Kathy's pictures brought back some great memories. It would be hard not to be happy with all of the orchids, palms and friends surrounding me. Not to mention the great food, dark chocolate and red wine. What a time it was!

Great show, Ursula. I love the Coelogyne Burfordiense.

I have 6 orchids ready for the show on Tuesday. The Grammatophylum scriptum will have to ride in the back of the pickup under a tarp unless Ted shows with his bucket truck. Perhaps I could trim some of the taller palms as well.

I am wondering where our friend Bree is hiding.

Jim

Thanks Jim!
Have fun on Tuesday!

You know, I was wondering about Bree too.

She's probably hunkered down by her fireplace. It's winter down under, right? May = our November.

Thanks everyone for going over and checking out the trip pics. It was a life experience for sure! Closest thing to an orchid RU! I would have liked to meet you too, Elaine! The only regret I have is not getting a t shirt, but I am negotiating that so I will probably get one soon! Some day in the nursing home, they will find me chuckling over my t shirt collection. Something about dark chocolate and red wine......and grammatophyllums!

The caregivers will think we know a different language, which, in fact, we do.

I am amazed and thrilled that my little Enc. Green Hornet has no less than 6 spikes coming along or in bloom. One of them is somewhat of a dwarf, blooming down in the middle of the plant but . . . oh well! The rest are elongating now that I am watering a little more.


My NOID Spathoglottis that I nicknamed 'opal' because it changes color. It's been in bloom non-stop for at least 8 months.

That white stripe in the petals makes it look like my new one.

Jim

They do look like your new one at this stage. When the flowers are newly opened they are yellow and reddish, and the yellow gradually fades out.

They end up mostly white with distinctly pink flushes.

Pretty Spathoglottis!

A couple of weeks away from the web, with my Mom visiting, and then me in Wi for a week. But I did get to go to Oak Hill Gardens, the first real orchid nursery I have ever been to. Spent a lot of money!

Kathy, thanks for the ID on Miltonia Andrea West. I'll put the name on it.

Jim, that Mcv. Frances Fox 'Sunspots' is truly awesome, wow! I can see why you went on the hunt. Elaine, I want one too! Love the spots.
Brassia Rex 'Walomao Spotless is wonderful, I bought one this spring from Kawamoto Orchids, the flowers were fantastic and lasted a very long time. Your pre-order plants are so big! Nice to see that. Grammatophylum scriptum is also one I have on my wish list, yours is spectacular!


Ursula, your Coelogyne Burfordiense has recovered well and the flowers are so unique and interesting, neat!

Kathy, thanks for the link to the Redland's diary, it looks like you all had a great time, and what nice plants!

Do you know the 10th photo plant? Small purple flowers on long stems? Looks like it might be some sort of Encyclia but I didn't think they got so tall!

Do you or Jim know the name of the twisted palm? Or the trees in the next photo?

Next is the 4th photo after the Cal Orchids paragraph- large sprays of pale yellow.

That's it for now!!

Susan, the twisted palm you asked about is not a palm at all but rather a screw pine. It is one of the coolest trees ever but Tampa is too cold a climate to grow it. I have lost two of them to frost. Fred Rump even has problems with his in Naples.

Two ribbons were up for grabs at the Tampa Orchid Club meeting today. One is called "Member's Choice" where all attendees vote for their favorite orchid on the bloom table and the other is called "Judge's Choice" where the AOS judges who are members vote for the best in show. My Grammatophylum scriptum won both awards. I am such a proud father! They took an official picture which I will post when I get it. They also took a picture of me fighting to get it back into the truck. What a day.

Jim

Honestly, Jim I think you should have been given an award for wrassling that huge plant into and out of your truck - twice! But congratulations on the well deserved awards, of course!

Here's your namesake, Brassavola 'Big Jim' with one flower open and three more to go.

Congratulations, Jim!

A big Congrats, Jim!! Well deserved! and

Thanks, guys. I have both ribbons pinned to my t-shirt right now.

Jim

I'd sleep with them, too, ha ha!

Congrats Jim!!!! Well deserved!!!

I would keep on wearing that T-shirt!

Aw, our Jim is becoming a celeb!!!! Congrats, Jim. You certainly deserve them both!
Susan, I'm thinking Encyclia cordigera x. And yes they can get big. And the pale yellow could be Enc. tampensis alba(?).

Thanks, Kathy!