A Greenhouse Orchid Display

[Connie Star]

That is awesome! I could almost smell the warm, damp earth smell of the tropics.
What kind of frog is that? It looks like some kind of bufo.
It's hard to see how big the feature is- I get the impression it sits on a knee high bench and is about eye level height.

I don't get the video tour of the house, tho.

[roxrgneiss]

Thanks, Connie, glad you like the vid. I think that's a Gray Tree Frog, though it does look similar to some toads.

I think that video was a tester, but I'm sure there will be more to come in the future. That was only half the GH.

Yeah, only a couple of the plants give any clues as to its size... the frame dimensions of the terrarium are 8Lx3Hx2'D.

Here's a pic, for scale, I'm about 6':

[greenbean]

Originally Posted by roxrgneiss

I hope you get/make one some day, there's nothing like watching your own naturalistic scape evolve and grow over time.

Getting to pick through some of my favorite plants and mix that kind of variety (I'm a tropical plant enthusiast first) was the next best part, after getting the hardscape concept out of my head and into 3D... I haven't done this enough times that I can be sure, before it's finished, that it'll look very much like my imagined ending. This one was a huge learning experience though.

Cheers,
Mike

I'd like to make my own someday. I'm an incorrigible plant collector and I'm going to need a lot of space. I have a houseplant book with a picture of an interior, glass-roofed courtyard that I would just love to incorporate into my future home, and now I'm imagining one wall planted as a display like what you've created. Though whether I can actually pull off the design of such a house is questionable. I need to make friends with an architect so I can call in a favor down the road.

I've tried planting a terrarium. Both times the plants grew well, but were eventually overtaken by bright yellow mushrooms. The plants suffered from my attempts to irradicate the fungus. Also, I'm still working out a combination of plants where one is not much more aggressive than another, since it is a small terrarium. I got closer in the second attempt. I'm planning another attempt, this time with soil that has been sterilized in a solar oven or with boiling water or something. My family wouldn't allow me to bake the soil in the kitchen oven.

P.S. Thanks for the great video tour!

[roxrgneiss]

Originally Posted by greenbean

I'd like to make my own someday. I'm an incorrigible plant collector and I'm going to need a lot of space. I have a houseplant book with a picture of an interior, glass-roofed courtyard that I would just love to incorporate into my future home, and now I'm imagining one wall planted as a display like what you've created. Though whether I can actually pull off the design of such a house is questionable. I need to make friends with an architect so I can call in a favor down the road.

I've tried planting a terrarium. Both times the plants grew well, but were eventually overtaken by bright yellow mushrooms. The plants suffered from my attempts to irradicate the fungus. Also, I'm still working out a combination of plants where one is not much more aggressive than another, since it is a small terrarium. I got closer in the second attempt. I'm planning another attempt, this time with soil that has been sterilized in a solar oven or with boiling water or something. My family wouldn't allow me to bake the soil in the kitchen oven.

P.S. Thanks for the great video tour!

Same here, I'll eventually need a GH too or a room full of tanks, at least one being a walk-in. I think anything can be done, if you have the drive and are willing to make some compromises. I know there are some pretty neat indoor glass orchidariums out there. I've seen some very nice, lasting vivariums/terrariums.

I get mushroom blooms from time to time, but they are usually pretty small. I've seen a few slime mold cycles too. For these types of fungi, there are few safe zones in my tanks - I have computer fans mounted in ever tank containing plants of any value - the air movement seems to deter spores from germinating and also dries things out pretty well. Now, that doesn't mean that every orchid I try does brilliantly... I'm still on the learning curve; much of what I struggle with is a lack of enough different micro-environments in the small tanks and trying to translate directions for growing orchids in greenhouses and window sills into humid tanks. But it's fun!

Good luck in your future endeavors!


Mike

[roxrgneiss]

A quick update: More orchids are in bloom, plus a dozen neons and two aquatic frogs have been added.





















Mike

[RosieC]

What great blooms. The whole setup is just so fantastic

[roxrgneiss]

Time for an update ya'll! The warmer temperatures and higher light of spring have brought some changes to the display! It certainly is nice to see it growing in so nicely, if a bit densely in places. Enjoy!



































Mike

[nutgirl]

That is just beautiful!

Thank you

Maureen

[Brotherly Monkey]

wow

[roxrgneiss]

Thanks!