Sorry this is the page.
http://www.gardenerscorner.com/WhutIsIt.html
Jenny in Italy
jennypizi@tin.it
It's a Cymbidium. Jenny, I am very surprised that it grows outside for you
year round. How is your climate in the winter? Is it a mediterranean
climate? are you by the shore? Tell me more about your cymbidium.
Mariana
Cymbidiums are semi- terrestrials [not all], and many of the species are endemic to India and S.E. Asia, Japan, New Guinea and Australia. If I'm not mistaken there are over 50 species that are documented. Several species of Cymbidium have been extensively used in hybridizing. These hybrids account for a substantial production of cut flowers [corsages, flower arrangements, leis etc...], and orchid collecting, mainly in the USA, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia as well as in the Netherlands. The hybrids are also more adapted to grow outside of their native habitat. Your case is a perfect example :).
My next question to you is, is it in a pot? How large of a pot? what is the growing media? in all these years, did you ever divide it?
Mariana
NYC Brooklyn, Zone 6b
http://photos.yahoo.com/gardengrl911
Date: Friday, March 14, 2003 1:43 pm
Subject: Re: Can you identify this orchid ?
Don't Orchids require a humid envirnment? I know we have an orchid society here, but the all use climate controlled buildings to grow their orchids. If I understand correctly it is the dryness here more than the heat that kills them???
That one Jenny has sure is perty! Would love to try one outdoors in the shade perhaps. Maybe even my my fountain where it is humid. Margaret Millards is very pretty as well. Makes me want to go Orchid shopping when I get off work ;)
Date: Friday, March 14, 2003 2:51 pm
Subject: Re: Can you identify this orchid ?
> Don't Orchids require a humid envirnment?
Yes. Some require more, others require less humidity. Within the same species you can have enormous variations when it comes to light, moisture, and temperature requirement. Most of the Oriental Cymbidium [which are known for their compact size and very fragrant flowers] require shaded areas or low light and constant moist surrounding [a good 75-85% humidity]. The more popular hybrids that you get
here in the states can easily survive and flower well with 50% humidity and even lower.
I know we have an
> orchid society here, but the all use climate controlled buildings
> to grow their orchids.
Ah...orchidariums :)
> If I understand correctly it is the
> dryness here more than the heat that kills them???
I am not aware of any orchid species that can survive the Arizona heat. But if they are kept indoors year round (like I keep mine), and there is central air I don't see why it would be a problem to set up humidity trays.
> That one Jenny has sure is perty! Would love to try one outdoors
> in the shade perhaps.<<
Don't, it wont survive in your place. Though if you keep it inside where it doesn't get higher than 85 degrees in the summer, and you have constant air movement, and you can provide a pebble tray [Humidity tray] you will be just fine.
Maybe even my my fountain where it is
> humid. Margaret Millards is very pretty as well. Makes me want
> to go Orchid shopping when I get off work ;)
LOL...venture out when you have a free moment and check out some of my orchids (in my briefcase). I have a cymbidium there that I am looking to tradae for something good. Don't spend your money, if you like my cym, I will send you the backbulbs when I split it.
Mariana
NYC Brooklyn, Zone 6b
http://photos.yahoo.com/gardengrl911
Mariana,
Hi ! thanks,
Cymbidium, Yes! I wondered,
I have just bought a book but couldn't see my Orchid, so wondered if it had a name . :)
I have also just been to Kew garden orchid exhibition and still didn't see mine.Thought
maybe it's so common. It is at least twenty five years old but it's been in the corner of the
L shaped entrance for about sixteen years. We do get to minus fourteen on a bad winter
and up to forty, forty one Centigrade in the summer.I think what saves it actually from
harm is that on the other side of the wall is a heater and the kitchen.Of course in the
summer I have a chicken who thinks it is the only place to lay an egg. so it doesn't get
any soft treatment.This year there are only ten flowers but
I have had eighteen.Strangely this year it is late, usually have it in flower end of January
/February.We are also ten minutes drive from the sea.
Jenny in Italy
It's a Cymbidium. Jenny, I am very surprised that it grows outside for you
year round. How is your climate in the winter? Is it a mediterranean
climate? are you by the shore? Tell me more about your cymbidium.
Mariana
jennypizi@tin.it
Mariana (Grin ) are you getting technical ?
Pot.........
hand to elbow width and length,
Thick gum plastic.
Terracotta saucer below.
Soil
just from the garden with ... if I remember a bit of peat .
Water in winter....... mornings only and infrequent.
Thought too much water and it would freeze up.
Summer often............. (every two days with every plant under the entrance) because
it's very hot here.
and wash down the leaves with hose pipe.
Feeding .....nothing much( Water saving freak) so washing water from chicks eggs
plants outside get it.
Any green veg water :>>> chicory, rapes, spinach etc. if you havn't put any salt,
the water is a great tonic for any plants, try it, if you want jungle in your home :) Not
too much so it will remain in the dish below. Pheww !!!
Rip out anything that looks dead, leaves, bulby things etc. by hand
My husband did divide it a few years ago but it did't like it, he left it with too much soil
it actually likes to be pot bound.
Sometimes horse manure .
anything going it gets it like everything else
no difference :)
It does like to be told how beautiful it is but that's another story (Grin)
Jenny in Italy
My next question to you is, is it in a pot? How large of a pot? what is the growing media?
in all these years, did you ever divide it?
Mariana
NYC Brooklyn, Zone 6b
http://photos.yahoo.com/gardengrl911
Date: Friday, March 14, 2003 1:43 pm
Subject: Re: Can you identify this orchid ?
jennypizi@tin.it
Hi,
Just curious.
> Soil
> just from the garden with ... if I remember a bit of peat .
I find this part incredibly interesting. I would be very curious to find
out about your soil, clayish, sandy? lots of rocks?
> My husband did divide it a few years ago but it did't like it, he left it
with too much soil
> it actually likes to be pot bound.
> Sometimes horse manure .
> anything going it gets it like everything else
> no difference :)
Typical Cymbidium behavior :)
> It does like to be told how beautiful it is but that's another story
(Grin)
Oh Jenny, trust me, I understand :).
Mariana
the growing media?
Watch it! Alan. I went grocery shopping last weekend and came home with
two more. (nothing exotic but the potential is there) Did you see
Mariane's photos of her orchids. they are gorgeous! She has one called
"Valentine" I think, isn't it Mariana? That is breath takingly rich. And
a yellow one that would brighten anyones's day..and that doesn't start
on the one's she got in Hawaii when she was there...
I hear tell this could be addictive. Seems to me, George could tell you
about growing Orchids in the desert, right George? Didn't you warn me
this could be addictive then describe what you had when you worked in
the east?
Hey! Mariana, want to go see Jenny's?
GizmoAZ wrote:
I've never used drugs but orchids were a bad addiction and it took time
to break it. You can pretty much grow orchids anywhere you have water
and some shade. I grew them in the Saudi desert with automatic misters
and a 60% shade. Mine were mostly all native to the jungles of Thailand.
George
"Margaret E. Millard" wrote:
How did you break the addiction? :)
What did you do with the orchids when you left the Beduin land?
> You can pretty much grow orchids anywhere you have water
> and some shade. I grew them in the Saudi desert with automatic misters
> and a 60% shade.
I wonder if Alan decided to purchase an orchid like he said he wanted too.
> Mine were mostly all native to the jungles of Thailand.<<
Ascocenda Aranda and Mokara's are amazing orchids [not to mention incredibly expensive and difficult to grow in arid conditions], ever grow these? I'd love to try these Thai natives but I don't know if I can create such conditions at home.
> Don't Orchids require a humid envirnment? I know we have an orchid society here, but the all use climate controlled buildings to grow their orchids. If I understand correctly it is the dryness here more than the heat that kills them???< < <
Mariana
NYC Brooklyn, Zone 6b
http://photos.yahoo.com/gardengrl911
Thank you for the compliments. I need to shift my focus a little bit though. I can't allow the orchids to consume all of my time. My vegetables germinated, all the flowers that I seeded last week are up. As well as all the tomatoes. Happily growing under artificial lights that I keep on from 6am to 10pm daily [for now]. My husband is procrastinating about putting together the cold frame and looks like I'm going to need to set out the seedlings the way I did last year, under plastic film pulled over wooden stakes.
I was digging getting the backyard, getting it ready for the up coming spring, and decided to check the soil. I pulled apart the mixture of leaves and horse manure that I covered the yard with in the early winter and discored very dark moist and crumbly soil. I found it quite interesting that it was loose and not frozen at this level, but anything lower than three inches is still frozen, I thought that it should be the other way around.
> I hear tell this could be addictive. Seems to me, George could tell you
> about growing Orchids in the desert, right George? Didn't you warn me
> this could be addictive then describe what you had when you worked in
> the east?
George I would be very interesting in learning what type of work you did in SA if you wouldn't mind sharing.
> Hey! Mariana, want to go see Jenny's?
I totally do, the way that her cymbidium adapted to her conditions is quite amazing!
Mariana
NYC Brooklyn, Zone 6b
http://photos.yahoo.com/gardengrl911
grdengrl@OPTONLINE.NET wrote:
Broke the addiction by leaving the orchids behind when we came home. One
of the Saudi's that worked for the company was getting our house when we
moved out and he bought the orchids, the courtyard shade (12 feet wide
by 30 feet long) and some of our furnishings that we didn't want to ship
home. Worked out well for both of us.
Don't recollect having any of those. The ones we had I picked out at an
orchid farm about 30 kilometers outside of Bangkok. I had been
corresponding with the ethnic Chinese owner for about a year by then and
told him when we would be arriving. He could also ship them to the US
back then as he had the proper phytosanitary certificates for his wild
collected and then propagated orchids. If we had stayed overseas another
year I was going to go out in the jungle with a party of his collectors
just to see how they got them. The orchids we had were all native and
none were crossed with anything. Some had tiny blossoms with lots of
fragrance but not all were that way. Most of them were dendrobiums and
were easy to care for. I think I still have some of my orchid books
around here somewhere, will have to look them up.
George, suffering with a spring cold
Date: Monday, March 17, 2003 12:47 pm
Subject: Re: Can you identify this orchid ?
Oh gosh... I don't know if I could have done anything like this. But than again, I did away with all the non orchid [save my Begonia plants] plants that I had in the house to make room for the orchids, so who knows, I might just ditch the orchids too
> If we had stayed overseas
> anotheryear I was going to go out in the jungle with a party of
> his collectors
> just to see how they got them.
Dendrobiums grow on trees for the most part. From my understanding people that collect orchids almost always get hurt, some even die in attempts to climb trees that are unbelievably high.
The orchids we had were all native and
> none were crossed with anything. Some had tiny blossoms with lots of
> fragrance but not all were that way. Most of them were dendrobiums and
> were easy to care for. I think I still have some of my orchid books
> around here somewhere, will have to look them up.
Dendrobiums generally don't smell, so you must have had others, too bad that you sold them, I would have loved to see them.
Mariana
NYC Brooklyn, Zone 6b
http://photos.yahoo.com/gardengrl911
Couldn't bring them home to the U.S. Saudi didn't have anyone to issue a
phytosanitary certificate at the time and the original certificates from
Thailand wouldn't work. We didn't have a home to go back to anyway so it
worked out for the best.
I was not totally addicted to the plants anyway, just enjoyed working
with them and seeing them bloom in the desert. I was also studying to be
a gemmologist and dropped that after we came home. Brought back a nice
lot of stones from Africa (emeralds), some from Sri Lanka, others from
Thailand and Burma, and some really gaudy Iranian turqoise, looks like
blue plastic with no character at all. Even had some Afghani lapis and
some malachite, plus a few Australian opals. Still have the emeralds,
made into jewelry for Miz Anne, a couple of Russian alexandrines, some
opal, the malachite (to make a bracelet with if I ever get to it) and
some topaz and smoky quartz for fun stuff. You live in a desert with no
entertainment other than going fishing or snorkeling in the Red Sea once
a week and you pick up hobbies or go crazy. I did both, picked up the
hobbies and still went crazy. B-)
George
Mariana
NYC Brooklyn, Zone 6b
http://photos.yahoo.com/gardengrl911
Date: Monday, March 17, 2003 2:26 pm
Subject: Re: Can you identify this orchid ?
I'm sure that had any of the royal family wished to bring their orchid collection to any of their other homes (anywhere in the world, London, Paris or anywhere else), they would have no problem. Isn't it amazing that the royal family has these lavish green gardens around their palaces and that they have water trucked in just to water the gardens!
I love the Red Sea. My parents used to vacation on the Southern most tip of Israel (Eilat), the only point in Israel that comes in contact with the Red Sea, it's breathtaking beauty there. If you were going fishing in the red sea, that would mean that you were somewhere on the western side of SA, near Mecca? Do they still not allow non-moslim into Mecca? How about liquor, is it still illegal?
In general I find the Saudi royal family and their history [and how they buy the world with their riches, not to mention the crap that their men get away with] quite bizarre and incredibly hypocritical.
Mariana
