Because of the intensively hot weather in Hong Kong in the recent few weeks, the yellow skinned watermelons in the greenhouse have ripened unexpectedly early this summer. In fact, since all of them ripened all together so quickly, many of them couldn’t be enjoyed in time before turning bad.

So at the end of our last monthly bonsai workshop session, Teacher Wong brought out all the yellow skinned watermelon that were left and treated us a watermelon feast.  Just like the yellow skinned watermelons we had last year, these ones were so sweet.   And what can be better than a sweet juicy watermelon in this crazy burning summer!

A dozen of watermelon, papaya, and other fruits later, 20 of us left the bonsai workshop with a full tummy and a satisfied smile.

This summer, the lollipop plants (Pachystachys lutea) on my balcony are growing vigorously with many flowers. Frankly, I was a bit surprised. I didn’t expect it to blossom so well, for I have been so busy lately that I haven’t done much pruning and fertilizing since its last bloom.

I guess it’s the extremely hot hot sun in these two weeks that has helped my lollipop plants growing so well. This plant loves the sun. However, because all I could provide my lollipop plants is a North-facing balcony, they usually don’t blossom very well, maybe 6-8 lollipop flowers per pot. But now, with the extremely hot sun flaring in the blue clear sky, there are around 12-14 flowers or flower buds in each pot! I am sure there would be even more if I pruned my lollipop plants right after its last bloom.

The origin of Pachystachys lutea is Peru. It is a very common plant in Hong Kong, and because of the shape of its white flowers and surrounding yellow bracts, it is called the golden shrimp plant or the lollipop plant.

Maybe in another post, let me share some tips of growing and caring for the lollipop plant.

Phalaenopsis orchids are very suitable for city dwellers who have limited space and no gardens. Since Phalaenopsis orchid is quite easy to grow and generally likes the light and temperature condition of our homes, it is an excellent choice for the first time orchid growers, as well as indoor gardeners.

Below are some tips of growing Phalaenopsis orchids.

Light

Phalaenopsis orchids do well near bright window, without direct sunlight. If we place our Phalaenopsis orchids indoor, an east facing window is ideal, while shaded south or west facing windows are also acceptable. I grow my Phalaenopsis orchid outside my north facing balcony and it grows very well. If we grow our Phalaenopsis orchids outdoor under direct sunlight, the growing area will need to be covered with 70-75%  shade cloth.

Let the foliage be your guide. If there is excessive dark reddish pigmentation on the leaves, the leaves probably have been burnt. In this case, we should move our orchids to an area with less sun exposure. On the other hand, if the leaves are long and floppy, the Phalaenopsis orchid may not be getting enough light.

Watering

If we grow our Phalaenopsis orchids in pots instead of by hanging, the orchid roots will not be exposed to the air as much, and hence will dry up slower. We should water our Phalaenopsis orchids only when the roots are dry (but don’t wait till bone-dry). Be aware not to overwater our orchids, the roots will rot and the orchid will not survive. In addition, water our Phalaenopsis orchids early enough in the day time so that the leaves will be dry by nightfall. It is especially important not to let water stay in the crown of the orchids for this will lead to crown rot.

Fertilizer

Phalaenopsis orchids do well with regular fertilizing, yet will suffer if over-fertilized. As a rule of thumb, fertilize our Phalaenopsis orchids every 10-14 days with a balanced formula like 20-20-20 in only half the strength as instructed on the fertilizer package.

Temperature

Phalaenopsis orchids grow well in temperature between 20-30 degree Celsius (65-85 degrees Fahrenheit), and the orchids will stop growing when the temperature is above 35 degree Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) or below 10 degree Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit).

Humidity and Ventilation

Phalaenopsis orchids love high humidity, around 70%. Yet, the moth orchids also need good ventilation and air circulation in order to grow well, particularly during very humid conditions when fungal and bacterial disease can be a real threat. In this case, an oscillating fan that moves air constantly at low speed will be very helpful.

It is always encouraging when some friends and blog readers tell me how much they enjoy Gardening on Cloud 9 and get inspired to start growing some plants at home, or even better, shares with me the fun they have with the tabletop gardens they made.

A few days ago, I have received from Madeleine some photos of a Jurassic tabletop garden she has made. With rocks, sand, and tree barks, she has made a very fun, creative Jurassic park garden for her grandson. The tabletop garden is very well decorated, I especially like the little pebbles placed on the sandy ground as the colors and shapes make the whole picture more fun and interesting.

Recently, I have been very busy with learning bonsai, my wedding preparation, as well as many other projects on hand, that I can hardly find time to make and design new tabletop gardens. But everytime when someone like Madeleine reminds me of the fun of making tabletop garden, my crave of making one gets triggered again!

Maybe next month… I especially want to try my hand at terrarium

Oh yes, did I mention the little dinosaurs in the garden? How cool is that

Cattleya orchids are among the most beautiful and satisfying of all orchid species to grow and care for.  Since the care of Cattleya orchid is easy, gardening beginners who are interested in growing orchids but haven’t had any experience before, can start with Cattleya orchid.  With simple growing conditions, most of us can obtain outstanding results.

And here, let me share with you what I have learned about Cattleya orchids.

Light

The growing area of Cattleya orchids needs to be covered with 50-60% shade cloth. If the light is too strong, the leaves of the Cattleya orchids will be burned. On the other hand, if the light is too weak, the plant will be very weak, and won’t blossom.

Air Circulation

Air circulation is especially critical for Cattleya orchids that grow indoor in a greenhouse. Cattleya orchids are prompt to disease and pest when the air flow in the room is poor.

Temperature

Cattleya orchids are able to accustom to temperatures as low as 10-13 degree Celsius (50-55 degrees Fahrenheit) in the winter and as high as 27-33 degree Celsius (80-90 degrees Fahrenheit)in the summer. It worth noting that there should have some temperature variations of at least 5 degrees between day time and night time for the Cattleya orchids to grow strong and bloom beautifully.

Water

When an orchid is killed by a water problem, 99% of the time is due to over-watering. Water the Cattleya orchid only when the potting medium is totally dry.

Potting Mix

Cattleya orchids grow well in pumice stones. Pumice stones allow water to drain out quickly, which minimize the over-watering problem and keep the roots healthy at all time. Also, we can put a few pieces of styrofoam at the bottom of the orchid pot to improve the air circulation in the root area.

Fertilizer

Fertilizing our Cattleya orchids every 10-14 days with a balanced formula like 20-20-20 in only half the strength as instructed on the fertilizer package.

Hibiscus sabdariffa has many names, like Florida cranberry, Roselle, Sorrel, Rosemallow, and Flor De Jamaica. When it is brought to the kitchen, it can be of many uses. We can make tea, jam and jelly from Hibiscus, as well as wine (I have found this article about Hibiscus wine by Julie Ardery of Human Flower Project, very interesting, as well as other articles too, worth checking out ), the flavoring of someone’s home-brewed beer, as well as crashed the dried Hibiscus into flakes and use as condiment for sauces, ice-cream, etc.

Besides being a good ingredient during cooking, Hibiscus sabdariffa is a medicinal plant. Chinese add Hibiscus into their herbal tea to soothe colds, clear up mucous, strengthen kidney function, and help digestion. Oh, and it is also rich in vitamin C.

All these just give me more reasons to love this snack

And after sharing what I know about Cattleya orchids, let me share what I know about Dendrobium orchids here.

Light

Compare with many other orchid species, Dendrobium orchids slightly requires more light than others. While the Dendrobium orchids in the bonsai workshop is covered with 30% shade cloth, Teacher Wong told me that Dendrobium orchids grow well even without shade cloth. In fact, the Dendrobium orchid will grow stronger and healthier if it grows without covered by any shade cloth since spring time when the plant is still a seedling.

Water

During the growing season, Dendrobium orchid like high humidity and lots of water. For abundant, beautiful blossoms in the next spring, we should water and fertilize the orchids less when autumn comes, and allow the Dendrobium orchid to dry out thoroughly during dormancy. The combination of longer, cooler nights, less water and no fertilizer creates the dormancy which can ultimately induce flowering. And once the flower buds mature in spring, normal watering and fertilizing routines can be gradually resume.

Temperature

The temperature requirement for Dendrobium orchid is similar to Cattleya orchid. During its growing season, Dendrobium orchid grows well in the range of 18-30 degrees Celsius (65-85 degrees Fahrenheit). And we should stop watering when the temperature drops lower than 15 degrees Celsius (60 degrees Fahrenheit).

Fertilizer

Fertilize our Dendrobium orchid every 10-14 days with a balanced water-soluble like 20-20-20 in only half the strength as instructed in the fertilizer instructions.

Mounting Dendrobium Orchid

We can mount our Dendrobium orchids instead of potting them. What we use to mount our orchids depends on the species we are growing. For example, we can use a piece of wood or bark. In addition, we also need plastic coated wire and sphagnum moss when we mount our Dendrobium orchids.

While I find this talk interesting, I have quite a few questions about the numbers that the speaker gives. Kamal Meattle claims that “we need 4 shoulder-height plants per person… 6-8 waist height plants per person… With these three plants you get all the fresh air you need. In fact, put in a bottle, with a cap on top, and you will not die…” So, does it mean that the oxygen released from just a few of these plants are sufficient to totally replace the entire oxygen requirement of a person?  Humm… I just find this a bit hard to believe…

But anyways, we all know that plants do us good. They create oxygen and make us feel refreshing and alive. Not all of us would be able to place four Areca Palms or six Mother-in-law’s Tongues inside our houses or offices, yet, I am sure we will feel better and healthier even with just a pot or two of these air-filtering plants.

Why don’t give it a try

Vickie told me that all the cacti in her cactus garden are growing vigorously since the day she brought them home, and the red grafted cactus started blossoming a few weeks after as well.   Ah… how much I wish mine would blossom like hers does!

Because her cacti were growing so quickly, Vickie had to move an aloe out of the cactus garden and repot it into another container of its own so to give the other succulents more space for healthy growth.

This dragon is a signage of Hong Kong.  Can you find the hidden word “香港” in the dragon?

While the flowers looked as beautiful as they were, I found the show this year a bit boring for it looked just the same as last year’s.  There was no surprise, and there was nothing new.  Well, maybe I am being a bit too critical here.  Many visitors, especially students and elderly, did have a good time in the Hong Kong Flower Show indeed.  During the show period, a rich diversity of educational and recreational activities, such as drawing competition, photo competition, exhibit competition, floral art demonstration, cooking demonstration, and many more had been organized for visitors to participate and enjoy.

In the orchid corner…

Some winners in the Japanese flower arrangement category

(left) The South Africa corner is promoting 2010 FIFA World Cup.  (right)  I bet you can tell this is by the Dutch, right?