It`s Orchid time....Cymbidium`s that is

Yes it`s that time of the year - mid winter and cold - but the Cymbidium`s seem to love it. I move them all out onto the patio to get maximum sun at this time of the year. They cop a lot of wind and cold there, but are all happily flowering. They`re tough old things if your prepared to move them twice a year. I move them back into the semi shade near the greenhouse in the hot summer.

Iv`e had many of these orchids since the birth of my first daughter. You know, instead of giving flowers, give me orchids, and they did! I`ve had to divide them over the years, and of course I added to the collection over time, after all, it was always impossible to resist when you work in a nursery at flowering time. Some have the most heavenly scent too.

I must admit I don`t do much to them, just throw on a handful of Strike Back orchid food twice a year and move them into the shade when it gets hot again.They like a bit more water then.

I think it would be nice to pot a few up for my adult daughter now, and hopefully give them to her when she has her first baby, you know, as a perpetual keepsake.Because they generally grow in pots, you will always be able to take them with you.

How are your orchids growing? If you havn`t got any, do yourself a favour and get a lovely potted specimen. You`ll have it for years and years. And when they do flower, take them inside or put them close to the house to see the remarkable waxy flowers for weeks and weeks.