Tuesday Garden Party - Orchids

I know summer usually is all about outside plants, but I am so excited about my orchids blooming again I will spend my second Garden Party talking about them.

I love plants and can not remember a time in my life without them. I have had my own house plants to care for since grade school.

This love for plants is a love my grandmother planted, cultivated, nurtured and when she died it has helped me to physically remain connected to her.

So while I am fairly competent with growing most plants, orchids and bonsai trees have never been plants that I have had particular success with, until recently.

A few years ago I got very sick and someone gave me an orchid to make me feel better. I thought it would die after it finished blooming but .... shock of shocks it lived. :)

Soooooo, I bought another, then another, then another. Now I have 7 of them. Not only are they living, growing and spreading out roots they are all re-blooming. One is on its third re-bloom!!

Small (about11/2")

Phalaenopsis

Small (a little over 1")

Phalaenopsis

Small (a little over 1")

Phalaenopsis

Large (3" ) flowers

Phalaenopsis

Large (almost 4") flowers

Paphiopedilum

I re-potted each orchid after the initial bloom, water once a week and try to remember to fertilize (not really good at that, my bad)

They took off when I moved them to a North facing window. (a window that usually is NOT a good growing window for me.)

My violets, on the other hand, prefer a south facing window to bloom.

These are two mystery plants

This was a cutting I took from a restaurant (with permission)
The mother plant was HUGE! Runners were 6 ft.

This one just "showed up"

Any ideas on the names of these two??

The one on the left is a bulb, with leaves that might reach 6" or 7". The flower stalk maybe shoots up 5"

The one on the right reminds me of a Hoya, only grows much faster. The leaves are thick and waxy. It loves a sunny window blessing me with repeat flowering in both a North and a South window. (It was growing so much I had to keep re-potting it. When it blooms the blossoms stay for a while.

Visit the Tuesday Garden Party at An Oregon Cottage.

You never know what you may find that interests you.