And there are also some which bloom year around - continuously or almost so. Restrepias come to mind. My Epidendrum secundum and the Epi Hokulea bloom for months.

Brassavola nodosa has just gone out of bloom here. I cut the last flower today. It started blooming the first of December. Cymbidiums are ending their bloom too. They were fully budded in late November and blooming in early December.

Ursula, that's great to hear about Epis. I just got one Greenbird Brilliant. It has buds on 4 spikes. I hope that blooms a long while.....Laurel, I have a new B nodosa, but its just getting its bearings right now. You wouldn't believe where I bought it. The poor thing was clinging to life in a plastic bag at Lowe's. Heaven knows when the last time it had a drop of water was. My rescue mission.........

Is it difficult to grow this Leptotes bicolor? ( it is on a slab)

Mine seems easy on a slab. It hasn't bloomed in a while though! One year it was gorgeous! Hafta find the pic later.

Mine is also mounted. It is hanging in good light, some straight sun and so it dries up quickly. I need to water mine daily.

Can it be grown in a pot?

Not sure. Anyone else out there grow it? Mine came mounted.

Close up.

Thanks Kathy and Ursula. It looks very interesting.

I repotted 3 plants today. They were ones I had bought at the Botanic Garden greenhouse awhile back. They were in what looked to be (oh horror of horrors!) DIRT. So I spoke to the Director this morning to find out what was up with that. He said it came to them that way and it was Promix. DUH! Well, shouldn't you get it out of that before you sell it to some unsuspecting novice? Just seems irresponsible to me. The plants look healthy enough, but I will keep an eye on them. (2 Phals and a Catt)
I could have sworn I heard them sigh "Ahhhhh, we're home now!" after getting into the bark mix. LOL.

I bet! You are a good mom.

Janice, I used to have Leptotes bicolor in a terracotta pot with bark medium. The leads naturally grow downwards and the pot becomes difficult to keep upright. I've had the same problem with Brassavola nodosa and Brassavola cordata. I just unpotted and mounted both yesterday. You can see the problem here...

Well that explains why I have only seen them mounted. Thanks, Laurel!

Thanks for the illustration, Laurel. And thanks, Kathy....I really wonder about that Greenhouse now! Can you be prosecuted for cruelty to plants? LOL.

Cruelty to plants unfortunately is low on the list.

Ursula, You have shown us where you grow them and that you water daily, with rain water, but I've never seen you mention feeding. Could you share with us what you feed yours, and how often? Inquiring minds want to know.

Carol,
fertilizing is so much easier in Summer when everything is outside. I like Peters fertilizer the best. About once a week I use 20-20-20 and switch to blossom booster like 10-50-10 when I see spikes. I always look for formulations which contain some Magnesium and Calcium, the label on the package usually mentions micronutrients.
Now before I bring my plants inside in the fall, I drench some of the plants which are extremely susceptible to Mealies and Scale, with the Bayers triple treatment which also includes fertilizer.

Feeding inside during the colder season is not as easy, since my greenhouse has glass panels which would be gummed up/dull with salts in no time flat. So in Winter I feed about once a month using a sprayer, fertilize everything and then immediately rinse off the glass panels with a good shot of rain water. A few months ago I have started to add Magnesium Sulfate ( Epsom salt) at 1 teaspoon /gallon to the fertilizer. Plants which are growing in very bright light tend to have a bit of yellowing on the leaves, that should help with that. ( see especially Cattleyas)

I use the amount of everything as indicated on the label, I don't do the weekly weakly routine on my Orchids, that would be too time consuming for me.

I know you didn't ask me but I thought a variety of answers would give you more choices, Carol. I water with the MSU formula (mine is for RO water) and some physan (to prevent rot) mixed in every other week. If the cymbidium leaf tips get brown I fertilize every three weeks since it is a sign of over-fertilization. I use a backback sprayer. I can only handle 2.5 gallons at a time so I usually fill it twice so it's not too heavy.

How much Physan do you add?

I should also add that I mix some crushed Oyster shells into the medium on those Orchids which grow on limestone cliffs, as some Phrags, Paphs and especially the Mexipedium do.
Here is a good list to tell which ones fall into that category.
http://www.slipperorchids.info...