MY NEW HOBBY: GROWING ORCHIDS

Updated: February 19, 2006

[Jim Lloyd with Orchids] [Orchid] [Jim Lloyd with Orchids]

Growing orchids is a popular passtime for many people at Lakeside. There are currently two different Orchid Clubs and I belong to one of these. The Clubs teach us how to nurture and care for our flowers and learn about many more varieties. Some members have over 100 in their collection and even have special greenhouses to protect the more exotic types.

The climate is perfect here to grow orchids and many grow naturally on the hillside above the village. Others are exported into the area from regions around Mexico and throughout the world. Their flowers last many months and bring a good deal of color and joy to those who nurture them.

I just became a "father" since my first orchid now has a new shoot about to bloom. The first pictures show how I have placed these throughout the garden, on our open terrace and in the living room. The natural orchids in the region grow on trees in the forest above the lake. To date, I have purchased and placed ten different varieties in the trees in our garden. Phalaenopsis is the botanical name of the flowering orchids pictured here. I will be adding information to these pages as I learn more about my new "babies."

[Tree Orchids] [New York Orchid & Detroit Orchid] [Stockholm Orchid]

[Passau Orchid] [Orchids on Terrace] [New York Orchid]

[Sophia Orchid] [Detroit Orchid] [Stockholm Orchid]

In January 2005 Robin purchased a beautiful Lady Slipper Orchid for his entry in a Shoe Design Contest. Then in February we located "the Mother Lode" of orchids, a huge orchid nursery in a little town called San Miguel de Caitlin on a long dusty road between Lake Chapala and Guadalajara. This time I found even more exotic types including the famed purple "prom date" orchids.

[Lady Slipper Orchid] [yellow orchid] [yellow orchid]

[White Orchid] [White Orchid] [White Orchid]

[Centerpiece Orchids] [Purple Prom Orchid] [Purple Prom Orchid]

After several months of babying, my first tree orchids bloomed in April 2005.

[Purple tree Orchid] [Purple tree Orchid] [Purple tree Orchid]

After a fallow time during the summer months, my first new bloom of the fall season blossomed in early October on the Jacaranda tree at the front entrance. In January 2006 I added this beautiful four bloom orchid to my collection. Most all of last year's orchids are now blooming again for the next five to six months. And I continue to buy more including this beautiful two color yellow and rust colored one.

[Purple Tree Orchid] [Four bloom Purple Orchid] [Yellow & Rust orchid] [Closeup of yellow/rust Orchid]

And by February I began purchasing more blooms.

[Purple orchid] [Purple orchid closeup] [Yellow Orchid] [Yellow Orchid closeup]

I also had a "greenhouse" set up on the north wall behind the house. I had a retractable awning installed with plastic side and front curtains to protect the orchids, during their "off" season, from too much sun and rain during the summer months.

[Yellow orchid] [Yellow orchid closeup] [Greenhouse] [Greenhouse]

And so the collection continues to grow...

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