AboutOrchids

Our summer garden is in full swing, with lots of great blooms. There are plenty of big flowers, like these giant lilies. When a neighbor had some old bulbs destined for the trash, Dave rescued them and stuck them in the garden, hoping they would survive. Imagine our surprise when the plants grew 6 ft. (1.8 m) tall with blooms the size of dinner plates. They have a wonderful scent, also.

On the other end of the size spectrum, these tiny Jewels of Opar flowers are only 1/4 inch (6 mm.) I grew these from seeds which were a gift from Dave’s Mom. They’re not very fond of our cool coastal climate, but they seem happy enough indoors, sitting in a sunny, warm window.

I’ve never understood why this Agapanthus is commonly called “Lily of the Nile” when they’re native to South Africa, nowhere near the Nile. No matter the misnomer, they love the California climate, and reliably provide beautiful blue blooms every year. The orange and yellow flowers belong to Mexican Asclepias, better known as milkweed. We originally bought these to try to attract Monarch Butterflies, but haven’t seen any caterpillars eating their leaves. The beautiful, long-lasting flowers more than compensate for the lack of Monarchs. Finally, Dave spotted this orchid seedpod on our San Francisco native orchid, Epipactis. The brown part on the bottom is the flower, which dries up after pollination. I’ve grown this plant for years, but it’s never been pollinated before, so I’m eager to see if the seeds are viable. It may take a few months for the seedpod to mature, but I’ll keep you updated.

Explore posts in the same categories: General Gardening, Misc, Photos

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 28th, 2009 at 3:12 pm and is filed under General Gardening, Misc, Photos.

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