Ah, Helen --- you've caught the 'Orchid Bug' and have started with a beauty. You might want to also post on the Orchid Forum where you'll get great help, as well as from the contacts you made in the Mass. Orchid Society. I'll happily pass along what we've done with our orchids. The first advice I'd give about raising orchids is to find a spot in your home that they will like. If you can replicate the conditions your plant enjoyed "in nature", it should do well. In the wild, orchids grow without soil and often high up on trees or rocks. In fact, on one summer garden tour we saw that a homeowner had placed all of his orchids in "baskets" of moss and then hung these from his high blueberry bushes. I thought that was pretty clever. You probably know from the workshops you attended that you can't treat orchids like you would your other houseplants. We've been growing orchids for about 10 years and have 17, including some Odon. Intergenerics, and have found them to be tough, easy-to-care-for plants. From early spring to mid-fall, we keep all our orchids outside on a shaded, covered deck. Because we live along a small river, our orchids really benefit from the early morning moisture. In the colder months, our plants go on top of our kitchen cabinets. We put the pots on trays or dishes that have small rocks in the bottom. This is done so that they don't get too dry --- heat rises and we have a gas fireplace nearby. The trays will catch any water that drips out from the plants, which helps to keep the plants moist. Orchids don't like wet feet. They like light, but not direct --- warmth, but not dry heat --- they'll tolerate lower temps, but be careful. Also, be patient when they're not blooming or when they start to look ragged. Some of ours that appeared to be close to death really perked up over the warmer months outside! We spritz our orchids every other day or so and water them at the sink, letting most of the water drain out before putting them back on the cabinets. When a particular orchid is blooming very strongly, we might bring it down to a table or desk for a closer view, but mostly they all stay up high in the colder months. One thing that we hardly ever do is to fertilize. Crazy, I know, but it works. As the plants mature, their roots move out and up in waves and it's these roots that capture moisture and nutrients. We find that our plants bloom very well when we put them outside and then to a lesser degree in the winter months. Oh, I forgot to mention that one reason why we placed our orchids up high is that we have skylights on the roof and a clearstory window; the light is indirect but bright on the cabinets. So I guess an important factor would be for you to look around your home for an ideal spot. Molie

Thanks Kimmsr, but nope - that's not it. The ones I have are metallic/shiny, like Japanese beetles, and they are also about the same length as they are wide - these are more "sandy" colored and long. I'll have to dig out my camera and see if I can get a good pic of this thing. (Who knew there were so many kinds of beetles?)

Man, I'm lovin' that mortar and pestle too! I agree, Terri must have some good insight to match the colors of those placemats and napkins with your outdoor dishes. Cool and colorful swap box for sure Terri! David

sheesh! I just realized I'm my mother all over again! :) Not long ago I mentioned in another post about my son getting a dog that he can't afford to properly care for. What did I do? I became my mother (and y'alls too!) and fussed him out. It's become a daily thing, although I have to say for myself, I have been "advising" rather than fussing. At least, trying to. Currently researching housebreaking an older dog.... AND to stop jumping on people. This one is really burning me up... I'm sick to death of dirty paw marks on my clothes when visiting! This is the most unruly dog I've ever seen. And son and his family aren't helping by letting the dog dart out the door ahead of them, getting his feet dirty and then jumping. They're too overwhelmed with the 2 kids they have to attempt to train a dog on a consistant basis. It's almost a lost cause, I'm afraid, yet it doesn't stop me from "advising". We had discussed bringing the dog to my house for a good start but I'm pretty sure my golden wouldn't appreciate such bad behavior around him. And I KNOW the cats wouldn't! I would just like to be able to help out.... for the dog's sake. Sometimes I wish I could muzzle and leash my kids.. grown, or not! Grrrrrr!