First Snow

 

It's that time-first snow of the year. Amazingly my outdoor annuals and veggies are uninterested and still growing along, unphazed.

 

 

My 'Happy Girl' orchid is done blooming...

 

...but not all of the bloom scape has turned brown. Unfortunately the "budlets" that I'd hoped could become blooms shriveled away.

The previous bloom scape on the left is still green, but not producing an off-shoot or new bloom scape as I'd read it might. I'll leave it alone while it stays green though, along with the green parts of the second scape. After all, everything an orchid does is in slow motion anyway so I'll just wait and see what happens.

                               Meanwhile, I'll trim off the brown shrively parts so it looks nicer.

 

Because another bloom scape is beginning to emerge!

 

My passionflower vine is growing well and rambling around the room, but no sign of blooms so far.

The vanilla orchid experiment isn't going so well, the green leaf has just a small segment still alive. I'm hoping it may survive as an epiphyte, so I mist it daily and run the humidifier...

 

...unfortunately it's too late for the variegated specimen. Not to be deterred, I've already ordered another set. I wants me some vanilla orchids, dammit!

 

Two of my three Christmas cacti are budding....

 

...and the rest of the orchids are doing fine. These two mounts are getting a drink, looking pretty happy and showing good growth.

 

This trio of small specimens are looking good, too. I've been so happy with most of my mounted orchids that I may take these in that direction as well, but for now they look good so I'll leave them be.

 

And these two on the other side of the room are doing pretty well too. They aren't as close to the humidifier though, and I may relocate them soon. I have to consider light intensities and preferences of the plants I swap with, so I'll think on it for awhile.

 

The staghorn fern is a newcomer, so I'm not sure if it looks happy or not. Since it's not dead, I call this a victory for now.

Going into the winter months I won't be adding to the collection after the new vanillas arrive. What I may do is pickup a different gardening project fom my friends at Field and Forest Products, maybe a fun "TeePee" mushroom growing kit to amuse myself until spring. Gotta feed that gardening jones!