Just got home from the Orchid Show at the NYBG — and it was awesome! The weather is truly FOUL out there, rainy and super windy, but luckily my friend has a car and drove us to the garden.
Will post a full update with photos, but here’s a pic of a big, gorgeous Cattleya hybrid for now. It’s labeled as a Brassolaeliocattleya Success Dream x Laeliocattleya Orglade’s Grand:
Yay!! My Hausermann orchids arrived a couple hours ago via UPS. Of course I sat around inside all day waiting for them to show up, but it’s nasty outside so I can’t complain.
I had a mini panic attack this afternoon while waiting for the package (side note: now that I’m watching The Wire, “package” makes me think of heroin) because I suddenly wasn’t sure if the orchids would arrive in pots. I didn’t have five extra pots lying around the house and didn’t want to have to make an emergency run to Home Depot in the rain. Plus, the orchids I’d ordered were on sale so I thought maybe pots wouldn’t be included.
Fortunately all of my new plants came potted. I’ve already repotted each one so that I could check out their roots, and I took lots of pictures to post here. So I guess this is a sort of “orchid unboxing” post…how nerdy am I??
NOTE: I recommend reading my updated post about how to water orchids.Â
Phalaenopsis orchids are the most readily available orchids and tend to be an orchid newbie’s first; however, many of these beauties don’t come with instructions. Proper watering is key to maintaining a healthy and happy orchid plant, so I’m here to offer up some advice on how to water a Phalaenopsis orchid.
First, let me explain the issues with improper watering. When an orchid is over-watered its roots will rot, which prevents the orchid from absorbing water and nutrients; as a result, the plant will die a lot sooner than you’d like. Conversely, under-watering dehydrates the plant and slows its growth, meaning the plant won’t offer up as many of those beautiful blooms. And the blooms are why we buy orchids, right?!
Yes!! A sign that spring is on the horizon: I just received an email notification that my orchids from Orchids by Hausermann have shipped!
I wrote Hausermann’s customer service a few weeks ago to find out when they might ship my orchids. With all the crappy cold weather and snow we’ve had, they said it wasn’t warm enough for them to safely ship my plants. Yet another reason to hate winter.
But now the plants are on their way and I’m excited! I’ll post all about my new orchids as soon as they arrive. I hope they make it to Brooklyn ok—this is my first experience with an online orchid order.
Guess who just bought her ticket* for the New York Botanical Garden Orchid Show? Yep, that would be me…awwww yeah!
As I mentioned awhile back, the show opened on February 27. Unfortunately I haven’t had a chance to go yet, but this Saturday I’m all over it!
Last year’s Orchid Show at the NYBG is what really spurred this passion of mine and I’m so excited to go back to where it all started for me.
The temperature is supposed to be 49 degrees and rainy this Saturday, but you know what? I don’t care. It was a gray, rainy day when I attended last year but the crap weather made the indoor show that much lovelier. Note to self: make sure you FULLY charge your camera battery before you go this year so that you can capture as much as possible!
*Adult admission is $20, but there is an additional $3 processing fee for printable tickets (they email you a PDF). If you want to pick up your ticket at will call, you have to pay a $6 processing fee! What?! Guess which option I went for. 🙂
I didn’t even know that Manhattan had a Garden District until a fellow orchid-loving friend recently enlightened me. Yesterday morning I found myself in midtown Manhattan for a doctor’s appointment and decided that I would check out the Garden District afterward, as it was nearby. And behold, I found a whole slew of garden shops on W. 28th St. between 6th and 7th Aves – some of which almost exclusively sell orchids! Holy moly, was I in heaven!!