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

It's an epiphyllum, probably an epiphyllum hybrid (which typically contain other, similar genera, including Disocactus, Pseudorhipsalis and Selenicereus). These are commonly referred to as 'orchid cactus', but they are neither a true cactus nor an orchid :-) They are a semi-tropical succulent related to cactus that produces large, very showy flowers. They do produce an edible fruit (NOT a dragon fruit) but these are scarce on indoor plants. They are epiphytes, meaning they take advantage of other, larger plants - like trees - as a support system, like most tropical orchids do, and do not require soil in their native habitat. For home gardeners, they grow perfectly well in a good quality, fast draining potting mix. Unless you live in a semi-tropical climate or certainly a frost free zone (Z 10 or higher), these are not hardy outdoor. And they are pendant in habit, with those long branching structures cascading over the side of a container to often a significant length. One normally grows them in some sort of hanging basket structure or on a tall plant stand to show off the plant and its long branches to best effect. btw, the flowers form at the tips of these flattened leaves/branches so any pruning should be done cautiously. There are scads of websites on epis and if you do a bit of searching, they will provide all the growing info you need (rather than my repeating it all here!!). I find they are very easy to grow and will reward you with some gorgeous - if short-lived - flowers. I've got one setting flower buds now after being moved back indoors from its summer holiday location. Here's just one example of an epiphyllum website but do not stop with just one!! And be sure to check out any that show photo galleries of the blossoms - they are incredible!!

I started growing with the same question. Which flowers are the best ones. A better question is what orchids will grow and thrive in the environment I want to grow them in. Because the number of species and hybrids is very large you still get an enormous menu to choose from. The best specific advise will come from someone that lives in your area or who has lived there with orchid experience. What I do in Florida will be different than zone 8. http://www.aos.org/about-us/affiliated-societies/affiliated-societies-lookup.aspx is a link to the list of affiliated local orchid societies. This by far is the fastest way to ramp up your knowledge on orchids. And a good place to buy orchids. They invite commercial growers to speak and they bring orchids for sale. The senior members know all the local tricks and love to talk about orchids. You can go to the meeting as a guest and see what you think. The best advice for you will come from that group!

I moved it from part shade to take this photo. When I go for full sun? It seems to die back in summer. This plant is a 4 years old red radicans and was one single stem "on sale cheap" marked down. Others like a purple I had cats killed. For the amount of green you see? It seemed heavy after all these rains to lift. I've seen around town 2 or 3' tall in pots this size!