On the whole topic of orchid/plant buying - I usually (90%) buy smaller plants that I can grow to maturity and flowering. I get a sense of ownership and more satisfaction to have them grow up with me. Many of the seedlings I bought years ago at Fender's orchids in Venice, FL are now blooming away with new names from their original crosses. Earlier this year I ordered several seedling trays (plugs) from Carmelas in Hawaii and they are making themselves at home here. From Akatsuka Orchid Gardens in Volcano, HI I'm waiting for delivery of 20 of their Celebration Orchids which come packed in bags like those at HD. Sometimes I think I'm stretching my own demise because I have to wait for the orchids to bloom. I mentioned Carmelas. I think that on-line source is about as good as it can get. Consistently good quality and price. I'm also waiting on delivery of thier Boss's Birthday Special (they do these things year round) [Celebrate this day with 10 mericlone cattleya plants (3 1/4 x 4 inch pot) near blooming and 10 mericlone cattleya plants in 2 1/2 inch pots for $96.00 (Plants are our Choice). Free Shipping.] So I get 20 different cattleyas for less than 5 bucks a piece. OK, they chose what I get but I've yet to be disappointed in their selection.
BTW I grow palms, bamboos and other sub-tropicals from little guys too. They take a while to grow up but they are mine. Besides I can't handle the big stuff anyway. When I planted native trees for shade for my bromeliads I had to get professionals to plant them as they have the equipment to do this with.

Need to finish this with an orchid, right?
Here is Epicatanthe Volcano Trick 'Paradise'

On the subject of technology - 53 new orchid growers joined the Florida Orchid Growers group on FB this week (1,613 members). They range from the folks who work at HD ordering stuff to the folks who grow them for the chain. We can't seem to break into the Lowes ordering chain and they seem to be on their own wavelength as to what to sell. HD is more responsive to what buyers actually want - at least in this area. Of course the vast majority of FB users are normal folks like you and me doing their thing with orchids but it is nice to have the nurseries and their managers, sellers and buyers all on the same track talking to each other. That can only happen via the internet and today's technology. Life is short and we need to use what is out there before it's too late.

Florida above all states is where plants are grown outside in the trees to approximate their original homes. The bulk of the folks are on the East Coast where it is still a little warmer than the rest of the state but even here on the West Coast we manage to overcome the occasional cold night or two.

Oh to live in Naples, Fred!

Do you happen to have pictures of your "lay-out", including landscaping, greenhouses, whatever would have interest for an orchid/tropical plant grower? It sounds like you and I are almost twins when it comes to ordering orchids. The difference is that now that I am retired, I have turned my love of growing/propagating tropical plants into a tiny, cottage business. I have to do something with my time.

I would have thought the Gulf of Mexico's waters would be way warmer than the Atlantic's, and thus would be the warmer side of the state. But what do I know? I'm in Mississippi.

I have to get ready for a Meetup photo shoot of the night time Christmas decorations downtown. After fooling around outside, all I hear from my wife is 'take a shower, take a shower'. But Ken, it's considerably warmer on the Atlantic side. That's where all the nurseries are that supply the country with tropical stuff. Homestead is almost nothing but nurseries. Many went bankrupt as construction stopped during the Bush recession but all is well again today. More later.
PS I'm 20 miles inland from the gulf which makes for about a 4 degree difference between the coast line of Naples. Water makes all the difference in the world.

Oh, goodie. I am headed to Miami next Monday and will be there for four days (well, only two full days). I will be down there for our upcoming Orange Bowl game. I have one full day to do what I wish and though I will be with a group (all traveling in from different places, but staying in the same hotel), I have told everyone I am renting a car and am going botanical garden/nursery hopping. I just hope things are open on Dec. 30!

Ken, the Gulf is warmer in summer, sometimes 90deg. water for weeks on end. But it cools off into the 50's in winter, or even into the 40's when it gets really cold (2009 and 2010). Right now it's already down into the 60's, rather early this year because of the cold, rainy November we had.

On the Atlantic side the water temps are more constant because the Gulf Stream flows up there, just off the coast at a constant warm temperature. Today's readings show the water temp off Miami at 78 to 80deg.

In Grand Cayman, where I was diving last week, the water temp was 84deg. and that's where the Gulf Stream gets its warm water.

Okey, dokey. I just knew how "hot" the Gulf waters gets in August in the FL Panhandle. I never have been in the water in the winter, either Gulf or Atlantic.

Yes, Fred-- I am curious about your setup as well! Please share, if you can.

Are Paphiopedilum hard to find here because it's too hot? (Zone 10a)

Elaine, Cayman Islands! Very jealous. I'm a diver as well. Sea Kat Divers in Bradenton Beach does a trip out to Doc's Barge, 13 miles out. You must try it! 500lb goliath grouper!

Elaine, do you spend much time in the Caymab Islands? I was thinking of applying for a job there and wondered what it was like.

Compared to New York, Lore? Can you imagine paradise from where you live?

I heard that there are a lot of banks there.

Oh my goodness, the sun is half out now! Still mostly clouds in the sky though.

We go for a week's "diving therapy" in the Caymans at least once a year, and twice if DH can take the time off work. This was our 8th trip. I have fairly severe arthritis, and the pressure, not to mention gentle exercise in warm water makes my joints feel a lot better for weeks after we go diving. Love it.

Kate, reason I haven't dived at all here is because it's not very deep, even 'way out there. We did a fishing charter a while back and 6 miles out it was only 55ft. Also, unless you dive in summer or fall, the water's too cold for me. And in summer and fall it can be really murky because of runoff, so that is not fun either. (bottom line, I am spoiled by Cayman diving)

I want the Pressure!! for my aching joints. The deeper I go, and longer I stay down the better I feel. We are Nitrox divers, so that buys us a little more bottom time and enriched air probably helps my joints heal up a little bit, too. It's all good, and we love the Caymans especially because of the warm water, safe beaches (we have little grandkids) and the short flight - we take Cayman Air out of Tampa, an hour and 20min and we're there. DH travels a lot for business so the last thing I want to do is make him fly all day to go on vacation as well.

Lorli, the Caymans are wonderful, and yes, it is a banking center - a tax-free haven actually. But unless you are a dive instructor or have other special qualifications I think it might be difficult for an American to get a job there. They 'protect' the regular jobs for their native Caymanians i.e. all the stores, restaurants and other industry people are Caymanian, it seems. There is a small hydroponic industry started up there a few years ago to grow fresh greens, herbs and veggies, and Boy! do they need help in the recycling and environmental areas there.

Incidentally, (and to get us back on topic) there is also a wonderful Botanical Garden with masses of orchids in the trees. December isn't a great time to go, for viewing orchids at least, but when we've gone in May it has been wonderful. Springtime is prime bloom season for the orchids they have there.

Elaine, it does sound lovely! But, when you say that they need help with recycling and environmental areas, do you mean that it is polluted or dirty?

I lived on Grenada from 1994 -1996 and St Vincent for 6 months afterwards. The sides of the roads were full of those little plastic bottles from "Chubby" soft drinks (and Mimosa pudica) and there was a big garbage dump that could give a person nightmares. It was in a bay which you could see was once beautiful but was just horrible with small fires and shouldering every where. It had a funny name, too, Perseverance. St Vincent was even dirtier and didnt have the beautiful rain forest that Grenada does.

Do you go to Grand Cayman? A lady in my quilting guild goes there every winter. Have you read that book "the Sea Captains Wife". The lady told me that the graveyard next to where she stays is full of Connolly graves, the Captain of the book was a Connolly but he and his wife were lost at sea. It is a really interesting book.

OK, as to my " setup" - I have 18K pictures in my Adobe Elements database. Besides, other bits and pieces are scattered all over the various clouds up there. I've pretty much lost control over all those backup sites and other picture sites out there.

I have 7.5 acres in various stages of development and my interests undulate somewhat over time. Once it's landscaping, then it's bamboo, then bromeliads and/or orchids. I have a koi pond to tent to and various other hobbies. I really need to be split into several people to share the available time.

If I can speak about orchids a moment, they too took a dive in interest mostly because I had no good place to raise them. They would die on me with a certain regularity for reasons unknown to me at the time. I bought this and that to try for cures but in the end I wasn't happy with my results. So I bought a GH of sorts mainly because of the cold winters of 2009/10 when I lost so many plants that I was going to quit this flower/landscaping business. The GH was a shed made out of clear plastic panels and no matter what, could not be used in the summer to keep the plants out of the rain. I painted the thing with white washable paint but that only reduced the light. I ran fans day and night and got through winters just fine but during the summer, the rains created black rot and other problems. So I just let them tend to themselves and more died on me. In the meantime I wandered off to other plants mainly bromeliads.

This year I finally decided that life is too short and if I'm ever going to grow nice orchids I need a proper greenhouse. Roughly $30,000 later I got what I wanted. I had to import a construction team and run water and electricity far from their sources. Using the well water was not possible as we get lots and lots of white calcium and nothing else from there. So an RO system had to be built. At the same time I built a large shade house for my bromeliads. They can stand the rain but not the direct sun.

So, now I'm in organizing mode to record what I have and document what is going on with the orchids. I've probably shown the GH here in the past but here is a shot of some months back as well as the shade house under construction and a typical screen of my DB.

This was the GH made out of a shed structure


Here I moved a few things into the GH


This was in August


October


I was in NJ for two months and am now back adding the last row for hanging plants. I should take a more current picture but that's the GH scene. I have orchids spread around the place in various tree settings too.

Love it, Fred.

That's a really wonderful greenhouse, Fred. You sure do grow some great orchids in there, too.

Lore Lisa, yes we go to Grand Cayman and no, it's really not dirty, the air and sea water are pristine, and the island is not littered. Just that when we asked about recycling the water bottles they gave us, the dive boat team said that there is very little recycling done on the island as yet, and that the garbage dump is the highest point on the island because of that. There's very little good soil on the island, but all the grass clippings and prunings from the big hotels and tourist condos just go to the dump, they don't have a composting system, either. It's a wealthy island with an educated population, so you'd think they would be more forward-thinking than that.

*Gasp* ...Fred, will you marry me?