May Bloomers!!!

FINALLY!!!! Orchids take forever to go from just a tinsy-itsy spike into a gorgeous bloom.  These little buggers can really push a person's patience.  Still, the final product is well worth the wait.
Check these babies out!

Dendrobium Amethystoglossum

This dendrobium amethystoglossum had ten spikes that took about three weeks to bloom.  After two weeks of watching the flowers bloom one-by-one, I can finally enjoy the plant at its peak of beauty.  Only a week has passed when the little flowers began to drop. Sigh...it was lovely while it lasted.

Epicattleya Rene Marques 'flame thrower'

Epicattleya rene marques 'flame thrower' is one of my strangest orchids and easiest orchids to grow.  I bought this tall plant around January in full bloom, when the flowers dropped, I cut the spike to the next node hidden behind an ugly dead sheath.  After a month, the node started to grow epicattleya buds, and now it's in full bloom! Yippeee!!!

Tolumnia 'pretty n' pink'

Above: My darling little Tolumnia 'pretty n' pink'...This is one of my all-time favorite orchids because it's so cute!!! It is planted in a 1-in clay plot.  I waited an entire year for this little baby to bloom.  This plant drove me crazy with impatience.  But after moving this little plant into full sun for 6-hours in the morning, it finally grew a spike to give me these lovely little flower. This orchid really love managed neglect.  The more you care for it, the less it grows for you. One of the easiest orchids to grow for a humid environment.

Paphiopedilum 'Napa Valley'

A Paphiopedilum 'Napa Valley' that I got from my local Trader Joe's.  Even though Trader Joe's is not a fancy or reputable orchid nursery, the grocery store contains a lot of affordable orchids that are orchid nursery quality.  When this darling finishes blooming, I'll most likely re-pot it into a bark mix....sphagmum moss scares me.