I do this two or three times during the winter and off and on during the [...]

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8 new greenhouse blooms…and a friend’s windowsill bloom

Nine new blooms appear on the “Photos” page…eight from the greenhouse and one from a friend, Mark Prout. The greenhouse Pleurothallis ornata (formerly shiedei) is one of the oldest Pleurothallid Alliance plants still in my collection. Often in spring the plant is covered with the thin-as-hair inflorescences and the tiny, spotted flowers.  A long branching inflorescence of Phal. stuartiana [...]

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Tips – Fighting the Vermin

This last weekend I violated one of the best tips I’ve ever received from a seasoned and successful orchid grower: inspect each of your plants at least once a week. Most weekends – which is the only time I can spend long hours in the greenhouse – I follow that tip. I examine the entire [...]

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