First Cymbidium aloifolium Bloom!

This plant has steadily been putting out new growth and we finally tricked this Cymbidium aloifolium in to bloom. Living in S.FL we do not have the cold weather to trigger the spikes on most Cymbidiums, so you have to be a little creative. I began watering it with ice water and like magic the spike appeared.

Armadillo Action

While at Heathcote Botanical Gardens on Wed. doing the weekly volunteer hours, I came across a site that we normally do not see in the daytime. Armadillo's were roaming the garden feeding. I was able to catch a few good shots before they ran away.

Encyclia cochleata Bloom

I bought this Encyclia cochleata from a garage sale back on 3/30. I did not know what it was until the flowers began to open. What a pleasant surprise on this 1. Encyclia's are my favorite orchids so there was no hesitation when the lady told me $5, but they did not have the name. Well I found pictures of it and it is commonly known as the Cockleshell Orchid, because of the shape of the lip. I have also seen it called an Octopus orchid, because of the shape of the flower, the lip is the body and the petals, are the tentacles. This orchid is very easy to grow and stays in bloom throughout the year in cultivation. The plant is attractive, with a relatively large psuedobulb and at least two dark green leaves proportionate to them. The inflorescence rises above them and nicely displays the flowers, borne 3-4 at a time consecutively throughout the year. The lip does have a purple so dark in it, that it appears black. The first picture is from the day it came home with me back in Mar, and rest are scattered from the past few weeks.

Musa acuminata , Ice Cream Banana

This Ice Cream Banana was planted in the ground back in Dec 07. Here are the current pictures. It now has its 6th pup coming up. The largest pup is acually one of the newest pups. The first pic from 1/13/08 shows the banana tree and the 3 pups that came with the tree when I bought it. And here is a link to all of the other posts that I have done on my Ice Cream Banana.

Lc. Angel Heart 'Nora' Bloom!

This Lc. Angel Heart 'Nora' was a clearance orchid that I purchased a few months ago. This is the first set of flowers I have seen on it. What a beautiful surprise, this orchid also has a very sweet fragrance early in the morning. The first picture was taken on 5/24/08.

My Little Succulent Jungle

These are a variety of succulents that I have collected from here and there. The dish has been finished for a month or so and they have finally have become happy in there new home. I only know the name of 1 of them and that is the Chocolat Solidier. I will let you guess which 1 that is. Here are some pretty nice pictures of the different succulents growing in the dish.

Encyclia tampensis , Wild Florida Orchids Blooming

After lots of anticapation the time has come. Almost all of the spikes on this Encyclia tampensis, Wild Florida Orchid are almost in bloom. It is putting on a spectacular show. I have a few pictures tonight and will try to get so better close ups this week. Here are tonights pictures of the wild orchids.

I am Back and I Have Vacation Pictures!

After 11 days of no posting I am Back. I have had a fantastic adventure across the North East with my fiancee and her family. Begining in Boston for a wedding. WOW what a town. We arrived the same night as game 1 of the NBA Finals and the town was pack full of fans. I was there for 3 days staying in the financial district at the Hilton. I had a blast taking a trip down the Freedom Trail visiting Boston Habor, and attending a spectacular wedding on the 33rd floor of the E Trade Building at the State Room over looking Boston. Not to mention the countless visits to the many pubs located downtown. I could comeback here and spend weeks trying to see all of the different historical sites. The few that I did get to see were incredible. Faneuil Hall, The State House, Boston Commons, the Harbor, and the many Churches and cemeteries. After the wedding we planned to take a trip to NY. This is my first time to NYC. I tried to imagine how it would be, but once you get there it is more than you ever could imagine. I only had 1 1/2 days herebut got a lot in. Started at the Today Show and Rockefeller Center, then the Staten Island Ferry, next I made a trip down Wall Street, next we stopped by thr WTC site. That was very emotionel. The stroy about St Pauls Church blew me away. This church is located directly across the street from the WTC and when they came down a Sycamore Tree outside of the church was knocked over and protected the church. Not 1 single pane of glass was broken in the church. Next we made it to Canal St. this place as every Knock off available. After that we booked it up to the Natural History Muesum. We only had a few hours in there because the closed at %. Next we took a stroll through Central Park and stopped by the John Lennon Mosaic and took a picture in front of Strawberry Field. Then a stop by the Dakota's for a visit of a friend and ended at Time Sq. I could spend weeks here as well. This is a slide show of some of the pictures of my trip.

The sad part of my away time from the blog was my grandmother went in the hospital the day I left on my trip. My mom did not tell me to much while I was gone but when I came back I found out they had put her in Hospice. After 6 days in Hospice I came back and went and saw her. I told her I loved her and gave her a kiss. 2 hours later she passed away. She was a rock in my live. I only have a few of these and she is the second one that I have lost. The first being my dad back in 2001. This is a picture of my grandma and me in 1981 at River Kountry, Disney World.

Update on the Project Orchids!

I have done a few posts on the blooms of my Phalaenopsis Naples nights x (Petite rose x Glad melinda), along with the phal I also am growing a Dendrobium Cathy Beck, and an Enc. Atronecium - cordigera 'Multi' x Enc. cordigera 'Giant'. Well tonights post is an update for all the people following the progress of the orchids. The first is going to be the Phal. The second flower opened today. Next is the Enc. I had a new growth, that was on the plant when I got it. The new growth or at least what I thought was a new growth is not doing that well. It has turned a dark brown/black and not putting out any new leaves. But I have new growth that has started since I have had the plant and we will see how it goes. I have other Enc.'s that are thriving right now and they are located inches apart from each other. So I am not to sure what the problem is. And the last one to report on is the Den. Not to much new stuff just steadily putting up new leaves on the new growth but the old cane has not changed since I received it from Jerry.