flowers in the the corsi gardens

	our favorite flowers - orchids 2003

	cattleya aurantiaca	This plant grows in a hanging wooden basket, with no dirt or planting material. I soak it for about an hour in a bucket of water, once every week or so. The cattleya, especially this one, is extremely easy to grow and flowers almost constantly.

	vanda rothschildiana
		This gorgeous plant was purchased 6 years ago, from Byrd's, a small orchid nursery in Lakeland, FL. I carried it home on the plane on my lap and have cared for it lovingly for 6 years. This plant grows in a wooden hanging basket, with no planting material or dirt. I water it about once a week by soaking in a bucket filled with water. I add fertilizer occasionally. The air roots are awesome, almost three feet long. This summer, we were away from home on a month long vacation and moved all the plants, including the orchids, outside, so they could easily be watered with a hose while we were gone.
	The vanda must have loved its summer outside and rewarded us by blooming for the first time since we've had it. Buds first started developing in mid September and finally opened during the last week of October. The flowers were a very pale blue at first but have darkened over time. In these pictures, the flowers have been open for about 5 weeks and are still spectacular - worth waiting 6 years for!