My Orchids

[lavendertook]

This is an orchid I've had for 3 years in my living room window. I've been watching its flower spikes grow for about 4 months, and it just started opening its buds the past week. Hopefully, they'll last for 3 or 4 months.




Its blooms are more golden this year. The last two years they were more of a peachy salmon. It's a pretty change. Last year's display was small--just a couple of blooms. When all 3 spikes are open this year, there will be a good dozen.


And next to my senior orchid is a prolific orchid colored orchid I got in October or November. It's got 2 dozen blooms on it and some of those blooms have lasted a good 4 months, bless its little orchidy heart. It's been keeping my window full of color all winter. I also got that mini-orchid on the bottom right in December and it lost it's first blooms but that one just opened a couple of weeks ago--it's sending out a couple of more buds.


I wonder if this orchid will be so prolific next year.


They're very happy in this window. I lost a lot of orchids over the years until I learned how to not over-water them, and discovered how happy they are in this window.

So that's what's in front of me right now, over the top of my screen and beyond my furry companions curled up around me. I have an awful lot of pics from the past few years to share with ya'll--lots of spring flowers and fall colors, local fauna and my furry homecrew, so I hope to spend more time mining those for this month's posts.

Comments

[easterlily41482]

What a gorgeous display of flowers. I bet your house smells really nice. Thanks for sharing this!

[lavendertook]

They don't have much in the way of a scent. However, I have a jasmine vine to the left of them that has twined all the way to the top of the curtains, and it sends out frequent tiny little white blooms that send out lovely puffs in the evening. It's pretty scraggly because it keeps getting spider mites, but it does its best to keep sending out periodic blooms all year. I wish I could grow its more showy relative, the gardenia, but I've never had luck with those.

[grey_wonderer]

One of the really good things about having an LJ and a DW is that I get to see the pretty photos twice. : )

[lavendertook]

:-D

[mews1945]

You must have green thumbs. Those flowers are gorgeous, and very cheery to have in your window these gray days.

[lavendertook]

I followed my mom around watering her plants and tending the garden as soon as I could walk, so I learned from her. They sure help a lot. I need to have blooms in winter.

[ladysnaps.livejournal.com]

georgia is one of my favorite artists and you got some lovely shots here. once i tried to emulate her painting style. failed.

[lavendertook.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much. :-D Awwww.

[grey-wonderer.livejournal.com]

These are lovely!

[lavendertook.livejournal.com]

Thank you! (-:

[romeny.livejournal.com]

These are gorgeous images. Orchids are difficult to grow or for me any flowering plant. My plants are mostly the grow it yourself Philodendron variety. I don't think I noticed that you had any plants at all in your apt.

[lavendertook.livejournal.com]

I have plants in all the windows, but you were probably busy looking at my LotR stuff under the window. (-;

[addie71.livejournal.com]

Gorgeous!

[lavendertook.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

[shirebound]

Orchids are so fascinating. How often do you water them?

[lavendertook.livejournal.com]

Just once a week.

[claudia603.livejournal.com]

oh those are beautiful!!!

[lavendertook.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[jan-u-wine.livejournal.com]

ok, now i am even MORE insanely jealous than i was before. How I keep managing to kill these poor creatures I don't know (not over-watering, I think).

I am glad that both your plants and your kittehs have such a skilled and caring mom!

[lavendertook.livejournal.com]

It's also hard to grow them in your climate. They probably would like to be misted constantly in your dry air, but not watered more frequently, so it's a tough balance. Our constant humidity here is good for tropical plants, as long as the room temps are warm enough.

Thank you, bb. *bows*

[jan-u-wine.livejournal.com]

sigh. I'm sending my One Orphan Orchid to you. Be watchin' the post.......

(at least my hydrangea is (about) to bloom. And the orchid DOES still have leaves. Just no blooms or indication there ever will be any!)

[lavendertook.livejournal.com]

No mailing orchids! That is sure to make one sick or dead plant.

When did it last bloom? They usually only bloom once a year, and some years they skip.

[jan-u-wine.livejournal.com]

it was blooming when i bought it, but the bloom has since dropped off. That must be about a month ago now....

[lavendertook.livejournal.com]

You have done nothing wrong. There's no telling how long it was blooming before you bought it. If it was blooming in December, you probably won't see a bloom on it until the end of this year. Maybe in September or October it will start sending up blossom stems that you'll watch grow for a couple of months before they develop buds and a bloom opens. Once it blooms, the blooms can last for 4 or 5 months. The other 7 or 8 months, you just have green leaves to look at, and little feelers vines. So I guess that's the patience part--remembering to keep giving it a shot glass to drink once a week, even when it's being boring for several months. If I am lucky, maybe I'll be treated likewise. (-;

[jan-u-wine.livejournal.com]

yeah, my blooms could do with a shot glass o' something right about now.....

[lavendertook.livejournal.com]

*snicker*