New Orchids in my house

I visited the Metropolitan Lawn and Garden show again in February. This time I spent nearly the entire time with the orchid vendors. And, again, I was jazzed. It's really kind of strange how fascinated I am by flowers!

So I walked away with two orchids and here they are.

Paphiopedilum

This one is a lady slipper orchid. I love the deep maroon color. But possibly the best part is the foliage. the mottled leave are gorgeous. And, since this orchid will only bloom about once every nine months or so, enjoying the foliage might be important. I heard it has nearly the same requirements as my two Phalaenopsis. All I know is that it looks really nice sitting in the tray of pebbles with them.

Epidendrum

My other new addition is this interesting beauty. It loves the outdoors and I hear grows new shoots like crazy. I already have one showing up since bringing it home. And each new shoot will bear a spray of these pink and white flowers. Compared to most other orchids the individual flowers look upside-down.
















Look closely here and you can see what I mean. And besides that, isn't it awesome that you get so many!  I placed the plant where I can see it through the window when I walk up to my front door. It just makes me smile to see them. The plant itself is really tall, the stalks are held up by a hoop that wraps around a stake. According to the grower, if I repot this in a heavy enough pot, it would flop over and be pretty trailing from a shelf. I'm planning to give that a try.

Happy nearly spring wishes - my crocus are blooming already :-)

Indulging my flower fetish- KC Metro Lawn & Garden show

What a fabulous way to spend Valentine's day! At the invitation of my husband I visited the KC Metropolitan Lawn and Garden show. Of course, being an introvert and near-recluse, it wasn't easy to drag myself out on the last day of my stay-at-home weekend time. But, I'm so glad I did. Running into plant freaks like myself around every corner was pretty thrilling and enlightening.

My favorite exhibitor was the Orchid Society of Greater Kansas City. Oh my gosh! This is the closest I come to being like a kid in a candy store. I can't believe what a weirdo I am, but my heart beats faster in my chest just thinking about all the flowers. My little Phalaenopsis has been in my home for 6 or 7 years and has only bloomed 4 times, but maybe with a little more education, I can have more of this kind of eye candy in my sunroom next winter. In any case, I'm hooked for now. They'll have my membership money soon. Even if I never attend a meeting, it's great to know there is a community of people who have a freakish attraction to plants similar to mine. I don't mind supporting their fetish at all. Giddy? Yes, I think that's exactly how I feel about it. I mean, there was even a guy who likes our native lady slipper orchids!

Here's another photo just for fun. It's a tree covered with orchids. There are also some little balls covered with Tillandsia bromeliads. One of those little "air plants" was my only purchase today, by the way. The guy selling the little plants had a great booth inside the door and sold the "pups" for $3 or $4. They don't even need a pot or soil; just a bi-monthly soak to keep them growing. I'm thinking I can grow those on the interior wall of my sunroom. There would be plenty of room for a collection if I get good at it.

A close second favorite exhibit was the Water Garden Society of Greater Kansas City. In their case, it wasn't the display that impressed me as much as the person with whom I spoke. Maurice was great. He told me about all the projects the Water Garden Society has in the community, particularly in conjunction with schools. The organization does so much to share the love of gardens, plants, and the outdoors with children. It's good to know there are so many doing good work out there. I talked with Maurice about my intention to build a larger pond just outside my sunroom near the entry to my home. The edges, just outside of the pond liner, are usually dry, but I have been mulling over how to create a bog garden near the edge. Maurice suggested I let an area spill over and discussed the way to flip the liner out rather than in to allow water to fill the space occasionally. I was hoping that would work. Since my pond has yet to be dug, I think this is the perfect time to get to know this group. They will be getting a membership application from me as soon as I have time to fill out the paper. Maurice says I'll get a discount at the House of Rocks with my membership. That should come in handy. Rocks aren't easy to come by or cheap. And I'll need a lot of those for my pond.

Maurice, and you guys at the Orchid Society exhibit, thanks so much for sharing your time with me. I had a great time. You really made a cold day in February fun :-)