Dragon's Orchid Garden

Wayne put up a third hummingbird feeder at the pond pergola.  We were sitting next to the pond when a little ruby throat female appeared as if by magic next to the new feeder.  I saw her and she definitely saw me.  She paused and then hovered just a few feet away looking right at me, or maybe it was the bright red top I happened to be wearing.  I did not breath!  She sped away, but has been back, sampling all of the feeders and the cardinal vine flowers.  We planted the cardinal vine with the seeds from last summer's vine.  Happy 226th birthday to John James Audubon . Orchids blooming now include this beautiful little Dendrobium Pierardii, purchased as a baby at an orchid show a couple of years ago.  It's a reliable bloomer if you give it enough humidity and filtered sun. From orchids Laeliocattleya Fire Dance 'Patricia" is spectacular in red-orange with a magenta lip. From orchids Sometimes our orchids end up with names like 'litt...

With the return of warm weather, I am out taking pictures of flowers.  It is late afternoon and the sun is shining just so through the purple spotted phalaeonopsis, setting it aglow. From Sunlight through Orchids  

It's raining. It's a wet, humid, drippy, gray day. But the garden loves it. Here are a few orchids blooming now. First is a Paph. St. Low x Paph. haynaldianum. It's a slipper orchid with 4 blooms on one stalk. Then the fantastic Bulb. Marv Ragan, the lip of which is on a tiny hinge so that it rocks in the slightest breeze in order to attract a pollinator. Third, Den. Coernlea Blue. From orchids From orchids From orchids

Plants put on spectacular shows in their efforts to attract pollinators, much like some humans.  One of the strangest is Ceropegia sandersonii, or parachute vine.  This plant belongs to the milkweed family.  We almost lost ours to the extended Florida freeze this year, but managed to save part of the undamaged vine.  The flower looks very much like a parachute: From Dragon's Orchid Garden From Dragon's Orchid Garde Another oddball denizen of our backyard is a Stepalia gigantea, gifted to us by our friend Carl. It's another member of the milkweed family. Its flowers give it the popular name "Giant Carrion Flower".  We have several of them now, as they root easily from cuttings.  Fetid flowers form from large buds on the leafless succulent branches, attracting flies with their stink.  I really don't recommend you stick your nose in one of these... From Dragon's Orchid Garden From Dragon's Orchid Garden Orchid flowers can easily com...

It's arrived! That season that passes for Autumn in Florida. We had a cool snap a couple of days ago. It got down into the 60's for a few nights, brrrr (it's back to 80 at night, now). The weather prompted several of the orchids in the back yard to start blooming. Now that it's not raining as much, we water them, mixing quarter strength orchid fertilizer (20-20-20) and a few drops of Superthrive for each gallon. Water weakly weekly , during dry weather. Species Vanda - this one has 3 flower spikes on it and has just started opening.  It will have 10 flowers on one spike and 3-4 on each of the other two.  The flowers are large at about 5". Deep Purple Denrobium lc. mini purple Maikai again. This time with 3 flower spikes. This is the plant featured in my blog header. It's one of my favorites.

After rains yesterday and today, the garden looks renewed and there are new blooms.  It's nice to take a moment to stretch the knitting fingers and wrists while marveling at these beautiful flowers.  Here's what's blooming... Lc. mini purple - Maikai, purchased at USF Botanical Gardens annual Orchid Show and Sale Pot. Beaufort Gold 'Susan Fender' from Phelps Farm Orchids The strange looking  bulb. marv ragan.  This one just keeps blooming and blooming and has a little hinged lip that teeters in the slightest breeze. Lots of dendrobiums are blooming now as well as sherry babies and several vandas have bloom spikes.  I'll take pictures of those when they open.