orchids in the garden

[Cedric]

The Papilionanthe teres, with their plump little chrysalise like buds all burst open this morning next to the small stream in my garden. Looking just like its name suggests, a flight of fluttering butterflies.
I was very excited to find the alba form last week, completely white no yellow, I will mix them with these. These are in fact bright magenta, but well me and a camera.

Very easy for the sub-tropics to the tropics, love full sun, these are in dappled shade but still give a lovely showing every year. In Winter they can take bone dry conditions.

ps- the little philodendron I have bordering this stretch of stream in the shade is almost completely aquatic.

[Sunbeam56]

Duh! I had not heard of that family.
If it doesn't come in a corsage... I probably have never seen it.

I love it. 

[miguynmkoi]

Very pretty!

[Jonna]

Really nice, I'll look for some. 

ps I have several philodendrons that live bare root in the skippy filter at the pond in Cathedral City.  They seem to do fine with their roots in the water and no dirt.  I had one that I attached to a floating ring and it circled the pond for about a year with its roots trailing in the water and the fish nibbling on them, the floaty ring finally disintegrated and I stuck the philly in the rocks of the waterfall.

[maryvonne]

Very pretty!

Maryvonne

[Cedric]

Really nice, I'll look for some. 

Yes interesting about the philodendrons. They sell them here, seedlings, in water by the bunches full.

Jonna, very interesting blog by the way, I love those markets. I have stolen one of your pictures for my desk top, the one with the red and white building. It looks quite a new construction?
I know you have a very dry winter, but what is your humidity like? We seem to have an almost constant 80-98% winter and summer, mostly because of the coast, even though not a drop of rain falls in winter. I think this humidity helps extend the range of plants we can grow, especially the orchids. Vanda does very well too.

Just bought a ton of water plants from the fish market, all submerged growing ones for aquariums, doing a little climate experiment. Interestingly most I was advised like a slightly cooler water 24-25. So we will see what 30-33% does to them, they also have to love our winters of 15-25 with the occasional short plummet to 9-10%, a bit tricky but we will shall see.

[Mikey]

Very cool!  How high up the tree will this orchid grow?  What is the plant with the strap-like foliage that appears to be growing on the tree near the top of your photo.

[Jonna]

We don't have that kind of humidity.  Now, in the driest season, it runs from 30% to 55%.  It can get quite dry, chapped hands and everything.  Most of the year it is 45% to 80%  unless it is raining.  In the rainy season, it is clear and blue skies in the mornings and as it gets later in the afternoon, the humidity goes up and it rains in the evening often with spectacular lightning.  When it rains, it is as if someone is dumping a bucket of warm water on your head. It pours down but doesn't usually last very long.

Red and white house?  Do you mean the pink and white house?  this one?




That was the original main post office for the city but they renovated it and it is now the museum of the city of Merida.  I haven't been inside yet, soon.

[Cedric]

Very cool!  How high up the tree will this orchid grow?  What is the plant with the strap-like foliage that appears to be growing on the tree near the top of your photo.

Not sure to the first. Some people cover the roots in hard wood mulch on the ground. In the wild they have a low scrambling habit in very exposed areas at low altitudes. They may also very easily be grown in an informal hedge. I would try them where ever you want for effect, tough as old boots with flowers as delicate as an angel. They will only flower well with a lot of sunshine, here they are growing on the base of a large palm.

The strap leafed plant is a Vanda x Ascocentrum hybrid, one of the best and easiest I have grown. Branches very freely but remains compact, producing bunched masses of flowers all year in a bright clear sparkling orange, last for ages. I will take a shot when it is in full throttle.

[Cedric]

We don't have that kind of humidity.  Now, in the driest season, it runs from 30% to 55%.  It can get quite dry, chapped hands and everything.  Most of the year it is 45% to 80%  unless it is raining.  In the rainy season, it is clear and blue skies in the mornings and as it gets later in the afternoon, the humidity goes up and it rains in the evening often with spectacular lightning.  When it rains, it is as if someone is dumping a bucket of warm water on your head. It pours down but doesn't usually last very long.

Red and white house?  Do you mean the pink and white house?  this one?




That was the original main post office for the city but they renovated it and it is now the museum of the city of Merida.  I haven't been inside yet, soon.

Yes that building, I like that colonial style you sometimes find, we have quite lot of it here. Think it might have been over restored? It reminds me very much of the civic building on Majorca Spain in the capital Palma. Every Christmas all the VIPS and dignitaries stand on the gallery above and watch Saint Nicholas and his many white Andalusian horses parade. That building is almost identical.

Your humidity levels sound quite good. Not too extreme. Our heavy rains can last a week, we have amber and black rain storm warnings issued for our safety. When its black kids are meant to stay at home and no one drive etc.

[Sunbeam56]

What's the diff between a papilionanthe and a Vanda?

[Cedric]

Oooh er thats quite a complicated question and still causes some confusion. But technically anyway they were both in the same genera, but Papilionanthe was removed from Vanda some while ago. The easiest characteristic to differentiate them are the leaves, they are very different. Vanda have flat strapped shaped leaves with a V cross section and Pap' have terete leaves, completely circular cross section.

Far as growing conditions are concerned it's difficult to make absolute generalisations but most species in both genera like a lot of sun to flower well. Vanda enjoying constant humidity. In Thailand they grow them on slates over still water to ensure they get enough, and in misting systems. But they are quite tolerant of a dry month or so and a break in flowering as long as the humidity is constant. Papilionanthe are much more tolerant of drier air, the tightly rolled up leaves ensure this.