Today while spending a few moments in my shade house I became motivated to go find my camera.  This first photo is of V. Mimi Palmer, you just gotta love that blue lip.

Remember all those dyed “Blue Phals” in the stores this past spring? Well here’s  Dtps. Fire Cracker “Blue Martini” a real “Blue” Phal.

I have a C. guttata in full bloom right now. As the inflorescence developed it’s become very heavy. The cane that’s flowering has bent almost horizontal.  I keep thinking I need to stake it.

The idea of a black orchid always grabs my attention, which is probably why I have this tag less Den. It really is so purple that in the right light it will appear black.

Over the years I’ve lost a great many tags, but I think I bought this onc alliance without a tag. The flower looks like a colorful spider.

I’m always looking for a good red. So when Johanne saw Pot Mem Mario Lanza” Lenette #16″‘  we just had to have it.  We started out with a piece, and tied it to a square basket. Now after 2 years it’s appears to be established. This is the second cluster of red flowers this summer and I think there is one more cluster coming so I’m going to have this welcoming sight into the fall.  JMO but This is my best red.

For the past 6 weeks at least I have had a Robert Strait “Blue Hawaii”  in bloom. This one  plant at peak flowering had 9 inflorescence with 3 flowers each. I got this plant over 3 years ago. I did a re-potting tutorial where I divided the original plant into 5 pieces which have all grown well.  This photo is of one of those pieces.

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Last year Bob Hague talked Johanne into a C. Tripp Johnson X C. Caudebec. This is the first time it’s bloomed for me and I’m really quite pleased.

These flowers are 2 days after opening and I have two more inflorescence just starting to open.

Hope you enjoyed my morning walk thru the shade house.