Sunday, April 19, 2020

Orchids

Miguel Alias - Traditional Home

I have always loved having orchids in my home, but in Florida I am enjoying them even more. When they are finished blooming indoors, I bring them out to the lanai, and with the warmth and the light, it is like a greenhouse and they send up new stalks and rebloom and then I can rotate them back through the house. I always buy my orchids at Trader Joe's - IMHO their quality and price can't be beat. I have a collection of blue and white Chinese porcelain cachepots for them. And I'm sure everyone knows the trick of watering them with three ice cubes once a week.

Here is the ultimate orchid fantasy - a gazebo filled with dozens of orchids. The fabric is Zig Zag by Quadrille.

Orchids in my bathroom

10 comments:

  1. Stunning photo. I did not know the 3 ice cubes a week and have been growing them for decades! Thanks. I also attach them to trees using a base of some spaghum moss that has been soaked in water w/orchid fertilizer. my girlfriend using nylon net bags filled w/osmecote in hers. In hurricane season you may notice they sometimes bloom out of rotation due to changes in the barometric pressure i think. Anyway it's always indicating a storm is approaching. Pamela

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    1. I would love to grow orchids on my palm trees. When we moved into this home, there were philodendrons growing 20 feet up and strangling them and the palms are so happy now with those gone. Thanks for the tips.

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  2. Absolutely gorgeous! Like a fantasy! Is there anything more eye catching than a fuschia orchid? I also didn't know the three ice cube theory. But much as I am tempted to believe you, Beth, I just can't accept that ice cubes are any better for an orchid than they are for a human or an animal. Ice is a shock to the system. It goes against the old adage "Moderation in all things". I do think watering only once a week is key, though.

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    1. Most orchids are killed by overwatering. Ice melts slowly, giving the orchid a nice slow drip of hydration. This is perfect for most people who buy an orchid at the grocery store and toss it when it is done blooming. For orchid aficionados, a larger pot with better soil and weekly watering would be done. But the ice cube method is great for the average person. Many orchids now come with the ice cube directions.

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  3. I remember seeing this beautiful gazebo in Traditional Home, and I actually saved the image as inspiration if I ever get my sun room together! I just love the fabric. I have never heard of the ice cube trick before - thank you for that. People have been putting ice in their drinks forever. I find it difficult to believe that ice would be a shock to the system. Sadly, I do not live in a tropical climate, so it's unlikely that orchids would survive outdoors for me.

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  4. Ice cubes provide precise measurement, slow irrigation, and efficiency and the ice goes on the bark so has no bad effects on the roots or plant. Yes, gardening in Florida is like fishing in a stocked pond. And LOL, the lake right behind us is stocked with fish!

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  5. So glad to learn of the ice cube tip. I was given a beautiful purple orchid as a hostess gift and fear I am killing it by not enough water. So three ice cubes once a week it is! Also will put it out on the lanai in hopes of it returning to good health.

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    1. Mine have done amazing in the lanai - good luck!

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  6. I love orchids and swear by the ice cube trick too.
    Is the bowl in the foreground of the bathroom photo your sink bowl?

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    1. Yes, it is the master bath, so there are two of those.

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