Hi from Sedona, AZ USA!

[MrGreenjeans]

Hi Just wanted to introduce myself.... My name is Leo I am from Sedona, AZ and have been an amateur orchid grower for about 15 years..... My wife bless her soul, through her love of plants and flowers got me first interested in orchids. After seeing one in our local grocery a (Cymbidium species) I suggested she get one..... She had heard somewhere that they were hard to grow, but I said you are so good at growing plants you can do it, give it a try..... Well we ended up taking that plant home. I ended up watering and taking care of it though. She would tell me, "it's dry you need to water it more, or it needs more light, or it's getting too much light" I would say no, just let me try my hand at growing it, OK! I had a book on orchid growing and I would tell her, "the book says you're not suppose to water it too much", or something like that. Well after she saw that it was growing and it wasn't dying, she left me take care of it. I'm glad she did! For years she had tried to get me interested in plants and flowers, but I was a guy I didn't really care, until I got that orchid and after a couple of years of taking care of it it bloomed . That did it for me, I was hooked! She could grow all kinds of other plants and flowers, but she would say proudly, "I have to hand it to you, you have a thing for growing those orchids". That made me feel good, and over the years I have acquired several different types of orchids to where now I have a small collection that I almost need a greenhouse to fit them all in. In her memory I will continue to grow orchids and other plants and flowers, because it gives me some peace inside and reminds me of my wife's love for plants and flowers and how much I loved her.

I am glad I found this forum, I am sure that I will get a lot of good ideas on how to grow and take care of orchids for years to come.

[Anton]

Welcome to the Forum "Family".

I have 2 orchids which my dad grew ( he's been gone 23 years now) and last year for the first time one of them actually went bezerk and sprung 15 spikes, usually it only flowers every 2 or 3rd year with one spike with one or two flowers. You can see it on my Web site:
http://www.users.on.net/~op_ink/AD/C...m_Orchids.html
Its the "Midnight X Tawny Port".

Its good having flowers with a memory attached. The second one he had for a few years and told mum it could take 10 years before it flowers. Well, it was 10 years after he got it when he passed away, and it flowered for the first time on the morning of his funeral!

Needless to say, mum put it's flowers on his coffin. My brother has had it since the funeral, and until recently I didn't know he had it until he gave it to me to take over its care .

Hopefully now its in my care and getting more TLC than he gave it, I may be able to get it to flower again. He isn't a geat one for watering plants. It is a Dockrilla which dad mounted on a piece of branch and I am going to have a go at remounting it.

Flowers are great memorials as they can last for many years.

Enjoy, happy growing, and again, welcome.

[mayres]

Welcome to the forum MrGreenJeans and thank BOTH you and Anton for complementing posts! mike

[Anton]

A close friend of mine, a retired colleague recently moved to Sedona and built a home there, hope to visit in the not too distant future (1 to 2 years).

[MrGreenjeans]

Originally Posted by Anton

A close friend of mine, a retired colleague recently moved to Sedona and built a home there, hope to visit in the not too distant future (1 to 2 years).

You will love it Anton, it has to be one of the most beautiful places on earth!

[Anton]

MrGreenjeans, I visitited it recently (Google Earth) looks like an interesting place. My friend is a brilliant photographer, so it is just perfect for him.

[winky]

Sedona is truly a remarkable place. There is something very calming about the red rock and the desert. I wonder what effect that has on orchids?

[Buttercup]

Mr. Greenjeans and Anton I have a lot to learn from you. Thank you for sharing your experiences. It's funny, I just got married last August and suddenly got this passion for orchids. My husband, thank goodness, has taken up my interest. I feel very lucky to share something that I like so much with him. I think it is really remarkable that some plants can last so long and have memories attached. You guys are awesome Anton, your flowers are beautiful, you should be very proud!

[Anton]

Buttercup, must be a bit of the old man coming out in me. (my father, that is).

I find it rather calming, plus the pleasure it gives when you have great blooms.

This season, I am hoping to get the my best crop of Zygopelalum flowers. I have had the plant about 4 years, it was a gift from one of my wife's friends for a job I did for her.

The first year it had 3 flowers, then missed a year, and last year had 2 flowers, and due to information and help from this site, I am hoping for more as it is going bezerk with a growth spurt that is unprecedented since I have had it.

[kmarch]

Interesting that you'd mention the calming influence of growing the orchids. I can actually feel the tension fading when I am poking arund wiht my orchids. They are real stress management for me.

-Kevin

[MrGreenjeans]

Originally Posted by winky

Sedona is truly a remarkable place. There is something very calming about the red rock and the desert. I wonder what effect that has on orchids?

Well I can tell you this much, it usually takes a bit for the plants to get adjusted to the dry climate here...... some orchids do better than others- (usually the more thicker leaved ones such as Phalaenopsis, dendrobiums, cynbidium, and cattleya...... One I have not had much success with is oncidium, and vanda although I think that was because it got fried by the Arizona sun and heat not from dryness so much.... One thing you have to be careful with if something says plant in full sun, that is any kind of plant, you don't unless it is native to this region like a cactus or something...... the sun is so strong here it fries most plants and flowers that say "full sun". I learned that the hard way.

[MrGreenjeans]

Originally Posted by Buttercup

Mr. Greenjeans and Anton I have a lot to learn from you. Thank you for sharing your experiences. It's funny, I just got married last August and suddenly got this passion for orchids. My husband, thank goodness, has taken up my interest. I feel very lucky to share something that I like so much with him. I think it is really remarkable that some plants can last so long and have memories attached. You guys are awesome Anton, your flowers are beautiful, you should be very proud!

Say buttercup that's great your husband has taken an interest in your hobby..... It took me awhile, but I am hooked.
Yeah just like kmarch said, there is a calming effect that comes over me as soon as I start to to mess around with the plants....... It is a stress reliever for me as well as therapy....... if I let my mind go I can almost sense my wife's spirit messing with the flowers right along with me.......

OK now you know I'm really from Sedona, but seriously I'm
not kidding I find peace and comfort in this.

[arleneg]

MrGreenjeans,

Hi & welcome to the forum.

I, too, find it calming when working with or just looking at my orchids.