I ran out and took a few pictures to share on this wet, gloomy day.  The only bright spots in the greenhouse are the orchids.

Mom’s Cymbidium never disappoints–this photo with flash.

Softer shot without flash.  This same plant has more spikes coming, and the other divisions of this plant are spiking, too.  Hard to know why some flowers open earlier than others…

Here are two flats of seed pots I planted yesterday.  Lots of perennials here–very hopeful to get some decent germination ultimately some amazing new plants for the garden.

Another timing mystery–this Masdevallia usually blooms in spring.  But it has been blooming since November.  There are four divisions of this plant from the original.  One of the parent’s names is M. ignea “Bean”, which I think is funny.

A pretty clear shot showing the amazing colors of this cultivar.

Part of the beauty of Masdevallia orchids is the way the blooms open–fantastic grace and sculptural beauty at every step.

I have inherited a few Cymbidiums over the years, so it is tough to keep track of which ones are which.  On top of that, labeling is my weak point.  This division is about to open–should be open in the next week or ten days.  It appears to be larger and lighter than “Mom’s”, but we’ll see.

 

This fuzzy picture shows a spike on the full-sized Cymbidium that we received from Karl Huffbauer.  This cultivar has nearly-white flowers with maroon spots.