My orchids

The one with the single bloom is blooming for the second time—it was a gift from my granddaughter for my 70th birthday 1 3/4 years ago. The big white one with lots of blooms was a gift from my youngest daughter for Mother’s Day this year, but it was a little too white for my taste :-) ;) So I bought the fuchsia-colored one this week to add a splash of color :-)

Love, Inge

Beautiful!
I only have one—some friends brought it over for me a year ago. It’s just getting its third new leaf, and you can already see a tiny flower stalk at the bottom. I’m really curious to see if it will bloom again. The flower color matched the planter.

What a magnificent display of flowers, Inge. Wonderful. I love orchids, but unfortunately I have no luck with them. They always die on me. Maybe it’s because of my west-facing balcony. A south-facing balcony is ideal for plants, isn’t it?
I just don’t have a “green thumb.”

At my place, container plants, calatheas, and Christmas cacti usually survive. Things like that.

Orchids need partial shade and no direct sunlight—they don’t like that very much. And they also don’t like wet feet; it’s better to place them in a lukewarm water bath every 10–14 days for about 60 minutes. Mine really like that, and they thank me with beautiful, long-lasting blooms.

Best regards, Inge

I don’t have a green thumb either. Even forget-me-nots have died in my garden, even though my sister-in-law said, “They grow like weeds!” Only very hardy plants survive with me. Orchids have actually worked out so far because they don’t need to be watered that often. But I don’t really like them that much. I think they look ugly when they’re not blooming, with their long roots growing everywhere except underground. And after my last ones got aphid infestation, I threw them all away and haven’t bought any new ones since. 

So many blooms—it looks absolutely amazing, Ina. A real eye-catcher in your garden. How big is it, anyway? It looks pretty big.
Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful snapshot with us.
How’s the fish pond doing, by the way?

That one really looks great!
Actually, I don’t have a green thumb for orchids at all, but when this one didn’t die and instead grew a new leaf, I decided to keep it. Let’s see how it goes from here.

Dear Andrea,
the orchid is about 50 cm tall. It’s basically a perennial—it always has several flower stalks. It wasn’t until I pulled the weeds all around it that I noticed the intense fragrance. In my old office job, I always had orchids on the windowsill, but not a single one smelled like that. But then again, those were all cultivated—and mine in the ground still seems to be “natural.”
Our pond is doing very well. It’s getting greener and greener all around it. A pair of wild ducks has taken up residence here. The two of them always swim around our pond, completely in love—bathing, cuddling, and basking in the sun. The pond also attracts lots of dragonflies. And now the water lilies are just starting to emerge; they spend the winter at the bottom of the pond. A little gem for people and animals alike. I’ll take another picture for you this summer.

Warm regards, Ina

Ina, I Googled what kind of orchid that’s supposed to be, but I found out it’s not one at all—it’s a lily. Just type “garden lilies” into Google, scroll down, and click the “See more” button; you’ll find your beauty there.

Hugs, Inge

Dear Inge, thanks to your post, I googled it again. No, it’s not a lily. But I now know for sure that it’s a “dittany” or “burning bush.” This plant, with its wonderful scent of lemon and vanilla, is quite unique. When the sun is shining, its flowers produce a volatile essential oil, which you can see as a bluish glow around the flowers in the evening. If there’s too much sun, the plant can even catch fire on its own, though it doesn’t actually burn. That’s why it’s called “burning bush.” It grows up to 1 meter tall.

And now that I’ve figured this out, we’re going to replant our plant again in the fall. In its new spot, it’ll have more space and can grow undisturbed into a magnificent perennial. Thanks, Inge!

Best regards, Ina

Wow, what beautiful flowers you have! I’m going to take a walk through the garden tonight and share a few photos here.

I love orchids too, but only since I learned how to care for them properly. Mine sits by the east-facing window and gets sun only in the morning. It likes that. I spray the roots every now and then, and then, just like Inge does, I give it a water bath for about an hour every 10 days or so. It blooms twice a year for me, too. Mine is just starting to fade—it’s purple. I’ll post a photo later.

Ina, your plant is a real beauty. I’d take good care of it, too. I would’ve guessed it was a lily as well. I’m amazed at all the special plants out there. To me, they’re always a wonder. I imagine your pond with the lovebird duck couple to be very idyllic. What a joy to watch them. You’re probably enjoying that view from in front of your beautiful garden shed.

Today I cut a big bouquet from our jasmine bush. It smells wonderfully of summer, too.

Have a wonderful sunny day, everyone!

Dear Monika,

since you just mentioned jasmine... I’ve had a jasmine bush for three years now. Until recently, it was in an unfavorable spot, squeezed in among many other plants, where it didn’t really thrive. This spring, we moved it to a sunny spot with more space around it—and lo and behold, now it’s blooming so profusely, as if it wanted to show us what it’s capable of. When I was pulling weeds around it the other day, I was completely intoxicated by the scent.

Enjoy all your plants—whether in the garden, on the balcony, or out by the side of the road. There are wonders to be marveled at everywhere.

Warm regards, Ina

Dear Ina, I can totally relate to that. The jasmine gives off an incredibly beautiful scent. We cut a few branches and put them in the living room. It’s a real eye-catcher. I had no idea that shrubs like this could be transplanted. Ours gets plenty of sun, but also some shade at times from a tree next to it.

I think I’ll start my own thread with my garden photos in the next few days.

Best regards
Monika