Orchids Blooming Today!

I've been so down lately thanks to the early cold snaps and working in retail (Kyna knows what I'm talking about), that its been hard to get excited about gardening.  At least it would be if not for the cheerful blooms of my orchids to make these short winter days more enjoyable.
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 Winter blooming orchids belong in anyone's collection.  Susan of Simply Susan calls orchids "the gift that keeps on giving" and its no wonder, especially when we're talking about the ones that bloom in the dead of winter when those short and cold days end up making you feel a little depressed.

I swear to you, this really works.  Just stare at an orchid bloom every day, and carefully observe each little step in the blooming cycle, from the first appearance of the flowerspike to the last fallen bloom.  When I wake up in the morning, I keep checking on my plants as if I was waiting on the mailman or anticipating unwrapping a gift under the tree.

Oncidium "Sweet Sugar"

 From beginning to end, my fragrant oncidium "Sharry Baby" orchid's bloom cycle lasted 2-3 months.  Now that its finished its deliciously scented parade of blooms, my oncidium "Gower Ramsey" is in full force with my recent acquisition, oncidium "Sweet Sugar" following steadily in its wake.  To the uninitiated orchid grower, these three oncidiums are among the easiest orchids to grow, and their thick pseudobulbs make them a little less finicky than the commonly sold phalaenopsis or "moth orchids".  Oh the complaints I've heard about moth orchids...

Eplc. Butterfly Kisses

Another new orchid for me is this eplc. "Butterfly Kisses", and I'm quite satisfied with the dainty little orange flowers.  I ended up buying two of these about a month ago.  Its an intergeneric hybrid involving the cold hardy epidendrum conopseum and (not so cold hardy) Laeliocattleya "Trick or Treat", and unfortunately the resulting cross isn't that cold hardy from what I've read.  I wonder if I could breed it back with the epi. conopseum or 'greenfly orchid' for more cold tolerance.  Any orchid breeders want to chime in here?

Well, I'm off to go water these guys and stare at them a bit.  I swear to you, try it!  It really will cheer you up, and it beats looking at dead leaves in the garden anyways.  Oh, and just a reminder: Be sure to enter my Epiphyte Contest and write up a blog post about an epiphytic plant!  You have until the first of the year when I'll compile the entries, and you can write about orchids, bromeliads, epiphytic cacti, whatever. Kat White even shared an unusual type of ant plant related to milkweed, and African Aussie posted on her absolutely huge birds nest fern!  Keep those posts coming!
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