LIR seminar orchid order

I've been co-moderating a seminar on orchids for our learning in retirement group the last several weeks.  As part of our activities we ordered the Carmela's special of 20 in bud or spiking orchids for $242.  I'd never done this before and was crossing my fingers that they arrived on time and in good shape and weren't all white phals and dendrobiums. 

The box arrived just when it was expected and it was a huge box.  We had a mix of cattleyas and oncidiums, with only two duplicates and those two were very nice catts.  The oncidiums were already beginning to bloom and in the few days after I unpacked them and before the group gathered at my house, the catts began to bloom also.  Here's a picture of them set up on my dining room table.

Everyone was thrilled at the size and condition of the orchids for the price of $12.20 each.  There were 6 left over, which I and my co-moderator split between us and the leftovers are keepers.

A cat and a catt

If I had been trying to get  picture of this, I doubt the cat would have cooperated.  However, since I was trying to take a picture of the catt, she had to investigate.

Potted up the rest of the seedlings

I think I should have done this sooner.  The sphagnum was looking a bit grotty.  So I have 45 little pots with one plant each and one left-over compot with perhaps a half dozen more, depending on how many of those make it.  Now I need to number them so I've got some ID on the indivdiual plants.

The ones I potted up in January are on the left and the new batch on the right.  I'm glad I was able to squash them all into two trays so I can keep them together.

seedlings February 2010

I repotted about 20 of the seedlings a couple weeks ago.  The first picture shows just these seedlings in tiny square pots.

The next photo shows them next to the remaining seedlings still in their community pots.

They still seem to be doing well.  I'll pot up another batch of them in a few weeks.  First I do want to label and number the individual pots so I can keep better track of them.

And, in another couple months I'll be getting back another flask!

Bread

Both made with the bread cloche I got for xmas.

 They're not large loaves, but very tasty.  I do think the cloche helps.

Back to Pottery

I finally made a few more boxes and got around to firing them and a couple more vases.  I like the boxes, although I'd like to do something about the edges of the top and bottom that have no texturing.  Somehow these sections need to be finished better and integrated.

The tiny buttons are intentionally off center.  I'd like to have the insides a bright color.  So far I'm using scrap clay and the few bright colors I have don't work well on it.  Anyway, here are the boxes:

Next, here's the black vase.  I particularly like the feet on it. 

I'm still not completely happy with the top, but it's the best I've managed so far.  The texture I've used comes from a cheap lace curtain, the top, plain section rather than the fancy border.

orchid photos

 

The pink and yellow orchid is Slc Crystelle Smith, the large pink with multiple blooms is an unregistered cross I got years ago from Hauserman's in Chicago, the little red one is Slc katie's cutie x b nodosa, the little yellow one is Epi morning star x b nodosa), the larger red one is C ford motte 'Cherokee' x Blc Younges Island 'Mr 1,' and the stoplight orchid is Epc Rene Marques.