Backyard Orchard: The payoff!

Studying diligently for my recertification, not spending time in the garden. Always some reason to neglect it! That's one of the great things about the backyard orchard - it doesn't need care at the time of harvest, and the harvest is great if the weather permits and prior preparation was good.

Late frost and chilly spring meant a lot of grapes didnt set. Even so, there are plenty odf sweet flavorful grapes to eat now and for the next month or so.

Tomatoes are doing great! The delay just made them all the sweeter in my mind!

Oh man, the pears! Luscious, sweet, a dessert in eveyr bite! Eating one every day.

Still some Asian pears remaining. I think they'll last a little longer on the tree while I eat the European pears. The first of the asian pears were wonderful!

I don't know if I posted on the Trilite peaches, now they are long gone. Very good! Now the genetic dwarf peach is almost ripe, a bit crunchy and slightly tart but very peachy!

Peppers are the best I've ever grown! Container gardening rocks for these warm season plants! THe eggplants are producing as well! Cool!

Orchid Update

Summer may not be the time to expect a lot of flowers on home-grown orchids. I'm still not ready to say that I know how to grow them in my circumstances. However, one Dendrobium nobile gives me a lot of hope.

This unknown variety is on its second rebloom. According to the web information on D. nobile hybrids, they usually require a period of sun in the summer, dormancy in the fall, and then bloom in winter or spring. This plant keeps putting out new flowers. Not a lot, but that doesn't matter. In addition, it has many buds. It just doesn't know the rules. I did have it in full sun, but now it's in a shaded south window. The other D. nobile remain in the sun, and seem to be more conventional. Currently I'm giving them a low-N plant food, continuing the weakly-weekly method.

Dendrobium phaelenopsis hybrid, purchased at the Missouri Botanical garden in St. Louis. My selection was restricted by size. I wanted small, so that I could keep in the carry-on. I made a loose tube of newspaper, seemed to protect this plant well enough. They had no problem with this at the St. Louis airport security. It fit well under the airplane seat. Label gives variety as "Genting". Given the appearance of the plant, and the shape of the flower, I wonder if the gift plant that I identified as "Vappodes" is really a D. phaelenopsis hybrid? If it blooms, I'll have a better idea. The leaves are somewhat different but that may be due to age of plant and my culture conditions.

I like showing the whole plant, for general morphology, and a close-up of the flower. That gives a nice idea of what the plant really looks like

Also from the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis, same transport idea. There were several that were much taller and full of flowers. I chose this specimen for the same transportation issues above. It did suffer a little in travel, but not too much. The variety is listed as "Anching Lubag". This plant has a nice fragrance. I liked the green color of the flower, and the shape of the flower.

Some of the cool-loooking arial roots were damaged in transport, so I snipped them off. When this plan finishes blooming, I'll repot in the same medium that I use for all of my orchids.

This Zygopetalum was from Trader Joe's, I purchased it a few weeks ago. It's a demonstration of how tastes change. I didn't like these before. It's nicely fragrant.

This photo shows the tubby pseudobulb. The growth habit is similar to Oncidium orchids.

Orchids at the Missouri Botanical Gardens Climatron

These were in the Climatron at the Missouri Botanical Gardens in St. Louis. I was there this weekend. I enjoyed seeing the orchids growing on the tree branches, much as I imagine they would grow in nature. These are probably all hybrids, but that doesn't matter. Also, not labeled so I have to make broad guesses about variety.
Schlumbergkia. This plant is very, very large. The flowers are interesting and beautiful.



Cattleya hybrid.

Miltonia, Angraecum, and Cattleya hybrid. Don't count too much on my knowing these species.

At a distance, orchids and other epiphytes growing on tree branches.

Im not sure - an Cattleya hybrid?


Another view of epiphytes on a tree branch.

The Master Bath is completed!

Here is the last installment on the Master bathroom. Some lessons learned:
(1) Even if you CAN do it, if you can't get it done, hire a contractor.
(2) Having done so, make sure you watch them thoroughly. It's not THEIR bathroom, they won't care as much as you do if the tiles don't match, or if the hinges are broken on the cabinet, or if the plumber cracks the drainpipe in his vice when cutting it.
(3) There may be such a thing as a plumber who takes professional pride in their work, but they are very rare. I suggest you look for a unicorn first, that would be easier.

(4) No matter how closely you watch, you wont get 100% of what you want. You have to accept that and know where to draw the line.
(5) If you think it will be great, give it a try. It might seem strange to remove the top from a credenza from Pier 1, add a stone counter top to it, and plumb it to make a vanity, but I think it looks a zillion times better than anything I saw premade. Plus, many of the premade ones are formaldelhyde-urea products I didn't want in the house.

(6) When you tell the contractor to cover the tub and shower pan with plastic so that it won't get grout and tile adhesive on it, and the contractor tells you "Not needed - it cleans up easily", ask him "on what planet" and insist. It doesn't clean up easily, it's a lot of work to do it without causing scratches, and some may never come off. This really is a case of them BSing me just for the sake of BSing, because putting down a sheet of plastic only takes a few minutes, but cleaning up the mess from not doing so takes hours.

Despite those comments, it would not be done if I hadn't hired someone, I'm glad I did, and this one did a great job (except for comments above).

Critters

It's great to see that there are critters around, especially beneficial ones.

Toad was hanging out in the Schlumbergera. I see toads or frogs now and then. They eat insects, so are good to have around.

Studying diligently, but I occasionally look up form the window. Hummers have been actively hanging out at the feeder. Difficult to take photo due to sun behind the bird, and window between me and the bird, but here it is.

Hard to say if same or different hummer.
Lots of birds going after the seeds as well. They are quite wasteful, throwing seeds around. I don't know if they are also on the ground picking up spilled seeds - that is below my view.

More on critters....

Kitty Cat decided that a freshly applied area of barkmulch, front border, was the world's biggest and best litter box, adding little hills and thereby bringing weed seeds back up to the top - violating the principle. I found an old bottle of chili pepper, probably over 10 years old. I sprinkled the chili pepper all over the bed - we'll see if that spices it up for her, or if she decides to move on.

Slugs are still active - bed of newly planted beans sowing evidence for slug feasts. I sprinkled around a generous helping of organic slug bait.

Back to studies. Currently studying >8 hours per day. Nice change from the usual schedule.