The Gardeners Anonymous Blog

How to Grow Orchids (Chigiy’s easy orchid care tips)

Every time I write an article, or feature an orchid on my blog I get comments from people who think that growing orchids is hard, that you need a temperature-controlled greenhouse, or a tropical island to grow these exotic beauties.

The truth is it’s easy to grow orchids, well, at least some orchids. The two I think are the easiest are cymbidiums and phalaenopsis.

Both these types of orchids require surprisingly little care.

Remember corsages?

We would put our corsages into the refrigerator after we were done wearing them so they would keep longer. We never did anything with them; we just kept them in the fridge and looked at them through their clear plastic boxes between mayo and the peanut butter.

I think the last corsage I saw was on the mother of the bride at the last wedding I attended.

Corsages are usually made with cymbidium orchids. So I couldn’t believe it when my mom started growing orchids—and they actually survived. Not only that but they thrived. And she grew them outside.

I don’t live in the tropics. I live in the Santa Cruz Mountains of Northern California and I grow my cymbidiums outside. When they bloom some time in April, the blooms last five to seven weeks.

I buy cymbidiums and keep them inside until their blooms fade.
When their blooms fade I put them outside with my other cymbidiums.

It’s cymbidium season right now

I keep some of my cymbidiums under a large redwood tree and some on my porch. I buy them when they are in bloom, some I received as gifts. I keep them in my house until the blooms fade then I move them outside and wait until the next April because they bloom like clockwork during that month.

Their flower spikes start in February and open in April. I keep them in the same containers until they split open and my friends notice. “Hey Chigiy, did you ever think of transplanting those orchids?” The truth is it makes me nervous to transplant cymbidiums. I hear a voice inside my head saying “If it ain't broke, don’t fix it.” After all they bloom like crazy. I had 48 spikes on one plant two years ago.

As it turns out orchids love to be pot bound. They actually grow better this way.

How to buy one plant—and get 26 FREE! or How to get 27 plants for $3.59

Sempervivum tectorum 'Emerald Empress' with babies

Here is one of my plant buying secrets. When shopping for succulents I always scan the plant isles for succulents with offsets—the little identical plants that grow at the base of the mother plants. Like “Hens and Chicks.”

Like the time my friend bought this cute fat little pet rat for her daughter. Well, a couple weeks later she had seven pet rats. It’s kind of like that.

(But, in my opinion, the succulent idea has a better outcome.)

Normally I don’t buy succulents unless I go to a succulent show and buy unusual plants for my collection. They are just too easy to propagate from leaves or offsets.

You can easily pull off these offsets, and plant them.

You are supposed to let them dry a bit before you plant them, but I never do and haven’t lost a single one yet.

The offsets grow really fast. It doesn’t take long before they reach the size of the mature plant.

The main plant benefits, too: All the energy that the plant was using to keep its offsets alive is suddenly reinvested back in the main plant.

So next time you’re plant shopping, buy the pregnant plant.

How to care for Rhododendrons and Azaleas

My friend Paree the Prada Girl just bought a new house. Remember, she’s the girl who doesn’t garden. So she sold her relatively low maintenance house and purchased a house with a high maintenance yard. I will write more about this in another post.

I’m trying to give Paree and her hubby a little advice on plant care. Their yard is fairly shady and I noticed that they have a lot of rhododendrons and azaleas. These beautiful plants are starting to look a bit stressed, so I thought that I would write about caring for them.

Rhododendrons and azaleas are closely related plants that fall under the genus rhododendron. Rhododendrons are evergreen. They are larger with big leathery leaves. Some grow to well over ten feet. They produce large flowers at the end of their branches.

Azaleas are smaller and more compact with smaller leaves and blooms. Some are evergreen some are deciduous. Both rhododendrons and azaleas bloom in early spring. Their blooms tend to be vibrant, and mostly in shades of red, purple, pink and white. Azaleas are covered with blooms in the spring. Both rhododendrons and azaleas like light shade, although some species of azaleas can take a lot of sunlight.

They love acidic well-drained soil with lots of organic matter in it, soil that isn’t soggy or clay like. The soil should be moist, however they will die if they sit in water for too long. Rhododendron and azaleas will not survive in dry conditions. They need soil that is both fast draining and water retentive.

If there is not enough acid in the soil, the leaves will turn yellow and the edges with look burnt. You can treat this by applying fertilizer made for acid loving plants, and or iron chelate. Be careful though, you don’t want to overdo it. You might even experiment by using a dosage that is half what the label suggests. Better to fertilize half as much twice as often.

When you plant a rhododendron, dig a hole that is two or three times as big as the plant’s container. Lift the plant from the container and place it the hole. Fill in the area around the root ball with highly organic soil. Soil amended with sphagnum peat moss is good for acidity. Make sure you plant your rhododendron with the top of the root ball showing. Never allow the soil to bury the stems.

When rhododendrons are first planted, make sure they get enough water. Their roots are fine and they take a long time to grow into the surrounding area. At first they will rely on the moisture from their root ball. Make sure the root ball is getting wet and not just the surrounding area. Both Azaleas and rhododendron are surface rooters and will benefit from mulch. Mulch with pine needles, oak leaves, redwood or fir chips.

To keep your plants looking full and healthy, you will need to prune them.

Prune rhododendrons in spring before they bloom. You will have to give up some of the blooms, but it is the best time to prune.

You can pinch back azaleas frequently after they are done blooming, through August.

Paree, this is your first gardening lesson. Aren’t you excited? O.K., forget it, let’s just go shoe shopping.

I found this picture of me on a rhododendron farm and the tea I was drinking almost came out my nose. See, when I get around flowers I get so excited I forget to dress myself properly. What am I wearing? Scary.