I need to go away more often

[Highland Fashionista]

I am just back from a nearly 3-week holiday. I left my orchids in their "summer place" in the front conservatory in our house (same as a "sun room" in the US), although I was wary doing so because it is normally starting to get pretty grim weather wise in Scotland at this time of year. I had my father in law water just once a week just to keep things going, because I didn't want to risk rot if it was cold.

Turns out I should leave my plants alone more often. I cane home to a riot of roots and shoots. This is my little braggy piece so I can show off my "mad skills", which essentially consist of me leaving the country for two and a half weeks.

1. New dendrobium from Ikea. All flowers still intact 3 weeks later, and not dead. I'm calling this a victory.

2. baby dendrobium that I have been trying to get to take hold in SH for EVER. Grew 1 inch while I was away and has new leaves.

3. Ebay oncidium that I got in July, had weird black spot. Made a new pseudobulb and has a surprise flower spike, despite me only having moved it to SH (from bark) in July when I got it!

4. Tiny Twinkle made its second flower spike this summer while I was away

5. SHarry Baby - this is the only one that is sulking. I think it got too dry, so I switched it to one of Ray's pots that I got in the mail. (Thanks Ray)

6. Mini Phal from grocery store - moved to SH as an experiment...new leaf and root

7. Massive grocery store phal - two spikes I recently cut are reblooming, plus a THIRD spike formed while I was away. (I think there may also be a second branch on one of the spikes. Crazy.

8. Grocery store phal. Grew some new buds on its already-blooming spike, plus put out ANOTHER spike.

9. Rescue phal - spikes now have buds and look about to open. What colour will it be!? I think purple.

10. Harlequin Phal - putting out massive fat, juicy spike. Hope it will mean massive flowers....

11. Bottom row is the "in progress" section...all have new leaves and roots, including the black paph I just got off of Ebay.

My plants are trying to tell me something, and I think it is that they want me to leave them alone.

[LovePhals]

That is great, congrats! I would love to find a wood rack like yours to put my plants on... the search continues!

[Highland Fashionista]

This one was actually pretty inexpensive...try amazon. I can't remember where this one came from, but it was about £19.

[Bill U.]

Congratulations! I have found that a lot of my orchids (and sometimes even my regular soil-houseplants) like it when I just leave them alone to "do their thing" haha. Maybe they are just shy! LOL

[tarev]

That's really good! Always nice to see new growth, especially after leaving them behind for awhile!

[Cntry]

I also like the stand you have your orchids on. They look so nice on there.

[bellini girl]

Or...'chids may be saying, please don't go away. we'll be good...promise. See the lovely blooms , please don't leave

[NYCorchidman]

Well, at least you have someone who can come in once a week to check on them.
I would be gone for months if I had that option! lol
I can only travel for upto 2 weeks, and that's pushing to the limits. all my houseplants other than orchids dried up dead when I returned from Hawaii after two weeks last fall. lol


I love the flowers on that dendrobium in the first picture!
IKEA that I visited here only had phals, both fake and real ones.

I think the orchids you have do not need bright sun much, so even when the weather gets rather gloomy, they should be fine.
If the window area gets cold, it's a good idea to move your beautiful dendrobium away away from the window.

[Highland Fashionista]

Yeah, I'm actually surprised that we still have this room open, to be honest. It has been a mild fall here in the Highlands. I normally move most of my "chids to an upstairs growing area that has supplemental lighting that I use to extend the daylight a bit in the winter months. (It's like Alaska here...very far north and the sun doesn't rise until almost 10am in the dead of winter then sets at 3:30!). I am just glad I could squeak out a few more weeks of warm weather.

[NYCorchidman]

Wow~ That is really high up in the north then!
Great that you have a great space with extra lights for your plants, which I'm sure in turen lightenup your winter!