Happy 2015! Phal Spikes + NYBG Orchid Show Dates Released

Happy New Year, everyone! I have to say, I am so glad to see 2014 go. The second half of the year was not the best. Despite some really fun stuff (Comic-Con, our honeymoon), July through the end of the year also involved an inflammatory bowel disease diagnosis for me (fun times…but it’s ok—I’m actually doing well right now), family drama, and plenty of stress to go along with it. All of which also left me less than motivated to blog, so that’s partly why you’ve seen fewer posts from me. Needless to say, I was thrilled when the clock struck midnight on Wednesday because it signaled a fresh start.

On a lighter note, though there’s not a whole lot going on with my orchids at the moment, I do have one Phal that’s about to bloom (YAY!) and a second one whose spike is coming along nicely:

Peloric Phal buds
Peloric Phal buds
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St. Louis Visit: Mom’s Beautiful Orchid Blooms

Happy Black Friday Day After Thanksgiving, everyone! My husband and I flew to St. Louis yesterday to visit with my parents for a few days and had a lovely dinner with them last night (thanks, Mom!).

Like me, my mom is an orchid enthusiast, and she currently has 15 orchids in the house. They’re spread out over a few different rooms, but most of them are getting southern exposure and are looking quite well. Two of them are blooming like gangbusters at the moment, and they’re so gorgeous that I wanted to share! Apologies for the iPhone quality photos—I actually FORGOT to pack my camera for this trip! Who am I?! I never forget my camera!

First up is a nice, large Oncidium Intergeneric Green Valley Honey ‘Sweet Lady’ which has one spike in full bloom and a second spike in development:

A very nice-sized orchid plant!
A very nice-sized orchid plant!
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Fall Spikes in the House!

Ohhhh, I’ve been so terribly neglectful of you, my little orchid blog. Not only that, I’ve also been a bit neglectful of my actual orchids, which I feel even worse about. This summer and fall have been ridiculously busy, much more so than a typical few months for me. I had a period of time when I was only home on weekends a couple times within a couple months. For a homebody such as myself, that was pure insanity.

But I’ve finally been able to get some quality time at home and some quality time with my orchids. Now I’m excited to say that this weekend while watering I discovered not one, but TWO Phals with a spike! It’s definitely the right time of year for these to start appearing, with the cooler nighttime temperatures that we’ve been having in Brooklyn.

Spike # 1 is on my peloric Phal that I got at Home Depot several years ago. It spiked and bloomed a couple years in a row for me, but it didn’t bloom at all last year so I literally gasped with surprise when I spotted this burgeoning spike:

The little green nub on the left will be a spike!
The little green nub on the left will be a spike!
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