2016 Mega Deluxe Christmas Holiday Thread!!!!

[MrHappyRotter]

Hey everyone, I'm curious what you got from Santa this year. Did any of you get plant related gifts from your loved ones? Did you sneak in a small gift for yourself? If so, what?

I hope to be back later when I have a little more time to post photos and/or more info about my Christmas 2016 Southeast orchid tour & haul. It was eventful. I found myself at Carter and Holmes on Friday, and then today I hit up Looking Glass Orchids. Spent a little bit of time and money at both places, it was a terrific experience and I've seen the most beautiful plants. As a side note, I'd like to encourage everyone in the hobby to visit and support your local mom and pop orchid vendors. Usual story, times are tough, but these are such amazing and unique businesses that they deserve to thrive. Unfortunately I only snapped a few crappy pics on my phone that really do not do either establishment justice.

While I feel a bit guilty about how many plants I picked up, I was never the less spending money that had been gifted to me, so I was able to justify things that way. Amongst the highlights...

1. Paph. Harold Koopowitz (BS)[LGO] - It may even be in early spike!
2.Phrag. besseae (BS) [LGO] - If memory serves me correctly, this 2 growth plant is a division of one of the early jungle collected clones.
3. Phrag. caudatum x Mystic Tresses (BS)[C&H] - I believe this is blooming sized & the new growth is hopefully going to spike this year.
4. Epidendrum nocturnum (BS)[C&H] - I suck at Cattleya alliance plants, but decided to give this species a try. It is native to the USA and fragrant at night.
5. Angraecum florlentum - (BS)[C&H] - This may have a flower bud just starting, but with the change in conditions, I'm not getting my hopes up. Like most Angraecums, it's night fragrant. This species is considered small/mini.

Looking Glass had some Angraecum plants that I swear were taller than me and from the looks of it, might've even weighed more. Okay I exaggerate a bit. There were lots of interesting one-off plants nestled in between so much variety. And Russ is the only person I know that has the skills to get regular bloomings from his Paph. rothschildianum x parvisepalum hybrids. Every time I've been there, Paph. Delrosi and Paph. Dollgoldi plants are blooming.

Carter & Holmes has been around for ages, and I hope they'll continue to be around for a long time to come. A lot of their stock is seedling sized cattleya alliance plants, but they have a good variety of everything else. And a lot of their plants are very well suited for beginners. Because they generally have large batches of each orchid they sell, it's particularly fun to be able to visit the greenhouse and choose the exact plant you want from the bunch. Plus they have a beautiful blue and gold Macaw and a friendly pooch roaming the premise.

[Leafmite]

I bought a night-blooming 'jasmine', a guava, two new passiflora, an herb, and Lc. Mini Purple from Logees in November as a Christmas present to myself . However, while ordering gifts for family on Amazon, a Lc. Purple Cascade hopped into my cart.

It would be great to get plants or a gift certificate for plants as a gift but that just never seems to happen.

[rbarata]

I didn't buy any plant or anything related with it.
I'm growing several genus, some of them for the first time, so I'm trying to find them suitable locations around the house. Although I have space, it might be needed later.

[sapphirerose]

I didn't get any orchids for Christmas. I'm worried about the cold. My mother bought me two at Home Depot on Black Friday, and one bud blasted on the way home.

I also found scale on my Phalaenopsis (Sedirea) japonica. I got rid of the scale using a search on this board, I hope, but the poor baby was left so weak. It already had a fungus earlier in the year.

I don't want to bring any new orchids into the house until spring.

That said, I did get a Miracle Grow Aerogarden herb kit for Christmas. I do love fresh herbs. And that will be in the kitchen as far from my orchids as possible.

I also got a Christmas cactus in November. It is late, still in bud.

I'm making lists for spring.

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

[jkofferdahl]

I spent Christmas in the hospital. Great gift.

[Leafmite]

I am very sorry to hear that your Christmas was a bummer. Too bad someone did not get you a nice orchid to cheer you. Hospitals are never fun and they are much less so during the holidays.

My Purple Cascade arrived from Hawaii and I found two in the pot! I potted each part in its own eight-inch basket pot with red lava rock. It is a seedling so I have a few years before it will bloom but I am quite excited.

Good luck with the Aerogarden! I tried it but now grow everything under the T5HO lights...which is why I don't have much room for orchids anymore.

[Pattywack]

I had a very merry orchid Christmas. My family finally decided to enable my hobby this year. My husband ordered three plants from Andy's special and a fourth plant was included in the order. I really could not believe he did this, my daughter in law encouraged it. My husband also got the awesome miniature orchid book by Ron Parsons & Mary E. Gerritsen, volume 1, the second volume is on its way. Great books!

My daughter & son gave me a nice cool mist vaporizer and my plants are loving it. Just before Christmas I won a very nice Neofinetia Seikai and it is so cute and small, the smallest Neo I have...so far. My daughter in law bought clay and made three Neo pots for me!

I spent three Saturdays in a row going to Al's orchids shopping. My daughter in law wanted what she calls a "trophy" orchid to hang in her bathroom. I bought her a nice big Phal and a big slab of cork and mounted it for her, she is thrilled with her trophy.

My birthday was the 28th and I ordered a sweet little Neofinetia Kuroshinju from New World Orchids, can't wait until it arrives! I've recently been bitten by the Neo bug as Al's has several big nice plants at 50% off, I couldn't resist.

I have several plants in my windows in bloom and in my terrarium as well. It has been an awesome orchid Christmas for me! I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas.

---------- Post added at 10:29 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:23 PM ----------

Jkofferdahl, I'm sorry you spent the holiday in the hospital. I hope you are at home and well, taking care of your orchids.

[Dollythehun]

Well, we had a blessedly quiet Christmas. Too many deaths and stress in the family. We rolled up the door mat and stayed in.

Honey hung some new lights for me and gave me a gift card to use at Hauserman's open house. I discovered a new spike on my "Sherry Baby" and Den "little Atro." A good day for many reasons.

[fishmom]

A good friend gave me a Den. Micro Chip that is loaded with buds. When they all open, it will be spectacular! Thanks to my orchid buddy!

[estación seca]

I have been boarding rescue Miniature Schnauzer Neco. Today I took him to a nice family who is going to have him for a two-week trial period, after which they may adopt him. Seeing how happy the people and Neco were was a great New Years Eve present.

About one more hour here. Where is the Champagne?