ORCHIDS OVER TIME.

way back in the beginning of last december two dear hearts, meg & will, came to our house for a visit from brooklyn. we had fantastic time, if i do say so myself!

...while out and about one day we stopped at a roadside stand selling orchids and meg treated me to my choice of 3!

i've always wanted orchids. my greataunt may (she was very inspiring to me as a child) had a greenhouse full of orchids...they spilled out of the greenhouse and practically took over the yard. here's a picture of her and my uncle victor with some of her orchids.




here are flowers of my 3 plants:



as each plant stopped blooming and lost its flowers...i transplanted it. i very carefully took the plant out of its container where the roots were entwined with bits of bark. delicately, i removed all pieces of bark the best i could. then i would take the tender roots and wrap them gently around a big oak branch (i found in the backyard) securing them with twine. i had this with 2 plants on it in the living room (where the plants have been living since december) and finally one day i took it outside to give the roots a good watering and a nice dose of humidity. well, i ended up leaving the whole she-bang out there and have added the last and third plant to the top. all three plants are most happy.i am so excited to say they all have new growth.
here they are!


the plant on the bottom of the branch is the one that has green flowers (my favourite colour flowers!) and it has the most new growth. here are the 2 huge shoots!

...these are the 2 new shoots on the bottom plant!

..here's the whole plant.


...this is the middle plant. it's the candy stripe. (this is the only plant i've had a little upset with...a pesky something or other made a meal on the new growth..wah)


...the top plant!
this is the one with the white flowers. it just lost its last flowers a couple of weeks ago. i can't believe it had such amazing flowers from december to may! orchids are so rewarding and easy to grow/maintain in florida as i am finding out!

i added this plant just 2 weeks ago and it already has new growth. see the tiny new leaf in the middle?

i love these plants and am pleased as punch that they are doing so well!