Phal Demi 'Deroose'

[BikerDoc5968]

The sun is gone today but this adds a bright spot in my day.....




I used a low light flash to enhance the color a bit because the background color is somewhat yellow which didn't really show on the first picture....

[Lagoon]

I completely agree with ya Doc. Orchids have the nack to brighten up any place sun or not.
You're phal is beautiful. love the stripes & spots on this one

[magicatt]

wow!! perfect spots between perfect stripes!!

[dgenovese1]

This one warms the soul Howard...thanks for sharing it with us.

The photos are both great, and I like that you showed both, with and without the soft flash.

[Grandma M]

I like it. Doc, you are right, our orchids do brighten up a gloomy day. Michigan winters give us a lot of them. If the gloom get to me, I go to my basement jungle. Yesterday I counted 19 phrags in bloom.

One nice thing about phrags is they stay in bloom so long. I have a Waunakee Wonder in my kitchen, first time blooming, which started the first of 3 blooms Sept 9. This morning it lost the second bloom, but #3 is still going strong. I love phrags but I DETEST the growing habits of some of them. I measured a leaf on my 'Sergeant Eric', it was 29". Some of the others are longer. I had a 'Living Fire' flower stem growing so tall I had to tie it to my curtain rod for support. "LOVE THE FLOWERS, HATE THE PLANT".

Marilyn

[BikerDoc5968]

Marilyn, aren't you in GR? So you must get the rath of Lake M..... Is that why you keep most of your chids in the bassement.....kinda like a storm shelter

[Grandma M]

Doc. Yes I live west of GR where we get even more of the rath of the winter storms, because we are closer to Lake Michigan.

Most of my orchids are in my basement because that is where I can hang HPS lights, and I also have a light mover down there. I have room there for my 'monster' phrags and vandas. I also have about 125 plants in an extra bedroom upstairs in my condo. They are mostly paphs and mini orchids. I have T5 and T10 (T10 replaced T12 in my old Houserman unit) lights in there. My electric bill is horrible, but my son says "Mom, don't complain about that". He has a greenhouse near Lansing, last Dec his heating bill was $28,000. I could pay my electric bill for many years with that.

My extra room upstairs faces the street so sometimes my neighbors window peek. Thats OK with me. The paper delivery girl always stops to see what I have in bloom on the rack by the window. I have become known as the 'Orchid Lady' in the neighborhood. They ask a lot of questions, and they are aware of why I have bright lights on in the room. If anyone would investigate the purpose of the lights, no problem, I have a Michigan State Police Investigator living next to me.

Marilyn

[edwardwang]

Wow~unbelievable!
I grow orchids outsides. Thanks God, you save the bill for me.

[BikerDoc5968]

Marilyn, your son wouldn't be in the Grand Ledge/Potterville area? I know there is a greenhouse in that area and they recently had a big sale 'cause...well, you know

[priz_m]

Doc that is a beautiful phal, certainly brightened my day up

thank you