A Few Orchids That Bloomed Last Year

I hadn't gotten around to posting all the orchids that bloomed late summer through December 2015, so here are some that I remembered to photograph now!

This nice species Oncidium ampliatum decided to bloom, rather largely for being a 2 pseudobulb plant at the time.

Maxillaria tenuifolia had it's best bloom year ever.

Then  in December, this Cattleya lawrenceana I've had for 2 years finally bloomed. (Species cross with color forms 'El Hatillo' x 'Manantial') Hey, you think this one needs a repot yet?  ;)

There were so many that bloomed that I forgot to photo or was too busy to notice until they were fading. That was disappointing, but sometimes life gets gets in the way and I'll have to remind myself this year to stop and smell the orchids, or roses, or whatever.

Nepenthes Bio-Dome 'Lady Luck'

These Borneo Exotics Bio-domes started showing up at a few local garden centers here. I had been wanting to order a 'Lady Luck' from one of the various online retailers, so finding these down the street from my house before I had a chance to do that was an awesome surprise. I hope the wholesaler that picked these up continues to do so with all the bio-dome cultivars, (so I bought a few for myself and a friend to encourage and support this.) Plus, impulse buying a Nepenthes in person is one of the best things ever.

OOPS. Didn't read instructions.

Just kidding, mine was already busting out of the dome, not that I need it's help growing it here anyway. However, the Bio-dome system is actually pretty cool and really inventive for people that don't already know how to grow Nepenthes. Knowing next to nothing about Nepenthes, you could still grow one of these in a window or on a desk with good enough light for quite some time before having to eventually pot them up. It's fairly fool proof easy too, there's instructions all over the packaging and Borneo Exotics have also set up a FAQ website for the newer growers too. It's a very cool way to spread growing Nepenthes to the masses!

Now for those of us that have established preferences in regards to media, location, etc. maybe you'll break it out of the dome like I did as soon as you get one too. 

Only tiny pitchers at the moment to show, but larger ones will come.

Oh, and the one I bought for a friend that wanted just a single plant comes in the most adorable packaging ever.

There's a bow on that one excited looking cartoon pitcher. The mean looking one that's been Borneo Exotics' "mascot" for a long time looks like something currently alive is stuck inside it, which I've always thought of as funny, in more of a macabre kind of way. Adorable packaging, love it.

Anyone else growing one of these? Now that they're available online in the USA, and reaching local stores I figure there's got to be quite a few of you out there. I'll be growing mine in more lowland conditions, and that should be just fine for it. I'd also be interested to see if it will grow just as well in a wide range of growing conditions as claimed though, and can't experiment here unfortunately.

Edited: Catopsis morreniana (Originally Catopsis berteroniana )

Edit: Unfortunately this is a Catopsis morreniana. I'll leave the rest of the post as is, but wanted to put this at the top for people coming across this post. I purchased this from California Carnivores, summer 2015, if you've purchased yours around the same place same time, this note is for you. Catopsis berteroniana only produces one pup at a time, mine currently is working on it's 3rd from the same mother plant. Catopsis berteroniana also has larger flowers and it much larger at maturity, with a variety of other minor difference irrelevant at this point for a positive ID.

Thanks to a tip last spring from Natch Grayes, I got a hold of a Catopsis berteroniana. This is one of the few Bromeliads thought to be carnivorous. I decided I needed one when I learned part of it's natural range includes Southern Florida. So although I may have to bring it inside as the weather is starting to get cooler now, it should do very well here outside the rest of the year.

I totally forgot to post pictures of it blooming this summer. I've been so busy with other things, I haven't posted pictures of much of anything for a while :(

The flowers aren't particularly exciting, but the fact that it flowered is great because...

We've got pups! Only two so far, not sure if that's typical for these, but I'm just happy that it's happy.

Now that I'm forced to bring more cold sensitive plants inside for "winter" I'm reminded to take pictures, so more to come as I have quite a few things I'm excited to share. Happy New Year, hope you all are well and your plants grow spectacularly in 2016!