GBBD: Orchids


One of my unexpected challenges for 2013 is looking after some orchids. This one - a Cymbidium - arrived just before Christmas and is brightening up our lounge. You may remember I also received an unexpected gift of a moth orchid on leap day last year :)

The main challenge for me will be how to make them flower again. According to the RHS's cultivation notes,  the Cymbidium's flowering is initiated during the summer months and is helped by having a distinct difference in day and night time temperatures. It also says the temperature should be kept below 590F, which could be tricky even in our climate. However, I'm up for giving it a go and will start by cutting the pictured flowering spike down to its base when the flowers have faded in a few weeks time.

The moth orchid requires slightly different treatment. When the flowers faded last year, I cut the flowering stalk back to just above the second node (joint) beneath the spent flowers. Mine hasn't developed the expected side shoot, so I'm taking the RHS's online advice and placing it in a cooler room for 4 weeks (the advice is 80F lower) to see if that'll do the trick.

NB This month's look at indoor flowers doesn't mean there's a lack of them outside, oh no. The Constant Gardener's issued a challenge last week where she asked us to count how many kinds of flowering plants we have in our gardens. Mine garnered a surprising total of 13. How many can you muster for Blooms Day?

Garden Bloggers' Blooms Day is hosted by Carol at May Dreams Gardens.

Comments

  1. BernieH15 January 2013 at 10:49

    Your new Cymbidium is quite lovely. Best of luck with the care of such a beauty.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Marian S15 January 2013 at 13:21

    Your Cymbidium is a showstopper. Sadly, I don't have the patience to cultivate a rebloom. I gift myself with a beautiful moth orchid at the New Year, enjoy its flowers while they last, and then donate the plant to a charity sale in spring. Someone gets a bargin and I don't suffer with guilt.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Lea15 January 2013 at 14:07

    Lovely!
    Happy Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day!
    Lea
    Lea's Menagerie
    USA

    ReplyDelete
  4. Jean Campbell15 January 2013 at 14:50

    Lovely! I got caught up in the orchid craze too when there was a BOGO sale this month and I bought two for the price of one. I'm learning, and an old moth orchid that sat here for three years has a bloom spike!

    ReplyDelete
  5. HELENE15 January 2013 at 19:05

    That's a lovely orchid, I have never grown Cymbidiums before, only phalaenopsis and dendrobiums. Good luck with your orchid, and happy GBBD!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anna15 January 2013 at 19:16

    Oh good luck with the challenge VP. My mum has a small collection of orchids which she has kept going over a number of years. Not sure of the secrets of her success but I know that she puts her plants (in their pots) out into the garden during the summer months, where they sit in close proximity to one of the house walls. They come back in before the first frosts.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Janet/Plantaliscious15 January 2013 at 20:36

    I'm always impressed at people who can keep ANY house plant alive, let alone orchids, so all the best! As for 13, am impressed, I can only muster 7...

    ReplyDelete
  8. easygardener15 January 2013 at 21:11

    Nothing like Orchids to bring a little bit of the exotic into the house - especially at this dismal time of year

    ReplyDelete
  9. Donna@Gardens Eye View17 January 2013 at 06:02

    I inherited an orchid in my plant infirmary at work (on my windowsill)...sad little thing but I hope to bring it back and have it flowering...of course I know noting about them...good luck to you!

    ReplyDelete
  10. VP21 January 2013 at 10:20

    Thanks for your comments everyone. It looks like I might need to be patient in my quest if Nell Jean's comment is anything to go by! Like Anna's mum's orchids, I think mine will be taking their summer outdoors.

    ReplyDelete

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