The Orchid Photos

Ever since I was old enough to look through a lens I've enjoy taking pictures. Some of the earlier photos didn’t make the subjects very happy (my sister-in-law hit me a few times) I was going through a phase where I enjoyed taking pictures of people eating.
I’ve progressed a little since then and have combined my two favorite hobbies, gardening and photography. I’d like to use this blog to share some of my pictures with you. If you enjoy them please leave me a comment. Also if you’d like, I’d be happy to e-mail you the original, just let me know.
I do ask one favor of you, on these pages you will see “Ads by Google” if you don’t mind click on them once in a while.
Thanks in advance and I hope you enjoy.

Flowers are the sweetest things that God ever made and forgot to put a soul into.

- Henry Ward Beckford

OH NO I'VE BEEN CAUGHT!

I don't know the names of these orchids, I'm really sorry about that. Like I stated earlier in this post, raising orchids is just a hobby for me. I’m actually a graphic artist/salesperson for a small town paper here in Southwest Florida – now if I could do it all over, I would have majored in horticulture instead of journalism. Why journalism? It was the only major that allowed you to take as many photography classes as you’d like and have them apply to your degree. By the way I had 5 different majors before settling on journalism, just couldn’t make up my mind! I was born and raised on a small farm in Kentucky and by the time I made it college, there was no way I’d ever think about studying plants or anything to do with them! Besides I was going to be a famous artist! RIGHT!!
Now I have to say that raising flowers (not just orchids) is just a hobby for me, one that has grown - alot!! We've even had to build a 24'x48' greenhouse to hold all the plants. After a few years of carrying plants into and out of the garage we decided it was time to build a greenhouse. I found a place in that greenhouse that was perfect for my orchids – they bloom almost non stop in that spot. I do know that some of them would be happy in more sunlight BUT hey they’re doing great right where they are.
Any way just wanted to let you know I was sorry I didn’t post their names but I will do my best to identify them for you.

The names are here

Because the orchids all hybrids it was hard for a good friend of mine to ID them. He was able to offer a good educated guess as to the parents of the flowers and his educated guess is more than likely right on the money because this guy knows his flowers. He’s one of the best growers in this area and I’m lucky to able to call him friend as well.
The first picture is a Miltonia cross with either an Ontoglossum or an Oncidium. It could also be a special clone of a straight species. The big blue one is a Vanda cross with roschildiana in the blood line. The red one is a hybrid of a Renanthera coccinea and most likely Arachnis flos-aeris. The brown-white-yellow one is an Encyclia species. The orange-pink one is most likely a Cattleya skinnerii hybrid.