Sweet little slipper orchid

This is paphiopedilum delenatii, the all white version, on my dresser, under my T5 grow lights. This delightful, compact slipper orchid exudes a slightly sweet fragrance. I'm enamored by the combination of the delicate flower, reminiscent of the rare North American woodland orchids, against the dark, mottled foliage.

I think the most attractive thing about slipper orchids is the beautifully curvaceous pouch that adorns the lower part of the flower. The pouch serves as a temporary trap for insects, which crawl upwards to free themselves and in doing so, pollinate the flower.

I obtained the plant last week at the NYBG Orchid Show, which is fabulous this year. Each year during the orchid show, the gift shop is filled with high quality orchids and a well curated selection of orchid supplies. This past sunday there was a frenzy of people buying the orchids, therefore, the selection was somewhat picked over. An insider tip that I obtained is that Fridays are the best days to buy orchids in the shop (they are restocked that day, and one is able to beat the weekend rush).

 If you are a fan of orchids, this year's show at NYBG is not to be missed.  More to come on that!

Gift terrarium is a personal best!

10" diameter terrarium to be given as a birthday gift.

My vision of a "tropical" terrarium includes:

Foliage:
Aluminum plant (pilea carderi)
Galaxy Aralia (dizygotheca elegantissima)
Baby's tears (helxine soleroii)
Temperate forest moss

Accents:
Fine grade black lava rock
White gravel
Decorative reindeer moss

If you want something similar, please contact me!

Grey winter, bright pink flowers

After a long hiatus I am back! With better images for 2013, thanks to the Canon 5D!

Here is one of my windowsill plants, currently in bloom. And here's the story:

I've been doting over this bizarre, taller growing gesneriad for the past few months, in an effort to see  these strange, fuzzy blooms.  Seemannia purpurascens, named for the purplish appearance of the leaves, is native to South America. It appears that the plant likes to bloom during the cooler weather. The brightly colored flowers adorning this messy looking plant (as it topples over) have brought me a little happiness during this arctic, grey winter here in NYC.

A friend was over recently, and upon seeing the flowers exclaimed, "What are those watermelon-looking things!" They are truly bizarre flowers, bright pink, with a greenish-yellow ring around the opening. Inside, a blurry, backlit pattern is present, that (in my mind) may serve as a lure for potential pollinators.

Thank god for winter bloomers!