Orchid Challenge, Lady Slipper

By TheJenny, Guest Blogger


New Orchid coming! One of my favorite types Paphiopedilum or "Lady Slipper" orchid, or as I call them, the ugly pitcher plant orchid. The flower is purple and green and the petals are warty. It's quite fantastic. The blossom should be here in a month or so, I'll update with a picture when it blooms.

Orchid Challange, something's growing

To date, we have three takers on the orchid challenge and we all seem to be doing quite well!

This is what I call my spaceship orchid, or Epi. Green Hornet, lancifolium x cochleatum. It grew a new shoot this year, which I have not figured out is where the blooms come from. The old ones never bloom again.

The new shoot has a little something growing inside it! Hopefully this will translate into some blooms in the near future.

Saga of the Cymbidium

Oh, we have another taker on the orchid challenge!

By Guest Blogger, Marisa

Well my darling C has been living on my back patio under the patio cover quite contentedly for about 3 years now. It has very enthusiastically tripled in size and despite the first year of playing opossum, has bloomed gorgeously for the last two.

This year however, despite its seemingly sufficient protection, it fell prey to the deadly frost we had back in December. Imagine my dismay when I discovered the blackened and shriveled remains of at least four promising spikes, only just preparing to be showstopping beauties in February!

My C was not to be deterred however, and came roaring back with extra vigor to produce four healthy replacements to dazzle me. The first of its efforts is shown here, three more to open! I am a proud mother. Just wait until my mystery phaleonopsis opens. The crowing and photos to follow! (she says hopefully)

Another Orchid Challenge!

By TheJenny, guest blogger

Oooh! Can I take the orchid challenge too? This red beauty re-bloomed just in time for turkey day and the flowers stuck around until after New Years. Long-lasting, lovely, and festive. What more can you ask for in a flower? To entice it to re-bloom, I treated it to my usual neglectful watering schedule, the steam from the kitchen sink, and indirect sunlight from the window box. So that's 2 orchids down (if we count the leopardy orchid re-bloom in October 2009), and several more to go. Wish me luck!

Lemons into Lemondrops!

I love Meyer lemons. Yes, I know they aren't actually lemons, more oranges, but I love them. I always prefer them over Eureka's and always look for someone who has a tree that will support my habit.


Since I'm in a condo, I've never had a tree, but finally impulse bought a small tree at Home Depot a couple of years ago, because I just couldn't help myself anymore.


The first year, it had a couple dozen blooms but no lemons which isn't surprising. I wasn't expecting much the second year because it's in a pretty small pot but I have a secret weapon. One little hummingbird.


This year the tree was covered in blooms. Jam packed with probably hundreds of blooms. Dripping blooms that the hummingbird just loved. I keep a hummingbird feeder in the lemon tree pot during the winter to keep her around. At first I thought it was the bees, but now I know better. That little bird is the key!


So this year there were nine lemons on this little tree and they were huge lemons! I will say they are the best Meyer lemons I have had. I'm so proud! For our Christmas, we make lemondrops as our holiday cocktail and this year we used our very own.


Here's a photo of our last lemon before I picked it.

Mushroom Hike

I'm straying off my usual path where I blog about plants I grow...or kill.

But this hike is so full of good plants, I just can't help myself. Stebbins Cold Canyon hike located outside of Winters, CA and is about 4.75 miles long with a 1,600 foot elevation change. You usually go up the canyon, up the to the ridge, up and down the ridge and back down to complete the loop.

It has some great views of Lake Berryessa and more mushrooms than I have seen in years! Go in the winter after a couple of nice rains and you won't be disappointed.

You can see the highest point in the picture below, the ridge in the far distance. Good stuff!

Bird of Paradise - rebloom

This year I got 2 blooms on my potted Bird of Paradise. These are photos of the larger one that started to sprout last year at this time. Took a whole year to actually bloom but it was super pretty!





-- Post From My iPhone