A Greenhouse Orchid Display

[roxrgneiss]

Thanks for the comments! As always, thanks for looking.

Originally Posted by harrywitmore

Mike, I have just the space for you. Pack your bags and come on down for a week and help me transform it this summer.

Great job!

Thanks, Harry. There's also a thread on DB with a little more info. You've made some really cool displays, in your GH from what I've seen. Did you finish the epiphyte branch you were working on?

Haha, I'm pretty sure I would have a heck of a time trying to figure out what few plants in your collection I wouldn't want to use and how to fit them all (think super dense planting!). That, and how I would fit all those cuttings in my pockets!

Seriously, I'd come down in a second, but this last one took nearly two months. All depends on what you're goal is though...

Did you recognize your A. friedrichsthalii on the right? I thought it wouldn't mind being set free.

Originally Posted by greenbean

WOOOOOWWW! I am awestruck! I love the diversity, I love the design, I love all of it!

I WANT ONE!!!!

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

[roxrgneiss]

Made it over to the GH today and took a few shots, so here is a little update.

The plants seem to be happy and even the aquatics are doing alright. One of the frogs that is over-wintering in the GH was present for a photo shoot.

















I took a video also, but had to cut it due to upload size restrictions. Not sure why, but I had trouble with posting just the two video links and had to post two of the second clip...

Videos :: VidTour_2.flv video by GneissRox - Photobucket

[orchidlover69]

Someone spotted the 10% discount.

Originally Posted by roxrgneiss

Made it over to the GH today and took a few shots, so here is a little update.

The plants seem to be happy and even the aquatics are doing alright. One of the frogs that is over-wintering in the GH was present for a photo shoot.

















I took a video also, but had to cut it due to upload size restrictions. Not sure why, but I had trouble with posting just the two video links and had to post two of the second clip...

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[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