Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all !!!

 

Old hobby of growing orchids

Activate our passion of Orchid by mobilizing our hobby of growing orchids. Lets cultivate our love affair with  this flower by taking in small steps. We can start by having just 1 hanging plant either at our balcony or window, some even have them at their kitchen window.  That ONE plant shall be the motivator or bestway to pursue your hobby. 

Growing Orchid has always been a'frowned' upon,  as once it was hobby of the 'RICH'. Not anymore, it is just the same as other common plants and within the 'happy medium' of expenses.
Like any other plants, orchid requires the basic (air, water, food, sunlight) choose the best corner of your house and place 1, just start from 1 plant. 

As i have always said, i would stress that 'Patience' is the key word for all Orchid enthusiast. Some orchids bloom once a year and some does twice ... just keep feeding them with water and occasional FERTILIZER


















Even though it may take long to bloom, the joy of seeing the roots developing (they tend to be long and thick) can be a significant sign of progress bringing about a desired end.  

I just would like to stress don't worry if your are 'novice grower' and do not confuse yourself with too many facts .... just get a plant and do the basic

So to all !! Lets start over again ....

I plant Roses too

Well here is my rose bud ... i am expecting it to bloom as my 'Christmas gift'. The plant almost died 1 week after i got it from the nursery ... actually another plant died, this one is the survivor ...

Reviving it was a 'roller-coaster'  experience coz during that time i had to leave my home to visit my parents. The plant almost dried .... First thing i did once in my house was to water it ... and see the leaves recover.

It was followed by care and fertilization ... There is few more buds ... cant really wait for them to bloom too ..

P/S : my husband warned me not to keep my 'itchy hands' from cutting the flower from the plant ...

Re-Grow Orchids

I share this images and article from experience of blogger 'Love Maegan' .. She had shared her experience as an Orchid lover to re-grow the plants which have already bloomed.
(Ref : http://www.lovemaegan.com/2011/07/how-i-re-grew-my-orchids.html)

Well as i have said earlier in my own blogs, Orchids normally exhaust almost all their energy to give out their best 'Blooms' . Just like a human mom. all nutrients are supplied to the buds to bloom. So orchid plants really need good supplements to re-bloom.

In Maegan's articles she has shared on her step-by-step action to make it happen. From what i understand is that she gives plenty of attention into her action as well as plenty of Love and Sunshine as she called it "her Magic" to work

My Orchid gurus advice has been to include more fertilizers during this regrowing period ...

So fellow orchid lovers hope that you too can make it possible and not dumb your plants if they are done blooming ....

The Houseplant you always wanted

I would like to encourage all of you to have houseplants. Having houseplants actually adds Green to our house. (Once i read somewhere that colour green is something that is growing which is why US$ is Green ...) SO green adds positive energy to our thoughts

Other than that plant purifies the air we breathe. It helps to remove toxic and produce more oxygen (cleaner)

Other than that they too assist in reducing stress as somehow it interacts with us. Other than that caring for this plant actually helps to reduce depression (this is my personal experience).... Oh yes I am a depressed person with no children and the biological clock ticking away..

Orchid with easy surviving factors and long lasting blooms seem to be one best choice. Other than that the wonderful array of colours also seems to affect our mood swings.

So loving orchid is an advantage after all .,,

Shooting at Connecticut elementary school

I Feel sorry for the children. May God bless these families through this great loss May God grant them the strength and guidance they will need to get through this .  I cant even begin to imagine the kind of pain these parents are going through

Black Orchid

I really got to share this rare species with everyone, amazingly beautiful. Even though black is commonly known as color of mourning ... this orchid seem to smile in happiness with pinkish lips.

How it Intoxicates me ... 

Please share with me if you find a plant ... 

Vanilla is actually Orchid ....

Vanilla is actually from orchid family. Isn’t that an amazing fact for some who actually do not know this.

Vanilla Planifolia that is the exact species The Totonac people, who inhabit the Mazatlan Valley on the Gulf Coast of Mexico in the present-day state of Veracruz, were the first to cultivate vanilla. According to Totonac mythology, the tropical orchid was born when Princess Xanat, forbidden by her father from marrying a mortal, fled to the forest with her lover. The lovers were captured and beheaded. Where their blood touched the ground, the vine of the tropical orchid grew.

(Source ~ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanilla#History )

So romantic .... I believe Orchid should be the right flower for Valentine’s Day  

Why am i so romantic ....

When you are near ... why am i so romantic .... ? This is how my orchids make me feel .....

See How Easily You Can ....love Orchids

You do not need to be an experienced gardener nor do you need to have a greenhouse or a green thumb to keep your orchids as beautiful as possible. 

This is my little garden at my balcony ... I have all my orchids growing on the wall. If you notice, the panel i use to hang the plants, used to be the 'wood panel' used for Bed where you place you mattress on top ..

The pots I use are not the normal pots but instead 'kitchen/bathroom furnishings' ~ well since orchids need air circulation around their roots and i needed a side hanging pot ....this became handy

Keep in mind, you don't need to be very rich and have a vast, well-equipped garden to grow beautiful orchids. All i have is abundance of love for them. 

But remember, it pays to be patient ... they are not like other flowers .... they take a long time to actually start growing and finally blooming. My bloom has been there for almost 3 weeks now .... and still looks lovely, i do not have the heart to cut it ......

P/S ~ yes i need to paint the wall soon ......I used to host 2 stray pigeons on my balcony, they were a romantic couple and made a mess of my balcony and walls .....for almost 2 years ....Until 1 day i decided to chase them off as i read somewhere that their feces were poisonous ....  Secondly the smell of paint will be too toxic for my babies ....

color Orchid

Well ... we have all heard of the most common colors like Blue, Red , Yellow, Pink ... but not may of us would have used the following 'names' to refer colors
         'Orchid'
     'Dark Orchid'
     'Medium Orchid'
     'Orchid Pink'
     'Light Orchid'
     'Light Medium Orchid'
     'Wild Orchid'
     'Vivid Orchid'

...I would love it if I can collect all the various 'Orchid' Orchids ...

I have always found Green to be fascinating ... which was i started gardening in the first place ... now the enchanting colors of Orchid seems to be very lovely and comforting and inspire 'ROMANCE' ...

Shall i sing ... "Romance is in the air ..... "

Flower power

It makes me feel good to walk to my balcony to see my orchid blooming. It has a unique smell that is sweet but not as strong as some other flowers ... but yet it is sweet. It creates the feelings of happiness and enhance my mood immediately.





It is sweet pink .....with darker (purplish) lines .... Its a 'Surprise me' flower as i did not know what the bloom was going to be like ..... and I just love it ....






This is what i read today of Orchid ..... very inspiring 

Orchid
When you have a spiritual breakthrough, purchase an orchid or accept one as a gift and put it in the sunlit place where you spend the most time. Orchids mark events and track a span of time. If your orchid wilts away, it only shows how far you are moving beyond certain accomplishments. If it thrives, you maintain the plateau you have achieved. Either state of being is fine; think of the orchid as a clock where midnight and noon are marked in the same location.
SOURCE : http://www.keen.com/documents/works/articles/spiritual/the-spiritual-power-of-flowers.asp

Orchid Starter Kit

well ... here it goes my starter Kit ...

It comes with Orchid Baby Plant,
Spray Bottle
Fertilizer


The Blue 'Standy' is for you to place your plant if u got no where to hang them ....

all at only US20.00

Buying Orchid Plants

Today i am going to give a simple tip from my own observation , well when you buy orchid plants ~ which do you normally prefer, the blooming ones or just baby plants ....

Well, it is nice when we bring home a plant with its blooms, but then as i said in one of my earlier posts orchid plants need lots of energy on the process to flowering and once it is over it needs recuperating time Sad to say for some plants ... they could actually die after the bloom as they have totally exhausted their energy. Unless the care given to them are of 'first class' we cant avoid this at times ... this I learned from my own experience ...

Nowadays, I just buy the baby plants, they are easier to care and when they seem to 'want' to survive somehow, give them their weekly fertilizer and daily water and they just start growing.

Cheers ...

Psychological effects .... Happiness

For me plants in general and Orchids specifically has lots of psychological effects ... Here I have listed some effects on me  .

1) Interactions - From young i had difficulty in interacting with human .. and during my adult age, it progressed as people i met were all of the same kind 'Users'. I guess most of us must have met those kind of people. With some i am not even myself, I have always been who they want me to be. Meanwhile with plants, my love and affection can be as natural as them ...

2) Emotional states - no matter how much pain i am in, when I see those greens, some of my plants starting to 'bud' and even some blooming, they can actually help me to control my thoughts and make me feel better, it influences positive mood ..

3) A sense  responsibility ~ well, when this plants grow in nature their needs are satisfied by nature but when they are taken away from the nature and left to grow in 'human' environment, they need caring and providing. Basically it allows me to have a sense of purpose ... and at the end of day, they produce flowers which are way more satisfactory then 'grumbling human'

Why Orchids

WELL ... Orchids are easy but delicate plants, they grow slow but their growth can been noticed. For many, you can see the development of the roots as well as the plant. Everyday spent spraying water followed by alternate days of fertilizer really can give you something to focus . It growing from baby plant to adulthood and start blooming .... wow! a real source of success achieved.

It takes almost 6 months in between blooms for the plant to generate enough 'energy' to bloom again.The cycle is almost like a human (my) emotional cycle. Probably for the first 6 months we are focused on our tasking and we start mellowing towards the end. While my emotion is running low, the plant starts to bring up my spirit as it starts to produce. And when it blooms .... you cant help but feel Love in the Air .

So ... now my husband does not need to occasionally buy flowers for me to make me happy .... they bloom in my garden and make me happy and loved .... so i share my hugs and kisses for him without an effort and money ....

Not normal Orchids

ITs started .... the fever has started ... i never imagined i would spend money on this plants ,but believe me, my balcony is full of them ... the ORCHIDs ...

Not only have i collected the normal looking orchids ... i am getting even all the new orchids that i have never seen before

Probably they are only rare to me as I am new ... for other orchid lovers, this are usual orchid species

Baby Steps ....

This is one of the most easiest plant to care for .. 

Just follow some easy tips and you will have them blooming at your balcony soon enough. Some orchids are best kept in the house .. which makes it much easier to care for 

1) I prefer to use spray watering technique for this plant .... well I just spray water onto the roots and leaves twice daily ..... (some or most orchids do not like to be flooded with water ....) ... Remember never to let the soil or soil mix is not to dry ..... The most you can go without watering is 2 days ... 


2) Orchids are wild flowers ... they actually grow on top of tree making them 'wanting' ventilation ... what i learned from my own 'mentors' was that .. wild orchids absorbs water from the air but of course the air must be rich in moisture

3) In between the water sprays ..add fertilize spray ... which can be done at least twice in week. I make it a point to spray on Wednesdays and on Sundays . The best time will be in the evening after the sun has set, so that the moist is not absorbed by the 'air' and not the plant 

Well ... for the beginners do not confuse yourself on more details . Just keep feeding them and they will do the rest .... I will be soon introducing my starter pack .... So make sure you live your details of contact ... 

How to Care for Orchids: 18 steps (with pictures) - wikiHow

How to Care for Orchids: 18 steps (with pictures) - wikiHow

This time let me share with you how the orchid lovers really spend their time caring for this plants.  I think this is a great way for the beginners to learn on caring for this plant. Well when I initially started, I was advised that i have to be really patient with this new hobby of mine, because Orchids really takes long time to actually bloom... every plant may take more than 6 months to bloom again ..... Everyday, i look at my plants to see if their roots have actually grown any longer than before .....

Orchid ... orchid .. orchid

This is a beautiful orchid ... the tone of white with blue and purple ....

Orchids evolved simply to please people

Color is one of the most motivating forces in my love towards orchids. Since i adore colors and over the years vibrant color schemes, have been the motivating factor that had attracted me to adore them and love them. The bright colors of Orchids does not only attract bees ... they seem to have attracted many people like me. Like butterflies orchids have also evolved into very many colors,tones and shapes that are truly inspirational. I read somewhere that there are more than 15,000 of this orchid species .... Amazing isn't it . Have orchid really evolved simply to please people.

Just look at the rainbow pallet and compare them with  the orchids that you may have seen ....

The color pallet is from : http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2010/044/e/b/Rainbow_Color_Pallet_by_Temple_Amarok.jpg

I started falling in love with orchids after my husband introduced this flowers to me. He did invest some money on this plant years ago, but i did not have the passion and he was too busy to care for them. They all died ..... Then again my husband took me to Orchid Display, i looked at them and i fell in love with them instantly. The varities of this flower, the colours, the spots the strips .... wow they were amazing. This time I actually spent some money on them and am really taking care of them .....and intend to join the competiiton next time round. Well i may not know some of their names or family but ... i am IN LOVE .... trust me totally in love with them ....