dagblog - Comments for "Orchids Are In Bloom"

Yes, I was surprised. It had

trkingmomoe — Wed, 22 Apr 2015 04:35:37 +0000

In reply to You're so lucky to live in a

Yes, I was surprised. It had been a long time and really could not remember which one it was. I have a few others that have not bloomed in a while. The white one is in there somewhere.

You're so lucky to live in a

Ramona — Tue, 21 Apr 2015 23:59:24 +0000

In reply to Orchids Are In Bloom

You're so lucky to live in a climate where you can grow orchids. Love your pictures. And I'm doing this backwards. . .I just saw the post with your 15 year orchid and now I'm reading this one which was written before it bloomed. I see you thought it would be white. I'll bet you were surprised!

You're very lucky - and so is

barefooted — Sat, 18 Apr 2015 22:08:13 +0000

In reply to I had day lilies in Ohio and

You're very lucky - and so is that magnificent Bird Of Paradise your son rescued. They are expensive, partly because mature ones are hard to find. I planted an Amaryllis after it was through one year - when the huge red and white blooms showed up the following year in the flower bed, no one knew what it was outside of a pot.

My favorite bird is the hummingbird - they're just fascinating to me. One particular year, between all the brightly colored flowers and multiple feeders the yard was practically swarming with them. Shimmering reds, greens and blues darting and hovering everywhere, sounding like large bees in unison. I got used to having them inches away when I was on my knees among the flowers in the garden.

The downside to the beauty and fun of plants/flowers is insects. Slugs, snails, Japanese beetles, white flies, etc., etc. As a kid I thought a Praying Mantis was cool ... until I watched one three inches long, parked on a lily leaf, eat the head off another one. It's what they do. Ah, nature!

I had day lilies in Ohio and

trkingmomoe — Sat, 18 Apr 2015 21:02:52 +0000

In reply to Just lovely, momoe! I used

I had day lilies in Ohio and they got really impressive. They would grow wild along the road. I have Amaryllis that are real showy in late February here. We just let them go to seed for next year. When your lilies start bloom share a picture.

We just planted a Giant Bird of Paradise to replace the Hong Kong Orchid Tree in the front. The tree has root rot. We will take cuttings from it before we cut the tree down. The bird of paradise came from a job site that my son was working at. They took out the plants to remodel the out side of the building. This particular plant will grow 25 feet tall and have very large white bird of paradise blooms that are a foot long. A tree company came and dug them up then left a couple that they didn't want. He and some one else rescued them from the trash heap. So they each took one. I have no idea what a plant like that would cost, but I bet it is more then a weeks worth of groceries.

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/362673/

It is sometimes called a wild banana. We should know in a few months if the rescue lives. I am told that birds love it. Right now a pair of blue jays have set up housekeeping in the Orchid tree. They come back every year.

Thanks for your comment.

Just lovely, momoe! I used

barefooted — Sat, 18 Apr 2015 19:20:47 +0000

In reply to Orchids Are In Bloom

Just lovely, momoe! I used to have a good variety of irises and calla/canna lilies; their blooms are long lasting, too. I had some hibiscus "bushes" that were just amazing show-offs, but since the blooms only lasted a day (though there were always more coming) the deadheading routine was time consuming. Gotta say, a big part of the joy I find in growing and raising flowering plants comes from keeping them fresh and happy - and dead leaves/flowers can suffocate new growth. That's one of the great things about blooms that stick around!

Old Bob reminds be of a tiger lily I had for years. One of the varieties that blooms like crazy during the spring (daytime only, blooms die overnight) and spreads like wildfire. Bulb plants will do that. I would beg people to take the "babies", give them 5-10 innocent-looking plugs and advise that they plant them away from flower beds. Not everyone listened ... much to their chagrin. ;-)

Your late blooming Fri. made

trkingmomoe — Sat, 18 Apr 2015 17:52:15 +0000

In reply to Beautiful flowers! Thanks

Your late blooming Fri. made me think to post what I had blooming. They just like it on my porch and the climate here is perfect for them. I have them given to me and find them sometimes on a mark down table at a nursery. People like them when they are blooming but don't want them when they are done. It is fun to finally see what they are when they bloom. I have many varieties of Christmas Cacti for the same reason. You can see them in the background in a couple of pictures.

I have 2 pineapples that will be ready to eat in a couple of months. It has been dry this spring so they are still tiny. The pineapple that produced last summer has several new plants (sucker) coming from it's base. I thought it had died out afterwards. I know it takes about 5 years to produce fruit from seed and 2 years if you use the pineapple top but I don't know how long it takes to produce fruit from a sucker plant. Probably the same as a top.

It is so much easier to care for a plant with all the info on the internet. I just look things up and give it a try. Here in the tropics everything is different so I had to relearn stuff. The box store nurseries still sell plants that do well up north but not here. Retirees still try to grow them and really waste their money and time.

Beautiful flowers! Thanks

MrSmith1 — Sat, 18 Apr 2015 14:17:36 +0000

In reply to Orchids Are In Bloom

Beautiful flowers! Thanks for posting the photos! I wish I was better with plants. I tend to over/under water them. I also am amazed at anyone that can name flowers. I usually just say the yellow ones or the purple ones. hahaha