For the first time in over a week, my website appears to be up and running again. I will hold my breath that it won't go down again.

It looks nice. I went and visited.

@Dragonkeep. Thanks for visiting my site, Barb.

Love your site, visited today...we have lots of beautiful orchids in Indonesia that you will enjoy...

Have a wonderful week,

Thank you for your visit, @javaMom.

Sweet! I hadn't visited in a while... beautiful photos!

Do you have a link to information on caring for those pretty mounted orchids? I just -- for the very first time -- got an orchid to rebloom (instead of gradually killing it), so I'm feeling all empowered LOL, not to mention tempted. The cork mounts look great, but I'm totally in love with the cypress knees you're using. I bet my MIL's back porch would be a good location for one this summer (too little light in their house in the winter), and then it could move to an indirectly lit shelf (or be hung) in my bathroom.

Hey, Jill. When I ship out any of my plants, orchids or other, I always include growing instructions. I think the cypress knees are a wonderful addition to my line-up of mounts. They are really beautiful and certainly one-of-a-kind. I mount on both the natural, untouched (bark) side and the epoxy-sealed side. The plants do well on either side. Your back porch should be great. Hopefully it is open to the east or south. A northern exposure doesn't offer much light and a western exposure (in the spring and summer) gets awfully hot by mid-afternoon. You would not want many of the tropical plants family to get direct sun from the west. They would likely sunburn.

I'm just curious about growing on the mounts... I might have more success that way... I can google for info; I'm sure it's a method well known to orchid enthusiasts. I just don't want to get myself into daily misting or anything, 'cause that wouldn't happen unless I (and there's an idea) hung it in the shower LOL.

There are definite advantages and disadvantage when growing plants more like they do in nature, namely mounted. A distinct advantage is that it is practically impossible to overwater, and overwatering is the number one cause of death when growing orchids. Also, when growing mounted (whether hanging or presenting the mount horizontally), those growing roots are exposed, and for me at least, I like to see those roots attaching to the mount surfaces.

A disadvantage is that, since these plants dry out more quickly, they do require more frequent watering to grow their best. Where I might water my potted orchids every 10 days in the fall/winter and every week in the spring/summer, I water my mounted orchids every week in the fall/winter and every 3-5 days in the spring/summer (depends on heat). For those plants out in the greenhouses (or in the spring/summer, outside under oak trees), I water with a hose, using a "gentle-rain" attachment. For plants that are now in the solarium, I just fill my sink 3/4 with tepid water, add a bit of fertilizer so that it will be highly diluted, and put those mounted plants (upside down) in the sink. I let them soak for several minutes and then put them back up to drain. All my mounted plants hang. I do the same thing with my mounted staghorn ferns. Keep in mind that most orchids can handle drought-like conditions very well. They do the same in nature. If you were in the habit of watering orchids/staghorns(potted or mounted) once a month, and did this month-in and month-out, not only would your plants suffer but they could very well die.

I can do weekly sink soaks! Whew. Several other websites I found insisted on daily watering for mounted orchids. Thanks!!

People make growing tropical plants, particularly when it comes to orchids, so difficult-sounding. It is not. It is amazing how common-sense keeps one on the right path. If an orchid is mounted with some sphagnum moss under it, it is so easy to look at and/or touch that moss to see if it is bone-dry or still a bit moist. Growing mounted orchids/tillandsia/staghorns is easy for me.

I agree... I'm just happier knowing I don't have to touch-check on a daily basis, because that would lead to dead plants.

Ken, I got a 'Forbidden' error when I tried to visit. That can't be good for business, I hope someone irons it out for you real soon.

I just tried it and got the same message.

It is back up. Let me know if you have any problems accessing the website. And thanks for letting me know.

Working fine now!

Well I just totally had a drool fest with your up and running site. Some of your Orchids are absolutely breathtaking! I'm not even an Orchid grower but your Vanilla planifolia is surely calling on me to try. I'll be saving up my pennies for that one. Do you collect and sell seeds...ever?

Robin

Robin, to tell you the truth...........I always tell the truth , I am growing my own Vanilla Orchid just to see her bloom. I have never experienced that and though I have been told that her blooms will be brief, I just want to prove to myself that it can be done in Mississippi. Of course, without blooms, there can be no seed-pods. I have seedpods occasionally from other other orchids, but unless you have "laboratory-conditions", you won't grow from seed. That's another world, a world I have never challenged.

By the way, I just posted Vanilla Orchids for sell again. I only have two and when those are sold, I probably will never have another one, other than my personal plant. She now has a 4' vine, perhaps longer since I lace her in and out on her trellis, and her vine stems are as thick as a pencil.