Orchids

It would quite frustrating when you find the orchids you have don't flower.
Don't you think so?
I have almost a dozen of orchids and not all of them bloom
And so - I opt for the ones that are easy bloomers -even then, they are quite a challenge.

You - regardless what - these orchids still need good fertilising regime:
Weekly, weakly...
And a good fertiliser too - too much and the roots get burned and the leaves prematurely fall..
Too little and inconsistent - well, nothing is going to happen.
So- there you have it - the Curse of the unbloomed orchids.

It took awhile for me to identity the pattern.
I'm still learning and so far I realised that the best fertiliser is still the organic ones: Sheep manure and bat (guano)
I do once awhile use foliar fertiliser but somehow its not happening as I expected.

The other thing is the temperature drop - that makes the orchids bloom.
Sometimes in the tropical - everything is constant so there is no big hike in the temperature difference.
Unless its a rainy season - few days of rain and one sunny day burst them into blooms.

But when they do bloom - its worth all the wait and the efforts.
Do tell me your orchid secrets - would love to hear from you.
Till then - enjoy my garden flowers.

Epiphytes Blooms - Orchids & Bromeliad

It felt forever for me to get into blogging,
the worst scenario was I had forgotten my password
and not even sure what email I was using.

I had to dig up a stack of papers of which I thought
I had placed my passwords and email that goes with it.
I felt lucky that I manage to retrieve it,
now its all about getting into the hang of blogging
I realise that it is matter of habit - you stop and you loose it...

So, for those who were patiently waiting for me
and was wondering what happen to me -
well, lets just say I got busy and weeks went into months
and a change of lifestyle and commitments brought one to another.

Regardless, my garden is constantly thriving (whether I'm busy or not)
There are always something beautiful to discover in my garden
When I look for it - it truly rewards me.

This Cattleya Orchid is blooming for the first time in my garden
followed with the Bromeliad bloom
Truly natures wonder.
These are part of my hanging garden.

Epiphyte Garden

One thing I can say about Epipthyte Set-up: It can really get messy.
Being neat is a great virtue for when it comes to gardening.
The plants however really don't know what is the meaning of it.
(blame it on the plants - you say?)

I wonder if that reflects the gardener - regardless, I enjoy plants that behave that way.
Its a control chaos kind of thing - All within their set boundaries.
As long as they don't kill another plant - that is going be a challenge but somehow since all of them are slow growers - its a bit on the manageable control in keeping the rest of of the gang in check.

Ferns can be quite a rowdy specially the Sword-ferns.
I had pulled out few as they truly shows their tantrums over the orchids.
Their roots fully invaded my Grammaphyllum orchid and I had to reset the whole thing.

Here Earth Stars are introduced in hangers and they are doing fine.
Another Bromeliad seemed to be happy in her sitting place and the ferns are well behaved and in their best in their designated locations.

Its difficult to say the outcome of it but I just have to go with the flow with this one.
And being neat?
Well, its a seasonal thing when I clean, cut and prune them to misbehave as the time goes by.

Dischidia Species

My favourite tree dwelling plants.
I'm suspecting that it is an acquired taste as I rarely find them sold in main-line nurseries.
There are sometimes they do have their comeback in some seasons but in most cases - its a rare find.

I have manage to get few here and there - some bought and some exchanged with fellow gardeners from their collection. They are indeed hardy plant but they grow ever so slowly like the Hoya species which also give another set back that they can slowly die if not given proper care.

I had not seen them bloom in my garden - where the flowers resembles tiny bells similar to a Hoya bloom.
Another messy plant with my Epiphyte gang - I just love the dangling, cascading effect from them.
I don't mind having more dischidias - locally known as duit-duit.

Often mistaken for dischidia -a parasite plant - Dragon scale Fern  (Pyrrosia piloselloides)
One of the things about this fern is that it can totally envelop everything and choke whatever that grows on the branch.
Again its a contention whether this fern is a parasite or not. Reminds me of the Strangling Fig that finds its way from the branches and invade the roots and totally choking the tree.
I wonder if this fern behaves the same.