New Apartment, New Orchid Room, & An Update on My Orchid Collection

Well, it’s been far too long since I last posted, yet again. Sorry for that, folks! It’s been a pretty crazy summer, with the biggest news being that we moved into a new apartment in a new neighborhood at the end of June. We lived in the same apartment in Park Slope for four years and our landlord chose not to renew our lease, so we spent the end of May and beginning of June frantically looking for a new place. Once we signed a lease on an apartment in Windsor Terrace we had to actually go through with the moving part, which was NOT FUN AT ALL…but we survived. As upset as we were about having to move apartments, we adore our new place and neighborhood—it’s so quiet and lovely!

So that’s how my orchids ended up with a new growing location, which doubles as the orchid room and my office. I wanted to share my new orchid setup here, along with some photos of what’s been going on with some of my orchids since the move.

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The Orchid Show 2015: My Member Preview Day Visit

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Orchid Show 2015

Happy Orchid Show Opening Day, everyone! I had the good fortune to be able to attend the NYBG‘s annual show yesterday on their member preview day. My friend is a member and was allowed to bring guests, so being the resident orchid nerd of our group of friends I was a shoo-in, along with another friend who happened to be free on a Friday.  🙂 Yesterday marked my seventh annual visit to this Orchid Show! I can’t believe it’s been that long since I first attended and fell head over heels in love with these plants.

I’ve already posted some photos from my visit on The Social Medias, so if you aren’t already following @brooklynorchids on Facebook and Instagram, please do so!

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Orchid Spotting in South Florida

Yesterday I posted photos from my visit to R.F. Orchids, a lovely orchid nursery and showroom in Homestead, Florida. Today I’d like to share with you the rest of the orchids I photographed throughout our travels in Miami and the Florida Keys. Lots and lots of photos ahead!

Within an hour of arriving in Miami’s South Beach, we were eating lunch on the sidewalk at The Pelican when I spotted two orchids (probably Oncidiums) mounted on a nearby tree trunk:

It's kinda sad-looking, but I do see a couple new growths!
It’s kinda sad-looking, but I do see a couple new growths!
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Visiting R.F. Orchids in Homestead, Florida

Vanda at R.F. Orchids
Vanda at R.F. Orchids

A few days ago my husband and I returned from an eight-day trip to southern Florida, and it was a much-needed escape from the Brooklyn winter. We flew into Fort Lauderdale and drove to Miami to stay in South Beach for a night; then we drove down to the Keys, with a 3 night stay in Islamorada and a 4 night stay in Key West. Of course I knew I had to look out for orchids in this tropical climate, and I was not disappointed! Needless to say, I pretty much photographed every orchid that I saw, so I’ll be splitting this vacation up into two posts: the first will be photos of our visit to R.F. Orchids, a nursery and showroom in Homestead, and the second will be photos of orchids that we saw throughout our trip.

Let’s get started with R.F. Orchids!

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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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