Time will tell, Todd. I mounted a phal on a piece of drift wood and it took right off. It has bloomed twice and roots are growing well. I've not tried dens or oncis but a $2.50 apiece, I'm up for the experience. Like I said, I'll keep you posted.
Kathy, it feels great that you would ask a putz like me for secrets on blooming brassias. If I had any, I'd be happy to share. Keep in mind that all of my orchids are outside in the pool cage so they get what Mother Nature offers. The one thing I can control is the amount of light. The further from the house, the more sun they receive. I play with that until I find something they like. I also tend to keep my orchids apart from each other as much as possible and hang as many as I can. I get a constant breeze off of the lake and I have found that good air circulation is essential. I mist all of my orchids every day with a weak fertilizer solution and water them once a week unless there is rain. So, they all get the same amount of food and water. Vandas get full sun through the screen. Catts and epis also get lots of sun. Phals, paphs and bulbos are mostly in the shade. That said, there are exceptions. I have a potinara that likes the shade. When I put it in the sun, the leaves curl up and it looks terrible. I have a dendrobium that loves the sun while others stay in mostly shade. Perhaps it is the way they were raised when seedlings. Who knows? The point is you have to play with then to see what makes them happy. My brassias get about half a day's sun and seem to do very well. Another thing is to understand which orchids do well under the conditions you are willing to provide. Paphs won't bloom for me and phrags are out of the question. I could probably grow them if I kept them inside during the summer but I'm not going to do that so I let them go and look at the great pics posted by Todd, Bree and others. I like miltassias but they all die during the rainy season so I let them go as well. I'm content with the variety of orchids that do well under my conditions, as well I should be. After rereading this, it looks like I had a lot to say considering I had no secrets. It must be another sign of old age.
It's been a tuff day as we did last rights for mom today. I don't know when she'll pass but at least that's done and she was alert enough to comprehend it. I'm sad and happy all at the same time.
Jim
