Winter Blooming in Full Swing!

Very Exciting Times

For the first time in YEARS, I have several orchids blooming and many more in spike. About two thirds of my Phalaenopsis orchids are currently blooming or in spike! Having our greenhouse has REALLY paid off. 🙂

So I’m here to share photos of my orchids that are in bloom! The first to bloom on a new spike was the Phalaenopsis tetraspis var. alba that I ordered from Orchids by Hausermann last summer:

These white blooms are a little hard to photograph, but they’re so beautiful! The flowers have a very pleasant lemony scent. The original spike that was on this plant when I received it is still kicking and has a bloom and several buds, but this new spike now has four open flowers and there’s an additional new mini spike with one bloom! What a joy this orchid is:

The second orchid to bloom this winter is my Phal keiki that grew off of a Trader Joe’s orchid I bought years ago:

This orchid actually has two spikes with multiple blooms on each! I removed this keiki from the mother plant and potted it on its own years ago, and clearly it’s thriving that way.

The next orchid to bloom is the mother of the above keiki, so its blooms look the same:

The next orchid to begin blooming is the one in my collection that I believe I’ve had for the longest, this gorgeous peloric Phal:

My peloric Phal has bloomed several times over the years that it’s been in my collection, but it hasn’t spiked in the past few years. So it’s extra exciting to see this one really hang in there and make a comeback! The first bloom on this orchid actually began to open up the day of the Capitol insurrection, which was a horrific day. It was honestly such a treat to wake up the next morning to find a fully opened bloom. Somewhat a symbol of hope.

Just a few days later, my Phal Evarise Blue Angel opened up its first bloom:

This little cutie is another orchid that I got from Orchids by Hausermann last summer; the plant was in spike when it arrived and bloomed shortly thereafter. Those blooms faded, and there are now three new spikes, plus a keiki, on this adorable plant!

Possibly the most exciting of all the blooming going on is the first flower to open up on my Tolumnia Golden Sunset ‘Red.’ Folks…I kid you not when I say I’ve had this orchid for nearly ELEVEN years without it blooming once!

How beautiful is that little red-and-white jewel?! I believe this orchid was a seedling when I received it from Hausermann’s in March of 2010. This plant has lived through a move in Brooklyn, a move to DC, and a move from our DC apartment to our home here. It now boasts two long spikes and is loving life in the greenhouse! I have a second Tolumnia in spike that I’m pretty sure is a division of this main plant (I used to have another Tolumnia and can’t quite remember which one I divided). We’ll see when the blooms open up on the other one.

Last but not least is another NOID Phal with a gorgeous mauve-y pink bloom:

I keep a binder in which I log details about most of my orchids, but a few have slipped through the cracks and this is one of them. There’s no tag in this pot and it doesn’t seem to correspond with any plants I’ve logged in my binder. The leaves are kind of different from your average Phal; they’re slightly speckled in a Lady’s Slipper Orchid kind of way. Regardless of where this orchid originated from, it’s another delight to behold!

That makes SEVEN orchids currently in bloom as of this morning! I’ve moved three of them into the house so we can enjoy them on the fireplace mantle:

Like I said above, I have many orchids in spike…so I’ll have plenty of updates to share as they begin to bloom.

When I know that a bloom is starting to open on one of my new spikes, I’m like a kid on Christmas morning (I think? I was raised Jewish, so we never celebrated Christmas, haha). I wake up and immediately think about checking to see if the bloom is open the way kids wake up and immediately want to open their presents (so I’m told, LOL). Particularly in this time of unease, unrest, and uncertainty, it’s nice (and a huge privilege) to have this little personal oasis in our back yard where we can escape and enjoy a bit of nature.

As always, please continue to social distance, wear a mask around others, and stay safe and healthy!