Just what we were talking about, Kate. Aussie Dendrobiums use your cute Den kingianum and cross it with Den speciosum or Den tetrogonium. They are easy to grow and growing more popular in the States but are the rage at the Aussie and Japaese shows. Kate take some time today and go to Kathy's site, the trends coming to us from Australia are shown by an international bunch of subscribers to her site. I am drawn to Den Gilleston that Melissa has.
Now, I have Sarcochilis on my mind from Kathy's site, the Crazy Orchid Lady. ( I don't know how to get it to link).

http://www.crazyorchidlady.com...

Is it the plant in post #36 this thread: http://www.crazyorchidlady.com...

?

Those are :Den kingianum hybrids, yes. Just like yours. And the first and last pics are Sarcochilis hybrids. My kingianum is right by the south window and gets cool there and very sunny, I let it dry btn weekly watering now but in the spring it will go out. So you know about the fragrance? Leave in open area, don't put a flowering plant in the BR. My guest came out dizzy, HaHa!

Are y'all getting the ice, Bert?

Iced in, Ken! Looks like the road slush is reiceing tonight. Not as bad as it usually gets with our once a decade ice storms, but it won't be drivable for the next couple of days.

It is raining cats and dogs right now. We have already gotten over an inch of rain and it is supposed to continue (100% coverage) for four more hours and then tapering off a bit for the next four hours. We are supposed to get some icing tonight. What a mess!

I've got everything just about locked down already for the end of week freeze we're expecting here. Ugg, I dread it already.

Here's my Dendrobium amethystoglossum with a few spikes left to go. Just love it.





And a noid Phal.

Lovely, lovely Mj. The Den is magnificent. All my Dens seem to do a 'fake out' on me, bloom and grow for about a year, bloom again then die off slowly and painfully.

Thanks Elaine, this one was a Mother's day gift two years ago. It rebloomed last year but not as many spikes as this year. There's a couple you can't see in the back of the plant.
I forgot to get a pic of Den. anceps, I gotta do that, covered in tiny little yellow blooms.

Elaine, do you think we are really going to get the chilly temps they are predicting and are you doing anything to prepare??

Mj, pretty!! I love the Dendrobium amethystoglossum!!
And please do post your Den anceps!

I am happy to see my Rhyncholaelia glauca starting up - I am surely jumping the gun posting it already, but .... Right now past sundown the blooms smells so nice. We both agree, the scent is reminiscent of Epiphyllum oxypetalum blooms.


A few years ago I picked up this small mounted plant, unfortunately the tag got lost in transit.
It is finally blooming and I think this looks just like my rupicolous Laelias, I am fairly sure it is Laelia cinnabarina.


And here is the pretty mounted Dialelia Mizoguchi 'Princess Kiko', opened buds. Picked up in January from Silva Orchid in bud.

And the also newly bought Bc Hippodamia starts opening more buds. I like it a lot!

They are all so nice, Ursula. Lucky you to have so many blooming!

Thanks Ken! I am happy!

Now, if you could just get rid of this horrible weather!

We can't wait for Snowdrops to pop up here along the river! Surely soon!!

I love the Den amethystiglossum and the Laelia cinnabarina! We got the ice. My driveway is an ice rink.

Kate, I do think we'll get at least low 40's on Thursday night. This looks like a much stronger, more organized weather front than the last couple we've had. You're surely warmer than I am, being out there on the island, but still a 40deg. night will set your plants back some if you don't cover them.

I've been protecting my orchids for all these cold nights that went down below 50 last week. My really warm growers are in our bathroom until things stabilize, Vandas and anybody with blooms or buds is getting the 'spa' treatment in there. (sun through the windows, warm shower daily) The others are in my little greenhouse shelf units. I posted a pic of the setup out there in the "our growing area" thread last Friday. I'm using one big pillar candle for heat inside those and they stay above 50 all night with that, and zipped up of course. All my other tropicals go under the big frost cloth tent, and they've not missed a beat so far.

I also make sure everyone is well watered before we get cold temperatures. That's the best prep you can do. The humidity is pretty low when it's cold here, so when the orchids are indoors, I hang wet towels and placemats around the house wherever the drips don't matter, and I spread them on the countertops, too. If I get really energetic, I can get the windows fogging up inside the house some nights and then I know I've got it to 'greenhouse' status. Hey, it's healthy for me as well as the plants!

Elaine, thank you for that. I feel so much better when I have a plan....thank you for the guidance. It has been dry; with the wind, I've been misting everything daily...there's a mat of moss that I've installed behind the entire epiphyte wall, in hopes of preserving some humidity. Thankfully, most of my guys' mounts are removable via drill and I plan on bringing them in....I just needed someone to hold my hand and say, "Yes, you aren't being neurotic by doing that!"

And agreed on the humidity...I always feel so much more vibrant in humidity.