bumping down.

Of all the Cochet roses, I love the bush form of white "Maman Cochet" the best. Because of its' -coloring, an ivory-white with outer petals a rich pink. -petal substance, it lasts well as a cut rose in the cooler seasons. -rapid re-bloom, the climbing form only gave me 3 bloom cycles a year, same as that which most H.T.s produce here, but the bush form of white "Maman Cochet blooms in January, March, May, July, September and October, twice as many bloom cycles as the climbing form. Jeri, I never loved "Niles Cochet" until I saw your photo, that shade of red wasn't one of my favorite hues, but now I see that altogether on such a large plant the white balances the red very beautifully. Thank you for giving me an opportunity to review an old acquaintance. I think I must have that rose. Luxrosa

Maggie, I really can't pinpoint the location of this place. I just know it was on the North side of the highway and it sits out in a field. It is not a huge operation. We were just driving along and I saw the sign stuck up on a fence post saying Orchid Sale. It was a tiny sign, hand lettered, and looked very temporary. You pulled into a field and drove back to the greenhouse facility. There was a shed built on the end of the greenhouse and that is where we went in. There was no driveway, just ruts through the field. I wish I had paid more attention but it was really a chance encounter. The next time we go up that way I will try to get a better location. The people just wrote a receipt on a piece of paper; no business name. I think it is a mom & pop operation run by the little asian couple we met. They just invited us in, left us alone to wander until we were ready to pay for our purchases. I even got on Google Earth to try to locate it but no luck. I did realize that it is on Route 44 instead of 46. We take 46 from I95 over to 44 which then takes us into Leesburg. If you go to Leesburg you should check out the Simon's Seed and Garden Store on Magnolia Street. I got some good deals on Orchids and other plants there. I live in Lehigh Acres. Do you know of other people in our area on GW? We should try to get a group together to share knowledge and experiences if there are enough in our area. I have only been here about a year and we have been putting most of our energy into building walls, decks, walkways, and getting ready to plant. I am about to the planting point now. We went to ECHO Farm Day last week and picked up some good ideas and some citrus trees. I am really trying to get the info-structure completed before hot weather sets in. Bill

Hi Barbcoleus, I am glad to hear your orchid is blooming. I always get "seed pods" from mine but from what I have read it takes years for orchids to go from seed to blooming plants. I may be wrong but I have never tried to do anything with them. I have lots of the green anoles here. Maybe the Cuban Tree Frogs haven't made it this far north yet? nova