Wonderful show as usual, Jim. . . but I'm hungry for calamari now.

I am happy to see my C. lueddemanniana 'Cesar Fernandez' x 'Infierno' open this week! I got this one from Ecuagenera a few years ago, this one is a warm grower. The scent is beautiful!

And in different light

That is a beautiful flower, Ursula.

And the plant isn't that huge, I like that!
Btw the IPad camera captures this particular color shade perfectly, it is spot on.

Beautiful !

Very pretty, Ursula! It's good to know there is a camera out there that can capture those colors right.

it is frustrating to no be able to capture the right colors.

I used to take sometimes 50 pictures or so under different camera settings and lighting just to capture the certain shade of red/reddish. I am always amazed with the ease IPhones and IPad get it. No jumping through hoops. I haven't used my Nikon since last Summer for bird shots outside....
And how is the Phrag Allison Strohm with three blooms open? Surely one of them will drop today. Perhaps it is the twice a week fish tank water!

Oh my, the Phrag is just wonderful, with 3 blooms at once! Love the purple C. luddemanniana too - stunning color.

I do so wish I could grow Phrags. Ursula's pictures always show their beauty. Also lovely form and color on the lueddemaniana. It's a classic.

Jim

Ursula...you use your iPad to take bird pictures?...I have to put my big 600mm lens on..and still end up cropping! I wish I could grow those stunning phrases as well..but I'm so glad I get to enjoy them ( even vicariously!)

Lindsey, no! I usually take my Nikon along when we are at our place in Pennsy, keeping the telephoto lens attached since you never know what might pop up "animal wise" Other than that, it is IPad or IPhone, even for plants and other nature stuff.
My Mac Book Pro died about a couple of years ago and I have never bothered to replace it. But, I could connect my camera to my DH' s IMac if I need to. But using an IPad or IPhone for taking pictures, it is so convenient then to upload them here or on Fb or whatever without using a computer in-between.

Very quiet here tonight. I give my palm presentation tomorrow at 10:00 to a garden club so I am preparing tonight. Beautiful weather today so I cut down the last of the female papaya tree so I'm officially out of the papaya business. The fruit flies are disappointed but the trees are messy and I'm glad they're gone.

Jim

We had a beautiful pre-Spring day here, temps in the sixties and the next couple of days are supposed to be even warmer. Heaven!!

We had two 70 degree days in the middle of last week. But it snowed on Saturday and Sunday.

Now windy and cold. My star magnolia is bravely trying to bloom.

Daisy

Our Soulangiana flowers are long gone. Such freaky weather, after a few really cold days in the fall it has been so mild the plants don't know what to do. My neighbor's quince is in full bloom for the second time this year.

I have moved the orchids outside to a shady spot until they are acclimated. What about the Dendrobiums, can they handle more sun or do they need to be in the shade? I think I remember having them in a bright spot when I grew them years ago.

Alice, my Dens do take quite a bit of sun, inside my pool cage - the screening reduces the sun's intensity maybe 20%. Gigi grows wonderful Dens perched in one of her plumeria plants. They like the brightness and dry in the winter/spring and get some shade in the months when the plumie has leaves. So, yes I'd say "partial sun" would probably be good.

Our weather has been fairly normal, if there is such a thing, I guess. Oak trees are dumping leaves and blooming right on time, and my mango is in full bloom now, to my great relief. It usually puts on a flush of bloom in January, and then another now, but it didn't bloom at all, except one single panicle of flowers in January. I feared we'd have no mangoes again this year, but this bloom looks wonderful. (and smells awful . . par for the course)

Thanks Elaine, that is what I remembered but since I forget more than I remember these days I wanted to double check. Our oak leaves are falling heavily also, we are blowing the driveway and front porch twice a day right now and the pine pollen has been coating the cars with bright yellow for weeks now.

All the orchids and other trops are out under the trees now and the house looks bare.

Everyone's orchids look amazing! My bletilla striata bloom opened.

I apologize in advance for showing this "common" Spathoglottis plicata, but I don't have very many choices right now.