Why not grow orchids?

[piping plovers]

58 minutes ago, aztropic said:

Highly scented, frilly, raspberry colored flowers

What a beauty. Especially appreciate that contrast of the bottom ruffle of the lip.

[piping plovers]

2 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Currently got 9 new stems pushing on it.

Now that should be quite the show when they all bloom!

[Silas_Sancona]

On 12/31/2025 at 6:29 PM, piping plovers said:

Now that should be quite the show when they all bloom!

It would be ...if they all / any of them were forming sheaths..  None developing on them though. 

Thinking this one needs to gain a little size / age before it starts flowering.  ...That or it's just being stubborn, ..so far at least, lol. 

Regardless,  definitely a vigorous cross i can see getting massive pretty quickly if the growth i've been seeing so far is standard for the cross. 

[metalfan]

[Tomas]

I declared war on snails and conquered the first territories in the garden and here are the first results

[Brad52]

I had an interesting looking plant shoot in with a cycad pot I purchased so I let it get planted with the cycad.  4 years later I now saw this from it.

[Tracy]

On 1/6/2026 at 10:29 AM, Brad52 said:

I had an interesting looking plant shoot in with a cycad pot I purchased so I let it get planted with the cycad.  4 years later I now saw this from it.

The flower reminds of Epidendrum falcatum or parkinsonianum but not the leaves.  What a pleasant surprise. 

This bloom is a pleasant gift coming out of the boot of a Pritchardia.   I  cut the start off a larger plant which has been in my gardens for well over 15 years but the parent isn't blooming right now.   This cutting has been bouncing around the garden with this boot being it's latest host.  Parent plant shown below too.

[metalfan]

Bulbophyllum 'Wilbur Chang' is STILL blooming. It started in late summer and has had over 20 serial blooms

[metalfan]

just before the coldest weather we have had so far this winter (a 10 hour hard freeze somewhere between 25-29F for one night arrives tomorrow into Friday) my Vanda decided to bloom

[piping plovers]

Cattleya Lueddemanniana 'Graf's Picotee'  First time growing and blooming this species.  Purchased from a grower in Sarasota area this past Aug. Was not expecting blooms this early, but we had great outdoors growing conditions here, up until late October.  As often as I could, out in full sun as daily highs didn’t exceed 75 degrees F.

Nice fragrance, like roses.

 

[piping plovers]

Papilionanda [aka Pda.] Omar Padron 'Indigo Blue Spots' (Vanda Robert's Delight x Pda. Mimi Palmer). 

A grape jelly kind of fragrance. Pleasant.
 

As I can’t grow these outdoors attached to palm trees, like many of you in Zone 9/10+, I’ve been experimenting with glass vase culture to keep the roots moist in winter time indoors. Summertime, they lose their vases and go outdoors, full sun, hanging in trees.

 

[Brad52]

Forget the variety….

[Brad52]

[happypalms]

Another beauty in the garden!

[aztropic]

On 12/14/2025 at 8:17 AM, aztropic said:

Just brought in some budding Vandas/Rhynchostylis gigantea from the greenhouse to bloom inside. Flowers are generally super fragrant and fill the area with incredible scents. 

Growing this type species,I find they do best potted in extremely light volcanic cinder/pumice mix to keep roots from totally drying out in Arizona summer days.

 

aztropic 

Mesa, Arizona 

The flowers are all now open - surprisingly, all at the same time.😄 Plant photos are in the same order as above.

 

aztropic 

Mesa, Arizona 

[Brad52]

A native volunteer, and a tree shot.