• balcony - orchids - plants - plush worm - spring

    Frohe Ostern, Würmer und Pflanzen *g*

    9 April, 2012 - By 

    Erstmal Frohe Ostern!
    Photobucket
    Diese (kleine) Orchidee habe ich auf dem Wochenmarkt (!) gefunden und sie als Ersatz für meine dahingeschiedenen gelben Hybriden mitgenommen (eine hat noch eine 1% Chance zu überleben). Ich liebe die runde Form der Blüte.

    Dann liebe ich es jedes Frühjahr wieder die Frau vom Blumenladen zu zitieren, die sagte, man könne die Steinheide nicht im Topf auf dem Balkon halten.
    Kann man doch! *g*
    Photobucket

    Photobucket

    Ich versuche nun von dieser Pflanze einen Steckling zu ziehen, dann hätte ich wieder zwei und der Ableger kommt von einer Pflanze die bewiesen hat, dass sie überlebenstauglich ist.

    Und Würmer…gestern bei meinen Eltern wieder ausgegraben- kennt die noch jemand, die waren in den 1980iger Jahren der Hit.
    Photobucket

    Die Form an sich gibts sogar noch zu kaufen, allerdings anscheinend nicht mehr die Farbenvielfalt von früher: Würmchen-Link

    Happy Easter, worms and plants *g*

    First of all, Happy Easter!

    This (small) orchid I found on the market-place(!) amongst the gardenplants and had to bring it home as a replacement for my deceased/dying yellow hybrids. I love the round shape of its flowers. It’s compact size is also very appealing.

    Then, every year in spring the same procedure, I quote that flowershop-lady who said that the stoneheather can not thrive in a pot on a balcony.
    Yes, it does, LOL!!
    I am now trying to raise an offspring of it, so I could have two of those again, as they make formidable shade in the window they are standing in.

    And worms! Those three were unearthed (amongst other things) yesterday at my parent’s place. Does anybody else know them, still? They were such a hit amongst us kiddos in the 80ies.
    The worm-form has survived until today, I see, just the many colours did not: worm-link

  • decorations - easter - first green - ludisia - spring

    Nochmehr Frühling

    1 April, 2012 - By 

    Nun hab ichs doch gemacht- die Zweige sahen ohne Deko irgendwie so leer aus. *g*
    Now I finally caved in and did get some decoration afterall…the twigs looked so empty without…
    Photobucket

    Photobucket

    Außerdem konnte ich an diesen Laternen nicht vorbeigehen:
    I couldn’t resist those cute little lanterns:
    Photobucket

    Ein Blick in meine „Dschungel-Ecke“- bei grauem Wetter vielleicht etwas trist:
    A quick look into the jungle-corner, a little bit gray, but the weather is gray, too…
    Photobucket

    Und die Ludisia ist nun ganz offen
    Ludisia discolor has opened up all flowers now:
    Photobucket

  • appletree - bicycle - hydrangea - spring

    Frühlingsgefühle

    31 März, 2012 - By 

    Nicht alles was tot aussieht ist auch tot, wie die fleissig austreibenden Pflänzchen zeigen.
    Apfelbaum:
    Photobucket

    Hortensie:
    Photobucket

    Und dieses Trimmrad habe ich heute von meinen Eltern geerbt *freu* und werde es gleichmal ein bisschen testen. Ich kann ja dabei Musik hören oder sogar Filme gucken. *g*
    Photobucket

    Not everything that looks dead is without life, as the busily greening little plants prove. See above my hydrangea and my little appletree.

    And today I got this hometrainer from my parents, who did not use it anymore. But I do intend to make use of it.

  • appletree - balcony - indoors - orchids - outdoors - plants

    Growing

    24 März, 2012 - By 

    The more sun they get, the more growing takes place amongst the plants.
    Indoors, the Miltoniopsis really managed to open all blossoms, hooray!
    Photobucket

    And outdoors, I have a new lavender:
    Photobucket

    And my little Apple-tree starts to grow, whee!!
    I got it for my birthday from my parents and it looked like this, when it arrived:
    Photobucket
    Just a stick in a pot (here pictured with protection against the cold nights).

    Now the „stick“ has proven that there is life in it:
    Photobucket

    Photobucket

  • ludisia - orchids

    Something different

    10 März, 2012 - By 

    Another orchid, but this one grows terrestial (= on/in the earth) and can thrive in soil. At the homeworker’s supply store, I found this Ludisia discolor „Red Velvet“ today and couldn’t resist.
    Photobucket

    Size comparision with the Croton and the Oncidium:
    Photobucket
    More detail pictures are to follow, the leaves are beautiful with their red veins.
    And now that I have read up on this plant some, I have to giggle at myself- this one seems to have the same ambitions as the Monstera, if it feels well. Plants that reach such dimensions after a couple of years are apparently not all that few:
    http://goorganicgardening.com/wp-content/uploads/birkett_jewel.jpg

    And the Oncidium is now busily opening up all those buds.
    Photobucket

  • lotr - the hobbit

    Coming December in the cinema, yay!

    31 Januar, 2012 - By 

    The Hobbit, yay! Can’t waaaait!! Here is the trailer:
    Trailer for The Hobbit
    (I so wish they’d do some of the Silmarilion story-lines, too!)

    „Far over the misty mountains cold
    To dungeons deep and caverns old
    We must away ere break of day
    To seek the pale enchanted gold.
    The dwarves of yore made mighty spells,
    While hammers fell like ringing bells
    In places deep, where dark things sleep,
    In hollow halls beneath the fells.
    …“
    (snippet of the Dwarves‘ Song – An Unexpected Party. J.R.R. Tolkien)

  • orchids - saving plants - unknown orchid

    To the rescue!

    15 Januar, 2012 - By 

    This plant was saved from the litterbox because my salt was empty. (And I found it on the verge of getting thrown away at the supermarket) So lucky coincidence made me find it and pick it up:
    Photobucket
    It looked thirsty and not happy with its surroundings but apart from that, it seemed healthy.

    It got emergency treatment and then spent the night in the bathroom, where it is cool and humid.
    Photobucket

    Yesterday I thought it would drop all blossoms today, but quite the contrary- they even seem to have recovered a little and are much less floppy and dangly today.
    Since this type of orchid likes it cooler, it graces my kitchen windowsill now.
    Photobucket

    And even if they aren’t in top shape, aren’t the blossoms wonderful?
    Photobucket

    Photobucket

    Now I am curious if I can find out if it has a name. The tag just said „Cambria Hybrid“ (which is very misleading).

  • orchids

    Orchid news

    7 Januar, 2012 - By 

    Bad news first- little „Nopsi“ did not make it, it practially died overnight and when I pried it apart to learn from what was left of it, I found its heart had gone black. Rot had caught it after all. 🙁

    The rest of the band are sprouting funny looking areas under the leaves and while I never managed to catch any creepy crawly in the act of damage, I decided that I better take out the chemical nerfbat now while the plants are still vital and help in the fight. So today I got to use this:
    Photobucket
    *ggg*
    I gave them all a good dose, even if not all are similarly affected. Next weekend the repeat procedure and then we’ll see…

    I have several piccies of happily growing plants to add here now:
    The little Dtps. Black Jack that got so cross about being sent by parcel and then also being moved from moss to substrate that it threw all flowers and dried their stalks seems to be more at ease with its situation now, because it makes a new leaf. 🙂
    Photobucket

    Also making a new leaf – and me very happy- is the Phal. Elegant Debora:
    Photobucket
    There is zero improvement on the roots, still, but the leaves are „filled out“ nicely and now the leaf in the making makes me carefully optimistic that it might be out of the woods now.

    Remember the cute little red leaf on the Phal. Mashimo? Well, that one has grown up – and green- afterall and does now look rather impressive already. (The one that stands up)
    Photobucket

    The Phal. Zoro Amato is building my character as it keeps me waiting for the blossom to open…
    Photobucket

    …and waiting, and waiting… aarrggh! I am sooooooooooo curious!! 😀
    Photobucket

    This one is new, it arrived on Thursday, its botanical name is „Ornithophora radicans“, but I suppose it will just be called „sprinkles“ here. *g*
    Photobucket

    Here you can see that it grows from little bulbs just like the large orchids of that „type“:
    Photobucket

  • music - orchids - winter

    Kilroy and some happy plants *g*

    3 Januar, 2012 - By 

    After reading that my orchids would be used to 12 hours of daylight in their natural habitat and considering that the plants raised here might be content with 10 hours, too, still those rainy winter days must be too short, so to speak.
    They do still grow, but very very slow. So I have now decided to borrow them my lamp from my „worktable“, which has a „daylight spectrum“ light in it. It is not a true plant-lamp, but it is better than a simple lightbulb and it sure is more light. If I keep it on from when I get home to when I go to bed, they do get some extra five hours each day. Am now curious if it will show any results. (If so, I might consider to buy them a plant-light)
    Photobucket

    Of course I am secretly hoping that this will speed on the blossom that I am waiting for on the Phal. Zoro Amato. *looks innocent*

    And something to watch- I stumbled across some 80’s favourites on CD lately. „Mr. Roboto“ by Styx is sure one of mine. Here I found an awesome orchestra version of it on youtube:

    Enjoy!