Wednesday, May 7, 2014

The Caged Orchid Blooms

I'm overbooked, so overbooked that Saturdays are regularly scheduled work days now. On Sundays I have been tending to some of the bigger chores that need doing before the upcoming garden tour in June.

I've looked down into the deep forest in my travels to and fro and could see that the trilliums were in full bloom. There just never seemed time for a proper visit. Yesterday I came home an hour earlier than usual and wandered into the forest before it was too late. It was time to go see if the Showy Orchis was in bloom.

This is when the deep forest blooms. There is plenty to see, like the native Anemone quinquefolia.





















I found another colony of red trilliums. I take them to be be Wake Robin, Trillium erectum.





















The Trillium grandiflorum really put on a show. This is what I want the trilliums in the garden becoming to look like one day.





















And there it is. The caged orchid blooms. The plants are looking much more robust this year.





















Let's take an uncaged look at the Showy Orchis, Galearis spectabilis. The cage is to keep the deer from eating the orchid. Apparently in all of the deep forest, this is a delicacy they seek out.





















The other caged orchid about twenty feet away is also looking fat and happy. It is not quite as far long in bloom. Maybe I will have time to come visit again. Years ago I found more Showy Orchis in a distant location. I have never seen them again.





















The orchids are a treat. The thousands and thousands of trilliums are awe inspiring.



























And then I found another colony of the red Wake Robin. I find these things when I'm not really looking. So I have decided to stop looking for the Painted Trillium. Maybe I didn't plant it where I think I did. Maybe it is hiding among the Mayapples. I have noticed there is shrinkage after transplanting trilliums while they reestablish themselves. Maybe the Painted Trillium didn't bloom this year. Trillium foliage looks an awful like like Arisaema foliage.The veins are what separate the two.





















This coming Sunday it will be time to plant the roadside vegetable garden with the nursery bought tomatoes, peppers and what not. If that doesn't take too long maybe there will be time for another adventure into the deep forest.

5 comments:

Dianne said...

You are about to convince me to go deep in the forest, but I fear those things that go GRRRR and rattle, rattle. From my road I have seen three of my pink ladies. On the road, I have seen light purple/blue native iris along with dark ones and white ones...they are the least plentiful. I have also found the little purple flower, I think a violet that you posted with different leaves. I will have to take a picture of these and send them to you. May be too late for the iris.

Dianne said...

When you post pictures of the wild flowers, I start looking here at the farm. I have only seen yellow trilliums though. I am envious of your white and red.

Dianne said...

Sorry for monopolizing your blog, but the violet I was talking about is the bird foot violet. I have a beautiful group, about the size of a large Starbucks cup then I have at least one smaller one that is not in bloom. I would like to transplant them, but I am so afraid that they would not make it.

Christopher C. NC said...

Not to worry Dianne there is not a long line waiting to get to my blog. You have yellow trilliums? I want more.

The vast majority of things I have transplanted have survived even when I move them in bloom. After transplanting they usually look mad and fade away early. Next spring they pop back up looking fine. By the third season they start gaining size. When I dig I pray there are no rocks directly below and take a big fat root ball, way bigger than needed for tiny plants. Now the orchids I have never moved except for a yellow Lady Slipper a client gave my mother. It has two buds on it now.

Lola said...

You sure do have a "green" thumb.