Tundra Swans and New Phalaeonopsis

First, the bad news. There were three or four Tundra Swans on Findley Lake today, 10/28/09. This is particularly early and suggests that winter will start early and hard. I hope not since we don't have our two tons of pellets in yet. Fortunately they are paid for and just waiting for delivery.

Now the good news. We have acquired a new Phalaeonopsis. I just couldn't pass it up at Home Depot. The flowers are huge, white but with strong purple centers. The flower spray has 13 open flowers and 4 fat buds. While watering it today, I checked the roots and it is certainly overdue for a larger pot and better potting material.

Because of it's absolutely stunning appearance, I've named it Aphrodite. She joins our first purple Phal, which we call Hermes, and our second Phal, a creamy flower with red striping which we call Apollo. I've also been trying to rehabilitate a friend's Phal. So far, that plant has survived surgery on the rotted plant base and has begun to put up a new leaf. Because of the sad state it was in, I named it Niobe. If she perks up soon, there is a possibility that she may produce a flower in December.

Even my husband gets a lot of pleasure from these Phals. The flowers last up to 3 months, which is amazing. The colors are stunning and the dark green shiny leaves look nice during the rest of the year. Today I repotted Hermes, and found that it was starting to rot underneath. Fortunately the plant is reasonably healthy and has some good roots so it should perk up.