My mom's orchids
This is not an orchid :)
If my brother was into bonsai, my mom was into orchids. Since having a TIA (transient ischemic attack) in 2015, my mom's physical condition changed dramatically, and with that includes her routine. She now just sit or walk around the garden, catching the first rays of the sun.
Her love of orchids
With her new condition, her love of orchids diminished as well. She tried at the beginning, but noted to be doing things wrong to the point of them wilting and dying. Now she just look at them, even forgetting their names.
After her retirement in the early 90's...all she ever did was look after them, it's her pride and joy. Our garden was envied for her orchids, as they always have flowers, even after a storm. I used to think that her angels were watching them for she sometimes offered her flowers at the church.
Neighbors who asked for orchids didn't have a chance, as all orchids given by her wilted immediately and died. I guess they don't have "green hands"? So much for wanting them to have an interest as well.
The "Rosary"
Called for its' very long stemmed flowers, i haven't seen any flowers since then. So this morning, my mom was saying that this orchid have a beginning of blooms shooting out. For the life of me, I can't see anything. I always do each time she pointed them before.
Although my sister-in-law tried to look after them, they haven't have any flowers lately. Right now there's only one dancing lady in bloom, nothing else.
Driftwood for the orchids.
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Orchids are parasitic, to an extent, so the one in the tree looks very happy - the others will need to be fed. My mother was a genius with them and was forever going at the roots with a pair of forks to divide them.
Great post.
Big broad brush statement here. There are 20,000 orchid species around the world. The class of orchids called epiphytes do indeed live on other plants but they do not derive their nutrients from those plants - they merely live there as a stage.
Now there is a class of orchids that are parasitic but not in the way most people think. The genus Corallorhiza relies on a fungus located in their rhizomes to produce its sustenance (only found in North America). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corallorhiza
These two articles given a broader overview
http://ezinearticles.com/?Are-Orchids-Parasites?&id=3123496
http://www.orchidcarezone.com/orchids-are-not-parasites/
I bow to your superior knowledge - I was just trying to be helpful seeing what I saw; you are of course absolutely right in correcting me for such a generalisation.
Thank you for sharing the fuller and more accurate explanation.
They are fascinating plants and always remind me of my mother, pottering about with her charges!
Namaste!
A little knowledge - Google was my friend.
I have seen less than 50 of the 1,900 orchid species to be found in Australia. The majority of these are not epiphytes at all - they grow from the ground.
I used to live in Sydney for 14 years and in Melbourne for 3 before that - you are in a very blessed country - 8 days early but Happy Australia Day!
Voted and followed
Namaste!
Thanks - my 3rd country to live in (4 in all) - working well for an outdoors and safe living lover.
All we have are potted plants or are on trees attached by my mom. They seemed to like where they are. We rarely see orchids directly in the ground.
I have several different types growing in my garden. This one grows in a pot - photo from last week but still flowering
This one grows in a basket so the flowers can come out below. Finished flowering last week
These photos were in Orchids36 post
Beautiful! I always see your posts when looking for orchids :)
Thank you. Hers are not parasitic. Shes always replanting those new shoots. Shes at it the whole day before.