Dragon's Orchid Garden

We spend much of our time at home outside in the back yard.  Evenings are my favorite time.  Sunset at Jimi and Leon's is spectacular. From Garden At my house, the water view is our little koi pond.  At night, red, blue and purple flowers in the garden disappear.  White flowers glow softly in moonlight.  I've been adding more and more white flowers and choosing many which will scent the evening garden. Brugmansia, or Angel Trumpet not only have beautiful flowers but an intoxicating scent. From Garden Night blooming Jessamine isn't at all spectacular during the day, though it's a lovely shrub.  At night the tiny white flowers give off a powerful jasmine like scent.  Plant these at the periphery as they can be overpowering up close. From Garden Use white Vinca (periwinkle) for sunnier spots and impatiens for shade.  These annuals are perennials in Florida, self seeding.  They are super easy to root by cuttings. From Garden From Garden U

There is nothing plain about vanilla.  The history of this spice is chock full of intrigue and legend. Wayne and I have three vanilla orchid plants.  None of them are marked, so I don't know their species names.  We bought them at various plant sales in hope that one day we might have flowers and our own little vanilla plantation, not having to pay exorbitant prices for my favorite flavor.  We have our plants in hanging pots.  One of them is in orchid bark, which I now know is the wrong medium for this plant. While shelving new nonfiction books at my library, I came across Vanilla Orchids: Natural History and Cultivation by Ken Cameron.  I have a new understanding of this amazing plant after reading the book.  First, we need to repot them in compost.  Vanilla is a terrestrial orchid. Planting in rich soil or compost is best.  Vanilla is also a vining orchid.  It needs support on which to grow.  It wants shade. There are about 100 or so wild vanilla species known.  The fruit,

I had a rare Tuesday off today.  With five inches of rain in the rain gauge, it was not a day to spend pulling weeds, though they will certainly need pulling once the rain stops...sometime on Thursday according to weather reports.  It was a great day to knit.  Happily, I have at hand 10 Secrets of the Laidback Knitters by Vicki Stiefel and Lisa Souza.  I checked it out from my library.  Twice.  I've now ordered a copy, even though I had put a moratorium on buying more knitting books.  This one made me feel okay about the way I approach my knitting.  For me, it is the comfort of having needles and yarn in my hands, gradually seeing a finished object emerge.  I love the finished objects, which are almost always gifts for someone special, but it's the act of knitting that makes me feel good. In their book, Vicki and Lisa lay out chapter by chapter what it is that makes knitting joyful.  From learning to knit, to spinning your own yarn, every step of the process is written with

I bought an orchid for my honey on Valentine's Day.  This is August 3rd and it's still blooming, almost six months later.  Not the same blooms, but the bloom spike keeps growing and adding on new buds.  What's interesting is that the color has changed over the months.  It started out marled with purple, but the new blooms are whiter.  Here are pictures from February 14th.  The white one on the right is the one Wayne bought me. From orchids From orchids Here is a picture now.  The bloom spike curls around and makes almost a circle.  It's still growing and has new unopened buds. From orchids I haven't even repotted it from the plastic pot.  I don't like to disturb them while they're blooming.  This is the energizer bunny of the orchid world!