Five months of blooming orchids

I've had quite a few orchids blooming over the past few months.  Pretty pictures!

First up is a delightful little mini-miniature orchid named Trisetella hoeijeri, native to the cloud forest of Ecuador. The leaves are about 1.5" tall, and the flower has a 3" spread. I got the plant from Ecuagenera at the Portland orchid show in spring 2017, and in October it gave me two flowers.





Next up is Masdevallia strobelii big form (with an unknown hitchhiker) on the left and small form on the right.  These two pots are doing great on my kitchen windowsill, and in November they bloomed profusely.

When they bloomed in December 2016, the the big form (on the left) had five flowers and the small form (on the right) had seven.  This time around they had 26 and 10 flowers, respectively!  Wowza!  Added bonus, they are intensely sweetly fragrant and I could smell them all over the first floor of the house.  I look forward to watching these plants grow.



This is the flower of the big form, smaller and more white.



And this is the flower of the small form, larger and more yellow.  Confusing, I know, with the big/small, small/big!  I love the sparkly glandular hairs inside the tubular flowers.



A super extra special bonus this year was this:



The big form pot has a hitchhiker!  There is a little clump of leaves that are slightly smaller and bloomed these gorgeous flowers.  Quite different from what the pot is supposed to be.  I haven't figured out what species this is yet (it might be the glandulosa x strobelii hybrid named Masd. Confetti), but I love it.  When I repot the plants next year, I'll split this out and put it in its own pot so it doesn't get overrun by the very vigorous big form.



Next to bloom, in December, was this Odontocidium Wild Willie 'Pacific Bingo'. It's mildly fragrant, like lemony plastic.  Big waxy flowers, very pretty.



Then there was the Gastrochilus somai, which bloomed for about a month in November/December.  I didn't take a picture until it was almost gone by, but there were about 12 flowers on two spikes.



This is Dendrobium Enobi Purple 'Splash', blooming in January on a small three-flower spike.  This is such a striking flower.



Next was Odontocidium Brennan Scott Barfield ‘Mother’s Day’.  No fragrance, but lots of pretty flowers on tall spikes.



This is a Paphiopedilum that I got in bud in December, which finally opened this week.  This cross hasn't been named yet, so it's just Paph. (Hidatsa x Nulight) '1-10' x Kaylight '2-09'.  I'm not normally a fan of this type of so-called "bulldog Paph" with the big round flowers, but this one is pretty and Emma likes it so it can stay. I do like the speckling on the dorsal.



I also have had a bunch of Phalaenopsis blooming. They're pretty cheap, and extra color in winter is always good.  'Nuff said.

This is a new one, no name.



This is also a new one, a pretty no-name yellow that Emma got me for Christmas.



This is a re-bloom, Phal. Liu's Triprince.  This is it's third spike for me.



Another new one last fall, Phal. Ox Surf Song.  This has been blooming since September, and the flower in the picture is somewhat old, hence the brownish tones.  Younger flowers are a lovely clear pinky-peachy-yellow.



Another re-bloomer.  No name but pretty waxy green with purple speckles.



This is Phal. Sogo Berry x Dtps. Fuller's Cheese '3496'.  Who names an orchid "cheese"?  Weird name but very pretty.



And this is Phal. Ox Lucky Boy.  Mini white phalaenopsis are so simple and pretty.



There have been at least a couple other phals in flower over the past few months, but apparently I didn't take pictures.  Oh well, I'll get them next time around.

Last up for now is this Pleurothallis niveoglobula, which has been in bloom continuously since I got it in January 2016.  It literally never stops flowering. The tiny white flowers aren't flashy but very cute.



Whew.  If you made it all the way through this enormous post, thanks for reading!

Amaryllis 1-8

I have gotten seriously behind in posting pretty flower pictures this winter  I have orchids, and succulents, and amaryllis.  Let's start with amaryllis.

First to bloom was Apple Blossom #2 in November, which I got as a box kit from BiMart.  I bought one of these last year as well, but it still hasn't bloomed and I was determined that I needed an Apple Blossom.  The bulb was a little worse for the wear, but it bloomed five flowers on two scapes.  It still hasn't grown roots, and I don't know if it's too exhausted to recover.  Box kit bulbs are not top quality.  Hopefully a summer outside will build it back up.



Next up was Nyora, also in November.  This is a rebloom from last year and still very pretty.  Only two flowers this time around, and no sign of a second scape yet.



Next was Snow White, a new bulb this year.  I got this one on sale at a nursery in Portland, 75% off because it was mostly done blooming.  It had eight huge flowers on two scapes, but I only got to see two of them.  A lovely frilly double white.



The next five bulbs are also new, from a 60% off sale after Christmas.  I mean, come on.  I wasn't going to buy any amaryllis this year, but how can I pass that up?

Karoo bloomed in January, another big solid red. I apparently collect these.  I really like the reds. This one is very nice, with the pointy petals like Red Pearl.  (It's not as dark as Red Pearl, so that one still holds the title of The Best Red.)   It bloomed eight flowers on two scapes.



Amalfi also bloomed in January, a very pretty mini. Eight flowers on two scapes.



Apple Blossom #3 came along in February.  This was a huge bulb, and had nine flowers on two scapes.  I think I may see the start of a third scape peeking out on this one.



Hot Lips opened last week, another pretty mini, with four flowers on the first scape and another scape on the way.



And lastly, Fire Dancer also opened last week. This is another mini, and it is GORGEOUS.  It's perfectly proportioned in its tiny cuteness, and I love the deep red color with the frilly edges.  Four flowers on the first scape and a second scape on the way.



So there you go, the first eight to bloom.  I still haven't brought most of my bulbs from last year up out of the basement, so the show is later this year.

My contribution for the 13th Annual Blogger's (Silent) Poetry Reading for St. Bridget's Day.



Yarn is a Funny Thing
by Sue Brady

A string a thing around-the-whorl
Made of fibers
More than fluff
Add the twist it’s magic

Single fiber won’t hold much
So thin wisp fine and small
Breaks alone and lonely stays
Never can advance

Together now with other fluff
Held in twist-hugged turns
Wrap together rejoice in strength
Support and hold and grow