Oh, beautiful show here!

Beautiful, Patty! I love the V. Goodwin's Thai Sunset Here's mine, which is in full bloom now too.

Patty, your Hawaiian Prominence is a KEEPER! Very nice form and color.

Melissa, you prefer (as a judge?) clean lines, less frills?

Nice color on your Vanda, Ibis!

My plain Dendrobium moniliforme is flowering nicely again, it smells great!

The blooms on this Den moniliforme 'Miyakohime' are much smaller and a lot less numerous on a few small canes.

Jumellea comorensis starts up again, this is a large sprawler!

Thanks, Elaine. I'll be sure to keep my eyes open, especially whenever I'm in Charleston, near the coast. I need to plan a trip to Florida in the spring (summer is too hot for me) and hit a few nurseries while I'm there.

Thanks all! Yours looks great too Ibis! Melissa, my ex actually just bought me the Hawaiian Prominence at the Orchid show this weekend! In person it's more purple than red, and of course he knows I love everything purple!

I love all 3 of yours, Ursula! I love anything purple, and white & fragrant....and frilly, and pastel-y, and bright, and sprawly, and tiny, and....oh hell, I like most ALL of them!

Ursula said:Melissa, you prefer (as a judge?) clean lines, less frills?

Ursula, for Cattleyas the form should try to be uniform width and height so that you can draw a circle around the edges. Of course the petals and dorsal need to be as flat as possible and the window should be as closed as possible (the point where the two petals overlap the dorsal).

You will also notice that the color in the throat is very uniform and brilliant. That is desirable.

The petals do show some wrinkling, but that could be stress, first blooming issue, humidity, or other. That is not desired, but if not too bad can be overlooked somewhat. Of course, I can't feel it but the substance and texture are 20 points so that is important. It looks velvety so I would guess a medium substance and texture velvet. That would probably be 16 or 17 points.

For Cattleyas, form and color represent 60% of the score. Size, substance/texture, and floriferousness/stem represent the other 40%.

Happy new year everyone . Beautiful show here!

Happy New Year to you too, Brenda!

Thanks Melissa, that is excellent information.

Hi, Brenda.

Beautiful show, Ursula. I especially like the Jumellea comorensis, both for the sprawling size and the shape of the flowers.

I am about to leave for Bay Shore Ave. in downtown Tampa to give an orchid potting presentation to the Moonlight Garden Club. Tomorrow I will work the MG desk at the Extension Service all day and then head down to the Bloomingdale Library to talk about roses. It was nice to have a short holiday break but I'm off and running again.

Jim

Phew Jim....make sure you stay hydrated with all that running around you are doing!
I put my plants back outside yesterday and noticed this new flower in the middle of the spike..



Alcra. Hilo Ablaze 'Hilo Gold' HCC/AOS with 5 buds open and the middle child is peloric..
I used to have Mtssa. Sheilob ( I think it was called) where all the flowers were peloric every year.
It will be interesting to see if this happens again.



Vanda Ayusakorn is happy to be back outside in the sun!

So nice to grow outside again, I will have to wait at least another four months....
An extra lip!

Strange flower indeed but I like the orchid. Nice color on the Vanda.

Very slow on the phones today and only two walk-ins all day long. It really makes the time drag. I'll leave here at 5:00 and grab something to eat along the way I should be there at 6:00 to set up and the talk begins at 6:30. At 9:00, I'll be home. I'm going to the Gizella Kopsick Palm Aboretum tomorrow morning and choir practice at night.

Jim

I want what Jim's having.

Whew, Jim I can't believe how you run around. Whatever you are on, I need some.

I need a dose of Jim's energy formula, too! Took a bunch of my orchids back outside today, but the Vandas and tender Dens are still in the orchid spa. Might be able to give them some sun tomorrow, but it's supposed to be rainy Friday and Saturday, and getting cold again for Monday and Tuesday. Hard to tell what's better, keep them indoors - warmer with less light, or outside with more light and let them get cool and rain?

My Renantanda Hew Mun is blooming!

Too cold for a photo, but it is supposed to get warmer on Friday. It is a beauty!

Elaine, mine are ALL still outside...haven't moved in a single thing! Of course it probably wouldn't matter much considering I haven't even closed the windows on the house yet (I DO love this cooler weather, wearing clothes I haven't seen in a year and snuggling under a blanket with the cat at night...!)! Besides, Jim from Florida Suncoast Orchids says a lot of the orchids need some cold to 'set blooms'....out of sheer laziness (& being crazy-busy) mine are staying outside for now....

Jim, (@hawkarica) do you have an inflo on your Jimminy Cricket yet?? Don't miss the photo I posted of mine...I LOVE the bloom!