My Mid-winter Indoor Garden

It is mid-winter and except for four or five inches of new snow nothing has happened in my garden. My last peek before the new snow showed a dozen buds on my Christmas Rose, the white Hellebore that usually starts blooming in late November. But indoors the orchid garden is blooming, or still blooming or is going to be really blooming soon. Here are a few things that are in bloom now.

First, is Restrepia muscifera, Mother Nature’s very own garden gnomes. This one repeatedly blooms on the underside of the base of the leaf.

Oncidiums, sometimes referred to as the Dancing Lady Orchids, are a large group of New World tropical and sub-tropical orchids. Several species are found in southern Florida as an extension of their home ranges in the Bahamas and Caribbean, and Central and northern South America. Oncidium Carnival Costume has become one of my favorites, blooming on schedule during mid-to late winter, and often reblooming until July from the initial flower spikes. It also grows almost anywhere – windowsills, under lights as well as greenhouses. The bright yellow flowers spotted with red truly are little dancing ladies brightening up the indoor landscape nad nicely contrasting with the snow white landscape.

Epilaeliocattleya Don Hermann ‘Gold Rush’ came from the Spokane Orchid Show three years ago. It likes a bit more light than I can give it so it summers outside and then goes under my new hi-output fluorescents. That seems to have done the trick this year, as it has with Laeliocattleya Rojo ‘Barbara’ HCC/AOS which should be in bloom in another 2-3 weeks.

Brassavola Little Stars, a hybrid between Brassavola nodosa and B. subulifolia, has bloomed for me the last three years. Mom, or maybe it is Pop, grows next to its offspring and both spent last summer outside but s/he has yet to set buds. That would be the “nodosa” parent.

This green and white Maudiae-type Paphiopedilum followed me home one day from the Bitterroot Flower Shop. It has several siblings hiding out among the others which should bloom later in the spring and during the summer.

A year ago I posted pictures of Cymbidium Valentine. It hasn’t even spiked yet this year but Cym. Evening Star ‘Pinkie’ has made up for it, and another unnamed Cymbidium is beginning to open its flowers.