There are Epis and there are Epis. All are equal but some are more equal. In SOCAL we have them growing in the yards. They get tall stringy but full of color. Orange, red, purple, yellow and white. These are tough and withstand anything. My gardner takes the weed whaker to them when they get too big The Epis from Cal-Orchids have flowers twice as big and are gorgeous. Result of much line breeding gives you the stunning plants he has. These guys, on the other hand, are anything but tough. A warm greenhouse is needed even here in SOCAL, they will not live outside even though they look somewhat similar to the ones in the front yard that grow like weeds. When you go to an orchid show and you find a vendor who has a spectacular array of very superior plants, these are also not tough. In Florida you'll probably be fine but make sure to ask for the temp requirements of a plant you purchase. Nick

Hi Emily, Like your Wilsonara, we really need to know under what conditions you are growing your plants in order to help and diagnose any problems. as far as care, you have what's referred to as a Phal-type Dendrobium (for specific care look up dendrobium section phalaenanthe). They like: Light: lots of light! When I had mine, I gave it direct sunlight from about 2pm til sundown. South window is best for trying to grow this. A west window could possibly do it, but I'm not sure. Anything less and you'll have a hard time getting your plant to bloom. Temps: warm! the more warmth you can give them, the better, short of burning them. Water: Conventional wisdom, so vaguely put: they want to dry out between watering. My wisdom: during active growth (mainly spring and summer), water when they get to the consistency of a wrung out sponge. They can get dry, but don't let them STAY dry for too long. They can grow and flower just fine if run drier, and can forgive the occasional forgetful watering, but for *optimal* growth, evenly moist (not drenched or soaking! Again, think wrung out sponge) during the hot parts of the year is key. During the winter, do let them get dry. Theres less light and cooler temps, and they aren't growing much. Thus, they need and use less water than in the summer, and can tolerate drier conditions during this quiet period. Allowing it to dry down will keep it from rotting. Flowering: People say that these are short day plants, they'll flower when days grow shorter. However my own experience says they'll bloom whenever they feel like it, granted I was working with a mature plant and not a small younger one. These plants flower from the top of new growth but they can also send flower spikes from old canes. Mine did the latter frequently at various times of the year and not just when days got short. Younger plants will probably not be so free flowering. As always light is very important. If they aren't getting enough light, they will not bloom. I feel like I'm forgetting something. If I am, I know someone will speak up. Til then, be sure to let us know what conditions your plants are growing in. Also, just a point to consider, you might want to open up an account with webshots or flickr, or some other photo hosting website (its free!) so you don't have a bunch of strangers poking around your facebook page. Lord knows privacy is a big concern these days! Chris

Hard to imagine the black going away. Are you sure? As for the bugs, my guess is larval gnats. They can spread disease, but you only have two plants, far apart, so they may not be trouble at all. The problem with watering again is they like wet soil. My guess is the bark is a bit old and decaying already. Might that be possible? Do the pots have good drainage and don't stand in water? If all looks well, otherwise, live with the bugs for now, and when the plant is done blooming, repot it in new bark. Dump out all the old (outside, so the bugs go with it), wash off the roots in tepid water and put in new bark. Medium size. If the problem seems really bad, or is worsening, be brave and repot, even though the plant is blooming. When I get cheapos at trader Joe's, they are in spaghnum and I always repot the day I get them. It's never been a problem. The problem is the orchid addiction. I just watered the lot this AM and it took all morning!

Valieta, Let me throw my .02 cents worth in here. I grew Den. aggregatum for a number of years. I bloomed mine in South Carolina, Kansas, Florida, and Virginia. The plant comes from around the northern part of India, and ranges from the high altitudes to down in fairly low altitudes. This means that some of them get cool dry periods in the winter, and some get less. the altitude that your plant actually came from may affect its blooming, but then you may have one from low altitudes, and it'll be easy. I had a small greenhouse, so all my plants pretty much lived under the same conditions. my aggregatum may have bloomed out of season a few times...Its been a very long time ago...but really, I did not care because it was beautiful when it did and that was what mattered. I would grow it like a Cattleya, then in the fall/winter shelter it from water as much as possible. The pseudobulbs will shrivel a bit, but expect that. keep the plant out of the sunlight and as cool at night as possible, and hope for the best. One trick that works for some cymbidium growers who live where their plants can't get cool nights to bloom is to put a tray of ice in the pot each night for a few weeks in the fall. That may or may not work for you, because you are in effect watering the plant with ice. You might try a season or two without the ice, and if the plant refuses to bloom, try one season with Ice and see. read up and get familiar with the seasonal weather the plant experiences in its growing area, and do your best to match that where you are. Sometimes its a snap to get plants to bloom in different climates than they are accustomed to, and sometimes its just impossible. Either way, its fun trying. Bill