It is a concern, and I am always trying to incorporate the orchids, whether blooming or non-blooming into my decor. More often than not though, I chicken out - what if there's not enough light there? What if someone knocks it over? What if someone spills gravy on it!

In regards to pots, I've recently started thinking about getting nicer containers for the plants...I bought some nice terracota decorative pots, but they don't have holes. I'm interested to know how you go about drilling through the glass Tyler, as I need something similar for these pots.

I do try to keep leaves dust free by wiping regularly with a damp cloth. I think, however, ultimately a neat and tidy growing area can improve things 10 fold, even if the pots are just plain clay. This is something I have problems with maintaining :)

I have 90% of my plants mounted. The aesthetic appeal of the non-blooming plant is fairly important to me.

I want the plant to look totally natural, no visible wires, ties or fishing line. When I mount the plant I don't pay attention to this, use ties, wire or string to hold the plant in place. After 6 to 12 month all that comes off as the plant has attached itself to its mount.

The plant should sit in a natural saddle on the branch. I have a big pile of branches and make an attempt to find a 'nice one' for each plant I mount.

The branch size should be proportionate to the size of the plant. That one is a little tricky when you mount small, young plants. I estimate the adult size and use appropriate branches. This can get a little ridiculous as I'll put a young D speciosum on a huge branch knowing that in 5 years it will look good.

I also 'mount' plants on empty baskets amd pots. There the guiding principle is to use the smallest unit that can initially house the plant expecting the plant to overgrow it and eventually the basket or pot disappears under the expanding plant material.

Some plants are 'climbers'. Oncidiums and some Maxillarias can simply climb up a mount, they obviously need a longer branch to make room for that.

Some are 'leap froggers'. I have a Pleurothallis that makes new plants on the old leaves. I'll tie the new plant in situ causing a leap frog effect, I have it on a long piece of bark and when it reaches the top, I'll turn the thing around and let the plant go in the opposite direction.

It all finally boils down to what you personally like as the plants will truly grow anywhere on anything. I have a few growing on nothing. Took a large plant and ran a few hanging wires though the root ball and hung it up like that. For the right plant that can look good too and the plant does not care, as long as it does not fall to the ground it could care less what holds it up.

Mounted plants are more difficult to display at shows or in the home, the price you pay.

Nick

{{gwi:172615}}A well grown plant is a good looking plant. While it is not possible in most situations to have good growing conditions be beautiful decor, it is possible to rotate plants in and out of the living areas with the growing pot inside a nice ceramic pot.

Keeping dust off of leaves goes a long way toward adding to the appeal. Regular repotting helps too.

I don't like the look of fishing like on mounted plants either. I drill holes in the cork and loop light fishing line where it will go over a rhizome in at least two places. A single strand of sphagnum between the line and the rhizome does the dual service of cushioning the rhizome and hiding the line.

Thanks for the responses guys :) I ask because of my move next week. While the place is bigger and will get more light it's not laid out such that I can set up a growing area off to the side somewhere...they'll all be in my living room or bedroom space. I entertain a lot and already have enough people calling me the "crazy plant guy".

Calvin - I drilled through the glass vases with a diamond drill bit and a hell of a lot of patience. Basically the vase goes under water (to maintain an acceptable temperature) as the bit slowly grinds through the glass. So far it has taken about 15 minutes per hole. If it's just terracotta though, it's likely that a standard masonry bit would suffice. A harder ceramic and you may want a carbide bit (~$3-$5 at Cdn Tire I think). Porcelain or glass though and you'll likely want a diamond bit ($18 for a 1/4" bit at Cdn Tire).

Tyler

I'm used to being the crazy plant lady, and I rarely entertain. I am blessed to have a spare bedroom that I put my growlights, fan and humidifier in. It's ugly and messy, but very practical.

For display, the plants go into ceramic pots and moved to the living areas for a while.

I'd love to do some mounted plants, but I'm not willing to water that often.

I don't do anything to make my plants more decorative. I've tried the "pretty pots" route, and in my opinion that made things more of a pain in the rear than they would've otherwise been. They're usually heavier, and more difficult to fit onto shelving and such. All my African violets are in plain green plastic pots, and almost all my potted orchids are in clear plastic slotted pots, and all with cheap plastic saucers. I think they look good anyway, this makes the plants the focus, not the pots. The only plants in decorative pots are ones that are tougher and don't need frequent repotting (pothos, philodendron, dracaena, etc.)

That being said, I decided to put my mounted orchids center stage and make them into my decor. My Ang case is all acrylic, set atop a glass table and because it is under lights, it is a focal point of my room. I also have an ExoTerra case that houses a few more mounties, set on a wooden slatted bench-like side table, and that is also a focal point. I would say if the other people in your household don't mind, make it a display, call attention to it. Maybe tweak it a little here and there to make it more presentation worthy, but if plants are your passion, why not show it off? I've seen shot glass collections, fancy display cases for model action figures, or model cars. Why not plants?

I will say, however, that most of my plants reside in my room, and not in the living room. I like to have them in my personal space because I want to enjoy them where I spend a lot of time. Plants that require less care and are more easily replaceable are in the rest of the house. This way, I don't have to worry that some well meaning person will decide to water or prune something that needed to be left alone.

Hi
I grow most everything in the shadehouse. Couldn't grow an orchid in the house on a bet lol. Nothing as pretty as a dead plant?? In the SH I use multiple species in a single planting sort of a series of dish gardens . My favorites are various types of broms,ferns and mosses .
I'm trying a "hedge" of 5 types of Vandas between to conjoined palms. have polypodium ferns sprouting in the recesses though pretty they way overgrow the orchids.
So far have some flowers on the teretes but not the straps. May be too much shade. All are growing well
Not much help I know lol gary

Maybe not much help to the home grower, but it does sound gorgeous. I'd love to have a setup like that, but I'm hampered by two things - living in a big city, and living in the Canada. I daydream about having the resources to buy a house with some land and put up a solar powered green house. Maybe my parents would be willing to sell me their place after they retire and are looking for something smaller and easier to mantain...

Quinn, do you have pix of your 2 displays? The largest Exo-terra is on my wish list, and it's good to see how others set up theirs.

Because of the cats, orchids can be displayed either on the top of the fridge or one piece of furniture in a spot where we'll almost never see them.

So now, I've got all these lovely pots - soft green or creamy white - that never get used. Still, leaves are rubbed under running water when the plants are leached.

Y'all's ideas are creative, and this thread is going in my files. Thanks, Whitecat8

Will someone please buy garyfla a digital camera? I think I've been begging him for pics since 2003. :P

It is a problem.

This looks like this in spring
a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/wsos/393472553/"; title="Collection of S{{gwi:149024}}

Then looks like this most of the time.
{{gwi:172623}}

Not my orchids, but my collection is similar. Lots of green leaves most of the time.

Mr. B, acquiring a digital camera is not all there is to it--how I wish it were! I have one; can even take pics and make the flash go off. Zappp! But when I try to look at what I just took, it's Not there! :( Oh, I read the book and did exactly what it said. All I could find were pics taken before I started taking pics of the orchids. sigh! Maybe one day...

Tyler, it pleases me when the orchids look healthy and nice, in or out of bloom. I try to find ways to keep them which are both good for the plants and aesthetically pleasing to me. That, like using a digital camera, is sometimes more easily said than done.

Stands and sills at ENE and ESE windows and glass doors form my natural light grow areas, so my collection is pretty small. Unlined baskets (tall handled wicker, willow, etc.) hold larger Phal pots nicely. Basketry allows air transfer and spike stakes can be tied to tall handles for stablility when the Phals get ready to bloom.

My Paph pot sits in a small, footed crystal bowl--roomy enough for ample air movement. The little Neofinetia (2" terracotta pot) sits in the smallest wooden slat basket I could find at an OS show. This basket provides the little pot with excellent stability and air access.

My four Phal babies and mini plants (Max and Mormo) don't yet have "special" containers--in the cases of some, because they still need frequent repotting. Most of them sit on a wire rack over a waterfilled tray. I also have four other species/hybrids/intergenerics to find containers for. Finding just the right thing is part of the fun.

Sweetcicely

M.B
If it weren't for the wife I wouldn't even be posting lol I get so frustruted working with electronics i decided
I could either ignore them or be bald lol. I spend time only on the comp. when I get up too early and it's still dark. If light I play with my birds feed the fish ignore my weeds tend the water gardens etc. I just HATE working on the computer though I do like seeing others setups.
My shadehouse looks a lot like Arthurms except not as pretty lol My hanging pots are far more ugly .It requires two to take pix ,one to hold the jungle back one to use camera. Wife will not enter shadehouse due to wildlife . So
a pic requires bringing the pot into the house pix on table . How ordinary?? I would not let you see orchids nipped by frost ,overgrown or not in flower lol
Almost all my "creative " ideas don't work for many different reasons but still given time I come up with yet another creative grow method( stupid) idea.
My most ambitious a "seep wall" is a disaster no pix there for sure lol. Had such great hopes for it.lol
BTW I had a friend who is a professional photo, and also collects species orchids. I'm thinking tons of great retouched pix yet not having to pay ?? Anyway he called my hybrid Catts "floofy" so I ordered him off the property. . I don't know what floofy means but I'm sure it's not complimentary??
Anyway that's why I don't post pix lol Look at all the other peoples pix now that's fantastic!!! gary

There are some orchids with Lovely Leaves.
Ludisia discolor and other jewel orchids
Maudiae Paphs
Some species phals
Neofinetia falcata
plus others
Floofy is a word i dislike though it could apply to many orchids in this display though here and there were some plants that would warm the heart of a species snob.
Sad about your seep wall, but worth a try.
{{gwi:172625}}

Arthurm:

The problem with Australian Dendrobiuums is that they all bloom at the same time, give or take. It makes for a spectacular Spring which is what Spring should be. On top of that all of my Cymbidiums, Epiphyllums and Cacti are blooming their heads off. Many Catts are also spring bloomers. I have noticed that my 3 daughters visit me often in the spring and always leave with blooming plants which they return when out of bloom in need of water and rescue!

Now comes the Summer hiatus were at least in my collection there are fewer blooms until the fall rush starts with the rest of the Catts and last the Laelias. I guess each season has its charms. I guess that's why most Orchid shows are in the Spring or in the Fall.

Nick

Oh my gosh!
I suspect I should be shot. LOL
Y'all are so organized!

Mine just hang around outside in trees and from a deck overhang (mostly Vandas and phals), while the rest are situated on two large metal baker's racks or tucked in among other plants in the ground.

They're only allowed "inside" should we get high winds or a...dare I say it...hurricane.
*whispering here...LOL

I'm kind of an aesthetic freak in just about every inch of my house. If it doesn't appeal visually to me, I just don't want it around. With that said, I've learned to be a bit more relaxed when it comes to the orchids. All of them are in a separate room which helps and I no longer bring them out for display when blooming. For some reason, I just lost interest in doing that.

I primarily grow mini plants, so finding decorative pots for plants that size would be a chore. All in all, I don't like the decorative pots anyway. As already mentioned, they are usually odd sizes and thicker than regular pots, so in a space challenged growing area it just doesn't work.

What works for me is consistency. I mainly use clay pots and when that doesn't suit the nature of the plant I use plastic, but I make sure the plastic pot is square and either black or dark charcoal. Those colors just seem to make the pots disappear. All I notice is the plant. I think white or those awful green ones are just plain ugly and I try like heck to not have them around. Maybe it wouldn't be half bad if all the pots were white or all were green, but they just don't mix well with other colors IMO. I guess my basic message here is to make sure all your pots are the same color and shape if possible. That helps a lot.

I do have quite a few mounted plants and they always seem to appeal to me no matter what they are mounted on. Hanging them is the real trick. I'm always looking for more appealing ways of doing that.

Kevin

chiming in... My special orchids grow outside most of the year and then I bring them inside when they bloom or if we have a cold night. Because of this, I grow them in pretty glazed ceramic pots. Outside I either put the pots on a shelf or table or actually place it inside a slatted basket. The orchids that aren't special and vanda's stay outside growing on wood or fern mounts or in vanda baskets. When they bloom, I move them around the yard so that they can be seen from inside.
So for me, the aesthetic appeal of plant, bloom and pot are all important. There was another similar thread in Fla Forum about making gardens versus collections and that's my thinking, I want a beautiful garden, not an interesting collection I'd have to go into another room or a shed to see.

I just ordered orchid pots from Orchidcontainers.com and they came within a couple of days, free shipping. Some aren't exactly like pictured, so I think I'll spray paint them better colors, lol.
Lori

Here is a link that might be useful: Orchid container store with free shipping

hi, i thought i would add my 2 cents: i like ceramic pots but for some orchids i find clay better and others i like the plastic. for the SH (mostly oncidiums) I use either clay or plastic and they sit in ceramic pots which have no holes. my orchids are all over the house in every room and every window during the winter. in the summer, most of them are outside. whichever is in bloom or has nice foliage, i display it in the living room.
sue

Sorry Whitecat8, wasn't trying to ignore you, but I didn't have the motivation to take pics and prepare them for online viewing til now. Disclaimer: I'm not exactly recommending that this exactly is the way that I'd have this stuff look if I were putting this in say, my living room. I'd probably get more enclosed lighting (rather than brooder lamps) and keep my table tidier, as in, not having wash bottles all over the place, and not setting up all my seedlings for the garden on top. So, disclaimer over, here it is:

The Ang case:

{{gwi:172626}}

The ExoTerra (this is the medium size):

{{gwi:172627}}

{{gwi:172628}}

And just for kicks, the more photogenic plant shelf area (mainly African violets on the taller shelf) Not a fabulous pic, because of the backlighting, but you get the idea:

{{gwi:172629}}

Hi
I guess with orchids in particular culture has to come first .If you collect orchids you are also a pot collector
Naturally you can have prettier pots or mounts .Orchids are famous for flowers not plants .While a few do have attractive leaves none can compare with a Brom. Microsorum ferns caltheas tree ferns understory palms.
Funny story about "landscaping" with orchids. I hired a man to remove a WAY overgrown Travelers palm. I was so thrilled that he only damaged two flower beds and only slight damage to the small shadehouse . At last !! I've found a lawn person who doesn't require constant watching.!!lol Anyway when he came to collect the money he informed me that my orange tree had "serious disease problems and should be removed immediately!! I went with him to look at the "disease" It was the forty orchids I'd so carefully nutured for several years to arrive at the diseased look lol Never did convinve him that it was actually "pretty" lol "Ruins the whole look of the tree!!"
Never hired him again lol gary

orchidnick wrote:
> The problem with Australian Dendrobiuums is that
> they all bloom at the same time, give or take.

Hot/colds help as do the tropical tetragonum hybrids (which are technically also hot/colds). I realise that you're geographically restricted in your choice but that's how a lot of Australian Australian Dendrobium growers deal with the wait. Then, of course, you've got the ones who grow nothing but speciosums who are happy to sit and wait. Then again, speciosum puts you in that mind set.

Personally, I prefer our terrestrials. There's always something going on. :-)

I just noticed something in my post that bugs me a little... I don't know if anyone cares, but when I said "the more photogenic plant shelf area" I didn't mean it was more photogenic than the cases (though you're welcome to think so, if you're so inclined). I meant it was the more photogenic of the two plant shelves in my room. There's one on the other side, in front of the other window, but it's got mosquito netting in front of it right now to deter the cat from moving my plants aside to try and check out the neighborhood birds : ) Not attractive, I'm looking into a better looking and more accessible alternative (for me, not the cat.)

WELL! I'm certainly glad you cleared that up!

: ) Just Kidding, Quinn. As a matter of fact, I did notice how attractive the plant shelf looked and thought how pleasant it would be to have such a decorative and useful grow area in my work room.

Your explanation about your post gets me in a tender spot. I admire and care deeply about the language. I can't express how encouraging it is that one whose first language is English would take the time to clarify something that a slip in syntax might have made confusing.

And Tyler (to give you back your thread) ever since you first posted this, something about the rhythm or cadence of your title, "Aesthetic appeal of non-blooming orchids" has prompted another title to pop up in my head:

The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds

Sweetcicely

lol :) Sweetcicely, I confess I had to google to figure out what you were talking about. The film adaption came out five years before I was born and I'd never heard of it before. The cadence does sound similar though...maybe it's my science background :)

I'll have to take some pictures of the area I'll be growing in after I move this Saturday. The view is spectacular... 30th floor south west view over the city and harbourfront. When they aren't in bloom I'd very much rather have the orchids highlight the view rather than detract from it.

Tyler

: ) funny! I've never seen the play/movie, but was thinking of the book, which one of my children read at school. (That was wayyy before you were born, Tyler!) The title was so interesting that I've never forgotten it.

Your future grow-place sounds like a winning exposure and View! The AVs may require some screening. (The cat, of course, will want a place in the sun.) I'll look forward to seeing your happy new set-up.

Sc

lol. No cats or AVs here. Think you may have lumped in some of quinnfyre's posts with mine.

I took all my orchids over last night with the help of a friend. Certainly got a lot of stares walking down the street with large open boxes of plants.

oops! That's prezactly what I did, Tyler. Sorry. I'll look forward to pictures without a cat! May you have a smooth move and lots of help.

Sc