Especially with the aluminum awning over the porch! Sort of like the drum section. But yes! We are all doing a happy dance here.

I just pulled all of my mounted 'chids out of the O.shack so they can get some of that fresh rain water. I just watered the potted ones yesterday, so they can stay put. Sun is out now, but dark clouds all around us, with 90% chance of rain tonight/tomorrow. Out of my 6 35ga. barrels , three were empty. This will defer the stress for a while.

We only got a sprinkle.. But ..good enough to raise the humidity a bit..good for succulents..and orchids know how to get a bit of those

Thought I give an update on my Bletilla striata
The white ones to the left with a touch of color on the lip are 'Kuchibeni', it seems the white ones with the variegated leaves are the last to open.

I posted lots of Cyp acaule with companion plants in two posts here
The thread "related garden stuff + some walks around the neighborhood in 2015" in Orchids forum

Nice noid purple Den coming into bloom. The color is much more rich, satiny dark purple than the camera shows.

Nice Bletilla striata, Ursula. I think the last of my Bletillas died off last summer.

Pretty color on your Dendrobium, Elaine.

Jim

We got pounded with heavy thunder showers this evening. Hard to believe it is May.

Jim

Yep, we sure didn't have much of a spring this year, did we? We got just a few spritzes today, but it thundered all around us.

Nice not to have to water the yard, anyway. Usually by this time I'm crying the blues because my cisterns and rain barrels are empty.

We had a beautiful day here after some well needed rain last night. My Paradise Fish transitioned nicely to the pond outside. Now the next job is again washing the greenhouse glass panels, racks and floor.
I agree, nice color on the Den, Elaine.
I hope I don't bore you all to tears, but finally the variegated white Bletilla striata are also opening.
Here is the last group of pictures, I promise!!

You can post those lovely things every day, Ursula. I'd never get tired of seeing them. I mean, hey! You see your own flowers every day and do you get tired of them?

I now have 9 spikes in the works on my "maybe Yellow Bird" on the big cork raft. Afraid I'm going to miss seeing the whole thing in bloom since I'm out of town next week. arg. The David Sander X digbyana (which to be sure didn't get the best of either parents, and looks like her grandfather, Richard Mueller I think) is looking pretty, too.

Ursula, Love your Bletillas! I had some in a pot for a couple of years, but don't have any good spots in ground, or I would try them again.

I love them all

I've been building a PowerPoint presentation for my talk this Thursday. The Tampa Bay Orchid Society wants me to do a talk on the construction of the OC so I went back to the old 2012 thread called "My Lanai Conversion" and converted most of it into PowerPoint. It was such fun to reminisce about that project. They expected to finish it in 4 weeks and it took 19, not to mention a $4,000 cost overrun. Looking back on it now, it was worth it as we enjoy it every day. Memories.

Jim

Four versus nineteen is quite a difference!! It is kinda fun to go through older threads like that, isn't it?

Out in the cage this floofy beauty opened and I took it inside. This is Lc John Mossman x C. mossiae 'Julie' and is now called Cattleya Good Friend. I was smitten with these huge fragrant blooms a couple of years ago at Silva Orchids.
And no, the dorsals are straight on their own!

Here's to dorsals.

oh yes, Ken!

I did remember, Ursula.

I did remember, Ursula.

If my contractor takes 19 weeks to do a 4 week project, he'll be the one paying the $4,000!

Lovely blooms, everyone!

Last time I will bore you with repeat pictures of this guy, as I'm flying out to Salt Lake tomorrow. Two out of the 9 spikes on this plant are now partly open. I sure hope it stays rainy and cool-ish so they last until I get back! I really love the color variations as the flowers first open red and ivory, and transition to sunny golden yellow.