Growing Epiphytes on Trees - zone 9/10 Mediteranean Climate

[davidg]

That's a beautiful plant! Now I am glad I tried it. I see the red leaves, which I understand mean it is getting enough light. So it really should be mounted upside down, and not just sideways? I can do that in a couple of days from now.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by davidg

That's a beautiful plant! Now I am glad I tried it. I see the red leaves, which I understand mean it is getting enough light. So it really should be mounted upside down, and not just sideways? I can do that in a couple of days from now.

Yes, this one needs to hang downward...it is quite floppy naturally. It will continue to grow that way, becoming quite long. (I saw a huge one, the owners brought it to judging on a stretcher, I don't grow as well as they do) Nice thing, is that the "footprint" stays small since its growth is all vertical, just hang it higher as it gets longer. This one is getting quite a lot of light - filtered sun, but I have had it bloom in an area that was really quite shady... just better with a little more light.

[davidg]

Thanks - upside down it shall be - in the brightest spot I can find.

[davidg]

You know, part of the appeal of this plant is that it was named after John Parkinson, the 17th century botanist, by the British botanist Joseph Hooker. Hooker was director of Kew Gardens (where I trained) in the 19th century.

What I like about Parkinson is his sense of humor. His famous book on gardening from 1629, one of the very first, is called Paradisi in Sole Paradisus Terrestris. That translates as 'The Earthly Paradise of Park-in-sun' ('paradisis' being both paradise and just a park). When I see his name used, it always makes me chuckle inside. That's the kind of weird person I am!

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by davidg

What I like about Parkinson is his sense of humor. His famous book on gardening from 1629, one of the very first, is called Paradisi in Sole Paradisus Terrestris. That translates as 'The Earthly Paradise of Park-in-sun' ('paradisis' being both paradise and just a park). When I see his name used, it always makes me chuckle inside. That's the kind of weird person I am!

Thanks! Delightful wit!

[DirtyCoconuts]

I dig it!

[davidg]

Feeling pretty good today. Have my first blooms on the plants I mounted in the spring - Dendrobium aggregatum with a nice spike.

It had the beginning of one when I got the plant, but it aborted and dried out with all my messing around. This one has been produced entirely since I mounted them on the tree. Or really, this one was already cork mounted, so I just attached the cork piece, and the plant has now rooted off it onto the tree bark. It's funny that it was a photo of this plant on a tree that got me started with this idea.
Also, I was getting a few new plants after the 'up' of this bloom, and I on impulse got a Laelia superbiens (ex.Schomburkia). Ever grown it? Do you think it will survive my winters - down to about 5 Centrigrade? I see conflicting info. about it - sometimes describes as 'cool' and other times as 'intermediate'. I know it needs sun.

[Roberta]

Outstanding! What a treat to see that Dendrobium in bloom. As for L. superbiens, it should be fine. I have several growing in my yard and they do fine through winter, which is about the same as yours. Mine are either mounted (consider it those being on portable trees...) or in baskets that they are climbing out of. Given that the mounted ones tend to outgrow the mounts with aggressive roots, a suitable tree such as yours should work very well. Mine get filtered sun, or more like "bright shade" much of the year. So they need plenty of light, but I think they need less than L. anceps, for instance.

[DirtyCoconuts]

WELL DONE!!!

[davidg]

Thanks guys - one small step. . . And thanks for the advice on the L. superbiens, Roberta, that's encouraging. I am going to thin out the crown of that tree in early fall, to let more light through.