December 2023 Orchid Spikes

So Many Winter Spikes!

There wasn’t much to report about my orchids for awhile, but now that we’re heading into winter, I have a whole bunch of spikes on my Phalaenopsis orchids! My two Tolumnias have spikes as well. I spent some time photographing the spikes the other day so that I could share pics here.

Before we dive in to my spike extravaganza, I want to remind readers that my 2024 calendar is available in my Zazzle shop. As of this posting, you can get 15% off using the code ZHOLIDAY2023 at checkout.

Okay! The first spike I’ll share is the Phalaenopsis that’s farthest along in the blooming process, with several buds already developing:

Phalaenopsis orchid buds

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Current Orchid Blooms in my Greenhouse

Seventeen Blooming Orchids!

As promised, I’m finally sharing photos of all the orchids currently blooming in my collection! Having a greenhouse has really stepped up the number of blooms that my orchids provide me with each year. Blooming was more sporadic when I growing orchids in my various apartments over the years.

First, take a look at this stunning Phalaenopsis that John got me a couple years ago:

NOID Trader Joe's Phalaenopsis bloom

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What Is a Peloric Orchid?

Wow, it has been WAY too long since I last posted here. I started my own personal blog a little while back, and I got all excited about that. I think I had burned myself out on writing about orchids after doing quite a bit of freelance writing about them, and I’ve needed some time to reclaim that energy. I don’t think I’m totally there yet, but I do have a couple very cool things to share with you (one of which I’ll save for a separate post).

This morning, my husband and I went to Whole Foods to pick up some stuff for a picnic in the park today (yay!). When we entered there was a big display of Phalaenopsis orchids for $12.99 (they usually sell them for about $19.99) and they had several peloric orchids. I’ve talked about peloric orchids a bit before, and I have a gorgeous semi-peloric Phal that’s currently in bloom:

IMG_4978

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Quick Update: My First Orchid Bloom of 2015!

In my last post I shared photos of a couple of my Phals that are in spike. Well, my peloric Phal has finally begun to bloom and it makes me so happy!

These blooms just never get old for me.
These blooms just never get old for me.

As I suspected, this first bloom is facing downward because I most likely didn’t keep the plant’s orientation to the light consistent while the buds were growing. Whoopsie…but it’s still gorgeous! This flower is just what I needed this morning.  🙂

That’s all for now!

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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