A few flower pics so that readers will know what sort of Dendrobium we are talking about. The bad news is that in Sydney, Australia only the deluded try to grow them and the Climate here is somewhat similar to San Diego. Main blooming season is Autumn/Early winter though the Dendrobium Garnet Jewel has flowered at other times of the year. I think you need a glasshouse warmed to a minimum of 55F for optimum results because you are liable to get bud drop if the plants are cold and wet at night. One of our Novice grower�s seems to have success with them on a home unit Balcony facing east but she grows the "Garnet Jewel" type which has an infusion of other Dendrobium Types. I have not tried to grow them indoors on window sills because we have furry friends. So, First two orchids photographed at last orchid society meeting and i suspect that they were grown in in glass-houses. I own the Den Garnet Jewel and growing details are .... 6 x 8 glasshouse. 50% shadecloth, Heated to lift day temp in winter and not worried about night temp dip. Cannot afford the heating bill to maintain 55F. Constant air movement from Fan under bench running 24/7 all year. Dendrobium Alice's Rainbow Dendrobium Pioneer River Dendrobium Garnet Jewel

I think they are prone to weirdness from seed... After a 2 yr wait I see my "orange" echinacea from seed bloomed the common pink color. 2 yrs before that my 'pink" echinacea from seed sprouted all pink plants and one white flowered dwarf.... If you think it's a plus for your garden keep it, but I doubt it's going to change other than to grow fuller and taller. It is what it is. I compost most of my seedlings or give them away.... I only keep the best of the best in my gardens. Karen

In a similar vein, I went on a rant to my SO the other day about "low maintenance" or "no maintenance" yards and plants, to the extent that I swerved into no-maintenance houses, carefree jobs and "easy" children. There comes a point, with all this no-care philosophy, when one must ask oneself: what do I care about and into what am I willing to put my time, energy and love? If one buys a house touted for its low-maintenance, a yard for it's plant-it-and-forget-it ability, wishes for mild, temperate children, looks for stress-less jobs, and well-adjusted friends--what has one actually chosen? The absence of care, time and love. There is no struggle, no righteous fight against nature’s elements or discordant events. Ones daily interactions are meaningless because all the struggle and all the desire to support, love and aid those interactions has been lobotomized, split away from reality, cleaved apart with aloof precision. This is not to say everyone should wish for a garden requiring of sweeping measures of care, or that it is some terrible thing to wish for mild-mannered--or at the very least, not ragingly monstrous--children. Rather, there should be some line one must establish, some point breached that makes us think, “yes, I should care about this; I should put care into this”. So much indifference and impassivity disassociates us from reality--messy, frustrating, trying, tiring reality, but also rewarding, giving, bountiful, harmonious, joyous reality. I, for one, choose to place my love and energy into my garden, my plants, and my roses. I deadhead roses because I know I’ll have a lovely second showing sooner rather than later. I thoughtfully prune to give my roses the opportunity to show their best features. I fill planters with colorful annuals, propping them out front so passer-byers might catch a glimpse into my reality, the things I choose to care for and put my love into. I plant roses that require some degree of love and attention, because the fragrance of a single rose fills me with harmony and peace. Frivolous? Perhaps. Meaningless? I think not. Who is to say what might bring another meaning? So, yes, I understand the thought that sometimes that which requires no attention elicits little wonder. Similarly to children vying for their parent’s attention, I was under the mistaken idea that striving for perfection would win my parents’ approval or attention. Rather it was the rebellious, drug and sex fueled antics of my siblings that so ensnared their attention. For good or ill, sometimes a little fuss and muss is necessary to truly appreciate something. What is appreciation without perspective?

I love the colors. Mine should bloom on its next growth. Thanks for sharing Your plant now has a name, Blc. Solar Flare. Here is a link that might be useful: Solar Flare