Chapel Hill/Carrboro's supplier of locally grown orchid plants
Author: Bob
Bob has been growing orchids since 1985 and commercially since 1989. He has had several orchid articles published in the AOS Bulletin, AOS Culture Guide, and in Orchids Magazine. He currently resides in Chapel Hill, NC and runs Carrboro Tropicals, Chapel Hill's only provider of locally-grown orchid plants.
Spring-blooming orchids are maybe the most appreciated of all since most plants outside have yet to flower.
This is the time each year when I am ready to be done with winter, but sometimes winter is not quite done with us. But in the greenhouse, it is definitely spring! Continue reading “Is it spring yet?”
A well-arranged display of orchids can do much to add excitement to the interior of any house and can provide you with a chance to show off your growing skills to your family and friends during holiday gettogethers.
Often I have wonderful plants that bloom in the greenhouse, but as often as not, I am the only one who gets to see them. But especially during the holidays when we entertain, I get to share the beauty with my friends by creating orchid arrangements in the house for all those holiday parties! Continue reading “Orchids for the Holidays”
Generally I am not a fan of autumn; it means that winter heating costs begin and that orchid plant growth slows down due to lower temperatures and a limited amount of sunlight from shorter day length. But it also means the blooming season for fall Cattleyas has arrived, and this year I have more blooming size plants than ever!
I often get the question “in which month do you have the most orchids in bloom?” The answer is always overwhelmingly October. Continue reading “October means flowers!”
By July, most spring blooming orchids have completed their flowering cycles and most orchid plants are in a growth cycle, producing new leaves and roots needed to generate the energy they need for next spring’s bloom cycle. Continue reading “It’s hot in July!”
By the end of spring most orchid plants have grown some new things besides flowers. For Phalaenopsis that probably means roots and maybe a new leaf, and for other orchids it might mean a new growth. Continue reading “The greenhouse in June”
Spring is a busy time on a farm; the days get longer and the amount of work expands accordingly.
So much to do this time of year, especially after working in Raleigh all winter long. I got my garden seedlings planted at the correct time this year and ended up with the most beautiful batch of seedling ever. With Flora’s help in weeding, most of the planting beds are ready and much of the garden is producing. Following are some photos of what happens in my life each spring.
This winter I have been working a 9-5 job in Raleigh, so I have had less time than I would like to keep this blog up to date. I will add to the sparse descriptions as time allows.
The early spring-blooming orchids are starting to pop. As you probably know, most orchids bloom in either the spring or the fall with many fewer in summer and mid-winter. I like spring flowers the best; after winter I am ready for some flowers! Oh, and the Brassavola nodosa has been in on our bar in the dining room for 2 months now, perfuming us every evening!
It took a while before I started calling this place a farm and I still sometimes pause before doing so. But I looked it up today. Farm: An area of land and its buildings used for growing crops and rearing animals. That sure does sound like where I live! Continue reading “Life on the farm”
This is what was in bloom as I walked through the greenhouse today. Many things have faded since the last documented walk-through, but many new and wonderful things have replaced them!