Orchids in my garden

[mogo51]

13 hours ago, Queenie O. said:

W                                                                                               hen we first moved in here, I put the word out in the neighborhood that I was looking to buy orchid plants to add to my future dream garden. Many local people came bearing single orchid plants attached to small coconut husks. None had flowers at the time, but I was told that they would surely bloom. I had faith in what they told me, so I bought them all.( Some were just given and not sold too) We wired them to trees all around and hoped for surprises. Some bloomed pretty quickly, but now three years later, some more are finally emerging. I'm not exaggerating when I say that sometimes a bract emerges without notice, and the next day orchids appear! Looking into the mysterious face of an orchid makes you stop to study how unique and exotic they are. I'm so happy to have all these around, and I vow to learn their names over time too. I think that this recent orchid flower is called "Cleisostoma weberi" Maybe there are Visayan names to learn but that will take me longer.

I'll add some others that are around the yard also.. I'll let you know if any more show their faces.

 

Thanks for sharing Queenie, I love orchids.

[Old55]

1 hour ago, Mike J said:

They are open to host functions, etc but no longer raise or sell orchids.  Too bad because they had 1000s of plants.  

Thank you for the update Mike. Sad to hear that.

[Dave Hounddriver]

1 hour ago, sonjack2847 said:

Regarding plants my favourites are Cacti,but it seems to me I have all of the ones available locally

I know a guy named Bill Caldwell who lives on the beach near me.  His wife raises and sells cacti and I guarantee you do not have all the ones she has.  Its a fabulous collection.  Come see me sometime and we'll wander down there if you want to see it.

[Queenie O.]

11 hours ago, intrepid said:

Beautiful! Just Beautiful!  Among other things I too enjoy planting flowers when I have my own place.  Always makes me smile and feel good when I see them.  Thanks for posting the photos.  I can't wait till I can start planting again.

Thanks Intrepid. I came to the Philippines knowing very little about growing tropicals outdoors, although I did have some indoor tropical houseplants.  I studied a lot of tropical plant books and it was great for learning names of plants and trees, but general knowledge and information about plant habits didn't seem to relate overall. Every area and locale is different for each gardener. 

I've found and now feel that if you have pretty good luck gardening in general, you'll do fine here. It has become less hit or miss for me.  I never owned an orchid plant in the States, and the most experience I had with them was wearing an orchid corsage on my dress every Easter. Now I'm really starting to get into orchids too! You're going to enjoy gardening I think.

[Queenie O.]

7 hours ago, Jake said:

I gotta ask this Queenie, besides giving them tender loving care.....do you also talk to your babies (plants)?  Apparently they respond to your soft touch and voice.....he, hel

Well done Queenie!

Thanks Jake! Dry season does bring more sun and heat--things that many flowering plants enjoy.  You know lately though, when I water I have been focusing on individual plants and trees. I praise and encourage them all, and the love and gentle talk really seems to be helping! Plants, orchids and flowering trees have been blooming many for the first time! I like to think that they are all my children, and I love them all. 

I know it sounds kooky, and I'm admittedly rather eccentric anyway, but it really seems to work! That and a lot of water..

[Queenie O.]

8 hours ago, SNAFU said:

We have a few, but nothing as spectacular as yours, Queenie. Nice work and well said!

Thanks Snafu!  Well, orchids in general are really in their own league I think. I kind of like that they were brought and purchased right in my neighborhood that makes them special.   On close examination,  all orchidsl have an exotic look and mystery about them! I'm really going to start paying more attention to them now that I'm having some luck getting them to bloom.  I'd love to find more here and there if I can. What I  don't have is the most famous  vanda orchid variety from Mindanao called Waling-waling. It's considered the queen of Philippine flowers. Pretty pricey though. Also, I'd really love to find some orchids with an exotic fragrance--that would be so cool!

Here's a picture of the Waling-waling orchid. (courtesy of Dalton Holland Baptista)

Edited May 18, 2017 by Queenie O.
spelling..

[intrepid]

My mother back home had a hard time with her orchids.  After several years of attempts someone told her not to use city water because the small amount chlorine will kill the orchids over time.  Apparently they are sensitive to the chlorine.  She started collecting some rainwater or I would take her water from my stream and she never had a problem with them after that.

[Queenie O.]

3 hours ago, Mike J said:

They are open to host functions, etc but no longer raise or sell orchids.  Too bad because they had 1000s of plants.  

Wow Mike--I had been hoping to sometime make that trip south to visit the Moalboal Orchid Farm! You saved me a trip, but that's too bad they're not selling anymore. There's a place in Consolacion Cebu that I've been meaning to get to, called Olive's Fresh Orchids. Orchid plants and cuttings/arrangements for sale it seems.

Edited May 18, 2017 by Queenie O.

[Jake]

34 minutes ago, Queenie O. said:

Thanks Jake! Dry season does bring more sun and heat--things that many flowering plants enjoy.  You know lately though, when I water I have been focusing on individual plants and trees. I praise and encourage them all, and the love and gentle talk really seems to be helping! Plants, orchids and flowering trees have been blooming many for the first time! I like to think that they are all my children, and I love them all. 

I know it sounds kooky, and I'm admittedly rather eccentric anyway, but it really seems to work! That and a lot of water..

Can you do your miracle work on my scale.  I have tried all kinds of manure but my hair refuses to grow.....he, he.  

[Queenie O.]

3 minutes ago, intrepid said:

My mother back home had a hard time with her orchids.  After several years of attempts someone told her not to use city water because the small amount chlorine will kill the orchids over time.  Apparently they are sensitive to the chlorine.  She started collecting some rainwater or I would take her water from my stream and she never had a problem with them after that.

Hmmn--that makes sense Iintrepid. I brought orchid plant food in a BB box-- organic and non-organic, thinking that spraying this on orchids would give me "superior" results. Didn't do a thing! My late mother-in-law taught me to tuck egg shells in between the coconut husks, and I did that but not regularly. We collect rain water and use that when we have it on plants and orchids, but just water from the hose is mostly all I use. I've found that soaking orchid plant roots seems to get them going as opposed to the spraying of water that some experts seem to do. Maybe because it's ho,t the orchid plant roots have time to use the water and dry out thoroughly  through the day.