Frederick Meijer Gardens visit

[Ross]

Sue (sucuz) invited my wife and I to visit her are the Gradens for a close-up tour. What intsigated the visit was the blooming of Peristeria elata aka Holy Ghost orchid that she posted about a few days back. It was a thorough and very educational tour - Sue is a very knowledgeable person in her field(s). I am posting a series of pics below, and am hoping Sue jumps in for a great narration, similar to the one she gave us. I could try to steel her thunder and explain the whole thing, but that wouldn't be fair to her and all the hard work she puts in as a 13 year volunteer at a fantastic facility. Here are the pics:

(Photo 1)
(Photo 2)

(3) (4) (5) (6)

(7) (8) (9) (10)

Your turn Sue. Please explain the pictures as only you can do in your "volunteer smile"

Thanks for the tour.

[cb977]

Ross, thanks for posting the pictures of your behind-the-scenes tour! Wonderful!!!

Looking forward to hearing Sue's narration

You must have had a very nice day

[gmdiaz]

What a great day is right!

WOW! I would be in heaven in there.

Standing by for narration!

Thanks, for the photos, Ross!

[BikerDoc5968]

So Ross, you could have invited a tag-along guest... I'm only a couple of hours from GR......

[Ross]

Originally Posted by BikerDoc5968

So Ross, you could have invited a tag-along guest... I'm only a couple of hours from GR......

From what I heard, you've been there and never sought out Sue

[sucuz]

Had a great day with Ross & his lovely wife last Saturday. Great place to be on a dreary rainy day.

When I first started doing the 'orchid wall' display, it was a plant display. I can do that. Knew very very little about orchids. Discovered an odd thing. If I was out there messing with the plants, guests actually expected me to know something about them. Silly people. Got the crash course in Orchid 101 and now I know a little bit about orchids. If you know virtually nothing about them, I could probably impress you. If you have questions about specific plants, I will have to write them down and look at the tags when I go in on Saturday.

To the tour!

Photo 1: Behind the scenes, Greenhouse #3. Orchid greenhouse. Back benches & flyer bars are about 1/2 of our orchid collection. Rest are out of the photo. Left front is a Coelogyne cristata about 2 1/2' high x 3' to 3 1/2' wide. Front benches are display plants in a growing area. Haven't managed to take over all of Greenhouse #3 yet. We have to share it with other plants.

Photo 2: Greenhouse #3 Cattleya collection. Shaded area in back has phrags, paphs, & phals.

Photo 3: Dendrobium fimbriatu, (I think), don't know the "horsetail", mini dort/phal, Ondotoglossum (? Wildcat?), Oncidium, & Psycopsis papillio

Photo 4: Phragmipedium

Photo 5: Slipper crock with white Paphiopedium & various phrags

Photo 6: Peristeria elata aka Holy Ghost orchid. Can't quite see the little dove inside from this angle

Photo 7: Orchid wall display

Photo 8: Orchid wall display

Photo 9: Vanda. Would have to check tag for ID, sorry.

Photo 10: Slipper display again

Open invitation. If anyone plans to be in our area, contact me. Would love to meet you and give you a personalized tour. If you can't tell, I LOVE this place!

[sucuz]

Yeah! It went in. Took 3 tries to post this. Every time I tried to submit, it booted me out of the system. Guese I might have been too wordy and timed out. Edited down to shorter version. Can always add comments as we go along.

[cb977]

Thanks Sue...it looks like a wonderful place...and what better way to spend your time than doing something you so obviously love doing?

Thank you

[BikerDoc5968]

Ross, who is filling your head with these untruths!???!!! When I was a kid in 2nd grade, I lived in GR and have visited family there many years ago....didn't even know there was a Garden there!!!!! But next trip.....

Originally Posted by Ross

From what I heard, you've been there and never sought out Sue

[sucuz]

Originally Posted by BikerDoc5968

When I was a kid in 2nd grade, I lived in GR and have visited family there many years ago....didn't even know there was a Garden there!!!!! :

And you would have been right! The Gardens celebrated its 13th birthday last April. When you were in 2nd grade it wasn't even a gleam in the eye of the Michigan Horticulture Society yet.

We're here now...trek on up!