Nice and delicate looking. I'm looking forward to a re-bloom, but don't remember what Moth orchid it was, so it will be a nice surprise when it blooms.

Phalaenopsis (Moth Orchids) are much more showy than Spathoglottis, but they're not so suited to hot conditions. Would love to grow them but always been a bit scared they'd just die. Although, I have been tempted to try some in the most protected/coolest/shadiest place in the garden. Maybe some day.

Hi

I grow both but have never been able to get the spathoglottis to grow in my crummy soil so maintain them in pots . I have 6 Phals that I'm experimenting with 3 are on Cassia roxburghii one on an areca palm and two on Carambola. While they do grow and flower disappointing in numbers and quality A year ago i had some pieces of various types of Catts that I put into the trees .including a super hybrid . So far the main problem is cats and squirrels ,they use the trees as a gymnasium. so have to be VERY careful in location . Might mention that I've also been very lucky with the weather lows have been 38 and then only for a couple of hours The pink phal is spiking now will post a pic when it opens. Amazing how the roots expand easily two meters from the plants and still expanding!! gary

Looking forward to your photos.

My Spaths are in pots too, but in desperate need of repotting (when I get spare time). We have possums here, about the size of large cats. They also do some damage to epiphytes going up and down in the trees. That's one hell of a distance for the roots of a Phal to travel. They must like the environment.

I grow a lot of Spathoglottis plicata and I find they are the easiest orchids to grow, I grow them in double stacked cynder blocks, all colors. They (purple) grow wild in PR in the hills and I have even seen them growing on rocks and up int he crooks of trees-real opportunists Frank :)

Frank, can you post some photos? It's a native here but not exactly where I am, my climate is monsoonal savanna, they're more rainforest. That's why they'd be so successful where you are. The native ones can be white or purple but mine are most probably cultivars from imported plants.

Ya-I will dig up a pic; the ones here are actually invasive, but they don't take the place of any native orchids; the native are typically very small and not abundant; over 98% of the island is secondary forest. All these invasive are purple, but you can get almost any color, and hybrids, at the local supermarket. They bloom a lot!

Hi here is a bad pic of a Brassidium that I"ve been growing on a palm for several years . While the plant is vigorous the quality and number of flowers is far less than those grown in pots . Probably a light problem lol gary

My imagination tells me that's a beautiful flower, LOL. But you're probably right about the light. Often when we first plant things they're in the right spot, but the garden keeps growing around them and they end up in a different environment. Just yesterday I was looking at some of the trees in my rainforest garden. The earlier ones were planted near the then edge and grew leaning out. Later ones where then planted on the new edge and also leaned out. I have all these leaning trees now. Some understorey plants that were getting the right light are now too shaded. The garden continues to evolve.

Hi here is a pic of the Phal growing on a Cassia roxburghii from last year is budding out right on cue this year but as you can see the flowers are smaller and less of them . This is the one in particular that the roots have wandered so far away from the plant. Seem to be growing mostly down . Not realyl a fair assesment as it has been torn off twice by squirrels

will try to get a pic of the root system but will be tough as it goes completely around the tree.. think the pink on the other tree is toast certainly no buds as yet gary

People often say they look great growing on trees, which is true. But there's not the same amount of control of environmental factors as when they're grown in pots or on moveable mounts. Amount of light can be critical for flowering.

Hi

The shadehouse is in need of serious repair and I'm getting old and cranky so moving most of my orchids out into the yard .At one time I had over 500 pots of orchids alone!! I gave away a whole bunch but still have around 100.

The "tree/rock growing has been disappointing BUT it has reduced the wotk by half and it is delightful to see them out in the yard certainly adds a lot of interest. I'm having much better luck with broms and ferns but "vertical gardening is really tough for an old man lol gary

My shade house was here when I bought the place but it's a steel structure and about the only thing that's deteriorated a bit is the shade cloth. It sits under a huge Poinciana tree so during the dry season I have to put palm fronds on the roof to shade it a bit, the Poinciana looses all its leaves. When the Poinciana finishes flowering and puts out leaves I have to pull all the palm fronds off because it's too dark inside. I wish I had more luck with ferns. Those few that I have are real 'cast iron' ones, tougher than old boot leather. But most other ferns just curl up their toes and die. Just lost my Cyathea cooperi, but it was Tropical Fire Ants that did it. There's a number of ferns they just love to chop all the roots off.

Hi

When I went to Costa Rica there were forests of tree ferns probably 20/30 feet tall with dozens of other species on the ground !! I was blown away lol This was at mid altitude in the mist zone was either raining or getting ready to besides there was so much ground water there were dozens of tiny streams . Most impressive were the Gunneras . yes I bought a" heat tolerant one" and promptly killed it I love ferns but don't have the space but I do have a couple of Cyathea which are doing fine IF I water them lol In a weak moment i bought an Angiopteris evecta which everybody tells me is" impossible' So far it's ticking along but what do I do if it actually grows??lol

I just recently got a price list for some of those "metallic" s. american ferns

Have been looking at altitude were they occur Think I'll passlol

Guess you" just can't have it all?" gary

I've been in some ferny forests as well with huge numbers of tall tree ferns, looks absolutely magic. But will never happen at my place. I have an Angiopteris evecta which is struggling along. This wet season despite being drier and hotter than average the Angiopteris has started to come good. Unfortunately the dry season will soon be back on us again. Last dry season it really struggled in the dry heat, not helped by an animal (probably a wallaby) chewing out the growing tips. Because the plant has become weak it takes a long time for it to recover. Funny you mention Calatheas. I've just been puzzling about the appearance of a number of new ones coming up well away from the older plants. It looks like they've been seeding and something has scattered the seeds. I didn't realise they could produce viable seed, let alone these rain/cloud forest plants seeds germinating in my climate unassisted. They might end up becoming a weed, LOL.

I have several spaths

in my garden, I get them at the grocery store and there is one invasive, pervasive species here in the forest

They look great. I had one a bit similar to your second photo. Haven't seen it this year. Must go look for it, probably got overgrown somewhere. I should really repot them all (or the ones I manage to find,LOL).

I never repot them at all, they like being crunched up. I have seen them growing in the wild as lithophytes, epiphytes too, in tree crooks! Right now I have them growing in pebbles and loose dirt in cement concrete blocks. The rain just runs right through it, but the blocks hold water when it's dry

Love that bluey-mauve, Tropi, lovely flower. You've a nice show of orchids there.

So, Tropical gardiner, please tell me what that lovely white flowered posy is?

Sure, that's Duke of Tuscany, Jasmine sambac...and I have lots of other rare scented tropicals to trade.... at tropicalgardener@gmail.com

Thank you, it's a beauty. I love scented flowers and have 2 Jasmines of my own, also a stephanotis,but I'm forever battling mealy bugs.